OCTOBER 10, 2021

CHRIST ON DAVID’S THRONE

II Samuel 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, 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.

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

17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

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.

17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.

18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

Isaiah 9:6 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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7 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 LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 16:5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

Ezekiel 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them.

Ezekiel 37:24a And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have oneshepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25b And my servant David shall be their prince for ever. [See also Hosea 3:5.]

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.

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.

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.

Mark 11:9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. [See also Matthew 21:1-9.]

Acts 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 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: And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. —Acts 15:13-17

CENTRAL THOUGHT: Through the Old Testament prophets, God established a firm promise that He would raise up the Messiah to reign on David’s throne, to be prince, ruler, lawgiver, shepherd, judge and king.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Psalm 132:17 “Horn of David”: a symbol of might, strength, power and dominion.

LESSON BACKGROUND

After King David had successfully brought the ark home to its tabernacle and God had given him peace from all his enemies, he told the prophet Nathan that he desired to build a proper temple for the Lord. That night God sent Nathan to David with the message that David’s son, his successor, would be the one to build the temple; however, Nathan pronounced a blessing upon David and his lineage, prophesying that his throne would be established forever. David expressed this blessing in Psalm 132, reminding the Lord that He had chosen his household and the city of Zion for His dwelling and his throne.

This promise to David is repeated in several of Isaiah’s prophecies and again in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Amos.

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary telling her that the Holy Child she was chosen to bear would reign over the house of Jacob in the throne of His father, David.

The birth of another special child, John, filled his father Zacharias with inspired praise as he too reminded the people of the prophecies of the Messiah filling the throne of David.

The passage from Mark’s gospel lets us hear again the praises of the people who heralded Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on the young colt. They shouted Hosannas and welcomed Jesus as their king, ruling the kingdom of their father David. Matthew recorded the event, explaining that it was the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass…and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:9-10b)

The apostles in the book of Acts expounded upon the old prophecies, applying them so clearly to Christ. Two things are especially significant: Peter linked the sending of the Holy Spirit with the establishment of Christ on David’s throne; and James applied the building of the tabernacle of David to the salvation of the Gentiles. These applications are important because they prove the time of the establishment of Christ’s kingdom—Pentecost; and that the preaching of the gospel of salvation to the Gentiles also began at that time, not in a future millennial age.

—Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. What prophet assured David that God would establish his eternal kingdom in his lineage?

2. What prophet called the Messiah the “Prince of Peace”?
3. What prophet called the Messiah the “shepherd”?
4. What prophet prophesied the rebuilding of David’s tabernacle?
5. What messenger announced the birth of the Messiah and His reign upon the throne of David?

LIFE APPLICATION

I’ve heard it said that if you’ve only handled genuine currency, you will know at once when a counterfeit bill touches your fingers. In the same way, once you immerse your mind in the genuine, pure truth of these prophecies and their fulfillment, you will identify when a false teaching is presented. We don’t actually need to pore over the details of the various millennial doctrines in order to see the truth clearly. Do we believe the eye-witnesses?

The apostles spoke of what they had seen and heard. Immediately, they connected the familiar prophecies with what was unfolding before their very eyes. As the Holy Spirit fell upon them with power and fire, they knew Isaiah’s “burning and fuel of fire.” As thousands of Gentiles came to believe the gospel, they identified the “building” of the tabernacle as Amos foretold, and they knew He had spoken “peace to the heathen,” as Zechariah had announced.

The worldly-minded Jews and then the carnal heretics who lived around the early church time each insisted it was an earthly kingdom that Christ would set up. Jesus Himself told the Jews, “My kingdom is not of this world,” and the early church fathers condemned the heretical teachings of Cerinthus in the first century and Nepos in the second. The Word and the Holy Spirit both witness to the truth that Jesus set up His kingdom at Pentecost, and He is reigning now on David’s throne, in the midst of His enemies, in the hearts of those who have submitted themselves unto Him.

—Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

In II Samuel 5 we read how King David “took the strong hold of Zion” and it became the City of David. Jerusalem was beautifully situated with natural fortifications, abundant springs of water, and centrally located in David’s kingdom. Here David established his throne and prepared to build the temple.

Fast forward a thousand years and we see the King of kings ascending into The Holy City, Mount Zion. He’s riding an ass, a young colt draped with the garments of His disciples. Throngs of people are all about Him as He enters the city. “Hosanna! Hosanna!” is their cry. “Save us now, Son of David!” They are waving palms and laying their garments in the street for Him to pass over. “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of The Lord!”

Less than a week later, the scene is completely altered. The King of the Jews is beaten and bruised, mocked and scorned. He’s crowned with thorns. The mob now cries, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Bearing the cross, He is led outside the gates of Jerusalem to the hill Golgotha. There He is hung between two thieves. The Savior of the world gives up His life for you and for me.

Now what awaits our wondering eyes? Every eye shall see Him! He’s coming! He’s coming! Every tongue shall confess! Lord of lords! King of kings! Every knee shall bow! Men will faint with fear, crying for the rocks and mountains to cover them! Saints will rejoice, leaping up into the air to join Him! He’s coming, He’s coming! We will see Him descending from Heaven to welcome His Bride! Oh, what a day that will be!

—Sarah L. Herron