Sermon -- 4th Sunday in Advent (December 20, 2020)

2 SAMUEL 7:8-16

THE SON OF DAVID SHALL REIGN FOREVER.

 In the name + of Jesus.

       When the angel Gabriel told Mary about the child she would give birth to, he told her, “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)  Gabriel referred to a Messianic hope that all Israel had.  The hope of Israel was that the Son of David would take up again the throne of David.  There were different ideas about what that would look like by the time Jesus came, and most of those ideas were wrong.  That is the main reason Jesus did not want his disciples telling anyone that he is the Christ.  But the hope of Israel and the proclamation of Gabriel both have their roots in the promises of God.  Proclaimed by Gabriel to Mary, prophesied by Nathan to David, the word of the Lord is this: The Son of David shall reign forever.

     The kingdom of David was the golden age of Israel.  David had subdued the nations around Israel.  David seized the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites and established it as his capital.  He built a palace and reigned there for over three decades.  Despite his faults, David is credited as being a man after God’s own heart.  This became apparent when David decided to build a temple for the Lord.  While David dwelt in a palace, the ark of the covenant sat beneath a tent.  David was determined to give the ark a more suitable residence.  The dwelling place of God should be glorious, not humble.

     David’s intentions were good, but the Lord told David that it was not right for him to build the temple.  David was a warrior king.  He had a lot of blood on his hands.  The temple of the Lord would not be built by a man of violence.  It would not be David, but his son, who would build a temple and who, in fact, would establish a kingdom which endures forever.

     This prophecy was fulfilled in part by Solomon.  Solomon enjoyed an era of peace.  While David had made extensive preparations and plans for the temple, it was Solomon who orchestrated its construction.  And it was Solomon who dedicated the temple where the Lord had put his name and where the Lord would dwell with his people.

     But if you know the history of Israel, you also know that David’s kingdom did not endure.  Although some kings in David’s line were faithful, many were not.  Finally, the Lord’s patience ran out.  The kingdom of David was overthrown, and the throne of David was destroyed.

     From all appearances, it looked like God’s promises were not kept.  This is what the Lord had told David: “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.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13)  At the time of the Babylonian Captivity, and for several centuries that followed, it appeared that this prophecy was a failure.  It was reasonable to conclude that.  Or reason could have concluded that God did not mean forever when he said “forever.”  Or reason could have concluded that the prophecy was about Solomon, but that God exaggerated about his kingdom.  The promise was clear: The Son of David would reign forever.  But reason, history, and circumstances would conclude that it was wrong.

     Nathan’s prophecy teaches us a lesson about the role our reason has in interpreting Scripture.  On the one hand, we use our reason to understand it.  God does not speak gibberish or in code.  The Holy Spirit uses intelligible words and rules of grammar to communicate what he wants us to know.  But when it comes to the miraculous and mysterious, human reason must take a back seat.  If we use our reason, we explain away divine decrees that we don’t fit our pleasures or preferences.  Since our reason is corrupted by sin, we reject what God says and confess our own ideas.  We end up crediting ourselves with righteousness that we do not have, denying that we are guilty of sins that God clearly condemns, or dismissing the mighty works of God as fables and myths.

     For example, one of the most fundamental teachings of the Bible is how we are saved.  What does reason tell you?  It tells you that you are supposed to be a good person.  It tells you that good people are rewarded for what they do.  It tells you that bad people deserve to be punished.  This is reasonable.  This is why people insist they are good people and present evidence for it.  We might boast of our church attendance, our morals, or our Bible knowledge.  We know that such things are important, so it seems reasonable to assume that God rewards us for them.  If this defines you, then you expect Jesus to reward you, not to save you.  Repent.  My reason will always choose my side, even choosing my conclusions over divine decrees.   

     It is by elevating our corrupted reason and our self-centered motives above God’s word that we end up believing in a Messiah that is more like Santa Claus than Jesus.  If reason rules, we end up rejecting the Bible’s teachings of a six-day creation, the virgin birth, and the resurrection of all flesh.  For, reason demands that everything be observed and measured to be true.  If reason rules, God’s word is ultimately rejected because it seems like nonsense.  But God does not wait for our reason to assent to him.  The Son of David shall reign forever whether it seems reasonable or not.

     When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she had conceived a child not by a physical encounter but by a spoken word, Mary was understandably confused.  Gabriel gave the explanation for how this would be.  It still insults our reason because it is both miraculous and mysterious.  But rather than try to unravel the mystery or explain away the miracle, the Virgin Mary simply submitted to the word of the Lord.  Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)  Mary submitted her reason to the word of the Lord.  It did not matter if it did not make sense to her, Mary trusted that God does not lie and that God can do what he says.  Therefore, she believed what Gabriel had said.  Never mind that the throne of David had not been around for some 600 years, the word of the Lord was true regarding the holy embryo in her womb: “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)  The Son of David shall reign forever.

     Now when we subject our reason and logic to the word of the Lord, we can appreciate what the prophet Nathan said about the Son of David.  This is what the Lord said to David: “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.” (2 Samuel 7:12)  Therefore, the one to come is truly a Son of David.  And what will he do?  The Lord continued, “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:13)  This could refer to Solomon building the temple, but neither his temple nor his throne endured.  Therefore, the promise looks for another fulfillment.  The Lord continued, fine-tuning our focus: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” (2 Samuel 7:14)  The Son of David will be the Son of God, and the Son of David shall reign forever.  But notice what his kingdom is. 

     “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.” (2 Samuel 7:14-15)  Reason might question how this prophecy refers to Jesus.  How can God the Father find Jesus guilty of iniquity when Jesus remained innocent and holy his whole life long?  Submit your reason to the word of God, and you will see clearly how this is fulfilled.  While Jesus was continually sinless; Jesus also came to bear our sin.  Therefore, Scripture says, “(God) made him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Therefore, when Christ took upon himself our sin, he endured the rods of the soldiers and received the stripes on his back from the scourging.  His bruised and bloody body was nailed to the cross where God’s full wrath was poured out on Jesus.  The Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all, and by his stripes we are healed.  The Son of David carried out justice; for in him, all guilt received its due punishment.  But the Son of David is most merciful to you; for through him all your sins are pardoned.

     Even though the Son of David suffered the rod, the stripes, the death, and the damnation for iniquity, God the Father did not remove his steadfast love from him.  Even though the Son of David had his life cut off at the cross, God’s word still holds true: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.  Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)  For Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.  The Son of David lives and reigns forever—a king who pardons sinners, declares unending peace, and grants to you a life sentence to eternal glory.  The Son of David reigns forever; therefore no one can take away your salvation, nullify your forgiveness, or put an end to eternal life.

     Is this reasonable?  To faith it is.  For, faith does not try to unravel mysteries or explain away miracles.  Faith simply takes God at his word.  God’s people rejoice that God is truthful in what he says and faithful to what he says.  The Son of David shall reign forever.  Blessed are the subjects in his kingdom and the objects of his mercy.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.