Overview

It is the purpose of this paper to consider the relation between the role and office of the king in the Old Testament and that of Jesus the Christ in the book of Revelation. By considering the prerogatives of the kings of the Old Testament, especially those of Saul, David, and Solomon, it would seem reasonable that we could utilize this information to piece together a picture that would enable us to understand what it meant to be regarded by God and the people as "king". The Old Testament contains much information in regards to the "king". It is this writer’s position that Jesus’ self-understanding, in terms of His role as the Messianic King, is rooted in His understanding of what the Old Testament says about the role and mandate of the king of Israel.

The book of Deuteronomy will be of particular interest for this study. It is this writer’s position that Jesus’ understanding of His mission and of His relation to His Father was conditioned by His intimate knowledge of Deuteronomy, which is the ‘Book of the Law’. In short, to earn the right to represent mankind before God, Jesus had to live His entire life in accordance with the Book of the Law. Having demonstrated a life of solidarity with the Covenant of God, by living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, Christ Jesus demonstrated that He loved righteousness and that He hated lawlessness. This solidarity and faithfulness to the Covenant, and to the God of the covenant, earned Jesus the right to sit upon the throne and to rule as King. Having been coronated and seated at the right hand of God, the fullness of what it meant to be King applied to Jesus. It is now His obligation as King to administer and to enforce the Covenant. He will ‘teach His sons’ to ‘observe all that He commanded’ until ‘the end of the age’. Following in the footsteps of their ‘Everlasting Father’, they also will bear witness to the Covenant by keeping the commandments of God.

Jesus is a Shepherd King. He is a Priest King. He is a Prophet King. He speaks to the people on behalf of God and speaks to God on behalf of His people. He is a Judge in the sense of a Savior and Deliverer. Jesus is also a Judge in the sense of being the Magistrate of the Law-Court. He has the wisdom to solve the most difficult cases. He has the authority and strength of will to punish the wicked and reward the righteous. Jesus is the Son of the patriarchs. He is the last of the Patriarchs. He is the ‘everlasting’ Father. All of these roles of patriarch, judge, magistrate, prophet and priest blend into and subsume under the all-encompassing role of the king. The role of king is a synthesis of all of these offices. Acting as Patriarch, Judge, Magistrate, Prophet, Priest, and King, Jesus is now reigning in accordance with the actions of David and Solomon before Him. Like His predecessors, Jesus understood Himself to be in covenant relation with both God and with the people that He ruled over. He is the Mediator of the Covenant. Sitting as King on the Throne of the LORD, the Divine King will act with all the authority of God Almighty to bring God’s will and purpose to bear. The will and purpose of God is delineated in the Book of the Law. The Book of the Law states, explains, and makes provision for the application, continuity, and enforcement of the Everlasting Covenant. The Divine King taken from among men, not only represents God but man. Sitting on the Throne as the Son of Man, the Root and Offspring of David, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the King of Israel, taken from among men, the man Christ Jesus now represents humanity before the Father and continually intercedes with God on behalf of His kin. The Throne, which is symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant, represents the justice and the mercy of God, and reveals these attributes of God through the law and the gospel. Both elements are present in the Throne, in the Ark, in the Covenant, in the Temple, and in the King.

Christ Jesus understands His role. This means that Jesus understands that in the all-encompassing role as King, He is the Covenant Enforcer. His role as Covenant Enforcer is to judge not only His covenant people but to judge the ones who are outside of the Covenant. He must rule until every enemy has been made a footstool under His feet.

Jesus, the Messianic King come in the flesh, has ratified the Eternal Covenant through His own solidarity with the God of the Covenant. He accomplished this through His own active obedience to its stipulations, and by His substitutionary death for the sins and acts of covenant breaking and rebellion of His people. Christ Jesus, the faithful servant and witness, has by His own testimony, in word and in deed, understood and acted so as to inaugurate the Kingdom of God. The bride of the King also bears witness, and expresses solidarity with the God of the Covenant by repentance for sins committed against the stipulations of the Covenant, by faith in Christ who is the Provision of the Covenant, and by an ongoing covenantal solidarity with the LORD’s anointed King.

"On the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed." Deut.19:15. Christ Jesus is now seated on the Throne of God with His Father, "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the age to come." "Now the salvation, and the power and the kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ have come." "When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." The Father, speaking to the Son then said; "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of Thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee." "Sit at My right hand until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." Eph.1:20,21; Rev.12:10; Heb.1:3,8,9,13. Subsequent to His coronation, the role of the anointed King is to uphold righteousness, to put down all lawlessness, and to enforce the Covenant. As the King who has inaugurated the covenant and the kingdom, He will finish what He started and bring the purpose and goal of God to its consummation.

As we will see, the purpose and goal of the Father in eternity past was to find a bride for His Son. The bride of the Son must manifest and reflect the glory of the great King. We are speaking of spiritual compatibility here. (See Psm.45 and the marriage of the King.) "The Revelation is the revelation of Jesus "the Christ". We need to keep in mind that "Christ" is the term that refers to the Messianic King. The entire book of Revelation pertains to the King! What we do not want to miss however is that the entire book of Revelation also pertains to the bride!

In Revelation we see that after His resurrection, ascension, and coronation, the King immediately went about building the Kingdom and the Temple which are one and the same thing. Jesus Christ, the faithful One, the ruler of the kings of the earth, has made us, the beloved ones, that is the 7-fold church, to be a kingdom and priests who will sit as queen and co-regent on the Throne with Him. Rev.1:5,6; 3:21; 5;10. As God took a rib from Adam’s side and made a bride for him, so also is God creating a compatible bride for His Son, a bride bearing the likeness and image of His Son. There are many metaphors that describe the bride of the King, but there is only one reality. In Rev.1; we are given a 7-fold description of the Christ, that is of the King. As the description of the Father is applied to Jesus, the great shepherd King then takes each of the characteristics that describe Himself and then applies them to each of the 7 churches. The churches are to resemble Christ, as Christ resembles His Father. His characteristics are to be the bride’s. There is to be an integration, a spiritual oneness between Christ and His bride.

As we will see, the role of the Davidic king is to build the Temple. Christ, the Son of David in His 7-fold messages to the 7 churches, is doing just this. To build the church is to build the temple, one living stone at a time. In the 7-fold praise of the Lamb, which comes to Him from all creation, we are also witnessing a description of the Temple, the City, and the Bride. Rev.5:12,13. In the 4-fold blessing of the Lamb who sits on the Throne, we are also witnessing the universal reign and realm of the King and of His bride. All of these characteristics that apply to Christ also apply to the church, which is granted by Christ to sit down with Him on His Throne.

The Christ, who purchased the church of God with His own blood, has received the scroll, the blueprint for the Temple, from His Father in heaven. In accordance with the Everlasting Covenant, the coronated King has taken that 7-fold description of Himself and is building the temple according to His image and likeness. Gen.1:26&27. What takes place in Rev.5 is more than a coronation ceremony, it is more than a covenant ratification ceremony, and it is more that a judgment scene. It is a formal betrothal ceremony between the Lamb and His bride. What the King has accomplished in the legal realm will now be actualized in the relational realm. "The house (as in the household) of the LORD shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore I will make preparation for it. So David made ample preparations before his death." 1 Chron.22:5. The Temple that David described in this passage is but a description of Christ Himself and also of His bride.

Covenant Theology in the Consummation

Now let us begin at the end. Revelation chapters 21 and 22 speak of the conclusion of the plan of God. When we see the conclusion, we can begin to understand all of the steps that led up to that conclusion. In the consummation, spoken of in these two chapters, we are seeing the provision and ultimate covenant "blessings" of God for His people. (Revelation is a book containing a sevenfold blessing. See Rev.1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14.) All of God’s promises and blessings revealed in the multi-faceted covenants are brought to fruition in the last two chapters of Revelation. God’s original Edenic purpose of dwelling in a Temple/Sanctuary on the top of a high mountain in the midst of His people, even in the company of His bride, finds itsconsummation in these chapters. These chapters are an appropriate bookend for the entire Bible. In them we see that the Sanctuary and the Kingdom are one and the same. There is no Temple in this city. The Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its Temple. But more than that, the City is the Temple. It has 12 foundation stones, walls, and gates. The precious stones that make up this City are the saints. The saints are "living stones" which all line up with the chief cornerstone and capstone which is Christ Jesus. The saints are God’s house, even a holy temple, built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. 1 Pet.2:4-9; Eph.2:19-22. We read in Rev.21:9-11; "Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God." The Bride and the City are one and the same. This is the culmination of the construction of the Master Builder. See Isaiah 62.

Already having as heirs a first portion of our Inheritance, which is God Himself, we have already in some sense, (in light of Christ’s victory at Calvary), entered into the City and already in some sense partake of the blessing contained therein. On the other hand we still wait with the sure hope of faith for our Savior who is "coming quickly" to open the gates of Paradise to us. This sure hope is already "realized" but also "not yet".

The Throne of God is found in this city. The Throne symbolizes the rule and reign of God. The river of the water of life flows from the Throne of God. We also see the ‘tree of life’. Eden, God’s original mountain Temple, has been restored. In this Eden, this City, this Temple, are found the bondservants of God. It is in this city, this holy city, that the King co-habits and tabernacles with His bride, the queen.

The City is the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. This city has the "glory of God". The bride is bedecked with precious jewels fitting of a queen. She has the "brilliance of a very costly stone". Rev.21:11. The city was "pure gold", "like clear (pure) glass", even "transparent glass". Rev.21:18,21. It is illuminated by the "glory of God". Rev.21:23,11. The queen has the very character of Christ formed in her.

Outside the city are the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the immoral persons, the sorcerers, the idolaters, all liars and the dogs. Rev.21:8; 22:15. The holy City is the dwelling place of God and the Lamb. The righteous ones who have made their garments white in the blood of the Lamb and who have kept their garments, dwell inside this city. Rev.22:11,14; 7:14; 16:15. The filthy are outside the city. Rev.22:15; 14:20. Peter said, in 1 Pet.1:16 quoting Exod.19:5&6 and Lev.19:1-4; 20:7,8; "It is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy." We know that Peter had Exodus in mind because, in the very next chapter, he called "Zion" a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession", 1 Pet.2:6,9. While the righteous ones, the holy ones, are inside the new Jerusalem celebrating the marriage supper of the Lamb, the ones who broke the everlasting covenant are outside bearing the curse and retributive wrath and judgment of God. See Isaiah 25:6-9 and 24:1-6.

