David Their King
But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. – Jeremiah 30:9 (NASB)
While studying something totally different, I came across something interesting and related to our current study in Jeremiah. It sparked me to research the relationship between Jesus and David more intensely. It also provided me with a clearer understanding of David’s earthly kingdom versus his everlasting kingdom promised to him by God.
Jesus Questioned the Pharisees about the Son of David (Matthew 22:41-46)
After some testing from the Sadducees and Pharisees, Jesus turned the tables and posed 2 questions to the Pharisees:
- Whose Son is the Christ? (v. 42)
- How does David call Him “Lord” if He is the Son of David? (v.44)
To the first question, they all responded: “The Son of David.”
However, the second question posed by Jesus did not elicit such a collective response. Jesus asks the second question based on Psalm 110:1, a psalm of David. Sadly, the response to the second question went something like this: “And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore (v. 46, NKJV).”
No one was able to answer Him.
Imagine that no answer to the question could be found among those who claimed to be the “keepers of the law.” The answer was beyond the scope of their grasp and understanding. Even though they worked closely with the Holy Scriptures, the Torah, the Law of God, they had no answer to provide Jesus for His second question. They had no understanding of how David could call Him both Son and Lord.
David’s Kingdom and the Davidic Covenant
David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. – 2 Samuel 5:4 (NIV)
By comparison, David’s earthly kingdom and his eternal kingdom are different levels.
- David’s earthly kingdom is limited (40 years)
- David is promised that his descendant will hold the everlasting throne forever (Matt. 1:1-6, 16; Luke 3:31-34)
- “Son of David” stems from the royal origin of Jesus and His earthly lineage found in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke with the term “son” meaning descendant or offspring
Confirmation from Jeremiah’s Contemporaries
But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the LORD their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the LORD and of his goodness. – Hosea 3:5 (NLT)
24 My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes. 25 They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever. – Ezekiel 37:24-25 (NIV)
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. – Zechariah 9:9 (NASB)
Along with Isaiah, these prophets were contemporaries of Jeremiah, sharing God’s message with His people in different regions around the same time and confirming each other’s prophecies. Other contemporary biblical texts share about the covenant extending forever. Both jeremiah 32:40 and Ezekiel 37:26 speak of an “everlasting covenant” between God and His people initiated with David’s descendant as their king. Some biblical translations even call Him “their prince.”
Continue to Study on David and the Son of David
- Davidic Covenant
- David’s Earthly Reign
- The Everlasting Kingdom
Rev Bruce's Blog 
Leave a comment