WEBVTT 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:23.199 The reading today is from 2 Samuel chapter 7, verses 6 through 18. 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:37.119 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:52.240 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me a house of Cedar? 00:00:52.799 --> 00:01:06.400 Now therefore, so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcoat, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people over Israel. 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:19.920 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:35.200 Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more, neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more as before time. 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:48.239 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies, also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee in house. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:02:01.359 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. 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:07.840 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:11.759 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:19.199 If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:26.879 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:31.919 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee. 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:34.800 Thy throne shall be established for ever. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:41.919 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:52.000 Then went King David in and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto? 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:54.879 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:12.240 My dear brethren and sisters in Christ, and I pray that you are in Christ this day. 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:18.080 We walk further along the road of the covenants. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:26.639 We move from Eden into the flood and under the stars with Abraham. 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:30.960 At the foot of Sani with Moses and in the tents with Phineas. 00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:35.919 We've seen God's faithfulness and human humanity's frailty. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:42.319 Today we come to a covenant that is both majestic and heartbreaking. 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:48.319 A covenant that lifts our eyes to hope and forces us to reckon with disappointment. 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:52.639 This is the Davidic covenant. 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:58.560 God's promise to King David that his throne would endure forever. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:02.719 It is a covenant that shapes Israel's identity. 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:05.120 And I want to diverse a little bit here. 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:09.360 Please don't get it confused between Israel the state and Israel the people. 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:11.039 They're different things. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:13.840 It fuels the prophets. 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:19.199 It fueled their imagination and prepares the way for Christ. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:28.800 It is a covenant that speaks to our deepest longing for justice and stability and the leader who will not fail us. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:33.920 We're going to look at the shepherd who becomes a king. 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.720 The story begins as all stories must begin. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:43.199 And this one begins with a throne. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:48.800 Sorry, this one begins not with a throne, but with a field. 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:54.240 David, as we are all aware, is a shepherd. 00:04:54.959 --> 00:05:06.079 The youngest son overlooked, ordinary, tending sheep while his brothers stand tall and impressive. 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:12.480 But you see, God sees things very differently to the way we look at things. 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:18.959 We, as humans, look at what people look like, their outward appearance. 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:21.600 We judge people by how they present. 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:27.040 But the Lord our God, the God of Israel, looks at the heart. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:32.000 He looks to see what you're intent with, and do you have a heart for him? 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:38.399 And because of this, God chose David over his brothers. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:50.000 Not because he was powerful, not because he was tall or magnificent or strong, but because he was faithful. 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:57.839 He didn't choose him because he was perfect, but because he was willing. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.480 David's rise is slow. 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:06.160 Very, very slow. 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:08.399 And it's painful. 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:11.199 And it's marked by suffering. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:19.040 He is hunted by Saul, betrayed by his friends and forced into exile. 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.199 Yet through it all he trusts God. 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:28.800 Through it all, he trusts God. 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:31.600 Can the same be said for you this night? 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:36.639 And this then is the first truth of the Davidic covenant. 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:43.199 God delights in raising up the humble to accomplish his purposes. 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.800 He doesn't care what you look like. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:52.959 He doesn't care whether you have degrees or letters after your name or whether you live in a big fancy house. 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.279 What he looks for is what's in your heart. 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:03.040 He looks to see if you match what he requires. 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:10.480 He looks to see would you trust God no matter what happens? 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:17.759 And David's story is a reminder that God's kingdom does not operate by human logic. 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:22.879 God chooses shepherds, not celebrities. 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:31.120 God chooses the overlooked, not the obvious. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:39.279 God chooses those who trust him, not those who put the trust in themselves. 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:45.839 And David proves himself to be a king after God's own heart. 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:51.519 When he finally becomes king, he does not seize power for himself. 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:56.000 He works first to unite the tribes. 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:02.959 He then brings a covenant, the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem from Shechem. 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:05.759 Shalom, sorry. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:18.240 He dances before the Lord with abandon, so much of so that his wife looks out the window and goes, What's the king of Israel dancing naked in front of the people for? 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.000 And he abases himself before the Lord and does so. 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:35.279 He desires to build a house for God, a temple worthy of God's presence. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:39.519 And yet David, we all know, is not perfect. 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:41.279 We all know the stories of David. 