In the New Testament two words are used for Jerusalem. There is #2419; "Ierousalem", and #2414; "Hierosolyma". In the three times that John uses the word "Jerusalem" in Revelation, he always used "Ierousalem", the ‘city of peace’. Rev.3:12; 21:2,10. In Revelation 21:2 & 10, he preceded his mention of Jerusalem with the words, "the holy city". It is the #40; "hagios" city. The point in all this is that John has brought together the two descriptions of the city. It is the city of "peace" and the city of "holiness", even the city of the "holy ones", that is the saints. The "heiros", #2413, which is translated "temple" 71x in the New Testament is the sacred city of "Hierosolyma". This ‘holy City of peace’ is a Temple made without human hands.

The Book of Revelation begins by alluding to Exod.19:5&6, in Rev.1:6. The first chapter of any given book in the Bible lays out the themes that will find explanation in the body and conclusion of the book. Notice now the connection between Rev.1:6 and Exod.19:5&6.

V5; "Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My Covenant, then you shall be My special possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.

V6; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

Rev.1:6 says; "and He has made us to be a kingdom and priests".

What we are seeing in Exod.19:5&6 is a founding moment. Israel was here declared by God to be a nation. God was hereby affirming them as a people, even as His own people. God was hereby legitimizing them. ‘Founding moments’ are very important. They set the stage for everything that follows. This nation was to multiply, to fill the earth, and to have dominion over it, in order to fulfill the original mandate given to Adam. What we are seeing here is that God’s original purpose will not be thwarted. By taking the words of God that applied to Israel’s founding moment and applying them to the church in Revelation, God was hereby restating this same original purpose. God’s will in terms of planting His Kingdom on earth under His King will be brought to bear. What we are seeing in the last two chapters of Revelation is the fulfillment of that purpose. The ‘Kingdom’ is but the rule and reign of God. The ‘Christ’ is the LORD’s King.

He has made us to be a ‘kingdom of priests’ for a purpose. "For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." Isa.11:9. The role of this kingdom of priests is not just to keep the LORD’s Covenant but to proclaim His Christ as King over all the earth.

Deuteronomy chapter 28 speaks of the blessings of the covenant that were proclaimed on Mt. Gerizim. The covenant curses were proclaimed from Mt. Ebal. The LORD is as faithful to enforce the curse as He is to give the blessing. The key word ‘today’ that flows through Deuteronomy, is the ever present ‘today if you hear His voice’. Think of the ‘blessings’ and of how they relate to the holy Jerusalem of Rev.21&22. "The LORD God will set you on high". Deut.28:1."Blessed are you in the city". Deut.28:3. "You are called by the Name of the LORD". Deut.28:10

Deut.28:9 says; "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore/covenanted to you, if you will keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in His ways".

The ‘holy city Jerusalem’ of Rev.21 is the ‘kingdom and priests’ first mentioned in Rev.1:6. They are blessed in the City lifted up to a great and high mountain, where they see the face of God. His Name shall be on their foreheads. Rev.21:10; 22:4. Holiness is revealed in covenantal solidarity with the LORD, the Covenant God of Israel. Covenant is central in terms of understanding Revelation. We must, however, never separate the commandments of God from the blood of the substitutionary sacrifice. The sacrifice is what the ‘priests’ ministered, whether it be in the Old or New Testaments. The holy City Jerusalem is ‘holy’ because the ‘Lamb’ is in the center of the Throne. Rev.7:17; 21:22.

The word "naos" #3485, is used 16 x in Revelation. It speaks of the innermost part of the Temple, even the holy of holies. Rev.21:22 says; "And I saw no ‘temple’ (naos) in ‘it’ (the City), for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its ‘Temple’ (naos). The City is a perfect cube, as the most holy place in the Sanctuary was. Rev.21:16; 1 Kings 6:20. The City is the ‘naos’, the most holy place. All the saints have perpetual access to the Lamb. There are no more barriers for the people of God. The Lamb has dealt with Satan, sin, and death. The saints are at perfect peace with God. They are privileged to dwell in the immediate presence of God, to see His face and to reign with Him forever and ever. Herein we are seeing the fulfillment of the everlasting covenant. On what basis are the saints given the privilege of dwelling in holiness and peace in the very presence of God? The basis is the ratification and enforcement of the multi-faceted everlasting covenant by the Lord God, the Almighty, even the Lamb. Rev.21:22; 1:7,8.
 

Fulfillment of the Provisions and Promises of the Covenant

The last two chapters of Revelation present the totality of the features of all of the major biblical covenants arranged together in one place. This fact alone speaks of the integrated way in which we must understand the covenants. The presence of all of these features of the multi-faceted covenant purpose of God gathered together in one place at the very consummation of God’s program reveals that it has been the covenants that have formed the structure and backbone of Scripture all along. The Bible is essentially the Book of the Covenant. Now let us consider this passage from the covenantal perspective.

Rev. 22:1&2 says; "And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." This is the anti-typical fulfillment of the Edenic covenant.

In Rev. 21:1-7, we see clustered together the anti-typical fulfillment of the Noahic, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, the Adamic, and the Davidic covenants, in that order. Each of these covenants expresses a particular aspect of the covenant promise of God. By bringing all of the covenants together in one place, we see that they are all inter-related. There is a unity of the covenants in the Old Testament. The succeeding covenants of the Old Testament do not replace the covenants that precede them. They just add additional information.

Rev.21:1 says; "And I saw a new heavens and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea". Herein are we seeing the anti-typical fulfillment of the Noahic covenant. We remember how Peter spoke of a ‘new heavens and a new earth’ in which ‘righteousness dwells’, in the context of explaining how the world in the past had been destroyed by water, but would again be destroyed and burned up by fire. The Noahic covenant, which is the covenant of preservation and separation, has found fulfillment. The ‘sea’ being representative of not only the realm of darkness and evil but of the hordes of rebellious unbelievers is ‘no more’. 2 Pet.3:13,5-7,10,11. Isa.17:12-14. Psm.104:35.

Rev.21:2 says; "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." Herein are we seeing the anti-typical fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Abraham was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. The city that God prepared for Abraham, and for all who have a like faith as Abraham, is Jerusalem. Heb.12:10,16.

Rev.21:3 says; "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell (tabernacle) among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them." This verse is a repetition of the covenantal phrase, "I will be your God and you will be My people" that is so prominent in the Old Testament. Exod.6:7; 29:45; Lev.26:11,12; Deut.4:20; 7:6; 9:29; 14:2; 26:18; 2Sam.7:24; Jer.30:22; 31:1,33; Ezk.37:23,27; Dan.9:4,15,19. This is clearly the language of covenant! In Eden, the tabernacle of God was among men. After Adam sinned and was cast out of the garden, God has been continually seeking to restore the original fellowship that He had with man. The story of Moses and the Exodus is the story of God restoring His tabernacle among His people. Here in Rev.21:3; we are seeing the ant-typical fulfillment of the Mosaic covenant.

Interesting it is to note that in Rev.2:1 we read the words of Jesus to the church. "The One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this". This is an allusion to Lev.26:11 & 12 which says; "Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people." Lev.26 is one of the most important covenant chapters in the Bible. The theme of God dwelling in the midst of His people permeates Revelation.

In Rev.1:6 we read; "And He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father". This is again the language of covenant, even the Mosaic Covenant. In Exod.19:5 & 6 we read; "Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." In Ezk.37:26 &27 we read; "And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My Sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people." Does this not sound like the language of the Mosaic covenant?

Rev.21:4 says; "And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; for the first things have passes away." When Adam sinned, the curse of sorrow, pain, and death came upon mankind. Implicit in the promise of a Redeemer and a way of return to the tree of life was the promise of the Adamic covenant that the curse would be no more. Gen.3;20; Deut.30:15-20; Rom.5;14-21.

Rev.21:5-7: "And He who sits on the Throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." And He said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be His God and he will be My son." Herein we are seeing the anti-typical fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. 2 Sam.7:12-14 states; "I will raise up your descendant (seed) after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house (Sanctuary) for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me." This passage of 2 Sam.7 is one of the most important covenantal passages in the Bible. We have noticed here the link between the Sanctuary and the kingdom of God, the king and the throne, the covenant promise of God and the eternal purpose of God. God will have a King, a Son, who will sit on His throne in the Sanctuary over the Kingdom of God forever. Psm.89 explicitly speaks of God’s covenant with the king. V3 & 4 says; "I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever, and build your throne to all generations. V14 says; "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne, Lovingkindness and truth go before Thee." These passages that speak of the Davidic covenant in the Old Testament are the basis for our understanding of Rev.21:7. The focus of this study is the "righteousness and justice" of the King. For Jesus to fulfill the role of Messianic King, He had to demonstrate a perfect covenantal solidarity with His Father. Having ascended to the Throne as King, it is now His role to act as Judge and enforce the covenant.

Much more time and effort could now be spent analyzing this passage, but for our purpose it is sufficient to take notice of the fact that Revelation chapters 21&22 speak of the restoration of God’s original purpose in Eden. We are also seeing that God was continually moving towards His goal throughout the Old Testament by way of the covenant relationships that He had with the patriarchs, the nation of Israel, and with the kings of Israel. When we consider the goal and purpose that someone has in mind, then all the steps that they have taken to arrive at their goal begin to make sense to us. It is the same for God.

Another observation is that this city is made up of elements that speak of both the Old Testament and the New Testament saints. It is a holy city situated on a purified earth. The blending of the Temple and the City and the heirs of God is so complete that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. The city is based on the kingdom number of 12. The stones of the temple are reminiscent of the stones that the high priest wore on his ephod, in his representation of the totality of the tribes of Israel. The layout of the city is reminiscent of the most holy place. The 12 tribes of Israel are integrated with the 12 apostles who have reached out to the nations who walk in the light of the glory of God. Jews and Gentiles of faith dwell in this city in the presence of God. The King and His queen celebrate their covenantal union in the marriage supper in this city.

In light of the victory of the King of kings in battle which is depicted in Rev.12;5-11 & Rev.19:11-21, the covenant people dwell in peace in the new Jerusalem. King David brought all of the enemies of God and of His people into submission. King Solomon sat on the throne and built the Temple with the materials that David had supplied, according to the ‘plan’ that David had given him and according to his own wisdom with which God had honored him. It is the ‘holy’ city. It is the city of peace. It is the city of God. It is the city of the great King. Psm.48:1,2; Isa.52:1; Matt.5:35.

This new Jerusalem has 12 gates, 3 on the east, north, south, and west. This is reminiscent of the covenant promise made by the LORD to Abraham that he would inherit the land, even the whole earth. Gen.13:14-17. Rom.4:13. It also includes the idea of universal access for all of believing mankind. Gen.12:3. Rom.4:16,17. God told Abraham that "kings shall come forth from you". Gen.17:6. Sarah "shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Gen.17:16.

