Study 4: God promises a special king

We see how God makes a covenant with Abraham and Israel as a nation and provides a way for them to fulfil their side of the covenant through the law. As they prepare to enter the promised land Canaan, Moses dies and is succeeded by Joshua. Under Joshua’s leadership, Israel enters Canaan finally, defeats the Canaanites and takes possession of the land. As they do so, it is clear their victory is only through God’s grace (read Joshua 6)

However once in the Promised Land, the Israelites fail to fulfil their side of the covenant and rebel against God. In the book of Judges, we see a vicious cycle of the Israelites rebelling against God; God allows them to be defeated by their enemies; the Israelites call for help from God; God helps them by raising up a judge and they obey God for a while.

Israel eventually demands for a king which made God angry and hence God gave them what they demanded. God was not angry that they wanted a king (He had allowed for a king in the law. Read Deuteronomy 17:14-20). God was angry because Israel failed to see that God’s kingship over them was what made them special, instead, they just wanted to be like the other nations. Saul is appointed as king, but Saul persistently disobeyed God and was eventually punished. Finally we see God appointing David as king, a man who was godly and fulfilled God’s provision for a king (most of the time).

Words

Cedar palace/house: a home made out of expensive wood

Tabernacle: movable place of worship used by the Israelites

Dynasty of kings: kings from the same family

1. Read Isaiah 66:18, 22-23 and Isaiah 49:1-6. What do these passages mean?

Read 1 Chronicles 17:1-15

2. What does David want to build for God? (v 1-4)

3. How did God dwell among His people? (v 5-6)

4. What has God already done for David? (v 7-8)

5. What does God promise to do:

For Israel? (v 9-10)

For the house of David? (v 10b-11)

6. How is this passage consistent with the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? (Genesis 12:1-4; Exodus 19:3-6)

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah, and it emphasised a lot on the holiness, majesty and righteousness of Yahweh. The book contains a lot of prophesies that look forward to the redemption of Israel and the world through the Servant King, whom we have come to know as Jesus. This book is often quoted in the New Testament to show that Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophesies that were made long before his time on earth.

7. Compare with 1 Chronicles 17:10-14. What are some of the similarities that you can see?

8. Read Matthew 1:1. How does Jesus fulfil the prophesies given by Nathan and Isaiah?

9. How has this change your understanding of Jesus, if it changed at all?

Homework: 2 Chronicles 36:15-23