CT - Catholic Telegraph

The messianic promise is still with us

Fourth Sunday of Advent, II Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 (Lectionary 011, Dec., 18, 2005)

This prophecy is one of the most important and influential texts of the whole Bible. It constitutes the basis for Jewish expectations of a Messiah and, therefore, the basis for the messianic elements in Christian belief.

It is about the year 1000 B.C. David has now become king of all the tribes of Israel. He has captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites who inhabited the region and has brought the Ark of the Covenant into the city. It seemed that there would be peace and quiet for a while.

This is where our text begins. There are three main sections as it has been edited for the lectionary.

First of all, David acknowledges his good fortune and tells the prophet Nathan that now he wants to do something for God. He wants to build God a house in the city so that the God of the Israelites be housed among His people as were the gods of the other peoples in the area. Nathan told him to proceed as he intended.

Now God intervenes. First of all, God tells Nathan to unsay what he had told David. Next we have an extended passage that contrasts God with David. The passage is full of pronouns, and the contrast between them and their repetition is what gives these verses their strength. "Should you build a house for me?" Then comes a whole series of I’s, in which God reminds David of what God had done for him and what He would do in the future. "I took you from the pasture. . . . I have been with you . . . I have destroyed your enemies . . . I will fix a place for my people." There are no fewer than eight I’s in these four verses. God wants to make it clear that David’s success, past, present, and future, has been the gift of God and no other.

Next comes the third section of the reading. Again the text uses contrast to underline God’s point. God says, in effect, "You want to make a house (a temple) for me, but instead of that I will make a house (a dynasty) for you." God promises that David would have a successful heir who would enjoy God’s favor. And then God adds the messianic promise: "Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne will stand firm forever." The house of David would last forever. David’s line would have an altogether special relationship with the Lord.

What God promised to David was quite extraordinary from at least two perspectives. First of all, at the time of this promise, David’s kingdom was weak and fragile. Humanly speaking, there was no reason to expect that it would survive his death. Moreover, David himself did not prove to be such a great king. He would engage in adultery and murder; he would tempt God’s providence by having a census to learn the extent of his military resources; there would be immense family problems. It wasn’t the kind of reign that one would imagine that God would bless.
Of course, David was succeeded by Solomon, whom God did permit to build a temple. Solomon’s reign was the high point of the history of the Israelites. Wealth and territory and reputation: He had it all. But after Solomon, things began to decline. The kingdom split into two parts. There were cycles of hostility between them. Finally each part was overcome and destroyed by enemies.

By the time the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C., God’s promise to David must have seemed rather empty. It must have appeared that there was some mistake here, that God couldn’t possibly have meant what He seemed to have said.

Yet the Israelites held on to God’s promise, and eventually — a thousand years later — the promise was fulfilled, though in a way that nobody could have imagined. The messianic king finally arrived, though born in circumstances that would have made a beggar blush, and the king was nobody less than God himself.

The New Testament applies this prophecy to Jesus several times. Gabriel quotes this passage in this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 1:32). It is cited in Acts 2:30 and in Hebrews 1:5. The earliest Christians saw Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to David.

Yet the messianic promise was not simply fulfilled in the past and is now done with. The promised heir of David’s throne is still alive and still with us. And the kingdom which God promised would last forever is still here, not yet complete, but no less real for all that. The heir that God promised to David is our Lord, and the everlasting kingdom over which He reigns is the eternal community to which we trust and hope we belong. We are the beneficiaries of God’s promise to David.

For reflection and discussion

How do these promises affect my life today?

Where do I see signs of the messianic kingdom?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk The messianic promise is still with us Fourth Sunday of Advent,** II Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 (Lectionary 011, Dec., 18, 2005) This prophecy is one of the most important and influential texts of the whole Bible. It constitutes the basis for Jewish expectations of a Messiah and, therefore, the basis for the messianic elements in Christian belief. It is about the year 1000 B.C. David has now become king of all the tribes of Israel. He has captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites who inhabited the region and has brought the Ark of the Covenant into the city. It seemed that there would be peace and quiet for a while. This is where our text begins. There are three main sections as it has been edited for the lectionary. First of all, David acknowledges his good fortune and tells the prophet Nathan that now he wants to do something for God. He wants to build God a house in the city so that the God of the Israelites be housed among His people as were the gods of the other peoples in the area. Nathan told him to proceed as he intended. Now God intervenes. First of all, God tells Nathan to unsay what he had told David. Next we have an extended passage that contrasts God with David. The passage is full of pronouns, and the contrast between them and their repetition is what gives these verses their strength. "Should you build a house for me?" Then comes a whole series of I’s, in which God reminds David of what God had done for him and what He would do in the future. "I took you from the pasture. . . . I have been with you . . . I have destroyed your enemies . . . I will fix a place for my people." There are no fewer than eight I’s in these four verses. God wants to make it clear that David’s success, past, present, and future, has been the gift of God and no other. Next comes the third section of the reading. Again the text uses contrast to underline God’s point. God says, in effect, "You want to make a house (a temple) for me, but instead of that I will make a house (a dynasty) for you." God promises that David would have a successful heir who would enjoy God’s favor. And then God adds the messianic promise: "Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne will stand firm forever." The house of David would last forever. David’s line would have an altogether special relationship with the Lord. What God promised to David was quite extraordinary from at least two perspectives. First of all, at the time of this promise, David’s kingdom was weak and fragile. Humanly speaking, there was no reason to expect that it would survive his death. Moreover, David himself did not prove to be such a great king. He would engage in adultery and murder; he would tempt God’s providence by having a census to learn the extent of his military resources; there would be immense family problems. It wasn’t the kind of reign that one would imagine that God would bless. Of course, David was succeeded by Solomon, whom God did permit to build a temple. Solomon’s reign was the high point of the history of the Israelites. Wealth and territory and reputation: He had it all. But after Solomon, things began to decline. The kingdom split into two parts. There were cycles of hostility between them. Finally each part was overcome and destroyed by enemies. By the time the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 587 B.C., God’s promise to David must have seemed rather empty. It must have appeared that there was some mistake here, that God couldn’t possibly have meant what He seemed to have said. Yet the Israelites held on to God’s promise, and eventually — a thousand years later — the promise was fulfilled, though in a way that nobody could have imagined. The messianic king finally arrived, though born in circumstances that would have made a beggar blush, and the king was nobody less than God himself. The New Testament applies this prophecy to Jesus several times. Gabriel quotes this passage in this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 1:32). It is cited in Acts 2:30 and in Hebrews 1:5. The earliest Christians saw Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to David. Yet the messianic promise was not simply fulfilled in the past and is now done with. The promised heir of David’s throne is still alive and still with us. And the kingdom which God promised would last forever is still here, not yet complete, but no less real for all that. The heir that God promised to David is our Lord, and the everlasting kingdom over which He reigns is the eternal community to which we trust and hope we belong. We are the beneficiaries of God’s promise to David. For reflection and discussion How do these promises affect my life today? Where do I see signs of the messianic kingdom?

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