Concept+of+Rest+From+the+Davidic+Covenant

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=**Background to the biblical concept of rest** =

God models for His children a Sabbath rest in Genesis 2:2-3. On the seventh day God rested from all the work He had done. God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because He had rested on that day. In Hebrew this is called //Shabbat.// He does this to demonstrate the need for rest. Though God is infinite and does not tire, He sets the example of slowing down after working for six days. [i] By sanctifying it, He shows His people that it is a spiritual act. Another type of rest God institutes is in the Noahic Covenant. Noah’s name, in Hebrew //Nuach,// signifies rest. This name was bestowed upon him by his father, Lamech, in the confident expectation that he would prove more than an ordinary blessing to his generation. [ii] This can be seen in Genesis 5:28,29. Because of sin in the world, God eradicated man from the earth except for His righteous follower, Noah. God brought protection through the ark to Noah and his family, which was a form of rest. [iii] God was destroying the men on earth because they had forsaken Him and had turned to every type of wickedness (Gen. 6). This happened because the earth had been cursed (Gen. 3:15), so God restored the planet and kept safe His chosen people. Verse 11 of II Samuel 7 reflects the “rest” theology of the deuteronomist. [iv] The word //menuhah// in 7:1 indicates an ideal state of life, characteristic of a just rule, where threat from one’s enemies had been removed (I Kgs. 4:25; Mic. 4:4; Zech. 3:10). [v] Hebrew //Menuha// is the word translated here as rest (Grisanti). The term does not mean physical rest in relaxation, but signifies persons or objects on the move coming to a settled posture. The noun “rest” is intimately associated with the land David ( Grisanti ), who has been constantly fleeing as a fugitive, has now been brought to a safe settlement by God’s hand. “I have given you rest from your enemies on every side” (v. 1). (Grisanti)

=**Davidic Covenant incorporation** =

God has already given David rest on every side (2 Samuel 7:1). David’s “rest” from his enemies mentioned in 7:1 sets the historical and conceptual stage for the promise of rest in verse eleven. [vi] But there was a promise of continuation in regards to that specific rest. God had supplied David with rest from enemy oppression. Before David was given rest from his enemies, the nation of Israel was in no place to be a religious epicenter or haven.6 The Lord also contrasts this enduring rest He promises David with the temporary rest provided by the various judges (II Sam. 7:10,11). God would establish His people (7:10) by planting them in a place of their own. God made it so Israel would move no longer, nor would the wicked oppress them. “The unsettled condition [previously] had made a fixed sanctuary impossible… the time for [the temple] was not yet fully come.”6 The house of David must be firmly established and peace secured for steps to be made for national religion. The immediate implications of rest are seen in the building of the temple, which would be brought about in the reign of Solomon. [vii] David was not the man to build the temple, as is stated in 7:13. God made this covenant to David out of His loving-kindness and in part to assure David that God’s house would be built through his descendant. [viii] This rest was indeed for the good of David and his people, but it was also for the glory of God. The glory of God was brought to its most prominent posture with the temple, which was to be built by his son. David’s house would be preserved and established in peace, which was linked to the rest God brought within the Davidic Covenant. There are prophetical references to the event of being established in the land in Exodus 15:17 and Psalm 44:2. The far-reaching implications of rest within the Davidic Covenant are found in verses 12 through 16, in chapter 7 of II Samuel. The essential principles of the Davidic Covenant are that God will establish David’s seed (7:12), kingdom (7:13) and throne (7:13,16). Within these promises lies the wide-ranging promise of rest. First, Solomon would fulfill the promise of being elevated to the throne as is seen in I Kings 8:15-20. Also fulfilled David’s descendants who succeed him on the throne in Jerusalem. Finally David’s seed is established in Christ, in whom the prophecy reaches its highest fulfillment (Pink) (Luke 1:31-32; Acts 2:29-31, 13:22-23). Verse 16 of II Samuel 7 speaks of the kingdom being established and it “shall be made sure.” This is another result of the Davidic Covenant that is brought to fruition after David’s life. After David died there was surety that God would continue the rest He had begun. The seed and the establishment of the kingdom were seals of the guarantee for Israel’s eternal rest and protection. =**Rest in Other Passages** =