‘Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination" shall come into the city. The ones who practice righteousness, the holy ones, the ones who have washed their robes, even who do His commandments, serve God before His throne and see His face. His name is on their foreheads. The covenant bondservants sit at the King’s table and continue to eat the covenant meal, even the marriage supper of the Lamb, on the top of the mountain. They are not only a kingdom of priests, they sit on the throne of the Lamb and are themselves vassal kings, as their forefather Adam was. This in itself speaks of their loyalty, their fidelity, and their covenantal solidarity with their Suzerain. The vindication of the Sanctuary, and the justification of the people who worship therein, is founded on the vindication of God’s righteous King. It is the anointed Son, the embodiment of the Covenant Promise of God, who loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, who alone is addressed by the Father as having the right to sit on the throne and being worthy to rule forever and ever. Heb.1:3,6-13; Rev.5:12-14.

John understood what the goal and purpose of God was. He understood it from the Old Testament. He understood it from Genesis. He understood it from the Pentateuch. He understood it from the Book of the Law that is Deuteronomy. He understood it from the covenants. He understood it from the record of the kings of Israel and the kingdom of God. He understood what the goal and purpose of God was from the Psalms, especially the royal psalms that speak of Jerusalem, the king, the coronation, the kingdom, the righteous salvific actions of the king, and the marriage of the king. John understood it from the words of the prophets as they spoke about the king and the kingdom. He understood it from the role of the priests as they ministered before the ark of God, even before the throne of the great King. John understood that the goal and purpose of God had found fulfillment in the revelation of Christ Jesus, the King. In the revelation ‘of’ and ‘from’ Jesus Christ (Jesus the Messianic King), John was able to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. It was as if John was tuned into understanding Jesus’ own self-understanding of His purpose and mission.

Let us think on the words of Jesus as recorded by John in terms of Jesus’ declared purpose.

"Pilate therefore said to Him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, "You have said correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth." John 18:37.

"The son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8.

"Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, Father save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify thy name. … Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up will draw all men to Myself. But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die." John 12:27,28,31-33.

"Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ … He was speaking of the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken." John 2:19,21,22.

"Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me from the foundation of the world." John 17:24.

In all of these statements of Jesus in regards to the purpose of His mission, His role as ‘King" is central.

In the Everlasting Covenant between the Father and the Son before the foundation of the world, the Godhead purposed to create and redeem the cosmos, and bring all into intimate fellowship with Himself. By a revelation of His own heart, revealed most clearly on Calvary’s cross, in one decisive act, the ‘justice and mercy’ of the LORD’s King destroyed Satan, sin, and death (His enemies), while simultaneously vindicating His own character and establishing His Temple/Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is one and the same thing as the Kingdom of God. It acts as a metaphor, even as a revelation and manifestation of what the rule of the King looks like.
 

The Link Between the Inauguration and the Consummation of the Messianic King and His Covenant

In Revelation chapter 5, we are witnessing the reception of the Throne and the coronation of the King. On what basis was the "Lamb standing as if slain" worthy to take the scroll out of the right hand of the One who was seated on the Throne, and consequently to take His seat on the Throne? He is "worthy" because he didst create all things and because He "wast slain, and did purchase/redeem for God with His blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." Rev.4:11; 5:9. Interesting it is to note that the Sabbath is a sign and covenantal memorial of the LORD’s creative and redemptive action.

What we also need to remember is that the Lion, the Root of David, has come into the throne room of God after winning a decisive battle. The reason that He is the "ruler of the kings of the earth" is because He has brought His enemy into submission in battle. Rev.1:5. In the great battle of Calvary, the LORD took His sword and gave the serpent a mortal wound. What is this sword? It is the word/Word of God. Rev.19:13,15,16. It is the Book of the Covenant. God’s Christ, that is the LORD’s King, is the Covenant with Flesh on it. After we have considered the role of the king in the Old Testament, the entire book of Revelation and especially Rev.5 will open up to us. As we will see, the composite characteristics of the role of the King not only permeates all of Revelation but is in itself a major key in terms of interpreting all of the Apocalypse.

We have seen that Revelation chapters 21&22 make reference to all of the covenants of the Old Testament. They each illuminate a different aspect of the Everlasting covenant. The Edenic, the Adamic, the Noahic, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, and the Davidic covenants are a sequential progressive ongoing revelation of the ultimate purpose and goal of the Godhead. Remember, when we see and understand the goal and end to which God has been moving, we are then able to understand all of the steps that God has taken to reach His goal. Herein we have the key to understanding the scroll with the 7 seals of Rev.4&5. As we will see, Rev.4&5 also makes reference to all of the major biblical covenants. These covenants also find their culmination in the blood of the Lamb.

This passage speaks of the LORD God who ‘created all things, and because of Thy will they existed and were created’. Rev.4:11. This passage speaks of the coronation of the Messianic King after His victory over Satan, sin, and death. Life, even eternal life which was forfeited by Adam, is now received on behalf of mankind by the Lamb who was slain but has stood up. Rev.5:6,12; 1:18. He was dead but is alive forevermore. The second Adam received the ‘Book of Life’ from the Father’s hands. "For Thou wast slain, and purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." "They will reign upon the earth (‘forever’ implied)". Rev.5:9&10. This is the provision of life found in the Edenic covenant.

Adam, believing the promise of God, named his wife Eve, which means ‘life’ or ‘living’. Adam was cast out of the garden. Nevertheless, God gave him the promise of a Redeemer to come who would redeem, that is purchase back what he had lost. In doing so, He would crush Satan’s head. This Redeemer now stood before the Throne of God having regained access for mankind to the presence of God and to the throne he had forfeited. "For Thou wast slain, and did purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." Rev.5:9. This Redeemer is the provision of the Adamic covenant.

When God moved in judgment against mankind in the time of Noah, He wiped all of mankind off the face of the earth but He preserved one man and his family, that is one man and his kin. That One Man, who had Himself passed through the waters of death and came out on the other side was Himself the Ark. His offspring would repopulate the earth and the kingdom of God. Just so that we don’t miss it, John was shown the ‘rainbow’ around the Throne, the sign of the Noahic covenant of preservation and rest. Rev.4:3.

God made many promises to Abraham. He and his descendants would control the gates of their enemies, and they would inherit the promised land, even the world, made up of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Abraham would not only be blessed but all the nations of the world would be blessed in him. All these nations are represented in the Man who we see standing before the Throne in Rev.5. Kings would come from Abraham’s seed. From His loins would come the Heir of the world. Because of the covenant promise of God, Abraham and his descendants would have a ‘righteous standing’ before God and have access to the Most High. God Himself passed through the pieces of the ‘cut’ bloody dead animals to signify to Abraham that He would go to the point of death to fulfill His covenant promise. This promise was realized in Jesus, the son of David, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham the Son of promise. Therefore the multifaceted scroll of Rev.5 is the title deed to the world according to the promise of the Abrahamic covenant.

Moses led the sons of Israel out of bondage and made them a nation at the foot of Sinai. Moses went up the mountain of God, as John would, to view the pattern for the Sanctuary in which God would dwell in the midst of His covenant people. This Sanctuary is but a miniature restoration of Eden. We see the language of the Sanctuary in Rev.4:5. There are the 7 lamps of fire burning before the Throne. The ‘Throne’ of God is mentioned 16x in Rev.4&5. The ‘Throne’ is one and the same as the ‘Ark of the Covenant’. The holy Covenant Law inside the Ark and the Mercy Seat on the top of the Ark symbolizes the justice and the mercy of the God of the covenant. The ‘Testimony’ of God’s voice that was manifested at Sinai was heard by John. Herein we see that John and the churches to which John had written are to hear again the stipulations of the Covenant and are to be prepared to renew their vow of solidarity to the King. (The words of Jesus to the 7 churches, as recorded in Rev.2&3 is written in the covenantal form of the blessings and the curses.) There is a repetition of the lightning, that is the fiery law, the thunder of the sound of God’s voice as He spoke the stipulations of the everlasting covenant. Rev.4:4. Deut.33:3. As the 10 commandments was written on the front and on the back, so also is the scroll. Rev.5:1; Exod.32:15.16. We even see the ‘sea of glass’ on which the covenant people of God were able to stand in the presence of God after the ratification of the Mosaic Covenant. Rev.4:6; Exod.24:10.

In Rev.5:5, we see that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to take the scroll out of the hand of the Father. In this act we are witnessing the transference of authority from the Father to the Son. In this coronation ceremony, the King of the Davidic line has taken His seat on the Throne of God. As we will see, the blessings of the Father were heaped upon His Son in the same way as David had heaped praise on the LORD at the coronation of Solomon. Having taken the scroll, the Son of David is praised for His action in battle. He is the commander of a mighty army, the church, in whose mouth is the Law and the Gospel with which He will subdue the earth. The Christ having all power and all wisdom and the 7 fold fullness of the Spirit has sent His kingdom of priests out into all the earth. With them, He will enforce the covenant, and bring all of the earth under His dominion. Rev.5:6,10,13. He will build the ‘Temple’ of God which is the church. It is a ‘spiritual house’ made up of ‘living stones’. It is a holy and righteous household of humble people who will submit to the lordship of their King as He rules over them in accordance with the just and righteous principles contained in the scroll, which is the ‘Book of the Law’, that He has received from the hand of His Father. This is the Davidic Covenant, the covenant of the King.

All of these covenants are one. They are all a progressive revelation of the Everlasting Covenant made between the Father and the Son before the foundation of the world. Rev.13:8; John 17:24. So how would we understand the 7 seals? The 7 seals are an unfolding and explanation of all the major covenants of Scripture.To open the seals is to open our hearts and minds to the purpose of the God as revealed in the Everlasting Covenant. In the same way as the Lord Jesus opened the minds of His disciples to understand the Scriptures on the road to Emmaus, the King will open and reveal the covenantal purpose of God to us. Luke 24:27,32,45.

Each one of the covenants revealed in the Old Testament, that is the Edenic, the Adamic, the Noahic, the Abrahamic, the Mosaic, and the Davidic are all but tools by which to understand the multi-faceted Everlasting Covenant made between the Father and the Son. If we were to read Revelation chapters 4&5 and then jump over to Revelation chapters 21&22 and keep reading, we would see that Rev.21&22 is but the eschatological fulfillment of the inaugural fulfillment stated in Rev.4&5. What we also need to see is that the Lord Jesus Christ, in all of His roles; as Patriarch, Judge, Magistrate, Prophet, Priest, and King, has in His own experience enacted out the central core theme of every one of the covenants mentioned in the Old Testament and has thereby interpreted them in His own person. To boil it down to its essential element, Christ is the personification and embodiment of every aspect of the covenant, all the while, in human flesh. Christ Jesus is the Eternal Covenant of the Godhead.
 

