God's promise to David establishes an eternal royal house, kingdom, and throne that ultimately points to Christ.
In 2 Samuel 7, God promises David a seed, a kingdom, and a throne that will be established forever. Les Feldick teaches that this promise builds on the Abrahamic covenant and that the royal line continued through Mary and Joseph to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Though David and Solomon died, the promise remains for eternity.
2 Samuel 7:12 — The opening of the promise: David will have a royal seed after him and God will establish his kingdom.
2 Samuel 7:13 — The throne of David's kingdom is promised to be established forever.
2 Samuel 7:15 — God promises that mercy will not depart from David's line as it departed from Saul.
2 Samuel 7:16 — The summary promise: David's house, kingdom, and throne are established forever.
In 2 Samuel 7, God speaks to King David through the prophet Nathan. Verse 12 says, '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.' Verse 13 continues, 'He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.' Verse 14 adds, 'I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:' Yet verse 15 promises, 'But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.' Verse 16 then sums up the permanence of the promise: 'And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.'
Les Feldick teaches that God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 is the beginning of the royal family—the 'house of David'—from which the King would ultimately come. He repeatedly ties this covenant back to the Abrahamic covenant: first God promised Abraham a nation and a land; then, through David, He promised the government—a ruler over that kingdom. In 2 Samuel 7:13 and 7:16, Les emphasizes the word 'forever': David's house, kingdom, and throne are not limited to Solomon's forty-year reign or even to Israel's Old Testament history. The royal bloodline continued through ungodly and godly kings alike until the birth of Christ, with Mary as the physical mother and Joseph as the legal father. Les also points out that the promised mercy of 2 Samuel 7:15 was for the whole nation of Israel; it would not be taken away as it was from Saul. The final goal of this Davidic line is the King of kings and Lord of lords, who will rule a righteous, benevolent monarchy that begins with the millennial kingdom and leads into the eternal state.
Les connects 2 Samuel 7 directly to the Abrahamic covenant. In the Abrahamic covenant, God promised Abraham that out of him would come a nation of people who would one day dwell in the land of Israel. Then, in 2 Samuel 7, God brought forth the ruler and government for that kingdom. Les explains that when God says 'I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever' (2 Samuel 7:13), He is not talking about a temporary reign but a perpetual kingdom. In fact, Les says whenever the word 'kingdom' appears in Scripture, unless the context says otherwise, it refers to this same kingdom that will come as a result of the Abrahamic covenant—the kingdom over Israel when their Messiah, the son of David, is King.
Les teaches that the royal bloodline that began with David was kept intact through history, passing through ungodly kings as well as faithful ones, until the birth of Christ. In one clip, he explains that Mary was the physical mother of Jesus, and Joseph was the legal father, so both had to be part of the Davidic genealogy. In another clip, he says that out of the line of Abraham and David would come a government ruled by the King of kings and Lord of lords—not a democracy or a despot, but a benevolent King whose kingdom is righteous, fair, and glorious.
Les sees the Davidic promise as guaranteeing Israel's future. He points to 2 Samuel 7:16—'And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever'—and notes that David and Solomon both died, so the promise cannot be limited to their lifetimes. He also stresses that God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew; everything is still on God's sovereign timetable. Les reads 2 Samuel 7:15 as applying to the whole nation of Israel: God's mercy would not depart from them as it departed from Saul, so Israel's royal line and national future are secure.
Israel Not Cast Away
Les teaches that God has not cast away Israel, whom He foreknew, and that nothing Israel did took God by surprise because He is sovereign over all events.
The Royal Family Line to Christ
Les explains that through David came a royal family, and the royal blood was preserved through history despite ungodly kings, culminating at Christ's birth with Mary as physical mother and Joseph as legal father.
Rooted in the Abrahamic Covenant
Les connects the Davidic promise to the Abrahamic covenant—God had promised Abraham a nation and a land, and in 2 Samuel 7 He promised a ruler and a perpetual kingdom.
God's 'I Will' Covenant
Les points out that the covenant begins with God's own 'I will'—the royal bloodline would continue down through history to the New Testament, even with chastening for iniquity.
The House of David and the Coming King
Les teaches that 'house' means royal line, and the kingdom promised through David is the one Scripture points to throughout—a kingdom over Israel with the Messiah, of David's lineage, as King.
From Millennium to Eternity
Les shows that the Davidic house and kingdom are established forever—looking beyond David and Solomon to an eternal setting, with the millennial kingdom as its introduction.
Mercy Not Removed as with Saul
Les explains that though Israel would be chastened, God's mercy would not depart from them as it did from Saul, and David's house, kingdom, and throne would be established forever.
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Les teaches that the royal line from Abraham and David would produce a monarchy ruled by the benevolent King of kings, whose kingdom is righteous and glorious—extending into eternity.
2 Samuel 7:12: 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.
This verse begins God's promise of a royal seed after David.
2 Samuel 7:13: He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
The throne of David's kingdom is promised to endure forever, not merely for Solomon's forty years.
2 Samuel 7:14: I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
God establishes a father-son relationship and allows for chastening when David's seed sins.
2 Samuel 7:15: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
Mercy is promised to continue even when punishment comes, unlike Saul's rejection.
2 Samuel 7:16: And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
This is the key verse summarizing the eternal nature of the Davidic house, kingdom, and throne.
It is God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 that from his line would come a royal house, kingdom, and throne established forever. Les Feldick teaches that this covenant builds on the Abrahamic covenant and ultimately points to Christ.
No. Les points out that Solomon reigned forty years and then died like everyone else. 2 Samuel 7:13 and 7:16 say the throne is established forever, so the promise looks beyond Solomon to an eternal king, Christ.
Les teaches that God has not cast away Israel, whom He foreknew, and that the royal house, kingdom, and throne are established forever. This points to a future for Israel connected to the return of Christ and His eternal reign.
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