A Lenten Bible Study: Genesis to Jesus Lesson Ten: Features of the Kingdom

This is the tenth lesson in the Saint Paul Center for Catholic Biblical Theology's Lenten Scripture study, Genesis to Jesus. Follow along, and by the end of Lent, you'll understand the importance of Easter in light of God's plan for our salvation and his deep and unfathomable love for us, his adopted children through Christ.
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In our last lesson we learned how David became the king of Israel. And we began to show some parallels demonstrating how the Davidic Covenant is the prototype of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. Now we will look a little more closely at this covenant with David. Specifically, we are going to identify the seven primary and three secondary characteristics of this covenant. We will conclude by showing how Christ fulfills the Davidic Covenant, as well as the prophesies of kingdom restoration through the Church.

We begin this lesson by identifying the seven primary and three secondary characteristics of the Davidic Covenant. The first of these seven primary characteristics, or features, is God’s oath that David’s son will also be his son. This appears in 2 Samuel 7:14 and is reiterated in the Psalms. Psalm 89:26-27:

26 He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.' 27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

In the Davidic Kingdom, Israel’s original calling to be God’s first-born among the nations, finds partial fulfillment. Later, Christ becomes the ultimate fulfillment of that call. He is the son of David that Hebrews 1:6 calls the eternal “first-born” Son of God.

The second primary feature of the Davidic Covenant is that the Davidic king is to be a Messiah. When most of us think of the word “Messiah,” we think “Savior.” But the Hebrew word for Messiah, mashiach, literally means “anointed one.” The anointing of the king usually involved pouring oil on the new king’s head. We see examples of this anointing rite in 1 and 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and elsewhere. We are told in Psalm 89 that this act symbolized the reception of God’s Spirit. Psalm 89:19-21:

19 “Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: "I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young man from among the people. 20 I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him. 21 My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.”

In the New Covenant, God’s anointed one is Jesus, the Christ. Christ literally means “anointed one” in Greek, and his anointing takes place in Mark 1:9-11. When Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, the prophet whose father is a Levitical priest, the Holy Spirit descends on him and God declares Jesus to be his beloved Son. Importantly, immediately after his baptism, Jesus announces the coming of the Kingdom of God. In other words, once the king is anointed, the restoration of the kingdom can begin.

The third primary feature of God’s covenant with David is that the Davidic Kingdom will be an international kingdom. It will encompass more than just the Israelites. This is one of the reasons why David’s cabinet includes non-Israelites, something that would have been unthinkable [1 Chronicles 11:11-12] under the Mosaic covenant. It is also why Israel prayed in Psalm 72:8-11 that Solomon’s dominion would extend “to the ends of the earth” and that “all nations” might one day come and serve him. That feature of the Davidic Covenant, however, is only totally fulfilled in the New Covenant. Through Christ, people from all nations of the earth are brought into God’s family through the Gospel. That’s why in Matthew 28:19, Jesus instructs the apostles to make disciples of “all nations.”

The fourth primary characteristic of the Davidic Covenant is that Jerusalem will be the political and spiritual center of the Davidic Kingdom. It will be there in Jerusalem, on the heights of Zion, that Israel and all nations will gather together as one people to worship in the presence of God. Isaiah 2:1-4:

1 “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

In the New Covenant, Jerusalem, the Mt. Zion of the prophets, remains at the center of the Kingdom, just in a different and transformed way. The Upper Room where Christ instituted the Eucharist, and the disciples later received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, is situated in that same Jerusalem. In the Kingdom of God, Christ, the Son of David, reigns in the New Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, that St. John sees in Revelation 21:2.

The fifth primary characteristic of the Davidic Covenant is the Temple of Solomon. This is the temple David wanted to build for God. But at God’s command it is built by his son instead. As 1 Kings 8:27-29 tells us, the Temple is the place where God chooses for his name to dwell. It is the architectural sign of the Davidic Covenant. Its construction embodies the Israelites’ move away from the Mosaic Covenant into a new era. Of course, even Solomon’s Temple was not the “end all, be all.” Both the Tabernacle and the Temple were forerunners of something much greater. Hebrews 8:5 tells us:

5 “Who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”

What is the true Temple? What did Moses’ tent and Solomon’s Temple foreshadow precisely? The Body of Christ. John 2:19-22 states:

19 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.”

The sixth primary characteristic of the Davidic Covenant is wisdom. In 1 Kings 3, God invites Solomon to ask for something he wants. Solomon requests wisdom so that he might govern his vast empire wisely. That answer pleases God so much, that he gives Solomon not only wisdom, but wealth and long life, too.

One of the most important ways Solomon disseminates the wisdom of God is through wisdom literature – through books such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Unlike the Torah, or the Books of the Law, the wisdom books of Solomon, contain no ritual laws peculiar to Israel. Instead, they recommend the path of wise and righteous living in terms that all people can understand, regardless of their nationality.