The Role of the King in Israel

When Israel came into the promised land, Israel regarded the LORD God as the King of Israel. 1 Sam.8:7. God raised up "judges" who exercised authority in both military and civil matters. During the period of the judges, the nation’s fortunes followed a repetitive cycle. Israel deserted the LORD for heathen god’s. The LORD then allowed them to suffer at the hands of the Canaanites for their infidelity. The Israelites would then cry out to God and He would send a deliverer, a judge, who would throw off the yoke of the oppressor. This reoccurring pattern took place over a period of about 200 years. What follows the book of Judges, with the brief story of Ruth sandwiched in the middle, are the two books of Samuel. These two books cover the time period from about 1050 B.C. to 950 B.C.

Samuel grew up in the temple of the LORD under the direction of Eli. Eli was the priest in the house of the LORD at Shiloh and he judged Israel for 40 years. 1 Sam.1:3,9; 4:18. Eli appointed his sons to replace him as priests. Eli’s sons were worthless men, they did not know the LORD. They despised the offering of the LORD, in addition to many other evil practices they did. 1 Sam.2:12,17,22. The LORD was angry with Eli and his sons. He said, "I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always." 1 Sam.2:35. Interesting it is to note that the LORD’s promise to build "an enduring house" was reiterated by God to David in 2 Sam.7:11&27 in the section that we understand as the Davidic covenant. We are seeing the same language that pertained to the ‘priest’ applied to the ‘king’. Herein we are seeing a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is a Priest/King.

Samuel was regarded as the last of the judges. Samuel was also regarded as a prophet. Acts 3:20. 1 Sam.3:20. When Samuel was old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. Like Eli’s sons, they were evil. They did not walk in the way of their father, they turned aside for dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. 1 Sam.8:3. It was during the time of Samuel that Israel came to desire a king. 1 Sam.8:5 The nations around them had kings. They wanted one also. Samuel was very unhappy that the Israelites wanted a king. He went to the LORD. God told him that they have not rejected him (Samuel) but they have rejected Him (God) from being king over them. They were to have their king. 1 Sam.8:7.
 

Questions

For our purpose, we need to pay careful attention to the role of the king. Why did Israel want a king in the first place? How was a king selected? How was a king distinguished from the rest of Israel? What did God and the people expect of a king? What was the role of the king? What was the program or law that the king was expected to follow? How did the role of the king relate to the roles of the prophets, the priests, and the judges of Israel? Do we see any development in the role of the king? What was the basis for succession from one king to the next? How did the king relate to Israel’s history and national self-understanding? How did the history of the past, that is the history of the people of YHWH, going back through the time of the judges, back through the time of Joshua, back through the time of Moses and the Exodus with its formation of Israel as a nation, back through the patriarchs Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, and back to Noah, and even back to Adam, impact on the self understanding of the role of the kings?

Would it not be a mistake to neglect that Israel, as the covenant people of God, were always looking with expectation for the Redeemer, even a King, who would fulfill the promise of Gen.3:15? The idea of the "kingdom of God" and even the dominion of the world under the king, the seed of the woman, must not have been altogether foreign to the Israelites during the time of Samuel, and during the reigns of the kings of Israel.

We also need to consider how Israel and especially the kings of Israel would have understood how the Pentateuch, that is the five books of Moses, were to be understood and applied. We need to remember that during the time of Samuel, when Israel received her first king, Israel was living only approximately 250 years after the Exodus.

This of course brings us to the crucial question. How did Jesus understand His role as King of Israel? Would it not seem reasonable in every way that the expectation of God of the kings of Israel would also apply to the Messianic King, Jesus the Christ? If this is indeed true, as I believe that it is, we have in our hand a powerful key with which we can unlock the mystery of Jesus’ self-understanding of His person and His mission. We will be able to understand His words and His actions. This key will be pivotal in understanding the book of Revelation.
 

The Prophecy of the King in the Pentateuch

The concept of a king was not foreign to Moses. In Gen.17:6; God promised Abraham that "I will make nations of you and kings shall come forth from you." In Gen.17:16; God promised Sarah that "she will be a mother of nations; kings of people will come forth from her." In Gen.35:9-12; God appeared to Jacob and changed his name to Israel. He then revealed Himself as God Almighty. Then, reminiscent of Gen.1:28, He told Jacob/Israel to "be fruitful and multiply". Then He said; "A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you."

Just before he died the patriarch and prophet Jacob summoned his sons and told them one by one what would befall them in the days to come. In his words to Judah, he called him a "lion’s whelp". He went on to say; "the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples." Gen.49:9&10.

Deuteronomy records the words that Moses spoke approximately 300 years later across the Jordan in the wilderness. The nation of Israel was about to go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to their fathers; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Deuteronomy, Moses undertook to expound the Law. Deut.1:1,5,6. (Did not Jesus expound on the Law for a new generation? Was it not His role to reveal to His bond-servants what must shortly take place? Was there not a ‘blessing’ for those who ‘read’, ‘hear’ and ‘do/keep’ the words of this prophecy? Rev.1:1-3; See Deut.7:12,13) In Deut.17:14-20; Moses spoke some of the most important words in that are recorded in scripture that speak of the king. These words are foundational. Everything that follows in the Bible in regards to the king is based on these words.

Deut.17:14 "When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,

V15 You shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen (brothers) you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman (brother).

V18 Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of the kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

V19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes,

V20 That his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left; in order that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

The mention of the anticipated "king" is found again in Deut.28:36.

"The LORD will bring you and your king, whom you shall set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve gods, wood and stone."

This warning in regards to what will happen in the future is found in the section of Deuteronomy that speaks of the blessings and the curses of the covenant. (Deut. chapters 27& 28) It is important to note that the language of covenant is the language of prophecy. A major key in terms of understanding unfulfilled prophecy is to study the covenantal sections of scripture. This insight will be especially helpful in terms of deciphering the prophetic meaning of the Apocalypse. We always need to keep the key question in mind as we read the prophecies that speak of the coming king and his activities. How did Jesus understand these prophecies? How would He have applied them to Himself?
 

1 Samuel and the Role of the Anointed King

After our brief consideration of the prophecy of the king in the Torah, we now return to 1^st Samuel, where the history of the record of the kings begins. Hannah, in her prayer of the dedication of her son Samuel to the LORD said this;

"Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens, The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn (strength) of His anointed." 2 Sam.2:10.

Clearly, the anointed king of the LORD will be a ruler to be contended with. Through this king, God will rule over and judge the world.

The entire tone of the books of Samuel feed on the prayer of Hannah. These books are all about warfare. When the Israelites went to war, as they continually did, they took the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them. (See 1 Sam chapter 4.)

1 Sam.4:3 says; "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, that it/He might come among us and deliver us from our enemies."

There are two ways of considering this action. Many of the Israelites regarded the ark as a supernatural talisman, an idol with special powers. This was a wrong use of the ark. On the other hand, the righteous ones in Israel believed that if the ark and the presence of their God was with them, they would be victorious over their enemies. They had a righteous cause. They were the agents of judgment on behalf of God against the pagans, and their false gods.

Israel lost this battle because there was sin in the camp. 1 Sam.4:10. Nevertheless, God would vindicate Himself before Israel and the Philistines. The point here is that the "Ark of the Covenant" is associated with warfare. It is also associated with judgment and salvation. As we will see, the Ark of the Covenant, which is the Throne of God, in its representation of the justice and mercy of God revealed in the Law and the Gospel, is the weapon with which the LORD God wages war. The Lord Jesus Christ embodies both of these principles.
 

A Brief Excursus into Revelation

This information in regards to the Ark of the Covenant will help us to interpret Revelation.

Rev.11:19 says; "And the Temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the Ark of His Covenant appeared in His Temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm."

How are we to understand this? What we need to remember is that when the LORD God came down on Sinai and gave His holy Covenant Law, this august event was characterized by thunder and lightning flashes and a very loud trumpet. There was an earthquake accompanied by fire and smoke. The thunder, literally ‘sounds’, was the voice of the LORD speaking the stipulations of the covenant. This "Covenant" was the same "Testimony" that God Himself wrote on the 2 tablets of stone. This "Testimony" was placed in the Ark of the Covenant". The same "testimony" that was in placed in the ark of the temple of Israel was the duplicate copy of the one that the Suzerain had in His Temple under His throne. Exod.25:8,9,40; 26:30; Heb.8:5; Exod.25:21,22; 31:18; 32:15,16; 34:27-29. The very next thing that followed the revelation of the opening of the Temple of God in Rev.11:19 is the war recorded in Rev.12. There was war in heaven, resulting in the casting out of Satan. Here we see the King, the Covenant Enforcer, in action. He will stone the one who has sought to lay with His betrothed. Deut.22:22-25. The righteous judgment of God on His enemies brought salvation for the covenant people of God.

Rev.15:5 says; "After these things I looked, and the Temple of the Tabernacle of Testimony in heaven was opened." When the Temple opened, the 7 angels who had the 7 last plagues came out of the Temple with the 7 bowls full of the wrath of God. The prayer of the saints under the altar of Rev.6:9&10 was to be answered in the fullest sense. The Avenger of blood was going to act for the sake of the covenant. What follows in the 7 last plagues is God’s judgment against His enemies and against the enemies of His covenant people. These plagues culminate when the "kings of the whole world are gathered together for the great war" of "Har-Magedon". Rev.16:16.

In Rev.16:17; "And the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air; and a loud voice came out of the Temple from the Throne, saying, it is done, And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came upon the earth". The next thing that happened was that the cities of the nations, that is of the unbelievers, fell flat, reminiscent of Jericho. Once again, we are seeing that the Ark, which is the very Throne of God, is revealed in the context of warfare, judgment of the enemies and salvation of the righteous.

Rev.8:4-6 says, "And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. And the 7 angels who had the 7 trumpets prepared themselves to sound."

We are witnessing here the preliminary judgments of God against the oppressors of His covenant people. This action of the covenant keeping God is in reply to the "prayers of the saints". Listen to their prayer. It is recorded in Rev.6:9&10; " And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" This paper is especially centered on the King Christ Jesus who is the Covenant Enforcer, the Avenger of the Covenant.

