Promised King and Savior

by Noah Richie

As Christmas Day fast approaches, I believe it is important for us to revisit an often forgotten, yet important promise made to David and Israel in 2 Samuel 7. In the first half of chapter 7, King David desired to build a house for God. However, God made a promise to David instead. Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord spoke to David:

12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:12-16)

In the verses above, the Lord promised that He would not forsake David’s descendants, and that His lovingkindness would remain with them. When David’s descendants would commit iniquity against God, they would be punished, but still God’s favor would remain with them.

While some of these promises and prophecies pertain to Solomon and following descendants of David, the last one is hard to fulfill. None of the future kings could ever sit on the throne eternally. This creates a huge problem for Israel and the line of David, but there is One who did fulfill this criterion. He was born of David’s line, and while He did not commit iniquity, He took our iniquity to usher in an eternal kingdom.

The citizens of the kingdom had committed sin, and did not deserve entrance. However, in His kindness, God provided a way. It is through the suffering of this great King that we can enter His kingdom.

He is the reason for our celebration—both as King and as Savior.