Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Sam. 7:16)
GOD’S DREAMS ARE ALWAYS BIGGER. This is a fact grounded in the truth that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20). David longed to build a house (the temple) for God, a wish that was left for his son Solomon to bring to completion. But while Solomon’s temple was magnificent, it did not last.
On behalf of the Lord, Nathan prophesied that God would build a lasting house for and through David. Instead of a physical structure, God built the “house of David” (his royal ancestral line) into an enduring one. While David may have understood this prophecy to mean that someone from his line would always rule over Israel, history has proven otherwise. But far from falling short of expectations, God (as He always does) surpassed them.
Instead of a merely human king, the enduring King would be God made flesh. Instead of a merely earthly kingdom, the enduring kingdom would be at hand on earth but will ultimately be of heaven. Instead of a temporal kingdom that ended when the monarchy concluded in Israel, the enduring kingdom will last forever.
As God the Son, Jesus is both the firstborn over all creation and the ultimate son of David. Christ’s thousand-year reign on earth will be only the beginning.
Take up your cross and follow King Jesus.
Steve Johnson teaches at United Christian Academy in Stanardsville, Virginia, and frequently preaches at area churches. He enjoys life with his wife and five-year-old son.