But the wisdom that comes into the world through Solomon in the Davidic Covenant is only a hint of what’s to come in the New Covenant. As 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, Christ is “our wisdom.” With his coming, Christ reveals the face of the Father and instructs the world in the ways of God. Through Christ, God’s wisdom, the Holy Spirit, is given to all who believe and are baptized.

The seventh and final primary characteristic of the Davidic Covenant is that David’s Kingdom is everlasting. We hear this in 2 Samuel 7, then again in Psalm 89. Now, the Davidic Dynasty is the longest lasting dynasty in recorded history. From 1000 to 586 B.C., one of David’s descendants sat on his throne in Jerusalem. Other empires lasted longer, but none of them had an unbroken line of dynastic succession that extended this far through history. Of course, even 400 years isn’t exactly everlasting.

When the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and all the sons of the Davidic king, Zedekiah, are killed in 586 B.C., it seemed as if God was reneging on his promise to David. The prophets, however, refused to give up hope that the Kingdom would be restored and a son of David would reign again. Sure enough, with the coming of Christ, the Kingdom is not merely restored, it is transformed. Christ, the true Son of David, now reigns eternally over the everlasting Kingdom of God from the heavenly Jerusalem.

As noted at the beginning of this lesson, there are three secondary features that point towards the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. What are they? First, there is the gebirah, the Queen Mother. Like other kings before and after him, Solomon had a lot of wives, but only one mother. Accordingly, he establishes a throne not for any of his wives, but for his mother, Bathsheba. This tradition of exalting the mother as Queen continues throughout the Davidic Covenant. In the New Covenant, Mary, the Mother of God, reigns as the true gebirah.

The second secondary feature is the prime minister, the one who administers the Kingdom under the Son of David. The prime minister is the chief steward of the kingdom. He holds the keys to the kingdom, with signifies both his authority, and the nature of his office. Namely, that it’s successive, it passes from one prime minister to another. In the New Covenant, Jesus places the keys to his kingdom in the hands of Peter. And like the prime ministers of old, those keys eventually pass from Peter to each of the popes who have guided the Church throughout the centuries.

Finally, there is the Todah, or thank offering, which becomes one of the most prominent liturgies celebrated at the Temple from the time of David onwards. Since it is so important, let us focus for a moment on the Todah. We hear about the Todah in several places in Scripture, but most often in the Psalms of David. Psalm 50:14-15 tells us:

14 “Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High. 15 Then call on me on the day of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me.”

How did one make a “sacrifice of thanksgiving?” It began when a person was in a life-threatening situation. The person would cry out to God, asking for deliverance. He would then make a voluntary vow to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving upon being saved. Deliverance would come, and then the rescued one would offer a sacrifice in the Temple and bring bread with him to be blessed. Afterwards, he would gather his family and friends, and all together partake in the consecrated bread and a cup of wine, proclaiming the Lord’s deliverance.

Through the Todah, the people of Israel learn to offer their afflictions to God in thanksgiving. More than any sacrifice, this act of thanksgiving is what God truly wants from his people. Psalm 69:30-31 says:

30 “I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 And it will please the Lord better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs.”

Importantly, the Greek word for thanksgiving is eucharistia, which is the origin of the word “Eucharist.” In the New Covenant, Jesus offers himself in thanksgiving to the Father through the Church’s Eucharistic offering. Like the Israelites of old, when we participate in this thank offering, we eat consecrated bread and proclaim our deliverance from sin and death over a cup of wine. But for us, it is not enough to consume the bread and wine transformed into the Lord’s Body and Blood. When we partake in Christ’s offering, we are also called to offer ourselves, our very lives, to the Lord.

Having examined the primary and secondary characteristics of the Davidic Covenant and how they point forward to the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. But what happens to King David and Israel? Did they do a better job honoring this covenant than the Israelites did of honoring the Mosaic Covenant? Not surprisingly, the answer is “No.” 2 Samuel 11:1 tells us that not long after God announced his covenant with David, the king begins to slip.

Instead of leading his troops into battle like he is supposed to, David lingers at home in the comforts of his palace. While lingering, he spies Bathsheba, the beautiful wife of one of his most trusted soldiers while she’s taking a bath on her roof. David then invites Bathsheba to his bedchamber and commits adultery with her. When she conceives a child, David tries to cover up his sin. And when his cover up plans fail, he has her husband, Uriah, killed. King David has totally lost his way.

Trying to cover up sin with more sin is never a good idea. Not surprisingly, judgment from God comes fast and furious. In 2 Samuel 12:1-7, 10-15 it is written:

12 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, “There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 “The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3 “But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. 4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 6 He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.” 7 Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul...

10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’” 13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.” 15 So Nathan went to his house.

