Zechariah's Praise: God's Covenant to David

New King James Version:
Luke 1:67-71 NKJV  Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:  (68)  "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,  (69)  And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,  (70)  As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, (71) That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us,

2 Samuel 7:12-16 NKJV  "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  (13)  "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  (14)  "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.  (15)  "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.  (16)  "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."' "

Ang Bag-ong Testamento (Gihubad sa pinulongang Cebuano gikan sa Griego, by Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro):
Lukas 1:67-71  Ug si Zacarias, ang iyang amahan, napuno sa Espiritu Santo ug nagtagna nga miingon: (68) Bulahan ang Dios sa Israel ug iyang giduaw ug gibuhat niya ang kaluwasan alang sa iyang mga tawo; (69) Ug iyang gibangon alang kanato ang sungay sa kaluwasan, sa balay ni David, ang iyang sulogo-on. (70) Sumala sa iyang gisulti pinaagi sa ba-ba sa mga balaang manalagna gikan sa sinugdan, (71) Ang kaluwasan gikan sa atong mga kaaway, ug gikan sa kamot sa tanang nagdumot kanato,

Cebuano Bible
2 Samuel 7:12-16 CEB  Sa diha nga ang imong mga adlaw matuman na, ug ikaw matulog uban sa imong mga amahan, akong patindugon ang imong kaliwat sunod kanimo, nga mogula gikan sa imong mga ginhawaan, ug akong lig-onon ang iyang gingharian.  (13)  Siya magatukod ug usa ka balay alang sa akong ngalan, ug tukoron ko ang trono sa iyang gingharian sa walay katapusan.  (14)  Ako mahimo nga iyang amahan, ug siya mamahimong akong anak nga lalake: kong siya magabuhat ug sala, ako siyang pagacastigohon sa sungkod sa mga tawo, ug sa mga puldos sa anak sa mga tawo:  (15)  Apan ang akong mahigugmaong-kalolot dili mobulag kaniya, ingon sa pagkuha ko niini gikan kang Saul, nga akong giwagtang sa imong atubangan.  (16)  Ug ang imong balay ug ang imong gingharian pagahimoong malig-on sa walay katapusan sa imong atubangan: ang imong trono pagapalig-onon sa walay katapusan.

Introduction

We started to look and study Zechariah’s song of praise and prophecy last time. And as we have learned, this is full of Old Testament quotations and allusions. We will continue to study this today though we will only focus on one part of his prophecy or praise this Sunday. Particularly on verses 69 – 71.

Today, we will learn that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s covenant to David, the covenant that God will set up or raise a seed, an offspring, a descendant of David, which Zechariah termed as the “horn of salvation in the house of His servant David,” who will have an eternal kingdom and who will rule forever.

Last Sunday we mentioned that this song of Zechariah praises the God of Israel who is now on the move of visiting and redeeming His people. Zechariah blesses God because he realized that what was happening, the angel visitations and God’s messages thru Gabriel, the miraculous conceptions, etc. was that God was remembering and fulfilling His promises including the oldest Old Testament promise of a Savior which was spoken many times by prophets. Zechariah as a priest, and a descendant of priestly families, was familiar of these things. So here, he burst out in praise to God.

Jesus, From the Royal Line of David, is the Messiah

The coming of Jesus connects specifically to the Old Testament. It is the completion of all Old Testament promise, all Old Testament covenant, all Old Testament hope.  It is the fulfillment of the greatest promises of God.[i]

This was a great event, dili lang para sa mga Judeo kondili para sa tibook kalibutan. Kini mao ang dugay nang gilauman ug gihandom sa mga katawhan sa Israel – ang pag-abot sa Mesias. This was the dawn of redemption.

Ang Mesias gitawag ni Zechariah dinhi as the horn of salvation, "sungay" gikan sa mananap that speaks of power, power of authority, expression for power to conquer, a common one in the Old Testament used here to describe the Messiah Himself. The Messiah was the expected powerful Savior, someone who has authority and power to save.

