Psalm 132:11 The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.

II Samuel 7:12b I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

14a I will be his father, and he shall be my son.

16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Acts 2:30 [David] therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

MEMORY VERSE: Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. —Romans 1:3-4

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The Lord God promised David that He would set his son upon his throne forever. Jesus Christ fulfilled this, being of the lineage of David, by being raised from the dead and ascending up on high to sit at the right hand of God.

WORD DEFINITIONS

II Samuel 7: 12 “Out of thy bowels”: more properly expressed, “From the fruit of your body, or of your lineage.” D

LESSON BACKGROUND

This is our final lesson from the Psalms that are prophetic of Christ. From Psalm 132 we have taken two scriptures and combined them with others to bring out the truth of Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promise to David, that of the fruit of his body He would set One upon his throne. We have also drawn from II Samuel 7 some more promises that God gave David through the prophet Nathan concerning his son sitting upon his throne. On the surface it would seem that God was speaking of Solomon, who actually was placed on the throne even before David died. But in reality, God was speaking of Christ, as the writer in Hebrews 1:5 quoted from II Samuel 7:14 and applied this to Christ: “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son.”

Then we have included the announcement of the angel Gabriel to Mary concerning her Son Jesus; how He was to be given the throne of David, and of His kingdom there would be no end. These are very important truths that show us that the throne of David was in reality a spiritual dominion and power, far surpassing a mere literal throne and earthly reign.

We are also referring to part of the message that Peter gave on the Day of Pentecost concerning Jesus and His resurrection. Let us notice how Peter combined what David said in Psalm 16 with what was prophesied in Psalm 132. He had just quoted David’s prophecy of Christ in Psalm 16 concerning Christ; how his soul would not be left in hell, nor would His flesh see corruption. Peter also spoke about God’s oath to David that He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. It all adds up to the fact that when Jesus ascended to the right hand of God He fulfilled the prophecy David had spoken and the promise God had given him of the fruit of his body sitting upon his throne. In other words, JESUS CHRIST IS SITTING ON DAVID’S THRONE TODAY! Praise His name forevermore!

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

DISCUSSION:

  1. Who was to sit on David’s throne?
  2. What is the real throne of David?
  3. How was Christ given the throne of David?
  4. What is Christ doing on His throne?
  5. How can we sit with Jesus on His throne?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

There is but one way to really reign over men, and that is by loving them and winning their love, devotion, and affection. History is stained with the evil and lustful ambitions of men’s hearts to be the “big wheel” and have dominion over people. Alexander the Great had a passionate desire to rule the world, and he could not even rule himself, for in a fit of anger he killed his close friend. Adolph Hitler had a dream of ruling the world, and he was a slave to selfish lusts. Both of these ruthless men died in shame.

Then there is the example of the greatest King who ever lived. His name was Jesus. He was a poor man who sought not for worldly honor and the dominion of this world. He sought to please His Father, His God. He submitted to obey the Father’s will, and allowed evil men to nail Him to a cross unjustly and without a fair trial. He did not fight back nor seek for revenge. He let them have their day and permitted Himself to be the victim. He was a perfect example of true and tender love and compassion, and of humility and meekness. He was to have the throne of David, according to the prophecy, and He knew it. But He didn’t seek to be king. After seeing how Jesus could miraculously feed them, the people sought to make Jesus king, but He withdrew Himself from them (John 6:15). He told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36).

The rule Jesus sought was not political; rather, it was a power to rule Himself and submit to the perfect will of God. Because of this, He was given a name which is above every name that ever was or ever will be. He holds the highest position of power and authority that man could ever have. He truly sits on the throne that fulfills to the uttermost all that the throne of David typified. He has power, all power in heaven and earth. He will one day exert that power and destroy the present heavens and earth. He will bring all men back to consciousness and awareness to stand at His tribunal of judgment. He will judge them and reward them in righteousness. One day all of His enemies will be made His footstool. Until that time He allows His enemies to have their heyday while He sits beyond the veil in the spiritual realm to minister to the poor and needy of earth—all who seek for His help and grace. Prayer is made to Him constantly and daily. He is our great High Priest and we have the royal invitation to come to Him in every time of need. He also has the power and authority to pour out blessings and the precious gift of the Holy Spirit upon those who will love and obey Him.

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

REFLECTIONS

There is a golden thread found in Scripture which actually begins with God’s covenant with Abraham, that through His Seed (Christ) all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Fourteen generations later (Matthew 1:17), God continued this covenant through the prophecy of Nathan to David, that out of his descendants there would be One who would reign upon his throne forever. It is exciting to discover the golden thread of prophecy in other prophets as well.

One of the most beloved of all is found in Isaiah 9 as the birth of the Holy Child, Jesus, was foretold, and in verse 7 we read: “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.” Every year at Christmas throughout the world, the words “For unto us a child is born,” from the popular oratorio, Handel’s Messiah, ring out—albeit to throngs who are only there for the beautiful music in formal social settings—telling the Gospel story and proclaiming this covenant.

The theme is carried on in chapter 11 where Isaiah foretells the reign of the “Branch” who grows out of Jesse’s roots, and in chapter 55 where he promises an “everlasting covenant, even the sure mercies of David.” The gold gleams again as Jeremiah mentions David’s Branch in chapters 23:5 and 33:16; in verse 17 he links it with the man who would sit upon David’s throne. Ezekiel weaves it into his prophecies of the shepherd who would feed His people Israel, again mentioning David who would be the prince (Ezekiel 34:23-24). In Ezekiel 37:24 we find the golden thread again. Daniel did not mention David’s name, but we do read in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the everlasting kingdom that would be set up in the days of “these kings”, which plainly refers to the Roman empire (Daniel 2:44). Hosea takes up the thread in chapter 5, verse 3, and it shines brightly in Amos 9:11. “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.”

Lastly, Zechariah completes the weaving as three times, in Zechariah 3:8, 6:12-13, and in 12:8-9 the kingly thread is revealed, repeating the “Branch” theme of Isaiah and Jeremiah.

The final golden knot is tied at the very end of the written scriptures, in Revelation 22:16. “I [Jesus] am the root and the offspring of David…” Not only was He David’s descendant, but He existed before David, Jesse, Abraham and Adam as the great I AM and is the WORD who created all things in heaven and earth! Praise, honor and glory be to our great and mighty King of kings and LORD of lords!

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck