by J. Alan Davidson, N. Ireland
CONFIRMATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS
THE TESTIMONY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS
CONFIRMATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Hear ye now, O house of David; is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” Isa.7.13,14. Isaiah was sent by the Lord to warn the wicked Ahaz, king of Judah, against forming an alliance with Assyria, but to trust the Lord to rid the land of its enemies. Ahaz had no faith in God’s promises, no desire for God’s help, and with pious defiance refused to ask for a sign (a miracle) from the Lord. Instead, Isaiah announced that God Himself had chosen a miraculous sign, addressed not personally to Ahaz but to “the house of David”. Since the Davidic kingdom (and hence the Messianic line) was threatened, the prophecy was directed to all generations. This was a prophecy of hope: that though Israel and Judah may be cut down as the tree, a Child will spring forth as a Branch out of the roots. The “Immanuel” (‘God with us’) sign, far beyond the days of Ahaz, was a Messianic prophecy. The dynasty of David would not perish, though imperilled by foreign powers or debased kings like Ahaz. God would send a Saviour of the line of David, born of the virgin, to establish His Kingdom: “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” Isa.9.7.
THE SORROWS OF EXILE
The tragic death of Josiah at Megiddo, 2Kgs.23.29,30, marked the end of the true quality of the royal line of David until the return of Christ to sit upon the throne of David, as prophesied in Isa.9.7. With the Babylonian captivity, the first phase of Israel’s experience as a Divinely-established theocratic kingdom on earth came to an end. The period of captivity and Gentile dominion then began: “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim; afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days” Hos.3.4,5.
Why did God use Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to defeat Judah, leaving the city to be buried, the Temple to be destroyed, the holy vessels to be stolen and the king of Judah to enter the city of Babylon bound and blinded? There are three basic reasons:
First, the house of God had been polluted: “Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which He had hallowed in Jerusalem” 2Chr.36.14. “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?” Isa.1.11. “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them” Isa.1.13,14. The seriousness of the years of captivity was that God could not be worshipped among the heathen idolatry of Babylon: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’ How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning” Ps.137.1-5. This is one of the meetings on the river bank which are recorded in Scripture. The murmuring of the waters reflected melancholy hearts that remembered more joyful times in the kingdom of the Psalmist David. Reminiscences of Zion caused them to weep. Strings that should have raised a sweet melody of praise were silent. Harps were hanged upon the willows in the sorrow of desolation and despair. “A despondency so deep that it could find no solace even in those sacred melodies which were dear to them as life.”1 Having been robbed of her king, land, home and Temple, for Judah “to sing these [the Lord’s songs] for the amusement of their conquerors would have been the grossest profanation of all that they held most dear.”2 In captivity, Israel learned to hate the idols of the heathen but the nation has never yet come to true genuine national repentance before God. The holy standards of God’s approval have not changed. As the assembly of God, today, we need to examine our spiritual condition before God. “True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him” Jn.4.23.
- 1 Perowne, J.J.S. “The Book of Psalms”. Zondervan, 1887.
- 2 Kirkpatrick, A.F. “The Book of Psalms”. Cambridge University Press, 1937.
Second, God’s Word through the prophets had been refused: “And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because He had compassion on His people, and on His dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy” 2Chr.36.15,16. The rejection of the Word of God and His servants has been the feature of departure among God’s people in all ages. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound” 2Tim.2.8,9.
Third, God’s covenant with the land and the keeping of the sabbatical year had been neglected. The partial return of a small remnant under the faithful Ezra, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel, after seventy years, saw the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the resumption of the Temple sacrifices, but no king has ever again sat on the throne of David. Sadly, the joyful return after seventy years descended into the wretched spiritual state of the kingdom as exposed by the prophet Malachi: “Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine altar … ye offer the blind for sacrifice”; “The table of the Lord” was treated with contempt by the offering of “the lame and the sick” Mal.1.7,8. “But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and My name is dreadful among the heathen” Mal.1.14.
The prophet Ezekiel recorded the vision of “the glory of the God of Israel”, which rose from between the cherubims and slowly “went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city” Ezek.11.22,23. This was a clear message of God’s reluctance to abandon the place of His choosing.