In Rev.4:1; John saw a door standing open in heaven and he went up. This is reminiscent of how Moses went up Mt. Sinai. In heaven he saw a Throne. The Throne is one and the same as the Ark of the Covenant. There was a ‘rainbow’ around the Throne. The rainbow is the sign of the Noahic covenant.

Rev.4:5 says; "And from the Throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder." There is even a ‘sea of glass’ reminiscent of the covenant ratification ceremony of Exod.24. Rev.4:6.

As we have worked our way back through Revelation, we have seen the ‘Testimony’ of God in the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ in the ‘Temple’ of God. We have seen that the Ark is the Throne of God. It is associated with warfare. The Ark is associated with the salvation of the covenant people and the judgment of the enemies who make war against them. We have seen that the King, the Covenant Enforcer hears the prayers of His saints for vengeance and that He Himself as the king of Israel leads the charge against Satan and all who follow him. Every one of these activities of God finds the basis of its interpretation in the Covenant.
 

A Return to 1 Samuel and the Role of the Anointed King

We left 1 Samuel at the point where Israel was defeated in battle and the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. The LORD subsequently plagued the Philistines. They came to fear the Ark and the God of Israel. They had to remove the Ark from their land. They put it on a cart and sent it back to Israel. As we will see, whether one is an Israelite or a Philistine, none can stand before the ark. When the Ark was returned to Israel, the people of Bethshemesh looked into the Ark and the LORD struck down 50,070 people. The men of Bethshemesh cried out, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?" 1 Sam.6:19,20. Rev.6:17. As we will see, there is only One who is ‘worthy’ to stand before the Ark and live. There is only one who can approach the Throne of God and go in before Him and live. Jer.30:21&22.

1 Samuel chapter 7 records the next battle between Israel and the Philistines. In the previous battle, Israel was decimated. In the previous battle, all Israel shouted the war cry, reminiscent of the war cry that they shouted when they took Jericho. Josh.6:5,10,20. 1 Sam.4:5. Their next battle would be different. Before the next battle, Samuel called Israel to repent of their idolatry. They removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth. Samuel offered a sacrifice to the LORD. In this battle, the LORD thundered with a great thunder (voice) on that day and confused and routed the Philistines. The victory was so great that the Philistines did not come any more within the border of Israel. 1 Sam.7:3,4,9-13.

It became more and more apparent to Israel that they needed a king to lead them in battle. 1 Samuel chapter 8 records God’s decision to give them a king. This passage also records the "procedure" or the "custom" of the king. 1 Sam.8:9-17. The people wanted a king of their own choosing. Samuel tried to dissuade them. They said; "No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 1 Sam.8:20. Deut.20:4.

As we have seen, God had already spoken of the ‘king’ that was to rule Israel. Israel, in going after a king on her own, without the specific direction of the LORD, can be likened to Abraham resorting to the flesh and going into Hagar. We need to remember that Abraham understood that he and his seed would be the heir and even king of the world. In light of the fact that God had promised them a king, they were to wait faithfully for the ‘coming’ of the King, the Man of God’s own choosing. They were essentially pre-empting God by seeking to expedite the coming of the king and the coming of the kingdom. This is what Judas did. He was seeking to bring about the eschaton in his own time for his own purpose. Israel, by acting in the flesh, was seeking the glory, the power, the authority, and the dominion for herself. This presumptuous action forms a pattern that has been repeated again and again through history. This presumptuous Satanic action will be manifested again at the very end of time when all the nations of the world will again seek to pre-empt the ‘coming King’ and will desire a king of their own choosing, that is Lucifer, to rule over them.

This passage is nevertheless helpful in terms of understanding the role of the king. He is to lead them into battle. He is to act as judge, as in savior and deliverer. As we will see, the role of judge expands.

Samuel was commissioned by God to anoint Saul as prince over ‘My people’ Israel. He shall deliver My people." "For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me." 1 Sam.9:15-17. This is reminiscent of how God heard the cry of Israel in Egyptian bondage, remembered His covenant with the patriarchs, and sent Moses to deliver His people. Exod.2:23,24. In 1 Sam.10:1; Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, and said; "Has not the LORD anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?" (See Psalm 2) Subsequent to this, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Saul and he prophesied. The people then cast lots of the men of Israel and Saul was taken by lot. The people cried out, ‘long live the king’. "Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the king and of the kingdom, and wrote them in a book and placed it before the LORD. Where would Samuel have placed this book? He would have placed it in the Temple. 1 Sam.10:24,25. Deut.17:18. The king understood what his role was. So also did the LORD.

In the next chapter of 1^st Samuel, king Saul had a chance to prove himself. He won a great victory for Israel against the Ammonites. There had been dissenters among Israel in regards to Saul’s leadership. In light of the victory, Samuel called the people to Gilgal to "renew the kingdom there"; that is to "reaffirm the kingship". 1 Sam.11:14. So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. What we need to see is that they were renewing their allegiance, even their covenant with their king. Think of how Jesus earned the loyalty of His people by being victorious in battle. Think of how we continually reaffirm our allegiance to Him.

In the next chapter, 1 Sam.12; we have a truly remarkable passage. This passage is reminiscent of the covenant renewal ceremony of Joshua 24. This passage is also reminiscent of Sinai. The language of Exodus and Deuteronomy saturates this passage. If we were to look ahead, we would see that Daniel chapter 9 finds part of its basis in this chapter. Dan.9:10&11 records the prayer of Daniel regarding how Israel had not "listened to the voice" of the LORD. These are the words of 1 Sam.12:14&15. Daniel was praying about the restoration of the Sanctuary, the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, the restoration of the kingship to Israel, and the renewal of the covenant. All of these are the "righteous acts" of the LORD. 1 Sam.12:6,7. Dan.9:15,16. God would answer all of these prayers in the Messiah.

Samuel in his role as prophet and judge realized that his role and office had to some extent replaced the roles of Moses, the covenant mediator and leader of Israel, and the role of Aaron, the priest. Samuel realized that he was the last of the judges, the deliverers of Israel. He realized that he was now transferring these roles to the king. This did not mean that there would not be any more prophets or priests. It just meant that the role of king had now become the most significant all-inclusive role.

The language of 1 Sam.12 is the language of covenant. Herein we have the record of past benefits linked to the covenants that God had made with the fathers. There is the mention of covenantal continuity. The people and God Himself is a witness of the covenant. More than a witness, God will enforce the covenant. Covenant lapses will result in judgment and punishment. Nevertheless, repentance and covenant reaffirmation will result in the restoration of the benefits and blessings of the covenant and the restoration of the covenant relationship. There are blessings and curses. There are stipulations. There was a sign of the covenant in the thunder of God’s own voice, and the rain. There was a call to service from the heart. All of these aspects of the covenant were centered on the present occasion. It was the reaffirmation of the covenant of the king. It was the public ascension of the king to the throne. It was the coronation ceremony.

For the point of this paper, a key area of interest is the relationship between the fate of king and the fate of the people. In the manner of the covenant language of Deuteronomy, the people had a choice set before them. If they do not follow the LORD, they will die. 1 Sam.12:19; Exod.20:19. As Moses before him, Samuel said, "Do not fear." 1 Sam.12:20; Exod.20:20. "The LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name." 1 Sam.12:22; Deut.31:6.

Now this is where this passage gets particularly interesting. 1 Sam.12:14&15 says; "If you will fear the LORD and serve Him/him, and listen to His/his voice and do not rebel against the command (mouth) of the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God. And if you will not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command (mouth) of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers."

In some sense, the mouth of the king is likened to the mouth of the LORD. What we are seeing is a link between the fate of the people and the fate of the king. The people are to obey the king as they obey the LORD. If the people fail, the king fails. If the king fails, the people fail. The fate of each is bound up in the covenantal solidarity of the other. To confirm that this covenant renewal ceremony had progressed from being a covenant between God and the people to a covenant between God and the king, (which included the people), God sent thunder and rain. 1 Sam.12:17&18. Rain is symbolic of the blessing of the covenant. Thunder, literally ‘sounds’, is reminiscent of the voice of God that shook Sinai when God made a covenant with Israel at the foot of the mountain. Exod.19:16,19; 20:18,19.

The command of God to "fear the LORD", "to listen to the voice", to not rebel against the command (the mouth) of the Lord, as recorded in 1 Sam.12:14&15 is a quotation from Deut.6:13; 8:3; 17:19,20. These are the very verses that Jesus quoted in Matt.4:4,10 in His battle with Satan. The very issue that Satan was contesting was the kingship of the world. Matt.4:8,9. Satan offered Jesus a role as vassal king if He would bow down and worship him. Jesus refused. He referred back not just to Deut.6:13 & 8:3; but to 1Sam.12, and the covenant of the king, to declare that He would offer worship and service to the LORD God alone. Jesus understood the command of God in regards to the king as stated in Deut.17:14-20. Jesus understood that the salvation of His people was rooted in His own covenantal solidarity as the King of Israel with His Father. Jesus is not just the New King of Israel, He is the new Israel of God. Jesus and Matthew both understood the link between the fortunes of the king and the fortunes of the people and vice versa. Therefore, Jesus had to adopt not only the role of the king to bless the people but the role of the people to bless the king.

Every time a new king of the royal line would take his seat on the throne, he needed to understand that retaining the continued blessings of the covenant between himself and God was based on his own faithfulness to the covenant. The covenant that he was under was the same covenant that God gave at Sinai. The details and manner of the implementation of the covenant are found in Deuteronomy, the book of the law. The king understood that the "blessing’ or the "cursing" of himself and his people were in his hands. As we will see, this leads to the progressive understanding of the role of king as vassal co-regent with God, covenant mediator, and covenant enforcer. The role of "king", as we are beginning to recognize, is a very important role in the eyes of God. The king must take responsibility not only for his own failure to keep the covenant but for the failure of his people. If the people failed to keep the Covenant, the "hand of the LORD would be against not only the people but against their king. 1 Sam.12:14,15,25. Jesus, the King of Israel died, bearing the vengeance of God for the covenant, in order that the nation should not perish. Lev.26:25.

Jesus understood the role of the king. What pertained to the king of Israel in the Old Testament also pertained to Him. This information is the key to understanding the role of the "King of kings" in Revelation.

In 1 Sam.13:13,14; we read of how Saul forfeited his privilege of ruling as king. "And Samuel said to Saul, you have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever."

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained the Law and its relevance to the Kingdom of God. He said; "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." "I will declare to them, O never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his ‘house’ upon the sand." Matt.7:21,23,26.

