12 When your time comes and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals. 15 But my faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever.’”
2 Samuel 7:12-16
Back in July, after having bought a brand-new set of tires for our car, we ran over a screw on the interstate and immediately had to take the next exit to repair it. Thankfully, we found a tire shop and they plugged the tire for us. A plug is not a permanent solution, because it does not properly seal a tire’s inner liner. It does, however, provide a temporary fix that will afford you a couple thousand more miles before a more permanent solution is required.
In a similar manner, there are a handful of passages within the Old Testament that are fulfilled both in the immediate and the distant future. This passage in 2 Samuel is a perfect example of this. The immediate fulfillment would be in David’s son Solomon, while the future and permanent fulfillment would take place in the descendant of David, Jesus the Son of God.
David was living in a time of economic prosperity and peace in Jerusalem when he realized that the Ark of the Covenant needed a more permanent structure than a tent to reside in. Even though Nathan had blessed David’s intentions, God made it clear that David was acting prematurely. That night, God assured David that He would build a house for David and that He would bless both David and Israel with provision, peace, a future, and His presence.
This covenant between God and David was very similar to the covenant God made with Abraham. The “descendant” God was referring to in this passage was both Solomon and Jesus Christ. Today, we are blessed to be able to read the entire story, from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament. It was Solomon who would build a temple for the Lord, but it was Jesus who would take on our own iniquities, being beaten and flogged by men. Although Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest man to have ever lived, the earthly reign of the house of David would come to an end nearly 400 years later. It was only Jesus—the coming Messiah, the descendant of David—who could bear the weight of our sins and whose kingdom will endure forever.
Take a moment and thank God that Jesus was the plan of salvation from the beginning!
Questions to Ask Yourself
- How comfortable are you in sharing about Jesus from throughout the Old Testament?
- Where else in the Old Testament is the coming Messiah referred to?
- How do the fulfilled ancient prophecies concerning Jesus shape your faith today?
Missions Prayer
Pray for Hope for the World missions partner Begin Anew as they teach students ESL and high school equivalency testing, biblical discipleship and job interview skills, among other things. Pray for wisdom for leadership and renewed faith for students, volunteers and staff.