Daniel gave the interpretation of the dream of the great image, describing the history of four world empires and defining Nebuchadnezzar as the “head of gold”: “Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” Dan.2.37,38. Thus, God placed world government into Gentile hands, and established Nebuchadnezzar as the first ruler of the era of Gentile dominion. There was to be no longer a throne among His people Israel. Paul wrote about this mystery: “that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” Rom.11.25. This period of Gentile dominion over God’s earthly people began with Nebuchadnezzar, the monarch of the Babylonian Empire, and will continue unto the casting of the Beast and the False Prophet into the lake of fire, and Satan into the bottomless pit, Rev.19.20; 20.2,3. The Lord spoke of “the times of the Gentiles”: “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled … And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” Lk.21.24,27. The Lord will return to earth upon a white cloud, having on His head a golden crown and in His hand a sharp sickle, Rev.14.14, to destroy the kingdom of the Beast and all who have received the mark of the Beast and them that worshipped his image, Rev.14.9-11. “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” Zech.13.1,2. As David slew the giant with one smooth stone from the brook, so the great image of Gentile glory will be broken in pieces by the “stone [that] was cut out without hands”, and it will be blown away like chaff in the wind, Dan.2.34,35,45.
THE TESTIMONY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS
“God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew” Rom.11.2. God has not broken His covenant with David. God has cast His earthly people into the sea of nations, but He has not cast them away. Their unbelief and rebellion have not taken God unawares. Instead of having a narrowing effect, the Divine sovereignty of God, through grace, in the present age, has secured blessing to Gentiles where otherwise there would have been none. The Church does not displace or replace God’s covenant made with David in 2Samuel chapter 7. David wanted to build a house for God. Instead, Nathan the prophet brought the message from God to David: “The Lord telleth thee that He [Jehovah] will make thee an house” 2Sam.7.11. “Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” v.16.
The refusal to let David build a house for God included so many assurances of blessing, promise and hope that it was hardly a disappointment. God saw to it that David’s most noble exercise would be carried out in the building of the majestic Temple by his son Solomon. God withheld the lesser privilege that He might grant the greater blessing. David’s “house” would reign for ever and the kingdom of Israel would be made sure in “an eternal excellency” Isa.60.15. On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached about the patriarch David, who was dead and buried. “Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne” Acts 2.30.
God’s faithfulness to His promises is embodied in One Who will be raised up to David as “the fruit of his loins”. Christ is spoken of in Old Testament prophecy as the “Branch … out of his roots” Isa.11.1. At His birth, Christ was “a root out of a dry ground” Isa.53.2. During His life He grew up “as a tender plant” Isa.53.2. In His death, He was as “a corn of wheat” that fell into the ground to die, Jn.12.24. In resurrection, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah all spoke of Him as the “Branch”, “the Branch of the Lord [Jehovah]” Isa.4.2. Israel, as the fig tree, nationally was fruitless; as the olive tree, spiritually, it no longer produced oil for the sanctuary; as the vine, Israel had failed in testimony; its greenness was gone; it had fallen; it was withered and useless. Out of the same root of Jesse, God said, “I will raise unto David a righteous Branch” Jer.23.5. The shoot, the branch, the budding plant would be of the same nature, sharing the same life, wholly in accord with the original. Christ came forth like unto His brethren, yet He was the Representative of God, in the vigour of the out-resurrection, to confirm the covenant with the house of David. He is unchallengeable in His strength, when Israel was weak. He is uncompromising in His light, where Israel had failed. He is unconquerable in His power, whereas Israel had been defeated. He will not come like Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold: “Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” Dan.2.37. He will not come with vast armies like the Medes and Persians, and not with rapidity and ferocity like Alexander the Great. Christ will come as the humble “rod out of the stem of Jesse”: He is the One of hidden vitality, brought forth from that which was covered, concealed, the shepherd boy from the hillsides of Bethlehem, who was not even invited to the meeting of Jesse’s other sons, 1Sam.16.11,12; 17.15. “Branch” is the Hebrew word netzer (Strong’s number 5342), from which the word “Nazareth” is derived. He Who said, “I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” Rev.22.16, will arise from this very lowly background to universal preeminence.
Behold a King (Matthew’s Gospel)
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” Jer.23.5.
Behold My Servant (Mark’s Gospel)
“Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch” Zech.3.8.
Behold the Man (Luke’s Gospel)
“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch … even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne” Zech.6.12,13.
Behold His Glory (John’s Gospel)
“In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful [as the high priest’s garments for glory and for beauty] and glorious [in regal splendour]” Isa.4.2.
- Monarch of the smitten cheek,
- Scorn of Jew and scorn of Greek,
- Priest and King, Divinely meek –
- He shall bear the glory.
- Man of slighted Nazareth –
- King Who wore the thorny wreath –
- Son obedient unto death –
- He shall bear the glory.
- (William Blane)
These are prophecies of a never-ending reign; of a King Whom death could not hold and Whose body could not decay, Ps.16.10; by Divine authority sitting upon the throne of David for ever, Isa.9.7. This King, though a Man, would not be a man like David: although He would be the offspring of David, David called Him “Lord” Ps.110.1.