Si Zechariah padayon miingon nga “gibangon alang kanato ang sungay sa kaluwasan, sa balay ni David.” “Sumala sa iyang gisulti pinaagi sa ba-ba sa mga balaang manalagna gikan sa sinugdan.” Nganong gi-apil man ni Zacharias ug mention ang “sa balay ni David”? Because this is the fulfillment of the Davidic promise, the Davidic Covenant.  Nasayod siya, sama sa tanang mga Hudeo nga ang Mesias gikan sa hari-anong dugo o kaliwat ni David. Ug nga mao kini siya ang mo-restore sa gingharian ni David. Mao kini ang gi-expect sa mga Hudeo nga buhaton inig abot sa Mesias.

This is primarily a song about the Messiah, not of Zechariah’s son. The idea of the everlasting victorious and peaceful theocracy that embraces not only Israel, but all the nations of the earth, and the ideal of the theocratic king, proceeding from David’s house and seed, finds its full reality in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of David.[ii]

Again, just a reminder, Mary was of the line of David, pinaagi ni Nathan nga anak ni David.  Ang iyang kaliwatan anaa nasulat sa Luke chapter 3 sugod sa verse 23. Also, Josheph, the legal father of Jesus is from the line of David through Solomon, naa nasulat sa Matthew 1 ang iyang kaliwatan.  Both parents ni Jesus gikan sa hari-anong linya ni David. From Mary Jesus received the royal blood, from Joseph the royal right.

The Davidic Covenant – an eternal king and an eternal, peaceful kingdom

Now let's go back to that original Davidic Covenant.  Ato kining makita sa 2 Samuel chapter 7; 2 Samuel chapter 7.  Atong sabton unsay naa karon sa huna-huna ni Zacharias samtang gipamulong kini niya nga song of praise.  Now 2 Samuel 7 is one of the most monumental of all chapters in the Old Testament.

Read verses 1 to 9 for the setting. (King David lived in an expensive, beautiful home. When he remembered that the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains, the contrast bothered him. David was troubled by the thought that he lived in a nicer house than the Ark of the Covenant.)

Verse 10, "I will also appoint a place for My people Israel, I will plant them."  Ang Dios magahatag sa mga katawhan sa Israel ug dakong yuta nga kapuy-an. I'm going to plant them in that land.  Dalhon sila sa Dios sa yuta diin dili sila madisturbo o sa yuta nga wala nay mo-atake kanila. This is the Davidic Covenant.  I promise a great nation.  I promise the land and you'll be in it and you'll be at peace and there will be no conflict and your enemies will not move against you.  That's what I promise.

Verse 11, "Even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and I will give you rest from all your enemies, there's coming a time of peace."  He's talking about the great Davidic kingdom.  "And the Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you."

You want to make a house for the Lord?  I'm going to make a house for you.  Ug ang pasabot sa Dios dinhi ni David is not just a building, but a massive sphere of rule.  I'm going to bring you a kingdom, David. I'm going to bring you a kingdom.  I'm going to bring you a kingdom of peace, where no longer those who hate you will persecute you and oppress you and afflict you.  I'm going to bring you a kingdom of rest and peace in your own land and you're going to be planted and you're not going to be disturbed. 

Verse 12, "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  (13)  "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." Sa panahon nga mamatay na si David ang Dios maga-raise up ug anak ni David. Ug ang iyang gingharian i-establish sa Dios sa walay katapusan.

David will have a seed who will succeed him (v. 12). “Seed” here could refer to Solomon, but, this seed could also refer to the Messiah. Solomon will build the temple, but, this Seed will build the people of God, His spiritual temple. God will establish this kingdom forever (vs. 13, 16). Further, the throne will also last forever. This transcends the kingdom of Solomon to that of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the seed of David. The promise that “I will be his father and he shall be my son” (v. 14) does not just refer to Solomon but to the Messiah, as decreed in Psalms 2:7-8. Further, the chastening referred to in vs. 14 does not just refer to Solomon but to the Messiah who will be chastened for the sake of God’s people (see Isa. 53). So, this Davidic covenant was full of Messianic prophecies.