Saul, the foolish man, revealed by his lawless actions, that he was not fit to build a lasting ‘house’ or dynasty for himself or to build a ‘house’ for the LORD. God would raise up a wise man/Man after His own heart who would build a lasting ‘house’. Samuel said to Saul; "But now your kingdom shall not endure." The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." 1 Sam.13:13,14. Saul is reminiscent of Adam our first king. What we can know is that the only "king" whose throne will endure is the king who keeps the commandment and Covenant of the LORD. This also applies to Christ Jesus.

1 Sam.14 records how king Saul and his son Jonathan led Israel in battle against the Philistines. After Jonathan’s first victory, there was a trembling in the camp. The earth quaked, a great trembling. 1 Sam.14:15. Rev.6:12; 16:17,18. Saul commanded that the Ark be brought into battle. There was confusion among the Philistines and they fought among themselves. This is a characteristic of holy war when God fights for His people, and enforces the Covenant. 1 Sam.14:20; Jud.7:22; 1 Chron.20:23; 2 Chron.20:17-24; Zech.14:13; Rev.17:16,17. In this battle, "Saul had put the people under an oath, saying, ‘cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged my enemies." 1 Sam.14:24. Herein do we understand that the role of the king is to avenge his enemies and the enemies of his people. He is the one who executes vengeance for the Covenant. Lev.26:25. This brings us to a premier passage that deals with this very point.

Deut.32 says;

V35; "Vengeance is Mine, and retribution.

V36; For the LORD will vindicate His people".

(The Hebrew word "vindicate’ comes from the word "din" #1777. This same word "din" #1780 in the Aramaic is used in Dan.7:10,22,26; where it is translated "court", "judgment", and "court". The action of God which vindicates His people simultaneously judges the wicked.)

V39; "See now that I, I am He;

And there is no God beside Me;

It is I who put to death and give life.

I have wounded, and it is I who heal;

And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

V40; Indeed, if I lift up My hand to heaven,

And say, as I live forever,

V41; If I sharpen My flashing sword (lightning),

And My hand takes hold of justice,

I will render vengeance on My adversaries,

And I will repay those who hate Me.

V42; I will make My arrows drunk with blood,

And My sword shall devour flesh’

With the blood of the slain and the captives,

From the long-haired leaders (head) of the enemy.

V43; Rejoice, O nations, with His people;

For He will avenge the blood of His servants,

And will render vengeance on His adversaries,

And will atone for His land and His people."

The role of the king was to act as the LORD’s agent of judgment. He was to render justice and vengeance against the enemies of the LORD and of his people, thereby enforcing the Covenant. The blood of the evil doer, justly shed, results in atonement. See also Numbers chapter 25 and Psm.106:29-31. This information becomes all the more meaningful when we apply it to the interpretation of Rev.6:8-11.

In 1 Sam.14:37,41; Saul inquired of the LORD. This is another prerogative of the king. Christ Jesus, our King, continually "inquired of the LORD."

In 1 Sam.15:17&18; we read of how the LORD sent His anointed king on a mission to utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalakites. He was to fight against them until they were exterminated. Because he feared the people, Saul did not do exactly as the LORD said. Because he transgressed the command of God, the LORD rejected him as king. This passage clearly reveals that Saul was a vassal king under the LORD. It also reveals that the role of King Jesus will be that of putting all of God’s enemies under His feet and exterminating all sinners.

In 1 Sam.16:13; "Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him (David) in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily on David from that day forward." The king has the Spirit of God. At His coronation in Rev.5:6, we see that the 7-fold fullness of the Spirit rested on Jesus the Root of David. We also see from 1 Sam.16:11&19 that David is a shepherd. He is a shepherd who is skillful with the harp.

In 1 Sam.17; we read the story of David and Goliath. David, the shepherd, the eighth son (eight being the number of new life) went down to the battle to look into the welfare of his brothers who were at war against the Philistines. Does this not remind us of the Lord Jesus who came down from heaven to look into the welfare of His brothers? 1Sam.17:12,18. This also gives us insight into the pastoral nature of the Book of Revelation. In Rev. chapters 2&3; (all of the words in these 2 chapters are the words of Jesus), we have special evidence of the guidance of the great Shepherd of the sheep.

Soon after he arrived at the battle scene, David quickly found himself embroiled in the war. The uncircumcised Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, had been taunting the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel for 40 days. This is a proto-type of Satan’s taunting of Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days. 1 Sam.17:45. The Christ of God is a warrior. Saul, the first king of Israel was powerless against the strength of the giant. So also was Adam. Victory for David would reveal that he had earned the right to replace Saul as king.

David and Goliath represented their respective nations. The man who won would win in the representative sense. The loser and his people would be servants of the victor and his people. This battle is the proto-type of the battle between Prince Jesus and Satan, the prince of this world, for the rulership of the world. King Saul offered great riches and even his own daughter in marriage to the one who defeated Goliath. The household of the champion would be "free" in Israel. 1 Sam.17:25,26. Once again, in type, we are seeing the reward that Christ Jesus and His people received from the Father after Christ’s victory against Satan.

The Philistine cursed David. "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field." 1 Sam.17:44. This is part of the Covenant curse found in Deut.28:26. The irony of the situation is that the LORD’s Christ would indeed bear the curse. Satan sought to dispose of David and of Christ in such a way that they would be odious to the Father. David turned the curse right back on him. "I will strike you down and remove your head. I will give the dead bodies of the Philistines to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth." As the Covenant Enforcer, the anointed prince David gained a decisive victory. The Son of David will pour out the Covenant curse on the armies of the unbelievers at the end of time in the last great battle. Rev.19:16-21.

David picked up 5 smooth stones (5 is the number of grace) and loaded his sling. There were 5 giants in the family of Goliath. David went in prepared to kill them all. 2 Sam.21:22. David put a stone between the giant’s eyes and took him down. He then ran up and cut off Goliath’s head with the giant’s own sword. 1 Sam.17:51; Heb.2:14.

In 1 Sam.19 and following, Saul realized that his throne was in jeopardy from David. On many occasions he tried to kill David. In 1 Sam.20; Jonathan, the son of Saul, made a covenant with David. Jonathan loved David as he loved his own life. He realized that David would cut off all of his enemies from the face of the earth, so he made an everlasting covenant with David to spare his house forever when David acted in vengeance for the Covenant. 1 Sam.20:15. Jonathan represents the believers of all ages who love the Lord Jesus and who have made a covenant with Him. Saul, who was now demon possessed, heard about the covenant and called Jonathan the son of a perverse and rebellious woman. This describes all of humanity born of Eve. Saul, speaking Satan’s thoughts said; "as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established." 1 Sam.20:31. Here we have a double entendre in the prophetic realm. The kingdom of men in the flesh could never be established unless the Davidic heir to the throne was killed. Conversely, it was by the death of David, the type of Christ, that made it possible for Jonathan and his kingdom to be established.

1 Sam.22:10&13, records how the priest of Nob inquired of God for David. Saul, through his agent of death, Doeg the Edomite, (of the house of Esau) subsequently murdered the 85 priests of Nob along with everything that lived. "And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, sheep, he struck with the edge of the sword." 1 Sam.22:19. Saul had been unwilling to enforce the Covenant for God. Now he was willing to do it for Satan. The priests of Nob represent the believers. Satan would kill us all if he could. He will attempt to before the end of the age. By the grace of God one/One escaped. Abiathar the priest escaped and fled to David.

1 Sam.23:2&4 records how David again inquired of the LORD. What we are seeing again is that the king has the authority to inquire of and communicate with the LORD. In this same chapter, David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah. Saul thought that he had David and his men trapped in the city. Again David inquired of the LORD. Will Saul come down to the city and will the men of Keilah give him into Saul’s hand? God replied in the affirmative. This passage is interesting for a number of reasons. The king is able to inquire of the LORD. The LORD warned His king in advance of what the enemy was about to do. Think of Jesus. Through the close communion that He had with His Father, and through the benefit of the scripture, He knew everything that the enemy was going to do beforehand. Jesus knew that He would be betrayed by His close friend and counselor. He knew that the people of the city would hand Him over, and that He would be crucified when He went up to Jerusalem, but He went anyway.

In 1 Sam.25:23-35; we read the dialogue between Abigail and David. Nabal, the fool, has distained David’s protection and scorned his servants. Because of his disrespect of the anointed prince of Israel, David and his men were en-route to kill every male that was of the house of Nabal. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, acted quickly and wisely. She approached David with a gift with which to pacify David and turn his wrath away from her household.

Abigail prophesied; "The LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you all of your days." "The life of my lord shall be bound up in the bundle of the living." 1 Sam.25:28,29.

We are seeing here once again that it is the role of the king to fight the battles of the LORD. Because of his solidarity with the righteous and just cause of the LORD, the king and his servants will inherit life, even eternal life. Abigail and David realized that it was not for David to avenge himself against Nabal.

When the disciples urged Jesus to take the sword against His enemies, He would not. In a moment, Jesus could have called upon 12 legions of angels and He could have incinerated the religious leaders that conspired against Him, and even all of humanity, but He would not. Matt.26;51-53. The LORD kept His Servant/servant from doing evil. The LORD would avenge the sin against His anointed. For Nabal’s sin, the LORD struck him and he died 10 days later. (Ten is the number of judgment in the Bible.) Forty years after Jesus was unjustly crucified by wicked men, the LORD leveled Jerusalem. After Nabal’s death, David sent Abigail a proposal of marriage that she accepted. This wise and gracious woman, the bride of the king, is a type of the church. The gracious message that came from her lips was the message of the Spirit. The temptation for Jesus was to wipe all of ungrateful humanity off the face of the earth but He resisted it.
 

2 Samuel and the Role of the Anointed King

Later, after Saul’s death in battle, the men of Judah came and anointed David king over Judah. 1 Sam.2:4. After some skirmishes between Israel and the men of Judah, the elders of Israel anointed David king at Hebron. King David made a covenant with them before the LORD at Hebron. Then they anointed David king over all Israel. 2 Sam.5:3,5.

2 Sam.6 records how David brought the Ark of the Covenant up into the city of David, that is Jerusalem, and set it in its place inside the tent. We need to remember the context. David had just been anointed king over all Israel after replacing the first king and after winning the battles of the LORD. The Ark of the Covenant is important for what it symbolizes. The Law of God, even the stipulations of the Covenant, were in the Ark. The rule of God over His people was symbolized by the presence of the Ark in the centralized capital of the kingdom, which was Jerusalem. The Ark and what it represented was the basis on which God’s anointed king was to rule. The presence of the Ark legitimized Jerusalem, the king, and the kingdom of God. The mercy seat on top of the Ark symbolized the Covenant promise of the forgiveness of sins. The Ark was itself the Throne of God, where God tabernacled in the midst of His people. When Jesus approached His Father in Rev.5; He was essentially bringing the Ark into the heavenly Jerusalem. He was bringing the rule and reign of God to bear on the cosmos. He was ‘vindicating’ the Sanctuary, and the kingdom of God.

