God's Man

Articles on the Eternal Covenant of God click Bible Study Series by Rev. Charles King, D.Min.

God's Man ....... Chapter 8 .... God's Eternal Covenant

After God had removed Saul as king, He raised up David as king. God said of David, "I have found a man after mine own heart, because he will do my will".

In our study of God's covenant we have seen that God is the faithful God. One that keeps his covenant for a thousand generations. The Bible consistently shows us that God is faithful and constantly loves those who are faithful in return. Jesus says, you are my friends if you do as I command. Our obedience is a sign of our faithfulness.

As we look at God's Covenant revelation through David. We will see that David was faithful. God said, I have made an agreement with David, I have made the promise to him that his seed will sit on my throne as king from now until eternity.

The promise that a "Seed" of David to sit on God's throne forever is the continuation of the promise SEED made to Eve, Abraham, and Judah. God went on to say , that this throne is founded on the foundations of righteousness and justice.

In the study of God's covenant we have consistently seen that the covenant is based on God's character of faithfulness to His promises and God's requirement of man's faithfulness in return. God's covenant has a promissory (what God will do) and an obligatory (what man must do) portion. This has been true with each progressive revelation of God's covenant.

There are a number of references to God's "Everlasting Covenant". God tells Noah "I will remember my everlasting covenant between Me and every living creature upon the earth." Later speaking to Abraham God says, "I will establish my covenant with you and your seed as an 'everlasting covenant'. I will be a God unto you. "

And now to David we find God saying to David that He has made an "everlasting covenant." In Ezekiel we find a prophecy of the fulfillment of this "everlasting covenant" as God gives a picture of what John states as will come to be in the book of Revelation. In Ezekiel God says, "I will make an everlasting covenant, I will place them in a specific place (New Jerusalem), I will multiply them, and I will set my sanctuary (dwell) among them for eternity". This seems to be fulfilled when Christ comes for His bride, the church.

In the book of Hebrews states that this everlasting covenant is initiated by the blood of Jesus. This fulfills God's promise to David since Jesus is the descendent of David, "Son of David" in the flesh. When Jesus is referred to as the son of David, it is indicating that He is the promised Messiah.

God's Promise

God's promises to David were not new. It was just an additional revelation to the promise God had made earlier. After Adam's sin (the fall), God had promised Satan that a "Seed" of Eve would crush Satan's head. This promised was repeated to Abraham. God had promised Abraham that his "Seed" would bless all the nations of the world. Paul says, this promise seed to Abraham was not seeds, as many, but as one Seed, which is Christ.

David had desired to build a house (temple) for God. God responded to David's desire by telling him that he could not build the temple, but to make all the preparations and that Solomon would build the temple. God indicated that Solomon would build the physical house for God and that God would build a spiritual house through David. God said that a descendent of David would sit on the throne forever. We mow know that promise was Christ.

However, God promises David that He would build a house for David, a dynasty of kings! He tells David that when you die, I will raise up one of your descendants, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house, a temple for My name.

God tells David that His unfailing love will not be taken from David's descendents as I took it from Saul, whom I removed before you. Your dynasty and your kingdom will continue for all time before me, and your throne will be secure forever. As we understand God's Word we see that this seed is not Solomon but Jesus Christ, Who builds a spiritual kingdom for eternity.

Not only was the "Seed" promise fulfilled in Christ, Christ also fulfilled the "Scepter" promise to the tribe of Judah. The Bible states that the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff until the one comes to whom it belongs and to that One the people will obey.

In the book of Revelation we find, weep not for the root of David and the lion from the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the book and to loosen the seven seals.

We find at Jesus' coming birth announcement the angel says to Mary, fear not you have found favor with God and you will give birth to a son. You shall give him the name of Jesus. He will be great and will be called the "Son of the Most High" and He will be given the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.

Not only was Jesus called the "son of David" at birth, he was also referred to as the "son of David" as He entered Jerusalem on that Sunday prior to His crucifixion.

It was not for David to build a physical house (temple) for God, that would be left for Solomon to do. But God granted David a greater privilege at that was from David's seed would come the promised Messiah, the one to establish the everlasting covenant.

God's Requirements

God desires that we have a heart for Him. In fact Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God with a whole heart, mind and soul.

The Bible says David was a man after God's heart. In Acts we find that to mean, David desired to fulfil (be obedient) the will of God17. We are to be like David and have a heart for God. David had made a decision to be obedient to God. David had faith in God!

Hebrews chapter eleven is know as the hall of faith. Not only does it include a good definition of faith, it also gives us many examples of people of faith. The Bible says, it is impossible to please God without faith and that faith is believing that God is and that He rewards all of us that seek Him.

The Bible is a progressive revelation of God and what He requires of man. James says that "faith without works is dead" . Jesus tells the parable of the "Sheep and Goats" that demonstrates that good works flow out of the covenant relationship with God through Christ. Ephesians states "it is by grace through faith that one is saved and that he is saved unto good works God has planned for him."

The song "Trust and Obey" gives us a good summary of what God requires of man! Faith in Christ's work on the cross is necessary for justification. Obedience is required for sanctification. We must come to the conclusion of Joshua when he says, for me and my house we will serve the Lord

As we read the hall of faith in Hebrews the common element is obedience; by faith Noah built an ark - He obeyed God, by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him he lived there by faith--for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God … they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him …Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

David was a man after God's own heart because he did God's will. You cannot separate Biblical faith from obedience! David was a doer of god's word and not a hearer only. In other words David was a man of faith.

David had faith. He believed in God. He knew God existed and he sought Him. He believed in God's word. By faith defeated Goliath, "Battle not mine it is the Lord's"!

David knew God's Word! David sought God's face and was obedient to His will!

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite25.

But even David failed. Yes even David failed to keep Covenant of Works! All are like sheep and have gone astray. All fall short of the glory of God. This demonstrates the purpose of the Law, which is a schoolmaster to point us to the need of Christ.

The Bible tells us that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death . Therefore all are under the judgment of death and cannot save ourselves. Yet while we were yet sinners under the punishment of death Jesus came and died that we might have life! This is God's provision of grace.

When we repent and accept this grace by faith, we become children of God and are covered by Christ's blood that was shed on the cross. He is our Passover. He paid our sin penalty! We receive the blessings of the "Everlasting Covenant."

The Bible says, through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many… by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. .. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through the above Scripture we see God's Word indicating the connection between God's revelation of His covenant requirements through Adam and through Christ.

David's life should be such an example to us. We learn a lot about God and how He deals with man from both David's failures and his successes. God looks at our heart.

God looks at the heart

As we study the life of David we can get a glimpse of what God means we He says that He looks at a person's heart.

The Bible says man looks at the exterior, but God looks at the heart. Paul also says that it is not the circumcised flesh (exterior/Israel) but the circumcised heart (interior/church) where the Law of God is written on the heart.

We get examples of what this means in David's life as he responds to God. When David fails to be faithful, he repents and cries out to God for forgiveness.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 3

David acknowledges his sin and God forgives him.

A Psalm of David, Maschil.Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. [2] Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

He was a man of prayer. David said, with my whole heart I have sought you. Oh let me wander not from your commandments.

David sought the Lord and the Lord made Himself know to David. David says …I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

Jesus said if you seek me I can be found. The Lord pours most in one who is empty of himself! God's word says, unto my servant David, … saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from being a shepherd to ruler over my people, over Israel: I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, …cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made name great.

In Psalm 23 David summarizes Who God is and what He has done! For a believer we can make the same statements of David. The Lord is my Shepherd, and I shall not want!"

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