©John Yerkes
Chapter 21:11-22:4 (ESV) - “And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O house of David! Thus says the LORD:
“‘Execute justice in the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
him who has been robbed,
lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of your evil deeds.’”
“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,
declares the LORD;
you who say, ‘Who shall come down against us,
or who shall enter our habitations?’
I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds,
declares the LORD;
I will kindle a fire in her forest,
and it shall devour all that is around her.”
Thus says the LORD: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people.
Question to consider: Why were the kings of Judah from the house of David?
The LORD spoke through Nathan and gave David the following promise, “the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 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.” (2 Samuel 7:11-16)
If you went through my study of Genesis, when the LORD promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the seed of the serpent, I argued that Adam and Eve believed that this promised seed was their son, Cain. However, this promise was fulfilled in Christ on the cross when He defeated sin and death and provided a way for us to be justified before the LORD.
While Solomon was a man of peace and was therefore allowed to build the temple in Jerusalem, he was not the fulfillment of this promise. The “house” which he built did not survive the siege of Babylon. The true Son of God of which Nathan spoke was Christ Jesus. The house Christ built was the church, and Christ is sitting eternally at the right hand of the Father. His is the name that is above every name, and He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Until Christ came, we could say that the throne of David was occupied by those “whom the LORD disciplined with the rod of men,” but the true fulfillment of receiving these "stripes of men" was Christ's scourging and crucifixion. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we may receive His righteousness. Now that Christ has come, if He is not the one ruling eternally from the heavenly mount Zion, the LORD’s promise to “establish the throne of his kingdom forever” was a lie. Even if we could reestablish an earthly throne in Jerusalem, we do not have a genealogical record to establish a descendant of David.
In today’s passage, the LORD pleaded with Zedekiah, and any Davidic kings who would come after him to be a just king. The kings were the LORD’s representative to the people, and when they perverted justice, failed to care for those in need, and allowed the nation to worship after other gods, it had a serious impact on the faith of the nation. If the kings repented and turned back to the LORD, so would the people.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, who rules in perfect righteousness and brings people into a right relationship with You. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on Him and know that He is bringing all things under His feet. Amen.