After David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, the LORD gave him rest on every side. David was overcome with the desire to build a house, even a fixed location, a ‘place’ in which he could ‘plant’ the Ark. David’s desire came up before God. Because David purposed in his mind to build the LORD a house, God revealed to David that it was in His purpose to build David a ‘house’, even a ‘dynasty’. This is the message of 2 Sam.7; in which we have the Davidic covenant. This is one of the Bible’s premier covenant chapters. For our purpose, we can isolate some key points. The message of the LORD to David was that "the LORD is with you." "I have been with you." "I will make your name great." 2 Sam.7:3,9. God is speaking of the present, the past, and the future. The role of the king is to build the house, even the temple of the LORD, so that God can dwell with us. 2 Sam.7:5,13. The role of God is to establish David’s throne, that is David’s kingdom and the kingdom of his seed/Seed forever. 2 Sam.7:13. The building of the house, that is the Temple is therefore linked with the establishment of the Throne. "He shall build a house for My name and I will establish the Throne of his kingdom forever." 2 Sam.7:13. This information is helpful in terms of understanding Rev.5.

Covenantal continuity is revealed in the Davidic Covenant. Quoting Deut.3:24; 4:31-38; 10:21; 15:15; 9:26; & 32:6; David praised ‘the great LORD God, for there is no other nation on earth like His people. He redeemed His people for Himself from Egypt, from nations and gods, Thou established for Thyself Thy people Israel as Thine own people forever.’ 2 Sam.7:22-24. As the nation of Israel was established forever, David prayed that God would confirm the covenant and also establish his house forever. 1 Sam.7:25&26.

This is where the connection between 2 Sam.7 and Dan.9 becomes apparent. The Seed of David, the Messianic King was sent by God to confirm the everlasting covenant that the LORD made with the patriarchs, with Israel, and with David. It is of interest to note David’s reliance on the book of Deuteronomy in the words that he used in 2 Sam.7. The words of Deuteronomy saturate this passage. The book of Deuteronomy is the second giving of the law to a new generation. Deuteronomy is not distinct from Exodus. It is an explanation of how to implement the words of Exodus. It was/is an explanation to the Covenant that was to guide not only the nation of Israel but the kings/King who would rule over them.

In Exodus 24, we read of the formal ratification of the covenant between the LORD God and the nation of Israel. "Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD." These are not the words of Moses. They are the words of the LORD. Exod.24:4. Moses "took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of all the people." "Moses then took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, behold the book of the covenant which the LORD has made (cut) with you in accordance with all these words." Exod.24:7&8. The Covenant that God offered Israel was spelled out and clarified in the ‘Book of the Covenant.’ The LORD did not offer David the throne without reference to the stipulations of the covenant. The clear expectation of God was that David and his seed/Seed would be loyal and faithful to the covenant. "In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David." 2 Sam.7:17.

The Temple that David was privileged to build for the LORD was to house the Ark of the Covenant which David had brought up to Jerusalem. As we will see, David’s knowledge of the stipulations of the covenant, that is the 10 commandments, and of his own role as king to enforce the covenant was crystal clear in his mind. In 2 Sam.8:15; the chapter that immediately follows on the heels of the record of the Davidic covenant says this; "So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people."

The prophet Isaiah, later prophesying about the role of the king, even of the Messiah, would say this;

V4; "For Thou shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of the oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.

V6: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest upon His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

V7; There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts/armies will accomplish this."

What is clear from these passages is that the role of the king is to do battle with the oppressor. He is to sit on the throne and rule. He is to uphold justice and righteousness as the covenant enforcer.

In 2 Sam.14 we read a very interesting story about the "avenger of blood". Absalom, a son of David had murdered his brother Amnon, another son of David for violating his sister Tamar, David’s daughter. Absalom fled and hid himself. Joab, who was the general and commander in chief of David’s army, perceived that David wanted Absalom to return, so he sent a wise woman to David with a concocted story. The story had immediate relevance to Absalom’s situation. Of interest it is in the first place that the woman even had opportunity to speak with king David on the matter. The very fact that she brought this case before David attests that another role of the king was to be that of a wise judge of difficult matters. We also remember how difficult judgments were asked of Solomon. The woman said to David; "as the angel of the God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil." "No one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken." "But my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know all that is in the earth." 2 Sam.14:17,19,20. Remember, the king is to be a wise ‘Counselor’. Isa.9:6.

The crux of the matter was finding a way for Absalom to return to Jerusalem. She inquired of David if it were possible for him to find a way that "the avenger of blood may not continue to destroy, lest they destroy my (only) son,"; the "heir", "so as to leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth." 2 Sam.14:11&7. The real problem for the fictitious son that the woman was speaking of was that he was guilty and deserving death. The woman then went on to accuse the king for being guilty himself for not bringing back the banished one. She then said; "God does not take away life, but plans ways/devices so that the banished one may not be cast out from him." 2 Sam.14:11-14.

This problem is complex. How can sin, wickedness and evil ever be stopped if the Law is not upheld and the evil doer punished? But if justice is administered and the death penalty is executed every time that one’s kin’s life is taken, how can the cycle of vengeance for blood ever be stopped? The ultimate problem of mankind was brought to the king for judgment. Only a King who has the very wisdom of God can find a solution to such a difficult problem. 1Cor.1:30. Rev.5:6&12.

In his own particular situation, the king himself was guilty because he knew about the matter (Amnon’s sin) and yet did not punish Amnon according to the law. 2 Sam.13:21; Deut.27:22; 22:13-19, Lev.20:17. Absalom, seeing that his ‘beautiful’ sister was not getting justice, acted as an avenger of blood and slew his brother. (See Numb.35:19-34 in regards to the avenger of blood.) Tamar had been violated and Amnon was dead. How would David act to put a stop to the carnage? Would he now take the life of Absalom and lose another son? The problem according to human solutions was unsolvable.

Once again, we are seeing how this story speaks of the Christ, the son of David, who would find a way to be just and the justifier of the guilty one who has faith in Him. He would find a way for the "woman" to have an "heir", even a "remnant". He would find a way to vindicate the beautiful sister who had been violated. (Think of Satan’s act of violation against Christ’s sister in the garden.) "The LORD God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth, who keeps His lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished." Exod.34:6&7. The description of the LORD is but a description of the Eternal Covenant. The LORD God is duty bound the "execute vengeance for the covenant." Lev.26:25. He is the King, the Covenant Enforcer. There was only one solution in the mind of the Godhead. Righteousness and justice, which are the foundation of the throne and kingdom of God, must be upheld. Psm.89:14. The guilty party must be punished. The retributive wrath of God must fall on the wicked. How would God execute His just and righteous wrath without putting every single one His sons to death? Christ Jesus Himself "was made sin for us" and bore the punishment of the guilty so that the banished person may not remain estranged from Him. 2 Sam.14:14. This is the plan of God in the Covenant made by the Godhead before the foundation of the world. Adam, and all his progeny are guilty and deserve the curse. The wisdom of the wise Judge, whose wisdom is like the Angel of the LORD has found a way to solve the problem. This passage gives us insight into Rev.5 in which none but the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the lamb with the 7 eyes, is wise enough to enforce the Covenant and save His people at the same time.

Later, Absalom emboldened by his father’s apparent lenience, soon began to believe that he had found a chink in his father’s armor, a weakness that he could exploit. In the chapters that follow, we read of Absalom’s conspiracy to take his father’s throne. Absalom went on a political campaign to endear himself to the people. He would stand at the gate of the city, "and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment", he would bemoan the fact that "no one listens to you on the part of the king." "Moreover, Absalom would say, "Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me, and I would give him justice." 2 Sam.15:2-4. Herein we are seeing that the role of the king is to sit on his throne and act as judge.

In John 8; we read of how the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus that they had caught in the very act of adultery. All the while they were using this as a ruse. They were seeking grounds to accuse Him. They quoted the Law of Moses in regards to this woman’s particular sin. Jesus did not minimize her sin in any way. He just took His finger, the same finger that had written God’s Covenant Law on stone at Sinai, and began writing on the ground. It has long been surmised what He wrote there. Jesus said, "he who is without sin, let him throw the first stone". The obvious implication is that what He wrote condemned them and they left in shame. The irony of the whole situation is that by bringing this woman and this case to Jesus, they were acknowledging Him as Judge and King. The role of King is to judge.

The story of Absalom’s rebellion is reminiscent of Lucifer’s rebellion. It is also reminiscent of Adam’s sin. David said of Absalom, "my son who came out from me seeks my life." 2 Sam.16:11. The rebellion gained strength and David and his faithful followers had to flee from Jerusalem. (For additional insight, see Matt.24:15,16.) David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives and wept as he went. Absalom then entered Jerusalem, supposedly as king. His first act was to go into his father’s 10 concubines who were keeping the house and waiting for the return of their lord the king. 2 Sam.15:16; 16:21&22. Matt.25. But now the pretender must kill his father to make certain his grasp on the throne.

The actions of Absalom clarified the issues. Those who were faithful to David were clearly revealed, as were those who became traitors and followed Absalom. Ahithophel, David’s counselor went over to Absalom. Think of Judas. Ahithophel counseled; "This night I will pursue him (David) and come upon him with 12,000 men when he is weary and exhausted, (think of the garden of Gethsemane) and will terrify him so that all the people who are with him will flee. Think of Caiaphas the high priest who said; "It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." John 11:49&50. "The return of everyone depends on the man/Man you seek, then all the people shall be at peace." 2 Sam.17:3. "Then I will strike down the king alone." 2 Sam.17:2; Dan.9:26; Isa.53:4-8. The placing of the kingdom in the son’s hands was dependent on the death of his father. Only then would there be peace. 2 Sam.17:1-3. The typology revealed in this passage in regards to the Lord Jesus Christ is amazing. So also is the irony. The fact of the matter is that the death of God’s anointed king, even of His Christ, was the thing that brought about peace. (Some of the kings of Israel would die fighting the battles of the LORD. In doing so, they would be enacting prophecy in regards to the Christ.)