The Old Testament prophesied of a future Kingdom upon earth. The prophets wrote of a Theocratic rule long after David, Solomon and the kings. Their prophecies often presented a near view of imminent danger, accompanied with warnings. Yet they also clearly stated a future far view of encouragement. With Divine authority, they plainly taught that there will be a lasting future earthly Kingdom for the house of David and extending over the whole world.
Isaiah
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it … Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” Isa.2.2,4. The “mountains” and the “hills” set a literal earthly scene and all “nations” never have experienced conditions like this at any time previous. “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom” Isa.9.7. This future reign of the Prince of Peace must surely be the expectation of all saints who love the Lord. All other kingdoms have ended in failure. “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people” Isa.11.9,10. In contrast to the proud Assyrian, from the lowliness and obscurity of Jesse, there shall come in the future Kingdom a universal diffusion of the fulness of the Lord. There will be nothing partial, superficial or temporary about the Messianic Kingdom. “When the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously” Isa.24.23, the light of the moon shall blush, and the sun shall fade in the brilliance of the unprecedented, transcendent scenes of glory, greater than that of Solomon.
“Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest … And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” Isa.32.1,2,18. No king ever has fitted the description of Isaiah chapter 32, yet “eyes” shall see Him, “ears” shall hear Him, v.3, “people” shall dwell in the security of “righteousness” vv.16,17, not by military power. ”I will defend this city to save it for Mine own sake, and for My servant David’s sake” Isa.37.35. “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” Isa.40.5. Messiah King shall be given “for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles” Isa.42.6. The beauty of His reign, the highway of holiness and the bliss of His rightful throne shall be features of His literal earthly universal Kingdom. God has said, “I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” Isa.55.3.
Jeremiah
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” Jer.23.5. Jeremiah lived before and at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, yet he prophesied of Israel’s future restoration. He compared this to the original bringing up out of Egypt in Exodus. He wrote that “they shall dwell in their own land [soil]” Jer.23.8. This does not sustain a figurative interpretation, or a spiritual application. Nor is it applicable to the new heavens and the new earth. “For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it” Jer.30.3. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him” Jer.30.7,8. It is clear that this prophecy does not refer to any partial deliverance in the past, or to spiritual replacement in the present, but to the future Great Tribulation “trouble” and oppression surpassing all other attacks upon the nation. Jeremiah wrote concerning Israel’s future time of abomination and trouble under the Beast, preceding the second coming of Christ and the earthly Kingdom. “But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them” Jer.30.9.
“Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth” Jer.31.8. This foretells the future global regathering, not the return from Babylon: “Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He that scattereth Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock’” Jer.31.10. God’s fulfilment of His promises to Israel differs from His present blessings in the Church age. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land” Jer.33.14,15. “For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel” Jer.33.17.
The rejection of the Messiah by the leaders of the nation at His first coming did not annul the purposes of God or transfer His covenant with David to the Church. Jeremiah wrote approximately 2,600 years ago about David’s throne. The promise to Abraham about the Land was recorded some four thousand years ago. The return of many Jews, and the establishment of an existing state of Israel since 1948, have been necessary for God to deal with His people nationally, for example, in order for the Temple of Tribulation times to be built, and for the nation to enter into a covenant with the prince that shall come. Today, Israel is a Godless, apostate democracy. Modern Israel is a cauldron of unrest amid the international community of nations. Peace must await the future day when Christ shall rule on David’s throne. “Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break My covenant of the day, and My covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also My covenant be broken with David My servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David My servant” Jer.33.20-22.
Ezekiel
To the specific prophecies concerning the glory of the house of David in Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel adds his own, in the context of his great prophecy on the subject of the glory of God. “Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem [‘mitre’ worn by the priest], and take off the crown [worn by the king]” Ezek.21.26. This prophesies the removal of the wicked kings of Judah even after the return from Babylon, when there would be no king or priesthood as it had been. “I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him” Ezek.21.27. This key verse to the prophecy predicts desolation and chaos, unsettled conditions and social upheaval in the absence of priestly office and royal authority, until Messiah will come. This is the bright future for the united nation of Israel: the coming of the true King, Who has the double “right” of being Priest and King. “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, even My servant David; He shall feed them, and He shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it” Ezek.34.23,24. The thought of “one shepherd” and one flock is in contrast to the many incompetent failures of the past. “And David My servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and My servant David shall be their prince for ever” Ezek.37.24,25. There will be One God, One King, One Shepherd, One Nation; no coregency and no more succession of kings. The division of the nation came about by the apostasy of David’s son. They rejected Messiah at His first coming. The national leaders cried, “We have no king but Caesar” Jn.19.15. The final everlasting covenant of peace will be granted to the future repentant remnant by God’s grace, to the perpetual occupation of the land. The Messianic Kingdom of righteous rule from David’s throne will be by the sovereign authority of Christ alone.
