2 Samuel 7:1-16 BibleGateway.com
Deep in the fabric of the Old Testament the promise of Advent is shadowed. Down the long corridor of the ages a promise is given and then given again, and yet again. To Abraham: “Leave kith and kin and make your way to a new land.” To Jacob: “A new name for you … ISRAEL, the one who wrestles with God.” And here in Samuel, the prophet’s word to King David: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.” (II Samuel 7:16).
But in the years following David, the kingdom of Israel crumbled under the hammer of history, and in its wake: destruction, exile, and mourning for a dreamindefinitely postponed. But even there, in the center of the maelstrom of history, there were other prophetic whispers calling to Israel: “Wait for the promise. Wait for great David’s greater Son.” Somehow—above the raw jumble and confusion of life—it’s as if Yahweh sort of grits his teeth and cries, “I will not forgetDavid. I will not forget the promise. I will remember.”
At Christmastide we herald the promise anew. There is a response to that dangling anticipation. The Son of David is among us; Christ the King is loose among us! But what an unimaginable fulfillment of the promise of Yahweh! What a King is this: His birth, in a stall; His robe, borrowed; His crown, thorns; His throne, a cross. Now risen in glory, here is our king, towering “o’r the wrecks of time.”
SOLI DEO GLORIA
Great God our King, startle us anew with
your faithful promise, and even more, startle us with the strange and wondrous fulfillment of that promise in Christ Jesus. The King of kings is among us, and He has claimed His people for all eternity. Amen
Deep in the fabric of the Old Testament the promise of Advent is shadowed. Down the long corridor of the ages a promise is given and then given again, and yet again. To Abraham: “Leave kith and kin and make your way to a new land.” To Jacob: “A new name for you … ISRAEL, the one who wrestles with God.” And here in Samuel, the prophet’s word to King David: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.” (II Samuel 7:16).
But in the years following David, the kingdom of Israel crumbled under the hammer of history, and in its wake: destruction, exile, and mourning for a dreamindefinitely postponed. But even there, in the center of the maelstrom of history, there were other prophetic whispers calling to Israel: “Wait for the promise. Wait for great David’s greater Son.” Somehow—above the raw jumble and confusion of life—it’s as if Yahweh sort of grits his teeth and cries, “I will not forgetDavid. I will not forget the promise. I will remember.”
At Christmastide we herald the promise anew. There is a response to that dangling anticipation. The Son of David is among us; Christ the King is loose among us! But what an unimaginable fulfillment of the promise of Yahweh! What a King is this: His birth, in a stall; His robe, borrowed; His crown, thorns; His throne, a cross. Now risen in glory, here is our king, towering “o’r the wrecks of time.”
SOLI DEO GLORIA
Great God our King, startle us anew with
your faithful promise, and even more, startle us with the strange and wondrous fulfillment of that promise in Christ Jesus. The King of kings is among us, and He has claimed His people for all eternity. Amen
John M. McCoy, Ambassador and Partner
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary
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