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:43.919 I'm assuming we all know the stories of David. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:52.720 For from he is a man whose heart beats in rhythm with God. 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:56.320 He longs for God's glory. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:01.840 He longs for God's presence, and he longs for the kingdom of God to flourish. 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:08.080 And this is the second truth of the Davidic Covenant. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:16.960 Leadership in God's kingdom is rooted in worship, humility, and obedience. 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:24.240 David, you see, isn't like kings of the time who, like Pharaoh, who said he was a god. 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:30.639 David is a king, is not a king, sorry, who uses God. 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:33.120 He is a king who serves. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:45.440 The line of kings and queens that we've had in our country, up to recent choice, recent inheritance, were kings and queens who served. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:54.720 From the time of William III to Elizabeth II, broadly speaking, monarchs who serve. 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:08.080 And with David, when David expresses his wish to God to build a temple, God responds with a promise that takes David's breath away. 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:22.799 God promises David a great name. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:28.080 God promises David a secure kingdom. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:33.120 God promises David a place of peace for Israel. 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:38.159 God promises David a son who will build the temple. 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:43.759 And God promises David a throne that will endure forever. 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:50.879 And this, my sisters and brethren in Christ, is the heart of the Davidic covenant. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:57.840 God commits himself to establishing David's line and David's throne forever. 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:03.840 This is not a temporary arrangement. 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:10.320 Neither is this a political alliance, and neither is this a conditional contract. 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:12.159 It's a covenant. 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:18.159 It's a binding promise rooted in God's own faithfulness. 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:23.600 David totally overwhelmed. 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:31.360 He sits before the Lord and says, Who am I, O Lord, and what is my house that you have brought me this far. 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:38.879 This is the third truth of the divinic covenant. 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:44.960 God's promises are always bigger than our imagination. 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:53.759 You see, David wanted to build a building, but God wanted to build a kingdom. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:00.399 But scripture, as we know, is totally honest. 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:02.559 It is water and ore. 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:04.720 It's painfully honest. 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:08.879 And it tells us all about David's flaws. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:19.600 It tells us about his adultery with Bathsheba and the death of the child that comes from that. 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:36.000 It tells us that he arranges the death of Bathsheba's husband by sending him back to battle with a letter to the chief of his staff saying, put this man in the front rank so he gets killed. 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:40.399 It tells us he abuses his power. 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:45.759 It tells us that he fails to discipline his sons. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:57.279 And it tells us that he presides over a family marked by violence, betrayal, and heartbreak. 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:06.799 David is sort of an everyman in many ways, just like you and me. 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:11.519 David is a man after God's own heart. 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:12.639 That's true. 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:14.480 Nobody can take that away. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:21.120 Well on the flip side, he was also a man capable of terrible sin. 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:24.320 He wasn't Mr. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:27.519 Goody Two Shoes by any stretch of the imagination. 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:31.519 But this is the fourth truth of the Davidic Covenant. 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:39.360 Even the best human leaders are flawed, and no earthly king can save us. 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:43.919 David's story is not a fairy tale. 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:48.480 It is a tragedy wrapped in grace. 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:56.639 His greatness and his brokenness are side by side, and yet and yet this is crucial. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:00.639 God does not revoke his promise. 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:10.080 David's sin brings consequences, but it does not cancel the covenant. 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:12.399 This is grace. 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:14.879 This is mercy. 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:20.000 This is God's faithfulness, outliving human failure. 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:28.559 And after David comes Solomon, wise, gifted, wealthy, and deeply compromised. 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:33.919 He built a temple, yes, but he also built altars to foreign gods. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:40.799 His heart becomes divided, his kingdom becomes unstable. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.639 And the same is true for us. 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:48.879 We have to decide are we for God or are we for his adversaries? 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:57.200 Do we stand for the kingdom of God on earth for Christ our Lord, or do we stand for something else? 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:03.679 And after Solomon, of course, the kingdom splits. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.759 Kings rise and fall. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:09.360 Some are faithful, most are not. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.039 We have one at the moment that is anything but faithful. 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:15.360 Idolatry spreads. 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:17.519 I don't need to comment on that. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:23.039 Injustice grows, and the people turn away from God. 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:28.559 And you could almost be talking about our country in 2026. 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:32.799 Eventually the unthinkable happens. 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:41.360 Jerusalem falls, the temple is destroyed, the people are exiled, and the throne of David is empty. 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.360 It looks as though the covenant has failed. 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:50.559 This is the fifth truth of the Davidic covenant. 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:59.600 God's promises often pass through the season of apparent collapse before they are fulfilled. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:06.240 But I want you to be very much aware it's an apparent collapse. 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:09.919 Only a view. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:13.840 The prophets wrestle with all of this. 