After hearing of his punishment and learning that his son will die, David repents deeply, praying Psalm 51, the great psalm of repentance. Because Uriah is now dead, David marries Bathsheba. After their newborn son dies, as Nathan foretold he would, David and Bathsheba conceive another son, Solomon. Despite David’s massive fall from grace, God continues to honor his covenant with David and to move his plan for salvation history forward.

This forward movement becomes particularly clear when we compare it to the Mosaic covenant. Key developments include: 1. A move from Mt. Sinai, which was in the desert outside the Promised Land, to Mt. Zion, which was in Jerusalem, the holy city at the heart of the Promised Land; 2. A move from an exclusive covenant, which applied only to Israel, to an international covenant, which sought to draw in the nations of the world; 3. We see a move from a tent where only Israel could worship in silence, to a great temple where the nations of the world could gather and worship in song; 4. There is also a move from a sin offering to a thank offering, as the most prominent sacrifice; 5. And finally, a move from the Torah, the book of the Law, to the Hokmah, Solomon’s books of wisdom.

It is important to note that just as the Davidic Covenant marks a step forward in salvation history from the Mosaic Covenant, it also marks a partial fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. Shortly after Solomon’s coronation, all three promises that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12 are fulfilled. The first promise of land and nationhood is honored with 1 King noting that Solomon ruled over “all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt,” and that “Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea…” The second promise – a great name through a royal dynasty – is fulfilled through the passing of the kingdom from David to Solomon. And finally, the third promise – to bless all nations through Abraham’s descendants – has come to pass provisionally through the privilege all nations now enjoy – to worship God in his temple – and access to the wisdom literature Solomon sends forth among the nations.

Unfortunately, the more things change the more they stay the same. Like his father and his ancestors before him, Solomon falls hard into sin. Shortly before his death, back in Deuteronomy 17, Moses gave three warnings to the Israelites for their future king. He said don’t multiply weapons, wealth, or wives. Even though he was the smartest guy around, King Solomon fell prey to all three temptations [2 Chronicles 9:25, 28]. He multiplied his weapons, acquiring massive numbers of horses, chariots, and soldiers. He also sought to increase the wealth of his kingdom beyond what was reasonable, tyrannically extracting tribute, or taxes, from vassal states [1 Kings 10:14, 23-27]. And he multiplied his wives. In fact, he used marriage as a way to forge political alliances, ending up with 700 wives and 300 concubines [1 Kings 11:1-4].

Not only did Solomon have to tax people heavily to support a household of that size, but he also began permitting idol worship within the palace and the kingdom. He did this to allow his wives to worship their foreign gods rather than introducing them to the one true God as he should have.

Not surprisingly, Solomon’s foolishness weakened his kingdom significantly. Following his death in 930 B.C., the kingdom was torn in two. Ten of the tribes rebelled against Solomon’s son, who was an even more exacting ruler than his father. They formed their own kingdom, the northern kingdom of Israel, which would be ruled by many different dynasties. The two southern tribes – Judah and Benjamin – continued to be ruled by the Davidic king and became known as the kingdom of Judah. In 722 B.C., the northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians. Those ten tribes were scattered among the nations, never to return. As mentioned earlier, less than 150 years later, in 586 B.C., Judah is attacked by the Babylonians. Jerusalem is sacked, the Temple destroyed, and the people sent into exile in Babylon.

Seventy years later, the people from the southern kingdom, the Judeans or the Jews, are allowed to return to their land and they slowly rebuild the Temple. But just because they made it back, doesn’t mean they’re at peace. They continue to struggle with their enemies. But throughout this cycle of destruction and exile, no matter how bad things look for the Davidic Kingdom, the prophet continue to proclaim that God will bring about a full restoration. He will honor his covenant to make David’s kingdom an everlasting kingdom. We read about this in Isaiah 9:1-7:

9 “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. 3 You shall multiply the nation, you shall increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. 5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

But later, in Isaiah 53, the prophet explains that this restoration, and the Son of David who brings it about, won’t exactly be what people are expecting. He says that the Messiah won’t triumph by winning a great military battle. Rather, the Messiah will suffer. He will offer himself to God in atonement for the sins of the world. We also learn from the prophet Jeremiah that through this Messiah, God will establish a New Covenant to restore his family. He will fulfill his plan to make men and women part of his covenant family. In Jeremiah 31:31-33 it is written:

31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

The stage has been set. We have discussed all the major covenants in the Old Testament. We have considered God’s covenant’s with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. Now it is time for the climax of salvation history. In the following lessons, we will begin to see how through Jesus Christ, God fulfills all of the old covenants and establishes a new covenant in himself. This is the New Covenant that invites all of humanity back into the family of God. By seeing salvation history come full circle in the person of Christ, we will be able to understand God’s plan and his immense love for us.