We serve a promise-keeping God, and the story of the Bible can be summed up as a story about God fulfilling His word. God promised Abraham a nation, a land and a universal mission of blessing every family on earth. From there the story takes off, and we read about the formation of Abraham’s descendants into a nation and their possession of the land of Canaan. The third promise then begins to unfold, beginning with David.
While the Messiah would come from the Israelite nation, we read in 2 Samuel 7 that God chooses the lineage of David to be the royal, messianic lineage. He promises David an eternal kingdom, but some 400 years later, after the Babylonian invasion, it looks like the house of David had been cut down to the ground. Nothing remained. Then the prophet Isaiah prophesied a branch would come from the root that remained underground (Isa. 11:1).
The branch was Jesus—His substitutionary death on the cross indeed blessed the world. But the blessing of the nations will not be fully realized until He returns to rule and reign as King on the throne of David.
You can rest assured that the God who fulfills His promises to Abraham and David will fulfill all of His promises to you and me. We can place our trust in Him. Even when it looks like our dreams have been cut down, He can make a branch of new life shoot forth from below ground.
You will be greatly encouraged as we study God’s promises to King David. Join me for this week’s Out of Zion podcast on God Promises David an Everlasting Throne. Walk Thru the Bible with me each week by downloading our Bible reading plan, and get started reading right away! Invite your friends and family to join us! I can’t wait to Walk Thru the Bible with you! {eoa}
Dr. Susan Michael is USA director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and host of the Out of Zion podcast.