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:19.360 They say, How long, how long, O Lord, has your promise failed? 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:22.000 Where is the son of David? 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:27.360 And even in exile the prophets speak hope. 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:47.039 And he says, that one of the most famous quotes, a shoot will come from the stump of Jesse, a child will be born, the government will be on his shoulders, your king comes to you humble and riding on a donkey. 00:16:49.200 --> 00:17:02.879 And that's the image we see on the Sunday that we call Palm Sunday as Christ enters Jerusalem, the king coming to his people, riding on a donkey. 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:05.839 The covenant isn't dead. 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:07.759 It's waiting. 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:14.000 The Davidic Covenant awakens a deep longing in God's people. 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:20.640 A longing for a king who will rule with justice, shepherd with compassion. 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:26.480 Defend the weak, crush evil, bring peace, restore creation and reign forever. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:37.039 Israel's history teaches them and it teaches us that human kings cannot fulfil this longing. 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:43.519 Even the best fall short, even the wisest fail. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:46.799 Even the strongest stumble. 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:50.400 This longing is not political. 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:55.440 It's not, it is spiritual, it is universal. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:18:02.799 Every human heart longs for a leader who will not betray, exploit, or disappoint. 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:15.680 Every human heart belongs for it longs for a kingdom where justice and mercy meet, and every human heart longs for a king like David, but better than David. 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:30.480 The New Testament opens with a genealogy, a list of names that many tend to skip over, but it begins with a thunderclap. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:34.240 Jesus Christ, the Son of David. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:38.319 This is not a throwaway detail. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:42.799 It is the announcement that the covenant is being fulfilled. 00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:52.079 For Jesus, the Lord, the Christ, the risen one, is the true heir of David's throne who will live forever. 00:18:52.400 --> 00:19:03.039 He is the king who rules with justice, the shepherd who lays down his life, the one who brings peace, the one whose kingdom will never end. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:08.000 He is the king David pointed to. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:16.319 He is the king Israel longed for, and he is the king the world needs, especially now. 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:19.119 But you know what? 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:24.640 His coronation didn't happen on the throne. 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:27.359 It happens on a cross. 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:33.440 This is the sixth truth of the Davidic covenant. 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:39.440 God fulfills his promise in a way that overturns human expectations. 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:43.519 The cross is the throne. 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:46.559 The crown is made of many thorns. 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:48.960 The victory is won through sacrifice. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:52.000 The kingdom is established through resurrection. 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:57.279 Jesus is the King who reigns by giving himself for his people. 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:06.400 The Davidic covenant speaks directly into our world. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:10.559 First it reminds us that God's promises endure. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:20.720 Even when history collapses, even when leaders fail, even when hope seems lost, God remembers his covenant. 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:36.160 It teaches us for to long for the right kind of king, not strong men, not celebrities, not political saviours, but a king who embodies justice, mercy, humility, and truth. 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:42.240 It calls us to live as citizens of Christ's kingdom. 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:56.160 A kingdom not built on power but on love, not on domination but on service, not on fear, but on hope. 00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:59.279 And it gives us confidence in the future. 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:06.079 Christ reigns, Christ will return, and Christ will restore all things. 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:10.640 I want to make this very clear for you to take away tonight. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:14.400 The throne of David is not empty. 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:16.160 It never has been. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:23.519 The throne of David was occupied, has been occupied, and will be occupied forever. 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:31.680 Now, if you're new to faith, the Davidic covenant helps you to understand who Jesus is. 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.279 He is not just a teacher or a healer. 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:40.559 He is the promised king, the one who brings God's kingdom into the world. 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:47.839 Following Jesus is not just believing in him, it is pledging allegiance to him. 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:53.599 That's what's going to happen next Sati in this church at the baptism service. 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:58.160 Rachel and Daniel are going to pledge allegiance to him. 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:04.480 They're going to put their trust in his rule and they're going to be living under his reign in their lives. 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:13.200 But for those of us who have walked with Christ for many years, this covenant is a reminder that your hope is not in human leaders. 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:19.359 They're not in human institutions, and they are not in human systems. 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:26.160 Your hope, my hope, the world's hope is in Christ the King, no one else. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:32.960 It is also a reminder that God's promise may take longer than we expect, though we know it. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:36.640 But they never fail. 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:41.440 The promise of the gospel is Christ will return. 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:47.839 But only God knows when that will be, and we are not to try to second guess him. 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:51.759 Christ is the king who reigns forever. 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:55.039 The Davidic covenant is a covenant of kingship. 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:57.519 It's a covenant of hope and promise. 00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:06.880 It reveals God's heart for his people, humanity's longing for a true leader, and the faithfulness of God who keeps his word. 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:19.759 And it points us, it points us to Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one whose throne endures forever. 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:36.559 And as we look forward to next week, to the baptism, and strangely enough, on the Sunday to the final covenant, the new covenant, the covenant of grace, may we lift up our eyes to the King who reigns, who restores, and who will return. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:37.680 Amen.