So when he's talking here that the Lord is going to give him a son, diin ang Dios mag-establish sa iyang gingharian hantud sa walay katapusan, it wasn't Solomon.  So you go from the near fulfillment, Solomon did build His temple, to the far fulfillment of an eternal kingdom.  Verse 16 nagrefer sa Messiah, who will establish a kingdom enduring forever with a throne established forever.  So God said to Nathan, you tell David I was pleased with his initiative, that I really appreciate you want to build Me a house, but you're not going to do that, I'm not letting you build Me a house.  I'm going to give you something better, I'm going to build a house for you.  I'm going to build a house, that is to say, I'm going to extend your kingdom through your son, Solomon, and even beyond that, I'm going to bring a greater Son who will establish your name and your kingdom forever.  And He was talking about the greater Son of David, not Solomon but Messiah.

Ang mga Jews nakasabot niani as the Davidic Covenant.  The word "covenant" is not used there, but it is used in 2 Samuel 23:5, "For He has made an everlasting covenant with me."  That's the last words of David.  Si David nagrefer niani as the Davidic Covenant.  David said God has made an irrevocable covenant with me to give me a Son who will establish an eternal kingdom.

Now listen, this is the Davidic Covenant.  It is irrevocable.  It is eternal.  There will be a King out of David's line who will reign forever.

Now there are at least forty Old Testament passages directly connected to these verses.  There's a parallel presentation of the Davidic Covenant in 1 Chronicles 17 verses 4 to 15.  There's an explicit reference to the Davidic Covenant in Psalm 89 verses 30 to 37.  And the promise was that there would come one out in David's line, the seed of David, and God protected the Davidic line through miraculous means.  God protected the Davidic line so that all the way down at the time of Christ the Davidic line is still pure.  Joseph is in it, and Mary is in it, and Jesus is truly by blood and right to rule a Son of David.

They knew this was going to come.  The Jews knew it.  In Isaiah chapter 9 they knew a child would be born, usa ka anak nga lalake ihatag, "ug ang kagamhanan igatungtong sa iyang abaga" mao kana ang messianic government of the whole world, dili lang sa Israel, and He would be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace and of the increase of His government there would be no end...of His peace there would be no end, and it would be on the throne of David, Isaiah 9:7.  Psalm 2 says He will come and He will rule the nations with a rod of iron.  Zechariah said He would descend at some point to establish His kingdom on the Mount of Olives and He would from that point establish a rule over the world.  It's repeated over and over in the Old Testament.

The Davidic promise said this: Adunay moabot nga gamhanang Hari nga magatukod o magpalig-on ug gingharian sa walay katapusan, a kingdom of peace, of righteousness, of safety, of protection.  We will be in the land and we will be preserved in the land, protected from our enemies in the land from which the great King will rule over the entire world.

Mao kana ang Davidic promise.  Ug anaa kana nasulat all over the place sa Old Testament and Zechariah knew what was happening.  Ang maga-una sa Mesias bag-o lang nahimugso ug nasayod siya nga si Maria nanamkon sa Mesias and all of the Davidic promise hapit na tanan matuman.  The great universal promises were about to come to pass.  Zechariah 14:9 says it this way, "And the Lord will be King over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be the only one and His name the only one."  Mao kana ang summation sa Davidic Kingdom.  The Lord, the Messiah will be King over the earth, a literal earthly messianic kingdom established on the earth.

Zachariah was excited about this with all those who had been looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.  He was thrilled about it.  Nag-expect siya nga moabot kini dayon.  What Zacharias didn't know was that the Messiah would come, the Messiah would be a King, but Israel will reject its King that time. When Jesus was asked by Pilate, are You a King, He admitted He was — the King would come, He did have the power to establish His Kingdom, but He didn't establish it.  Reason: Because the subjects of the King rejected the King.  And they culminated with this public outcry, "We will not have this man to rule us."  We don't want Him as our King.  They killed the King, no kingdom.

