The Forever King

The Advent of Jesus Christ: Son of David

Pleased with his heart, God promised David, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2Sam 7:16).

David was promised that his line would always have a king. What the scriptures later reveal is that there would be one in his line who would always be King. This King would not be like other kings Israel had known. The best had sinned before God; most had sinned greatly and had brought judgment on their houses and ultimately Israel itself.

But this one would be righteous. Not only would He be righteous, but He would bring righteousness. His rule would be marked by justice and peace:

“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth” (Is 11:2-4).

“Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Is 9:7).

In this season we celebrate more than the birth of a baby. We celebrate the promise of righteousness and justice restored. This promise has not been fully realized, so we wait, in the same spirit as Advent, for Christ to come again. But we wait patiently and expectantly because Christmas has taught us that God keeps His promises.