The Old Testament Prophets’ references to “that day” often have both immediate and eschatological interpretations. The fall of Babylon occurred in 539 BC, when it was defeated historically by the Medes and Persians, who themselves were defeated by Alexander the Great. Subsequent kingdoms have risen and fallen, until Gentile world power will be destroyed by the coming of Christ, the Son of man, whose reign will never be terminated but will continue, in different form, throughout eternity.
The promise of the coming Kingdom on earth to be established by the returning Messiah, King of the royal line of David, is continued in the shorter Prophets:
Hosea
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days” Hos.3.4,5.
David’s throne has been unoccupied from the times of the Babylonian Empire. These words of Hosea, written long before the Babylonian captivity, prophesy that although the throne is empty, God promised David that his seed would return.
Amos
“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old” Amos 9.11.
The glory of the house of David is described in the last chapter of Amos as having gone into such decline as to be described as a fallen tent (sukkah, Strong’s number 5521), a temporary booth that had collapsed and the surrounding wall had been breached. Compared with its former glory, “in the days of old”, the days of David and Solomon, the dynasty and house were in ruins. God’s promise, “I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old”, possibly looks forward to the glorious fulfilment of the Feast of Tabernacles, when “all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths” Lev.23.42, and the Kingdom will be restored to the eighth day of Sabbath rest, Lev.23.39.
Zechariah
The climax of God’s dealings with the house of David will be the coming of the Lord to reign and His descent when “His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives” Zech.14.4. “The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them” Zech.12.7,8.
Jerusalem is the city of choice, “the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there” 2Chr.12.13; Ps.132.13,14; Ezek.5.5. With Zion within its walls, it is the city of God, the city of David, “the city of the great King” Ps.48.2.
It has been the city of conflict for hundreds of years. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in 586 BC. Herod’s Temple was pulled down stone from stone there in AD 70. The future Temple will be desecrated there by the Man of sin, 2Thess.2.4. It is called the city “of the sword”, in light of Ezek.21.9,12; “the bloody city” Ezek.22.2-4; the seething “pot” Ezek.24.6; “a cup of trembling” Zech.12.2,3. Zechariah foretells the reason for the literal rebuilding of the house: “Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem” Zech.1.16.
It will always be remembered as the city of the cross. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced” Zech.12.10. The scene of His tears, His trial, the tree and the tomb must be the place of His throne.
- Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,
- Great David’s greater Son!
- Hail, in the time appointed,
- His reign on earth begun;
- He comes to break oppression,
- To set the captive free;
- To take away transgression
- And rule in equity.
- (James Montgomery)
COMFORT IN THE PSALMS
Christ will rule from David’s throne in a Theocratic Kingdom: “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David My servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations” Ps.89.3,4. David’s throne is an earthly throne, not the Father’s throne in heaven. The unconditional certain fulfilment to the house of David is stated clearly: “I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him: with whom My hand shall be established: Mine arm also shall strengthen him” Ps.89.19-21. “‘Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven [‘in the sky’].’ Selah” Ps.89.35-37. “Yet have I set [‘anointed, founded’] My king upon My holy hill of Zion” Ps.2.6.
The Psalms foretell a Universal Kingdom: not just Israel but unto the ends of the earth: “the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession” Ps.2.8. Psalm 2 declares an Autocratic Monarch: “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” Ps.2.9. In this world of unrestrained iniquity, we look for a King of absolute authority and a rule of righteousness, equity and obedience. This will be Royal Rule: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah” Ps.24.10. It will be a Priestly Administration. “In the beauties of holiness … a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” Ps.110.3,4.
The lovely language and sweet rhythm of the Psalms foretell a dynasty and a name for the house of David, a reign of peace and security, guidance and substance, repentance, forgiveness and salvation. Truly a greater than David is here. “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth” Ps.72.8.
CONCLUSION
All major sections of the Old Testament declare the prophetic future of a glorious earthly Kingdom. This is distinct from the present age of grace and from the final, eternal, heavenly Kingdom. It will unite the people of Israel and extend over the whole world, not simply land conquered by David and Solomon. The Scriptures declare the literal premillennial coming of Christ to earth to establish His Kingdom and fulfil His covenant with David and His earthly people.
“Blessed be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory; Amen, and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended” Ps.72.19,20.
- King of kings! Let earth adore Him,
- High on His exalted throne;
- Fall, ye nations, fall before Him,
- And His righteous sceptre own;
- All the glory
- Be to Him, and Him alone.
- (Edward Denny)