6) The Covenant with David
Introduction
The Covenant with David, as described in passages like 2 Samuel 7 and Psalm 89, and further reaffirmed in Jeremiah 33, is one of the key covenants in the Hebrew Scriptures that elaborates on the nature of God’s promises concerning kingship and the eternal rule through David's lineage. This covenant is particularly significant because it extends God's relationship with Israel through a royal line and has profound theological implications, both in the immediate context and in later messianic expectations.
David is chosen by God from humble beginnings as a shepherd to become the king of Israel, illustrating God's sovereign choice (2 Samuel 7:8). God recounts His ongoing support for David, including military victories and divine presence, highlighting His active role in David's success (2 Samuel 7:9). The most striking promise is the establishment of David’s house, kingdom, and throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise of an eternal dynasty is central to the Davidic Covenant and is unique among the biblical covenants for its explicit perpetuity concerning a royal lineage.
Unlike the Sinai Covenant, which contains conditional blessings based on Israel's obedience, the Davidic Covenant is presented as unconditional. God commits to maintaining the dynasty regardless of the individual kings' fidelity. This aspect aligns with royal grant treaties where a king or suzerain guarantees perpetual benefits to a loyal vassal without stipulated conditions.
The covenant’s eternal aspect is underscored by its comparison to the natural order—just as day and night continue unceasingly, so too will the dynasty of David (Jeremiah 33:20-21).
The Covenant with David
The city of David sits on the Southern tip of Old Jerusalem, outside the current city walls. It is the oldest part of the city. In the days of Abraham, the city that sat on the city of David, was called Salem, meaning peace. The righteous king Malchizidek ruled in Salem. In David’s time, the city was called Jebus, because it was occupied by Canaanites, called Jebusites. David recaptured it from the Jubusites and renamed it Jerusalem. It was the capitol city of his kingdom.
After David built his palace in the city, he asked why he should live in a palace when the ark of the LORD was dwelling in a tent. He set out to build a house for the LORD. He told the prophet Nathan about his intentions to build a temple. The LORD appears to Nathan in a dream with a message for David. “Do you think you will build a house for me? I will build a house for you. You will have a royal dynasty. Your sons will inherit your throne. One of your sons will build my Temple. You will have a son that sits on the throne forever. It is an eternal covenant promising an eternal kingdom seen in 2 Samuel 7.
Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (2 Samuel 7:11-17, ESV Bible)
This is an eternal covenant promising an eternal kingdom. God promises to build a house for David in the form of an enduring dynasty. He promises to give him a son who would build God’s house and sit on his throne. David’s son, king Solomon, did build a house to the LORD, in the form of the Temple, on a hill north of the city of David.
This entire covenant with David is about the Messiah. This is where the whole idea of the promised Messiah comes from. This is why the Messiah has to be from the house of David. Jesus is the son of David, and he will fulfill the covenant by building a house for the LORD, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling an everlasting kingdom. The prophecy actually alludes to Jesus, the son of David and the son of God: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” This is why the covenant with David is so foundational to our faith.
The covenant God made with David promises a kingdom and a dynasty. This covenant is contingent upon the faithfulness and obedience of the Davidic King. The sign of the covenant is the house, the Davidic house and the holy house, the Temple of the LORD.
Psalm 89 and Jeremiah 33
Psalm 89 and Jeremiah 33 expand on the promise, indicating that David's line will not only continue but will do so through a figure who embodies justice and righteousness:
For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah (Psalm 89:2-4, ESV Bible)
This "righteous Branch" from David's line (Jeremiah 33:15) is understood in later Jewish and Christian traditions as a Messianic figure:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ “For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.” The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.” The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.” (Jeremiah 33:14-26, ESV Bible)
Jeremiah 33:14-26 explicitly ties the continuation of day and night to the inviolability of the Davidic Covenant, indicating that as long as the created order remains, so too will the covenant with David. It emphasizes God’s commitment to restore Israel and maintain a king from David’s lineage as part of this restoration.
The Covenant with David significantly shapes the biblical narrative and theological outlook, providing a foundation for kingship in Israel and a future expectation of an ideal king who would rule justly and righteously. This covenant assures the people of Israel of God's unbroken commitment to David’s lineage and, by extension, to Israel itself as part of His broader redemptive plan.