“That the kingdom which he will establish will be the kingdom of Israel restored, in the territory it formerly occupied, viz., the land bequeathed for an everlasting possession to Abraham and his seed (the Christ) by covenant.” Article Xxi
God’s Covenant With David
Consideration has already been given to the “hope of Israel”, comprehending as it does, the ancient assurances of God that some day He would place the Jews in a land of their own, in which they would live in peace and safety (see Article XI, November-December, 1970 and January-February, 1971). The promise is inseparably tied in with the covenant which God made with King David, concerning the establishment of his throne and kingdom forever. The details of this covenant are found in the 7th chapter of 2nd Samuel, and form the basis for the Jewish expectation that someday the Lord would send them a Messiah who would deliver them from those who oppressed them, and restore to them the ancient kingdom of Israel: And when thy days be piffled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, who I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever.”
Though there is much in this promise upon which great elaboration could be made, we must confine ourselves to only that which bears a relation to the subject at hand, viz., the ancient “kingdom of Israel restored.” It is at once obvious that the throne and kingdom which God intends to establish forever are those which at that time belonged to David. In V. 16, the Lord declares, “thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.” In order for us to fully appreciate the significance of these details, we must address ourselves to the questions, “what was the throne on which David reigned?”, and “what was the kingdom over which he exercised his sovereign power?”
The answers to these questions are quite elementary to those who know their Bible history. David first reigned over Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months (2 Sam. 2:11), but was later an anointed as king over all the tribes (2 Sam. 5:1-5), and ruled as such for an additional thirty three years. It was after David was made king over all Israel that God established the foregoing covenant with him.
The Throne and Kingdom of the Lord
It is significant that both the throne on which David reigned and the kingdom over which he ruled are described as belonging to, and thus are “of the Lord.” Just before his death, King David assembled the princes of Israel before him to relate the divine favor which had been bestowed on him and his house. He made mention of Solomon, his son, who was to succeed him as head over Israel: “And of all my sons (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.” (1 Chron. 28:5) As a matter of record, we are told, “Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.” (1 Chron. 29:23) We see, therefore, that God recognized the ancient kingdom of Israel as His kingdom upon the earth This is quite appropriate since all that constituted the kingdom came from Him. He had selected the King, chosen the people, provided the land and established their laws. As such, the kingdom was the Lord’s. Though God maintains a throne, eternal and unchanging in the heavens (“The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all”—Psa. 103:19) he also established a place where His sovereign will could be expressed in the earth. The throne of David could be called a provincial throne; the province over which it exercised its authority being the land of Israel.
Son of God and Son of Man
In light of these facts it is understandable why the Jews expected the Messiah to restore the Kingdom to Israel. The promises made to David made it clear that it was to be through a descendant that the covenant would be fulfilled. Only after David’s days had been fulfilled and when he had slept with his fathers, would God establish his seed and his kingdom. The son promised to David was also to be the son of God. “I will be his father, and he shall be my son” (2 Sam. 7:12, 14). The terms of the covenant therefore required that only through David’s son would the promise ultimately find fulfillment.
The prophets have elaborated in great detail upon the theme of the restoration of the ancient kingdom of Israel. David, himself was absolutely assured that the promise made to him would eventually be realized. In the 89th Psalm, David, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit reiterates the promise of a son who would establish his kingdom and throne in perpetuity: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.” (VV34- 37) In the opening verses of the Psalm, the man after God’s own heart is given confidence in the fulfillment of all which God had promised him: “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant. Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.” (VV3, 4)
Some three hundred years later, Isaiah, who prophesied of the dissolution of Judab, speaks in glowing terms of the reestablishment of David’s kingdom: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORI) of hosts will perform this.” (9: 6, 7) The “son” given is identical to the one who was to be born of a virgin, and whose name was to be called “Immanuel” (7:13, 14). Upon his shoulder was to rest the government; i.e., the authority and responsibility for that government was to be vested in the son given. The nature of this system is identified by its prosperity being requisite “upon the throne of David. and upon his kingdom”.
The original covenant made with David would logically be realized in the same location over which he reigned. The ancient city of Jerusalem in which David established his sovereign throne would reasonably be the site in which Christ would dwell and reign. We have used the words, “logically” and “reasonably” since in the covenant itself, the territory and location of the kingdom are not mentioned. However, we shall see that ample evidence is supplied elsewhere concerning the actual place where the kingdom is to be restored. Since the city of Jerusalem is dealt with in Article XXII, we shall confine ourselves to the land itself in which the kingdom is to be established.
The foundation for determining this lies in the promises which God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. No one who is ignorant of these promises is capable of manifesting true faith, without which no man can please God. Although mention is made in the New Testament Scriptures relative to the Abrahamic covenant, knowledge of it is rather assumed than taught.
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