Word of Encouragement (02/27/2025)

And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, ¹⁸ then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’ (2 Chron. 7:17-18)

Here, God promises Solomon, “I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father...” (v. 18). But there is a caveat: this promise is preceded by, “And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded and keeping my statutes and my rules...” (v. 17). This is a conditional promise. Does this mean that God’s covenant with David was a conditional promise (i.e., a covenant of works, not a covenant of grace)? This conditional character of this promise implied that, if Solomon failed to do what God required of him (v. 17), the opposite would happen. When we survey the history of Israel, we see that that was exactly what happened: the kingdom of David was divided, most of the tribes siding against the house of David and the tribe of Judah (except the tribe of Benjamin); ever since the Babylonian exile, no descendant of David ever sat on Israel’s throne.

Does this mean that God’s covenant with David was a covenant of works? Not necessarily. Consider the words of God’s covenant with David in 2 Sam. 7:

“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’” (vv. 12-16).

Interestingly, God’s covenant with David revolved around one particular “Offspring,” whom God would give (by His sovereign grace) to fulfill all that is promised in this covenant. It was “his kingdom” that God would establish. It was “he,” who would build a house for God’s name. It was “the throne of his kingdom” that God would establish forever. It was through him that David's kingdom would be made sure forever and David’s throne would be established forever. This, of course, referred to Jesus Christ, David’s greater Son. (Of course, Jesus did not commit any iniquity, but He was punished for our sins.) God’s covenant with David was (an administration of) the covenant of grace.

But it seems that David’s lesser, human sons sitting on the throne of Israel depended on the condition of Solomon’s (and other sons’) faithfulness to God. As someone pointed out, this is similar to what Christ said to the seven churches in Rev. 2-3, particularly His threat of removing the lampstand if they did not repent (e.g., 2:5). While no elect person can fall from God’s grace, a church can have its lampstand removed from and close its doors (or continue without the Spirit’s presence) even under the new covenant.

This is an important reminder for us, isn’t it? While we did not (and could not) do anything to qualify for the new covenant in Jesus Christ, our enjoyment of it depends much on our obedience to God from the heart. How are you enjoying your Christina life?

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