But that doesn't change the promise of God.  That doesn't change the irrevocable promise of God because the Scriptures tell us that the King will come once more and establish His kingdom.  Zechariah could never have anticipated that the long-awaited Messiah would be rejected by His people, that as John puts it, He would come unto His own and His own would receive Him not.  He could never have imagined anything but other than the King would come, that He would overthrow Rome, that He would bring peace and prosperity to Israel, that He would destroy any hostile enemies and that He would rule the world, and of the increase of His government there would be no end and He would rule the world with peace and righteousness.  That's all he could have expected.  

The Future Fulfillment of this Kingdom

So the Messiah will come. Zechariah was so excited to see God’s covenant to David fulfilled. But Zacharias didn't realize there would be a very long gap between His first coming and Second Coming.

Apan mobalik ang Mesias. He will, but not until they accept Jesus as their King.  Zechariah the prophet prophesied in Zech. 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."  Literally, God will open the heavenly flood gates of saving grace and wash the nation Israel.  And at the time when they embrace their King, they will then receive their kingdom. 

Kana nga panghitabo gi-describe sa Revelations 19.  When you come into Revelation 19, you come to the return of Jesus Christ, His Second Coming.  Israel has seen their Messiah, they have believed.  By this time, 144 thousand Jews are preaching the gospel all over the world.  The book of Revelation tells us two Jewish witnesses in Jerusalem will have such an impact that a great portion of the city of Jerusalem repents and turns to believe the gospel.  The gospel is being preached all over the face of the earth.  People are being converted.  At this point Israel is saved; that's when Zechariah's prophecy is fulfilled, "They look on Him whom they've pierced,” they mourn, they repent, they embrace Him, they're saved.  And at that point we come to the response of the great King when the people have acknowledged Him, verse 11 of Revelation 19, heaven opens, a white horse and Him who sat on it called Faithful and True, and that is He is faithful and true to His promises.  He is King.  He will reign.  He comes this time in righteousness.  He comes to judge and make war on all the ungodly in the world.  His eyes are like a flame of fire.  He has many crowns, again speaking of His royalty.  He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.  Verse 13, He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is the Word of God.  The armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean – these are the resurrected believers including us, following Him on white horses.  Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword.  He smites the nation.  He rules with a rod of iron.  He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God.  On His robe, on His thigh is a name, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."  And that is when He comes in glory, out of heaven, to establish His kingdom.  It is an earthly kingdom described in chapter 20.  He takes hold of Satan, binds him for the thousand-year period. That's why it's called the Millennium, Latin for thousand.  Throws Satan into the pit or abyss for that period of time of His rule, establishes thrones, verse 4, and they sat on them, this would be the saints.  The apostles are said to be each given a position over the twelve tribes of Israel, another place of Scripture.  There is an exaltation of those who had been martyred and they live, verse...end of verse 4, "And they reign with Christ for a thousand years."  So that is the establishment of His kingdom. It is still future, it hasn't happened but it will because the Word of God is irrevocable. He is called Faithful and True.

Conclusion

God is a faithful God. He will fulfill His promises because He has said it and He is True. He already sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the powerful Savior, who conquered sin and death on the cross of Calvary. Jesus will come once again, that time to establish God’s kingdom. And Peter has this to say to us thinking about the coming Day of the Lord, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” 2Pe 3:11 NIVUK  Let us continue to preach Christ and His truth that people will know Him, He who came to seek and to save the lost. Amen.

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[i] John MacArthur, www.gty.org

[ii] Lange’s Commentary

Other sources:

David Guzik (2014), Enduring Word Commentary, Enduring Media

Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro, Annotated Isidro Old Testament

John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary

Ryle, J. C. (1997). Luke. The Crossway classic commentaries (Lk 1:69). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.