What is the main significance of 2 Samuel 7?
2 Samuel 7 marks God's covenant with David, in which God promises to set up David's seed, establish his kingdom, and be a father to him. Its main significance is the royal bloodline leading to the New Testament, with God's mercy never departing despite Israel's iniquity and discipline.
Les explains that 2 Samuel 7 is where the covenant with David begins, as God speaks through the prophet. God alone says, 'I will set up thy seed after thee... and I will establish his kingdom.' The significance is not merely Solomon's forty-year reign but the royal bloodline that continues through history until the New Testament. In verse 14, God promises to be a father to him, and if he commits iniquity, God will discipline him as a good earthly father disciplines his children—using other nations, the rod of men, and the stripes of the children of men. Yet verse 15 begins with 'But': no matter how far Israel falls short or how unbelieving they become, God's mercy shall not depart from them. Les notes that history shows God has chastened them time after time, but they remain under His thumb.
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
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