 Rest is spoken of frequently in the Psalms. Psalm 16:9 touches on the rest that God provided David, in the knowledge that his soul would not remain dead in the grave. Psalm 18 is in the center of a grouping of psalms that refer mainly to the deliverance of enemies. “Psalm 18 could be seen as the core of this section, reporting a deliverance from enemies.” [ix] This shows God’s provision of //menuhah.// Psalm 22 is a prophecy of the coming Messiah in how He would suffer and die. God would forsake him. Psalm 22:2 states that without the presence of God, no real rest can be had. In Psalm 62:1,5 the psalmist proclaims that only God brings salvation, and only God will give his soul rest. This shows God’s supremacy in supplying rest for His people. The psalmist later talks about how one can find rest as he dwells underneath the Almighty’s shelter (Psalm 91:1). Then in 95:11 the speaker defines God’s rest as a privilege that Israel lost when they sinned against Him. God’s goodness in supplying rest is shown in Psalm 116:7. Also in Psalm 132:14, God speaks of choosing Zion, in Jerusalem, as His resting place. Directly before this statement from God in this psalm, the psalmist reminds us of the promises made to David and his house in the Davidic Covenant. [x] These promises also include the prophesied Messiah. In Genesis 49:10,11 Jacob prophesied over his sons. He prophetically spoke of the coming Messiah. He said that the scepter would not depart from Judah. This refers to the perfect power Jesus would bring. He also said one lawgiver would come from Judah. Jesus also fulfills this. This lawgiver would be //Shiloh//, or peace. [xi] When this man came He would require the obedience of the people. When Jesus came He would be the perfect rest. Other prophecies of rest in the Old Testament are numerous. Among the major prophets there are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. In Isaiah rest is used eighteen times. The greater concept of rest is found in three passages. 11:2 speaks about the Messiah and how the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him. The next is 57:2, where Isaiah is speaking to the people telling them that “those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.” And another passage is in Isaiah 62. Isaiah affirms that the Lord would once again set up Jerusalem as his resting place.11 He would find no rest until He did so (II Sam. 7:7). Ezekiel also speaks clearly about rest four times. He speaks of God’s fury over Jerusalem’s sin being put to rest (16:42), and making a place of resting for the sheep in Rabbah (25:5). By this they would know that He was the Lord. God made many promises to bring rest. Most of these promises looked forward to the person of Jesus Christ in the future. The New Testament speaks of rest often in reference to Christ. We see rest fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ as He was sent to restore relationship between God and Israel. [xii] In Matthew 11:28,29 Jesus points to Himself as lasting rest. He is the One who satisfies the desires of man and He is the One to take weary people and supply them with rest for their souls. He told the people to learn from Him, because He was the One they had been waiting for (Matt. 11:29). In Luke 2:14, the angels proclaimed the birth of Jesus and said that God’s favor rested on Him. In Acts 2:25, Peter quoted a psalm of David that gave Jesus the authority to bring rest to souls. In both II Corinthians 13:9 and 4:14, Scripture says that God’s Spirit and favor rests on us if we are in Christ. This was imputed to David in II Samuel 7, but in a more temporary setting. Hebrews shows the supremacy of the rest New Testament believers have in Christ. The author compares the rest Joshua was unable to give the people, with the rest God gave His people in the person of Christ. The text says that the offer to enter God’s rest still stands, so believers must be careful that they do not fall short of it (4:1). This rest may look forward to the Millennial Kingdom (cf. Rev 20:1-6).

=**Final Rest in the Eternal State** =

 In II Samuel 7, the juxtaposition of “house” with “kingdom” suggests that it deals with a royal dynasty lineage (7:16) and the presence of “forever” with reference to this “house” in three verses (7:16, 25, 29) and mention of “distant future” in another verse (7:19) suggests a duration that extends past most family lineages. [xiv] God had provided land and promised it to the nation of Israel. David’s line would continue, but would be curbed by wickedness and sin in the future kings. Yahweh affirms that David’s throne and kingdom would somehow be eternal (7:13, 16). Because of David’s sinful descendants after Solomon, Israel was caused to look further into the future for these promises to be fulfilled. The Messiah would be the One to reign eternally, and He would reign in an eternal place. We find the first biblical record of the New Jerusalem in Ezekiel, chapters 40-48. Also in the book of Revelation John gives us a picturesque description of heaven, in the New Jerusalem. According to John, the New Jerusalem is “pure gold, like clear glass”. The two direct references to the New Jerusalem are in Revelation 3:12 and 21:12. God accomplishes His rest by dwelling personally with His people in this new city. [xv] The Father and the lamb are everywhere and can be worshiped where they are. In heaven there will be a tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, which constitutes rest (Rev. 22). John states that the New Jerusalem will be free from sin. This goes back to II Samuel 7 because David had suffered at the hand of sinners and God gave him rest from them. Without sin there would be no need for rest.13 Now, every man who resides in heaven will experience perfect peace and rest, which was only provided in part on earth. In heaven there will be a tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22). This will be the completed and thoroughly fulfilled rest, lacking nothing. It will not be threatened by any outside forces. This is the final deliverance and rest that David looked forward to while on earth.

=**Notes** =

[i] Arthur W. Pink ., //The Divine Covenants.// (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1973), 31. [ii] Ibid., 70. [iii] Ibid., 71. [iv] Gnana Robinson., 1 & 2 Samuel: //Let Us Be Like The Nations//. (Grand Rapids, MI: W.M.B. Ferdmans Publishing Co., 1993) 189. [v] A. F. Kikpatrick, //Samuel II//, (London, England: C. J. Clay and Sons, Cambridge University Press Warehouse, 1899) 98. [vi] Michael Grisanti, “The Davidic Covenant,” //The Masters Seminary Journal// 10 (1991): 238. [vii] Gnana Robinson., 1 & 2 Samuel: //Let Us Be Like The Nations//. (Grand Rapids, MI: W.M.B. Ferdmans Publishing Co., 1993) 189. [viii] Ibid., 190. [ix] John H. Walton. Psalms: A Cantata of the Davidic Covenant. //Journal of the Evangelical Theological Seminary// 34 (1991): 23 [x] Ibid., 25. [xi] Arthur W. Pink, //The Divine Covenants.// (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1973), 283. [xii] Ibid., 291. [xiii] Ibid., 285. [xiv] Michael Grisanti, “The Davidic Covenant,” //The Masters Seminary Journal// 10 (1991): 238. [xv] Arthur W. Pink ., //The Divine Covenants.// (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1973), 291. =**References** =

Grisanti, Michael. 1991. The Davidic Covenant. //The Masters Seminary Journal.// 10/2 (October): 238

Kirkpatrick, A.F., //The Second Book of Samuel.// London, England: C. J. Clay and Sons, Cambridge University Press Warehouse, 98, 99, 101

Pink, Arthur W., //The Divine Covenants.// Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 31,70, 71, 283, 285, 291

Robinson, Gnana, //1 & 2 Samuel: Let Us Be Like the Nations.// Grand Rapids, MI, W.M. B. Ferdmans Publishing Co., 189, 190

Walton, John H. 1991. Psalms: A Cantata of the Davidic Covenant. //Journal of the Evangelical Theological Seminary//, 23, 25

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