The Davidic Promise: a "new" promise of God?

        God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 is fundamental in Jewish and Christian belief on messianism, which is an important addition to the Abrahamic promise and the Sinai covenant.

        God’s promise to Abraham is unconditional. Recognizing the unfailing faith of Abraham, God promised to make him a great nation, a great name, and through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. The Mosaic Covenant, on the other hand, is a treaty made between God and His people. There were stipulations of requirements attached to the Covenant – the laws that the Israelites had to observe, which were promulgated through Moses as the mediator. There would be blessings as well as curses, conditional upon observing or breaking the laws. The Davidic promise, on the other hand, stressed on the forever kingdom (house of David) and the house of God, which depicted that, “Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house… I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam 8:11-12).

        Like the Abrahamic promise, the Davidic promise is also unconditional in respect of the forever kingdom, although there will be punishment in the event of iniquity. The essential point is that the Davidic dynasty will last forever. God also said that David’s offspring would build a house for my name. It was fulfilled with Solomon building a Temple for YHWH during his reign. However, neither the monarchy of David nor the temple built by Solomon lasted forever. The southern kingdom of Judah was ended by the Babylonians with the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BCE and the temple was totally destroyed by them in 586 BCE. Nonetheless, God’s promise to David is believed to stand. Even though there have been no more successors of David after the fall of Jerusalem, the Davidic promise must still be fulfilled in future by the restoration of David’s descendent. This is the origin of the hope for a messiah, or anointed king, who must come to establish a forever kingdom.

        An interesting attribute of messianism is the father-son relationship between God and the offspring of David. YHWH said, “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me” (2 Sam 8:14). To the Jews, the relationship may be understood as one of adoption, which elucidates a father-son relationship between YHWH and the king in the Davidic line. To the Christians, the Messiah, Jesus Christ who is the Son of God, has already come and established the forever Kingdom of God on earth. With Jesus, the Davidic promise has been fulfilled.