Thanks to Hushai’s counsel, Ahithophel’s advice was thwarted. When he saw that his counsel was rejected, Ahithophel strangled/hanged himself. 2 Sam.17:23. (Think of Judas) David and his men fled and crossed the Jordan. The battle took place in the forest. David’s men slaughtered the servants of Absalom. Absalom caught his head in a tree and was hanging between heaven and earth, where he was put to death by Joab. Deut.21:22.Three spears were thrust into the heart of Absalom and he died. King David wept over his son Absalom. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you". 2 Sam.18:33. David’s weeping over the son who wanted to kill him and take his throne, gives us great insight into the love of God for Adam, the son of God. After his victory, king David, and all who were with him crossed back over the Jordan. Herein we are witnessing a re-enactment of the exodus. The crossing of the Jordan was but a mirror image of the crossing of the Red Sea. Considering the forces that had been allied against David, his stunning victory in battle and his return across the river Jordan was like a resurrection from the dead. The return of David to Jerusalem can be likened to the "coming" of Christ. As we will see, the king would deal with, judge, and execute punishment against those who collaborated against him. He would do it through his son king Solomon.

The history of the kings is all enacted prophecy. Christ Jesus understood what was going to befall Him through the history and activity of the kings. Jesus understood His purpose and role from the stories about the kings. Their situations and circumstances would be His. The kings therefore, were prophets. Through word and action, they prophesied in regards to Israel and the king and kingdom of God. Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Prophet understood this. The role of a prophet is not only to speak the word of the LORD. It is to understand it and apply it. The history of Israel and her kings cannot be separated from the ‘moral purpose’ of God. All prophetic words and actions are related to the furtherance of the righteous throne and kingdom of God.

Jesus understood and applied this. When Jesus stood in the temple, He wept over the Jerusalem which would not receive Him as their King. (We remember how David wept over Absalom.) He wept over the leaders who would kill Him and thereby leave their own house desolate. Matt.24:1; 23:37,38. As Prophet, He cursed Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple. Matt.23&24. As King, He embodied the Nation, the City, and the Temple and bore the curse in her stead. As Priest, He brought the Sacrifice, thereby turning away the wrath of God and simultaneously establishing the kingdom of God!

2 Sam.22 records David’s psalm of praise to the LORD for delivering him from his enemies. We can learn many things in regards to the role of the king from this Psalm. 2 Sam.22;21-25 records the righteous basis on which David had the right to rule as king.

V21; "The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

V22; For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and I have not acted wickedly against my God.

V23; For all His ordinances were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them/it.

V24; I was also blameless toward Him, and I kept myself from iniquity.

V25: Therefore, the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness."

As David before Him, Jesus understood that Covenantal solidarity on His part was the basis on which He could attain the Throne.

This psalm of praise is all about warfare. (This psalm is also recorded in Psalm.18.) David praised the God who "executes vengeance for me, and brings people down under me." 2 Sam.22:48. This is vengeance for the Covenant. This passage speaks of the LORD who is a warrior God. David spoke of how his cry for help came to God in His Temple. Then the heavens and the earth shook (earthquake). Smoke came from His nostrils and fire came from His mouth. The LORD rode on a cherub and flew into battle. We need to remember that the cherubim carry the Throne of God which is the Ark of the Covenant. The symbolism of God riding on His throne, which is the Ark of the Covenant, into battle, illustrates that He has a righteous cause to uphold. 1 Kings 22:3,4,10. God thundered from heaven, reminiscent of Sinai. The Most High utter His voice (sounds). He sent forth His arrows. Lightning routed the enemy. Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the earth were uncovered, at the blast of His nostrils. Then the LORD set David on a high place. He drew him out of the waters. God delivered him from his enemies, from those who hated him, and rescued him. This is the message of 2 Sam.22. As we have already seen in our excursus into Revelation, this is also the message of the Apocalypse!

This passage looks back by way of allusions to the creation, to the flood, to the exodus. These are more than the historic actions of God, these are the Covenants of God. We are also seeing how the prophet David was looking ahead to the Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. David also looked ahead and saw the end of the world.

Jesus, the Prophet and King, understood all of this. So also did John the revelator. John incorporated this information in the reception and coronation of Christ as King in Rev.5. He incorporated it in the 7 seals in which the armies of the LORD would battle their enemies. He incorporated it in the crushing of the enemies of God and His people as depicted in the trumpets and in the 7 last plagues. John utilized this information in his depiction of the final judgment. The final judgment by the King will be on the basis of the contents of the Ark of the Covenant, on the basis of the Testimony of God, that is God’s holy Covenant Law, the 10 commandments; that John saw in the Throne of God in the Temple in heaven. Rev.11:19; 15:5.

In 2 Sam.24; David numbered the fighting men of Judah and Israel. He did not however number the Levities. 1 Chron.21:6. This act reveals that David had reverted to the flesh. His victory in battle never had anything to do with numbers. The LORD can give the victory with few or with many. 1 Sam.14:6. Because of David’s sin, the angel of the LORD slaughtered 70,000 men of Israel in 3 days. The destroyer was heading to Jerusalem. David stood in the breach. He cried out to God; "It is I who have sinned. Please let Thy hand be against me and my father’s house." 2 Sam.24: 17. David then built an altar and offered sacrifice to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, thereby turning the wrath and plague of God away from his people. The Temple would later by built on this same site by his son Solomon. 2 Chron.3:1 We see here how the role of king has enlarged. It was the king, not the priest, who built the altar, and offered sacrifice. Yet David has assumed the role of Melchizedek, that of a king/priest. David was herein also repeating the action of the patriarchs which was to build altars. What is clear here is that it was the sacrifice of the king/priest that turned away the wrath of God. Christ Jesus, our Priest/King performed this same act on Calvary’s cross, thereby turning the wrath of God away from His people by bearing it Himself. In this act at Jerusalem, both David and his Son revealed that they had the right kind of heart to rule over Israel as King.

1 Kings and 1Chronicles and the Role of the Anointed King

In 1Kings 1; David’s son Adonijah, following after the pattern of Absalom, conspired to take the throne. He sought the help of Joab, the commander of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Adonijah offered sacrifices and invited the king’s sons to a great celebration. They were eating and drinking, and saying, "Long live the king". Nathan the prophet took immediate action. He brought Bathsheba in before David and she claimed the promise that David had made to her son Solomon in regards to the throne.

David immediately took action to fulfill the vow that he had made before the LORD to seat Solomon, son of Bathsheba on the throne. Quickly Solomon was made to ride on the king’s own mule to Gihon, a spring just outside of Jerusalem. (Interesting it is to note that one of the 4 rivers that flowed from Eden was named Gihon.) Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and David’s mighty men escorted Solomon to Gihon and anointed Solomon king. They blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "long live king Solomon". The people were playing flutes and rejoicing so that the earth shook. The ones attending Adonijah’s celebration heard of the coronation of Solomon. They were terrified and quickly dispersed. So Solomon took his seat on the throne and was appointed by his father as ruler over Israel. David’s servants informed him of the anointing. They said; "may your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne! And the king bowed himself on the bed." The great king was thereby recognizing his son. 1 Kings 1:47. Heb.1:8&9.

With Solomon seated on the throne, David charged him to build a house for the LORD. Solomon, whose name means peaceful, would receive peace and rest during his reign. David made much preparation for the temple by gathering the materials with which Solomon would build the house. 1 Chron.22:5,9,14. In preparation for the service of the Temple, David numbered the Levites. This was the last official action of David. 1 Chron.23:27. The office of the Levites was to assist the sons of Aaron in the service of the house. They were to "stand every morning to ‘thank’ and to praise the LORD" and to offer burnt offerings ‘continually’. 1 Chron.23:30,31. Their worship looks ahead to where Rev.4:8&9 records how the four living creatures ‘cease not’ to praise God and ‘give thanks’. The four living creatures ‘kept saying’, Amen. Rev.5:14. The sons of Aaron were divided under their 24 heads of households into 24 courses of priests. 1 Chron.24:4,19. This looks ahead to the 24 elders seated on thrones with crowns on their heads who preside as witnesses of the Father’s acceptance and coronation of the Son as King. Rev.4:4,10; 5:6,8,14. Jer.30:21,22; Jer.32; Ruth 4.

David also set apart the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun who were to prophecy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. Under their direction, 288 men were chosen by lot to sing in the Temple. (12x24=288) They also were divided into 24 courses of singers. 1 Chron.25: 1-8, 31. David also numbered the national militia. There were 12 divisions of 24,000 men. 1 Chron.27:1-15. Even a cursory reading of these chapters reveals the significance of the number "12" in all of David’s organization.

David then assembled all the leaders of Israel so that he could formally present his son, the king, to all the representatives of Israel. David began by explaining to the assembly that the reason that he had been chosen by the LORD to be king in the first place is because he was from the tribe of Judah. In other words, his right to rule was based on the prior promise and prophecy of God through the patriarch that one from the tribe of Judah would be king. Gen.49:8-10. Rev.5:5. Herein we are seeing not only David’s knowledge of the word of God but that he realized that there was a connection between the provision of the Abrahamic covenant and his own right to rule.

David told the assembly how he had intended to build the Temple, but the LORD had told him that in light of the fact that he was a man of war and had shed so much blood, his son would build the Temple. The LORD had chosen his son Solomon to sit on the Throne of the Kingdom of the LORD over Israel. He would build the Temple. The LORD said of Solomon as He had said of David, "I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a Father to him. I will establish his kingdom forever." 1 Chron.22:8; 28:6. Herein we are seeing that the promise and provisions of the Davidic Covenant are being passed on to the son. What we are seeing here is covenantal continuity. David went on to convey the message that the LORD had given him to give to Solomon at his formal coronation;

"And I will establish his kingdom forever, if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as is done now. So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of God, observe and seek after all the commandments of the LORD your God in order that you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons forever." 1 Chron.28:7&8.

As we see, Solomon was then publicly, in the sight and witness of all Israel, of the assembly, and in the hearing of God, called to observe, to seek after and to resolutely perform all of the LORD’s commandments. The king’s solidarity with the Suzerain manifested in fidelity to the stipulations of the covenant would result in retention of the Covenant blessing of the land and a dynasty that would be passed on to his sons forever. Christ Jesus, the Son of David understood that He was born to be a King. At His formal coronation, as recorded in Heb.1 and Rev.5; before a great crowd of witnesses, Jesus undertook the obligation to continue to keep and even enforce the covenant. This was in the mind of the Father, the witnesses and the King when He reached out and took the scroll from His Father’s hand.

The multi-faceted blessings, provisions, and obligations of the covenants come together in this passage of 1 Chron.28. Herein we are seeing a blending of the Abrahamic Covenant’s provision of the "land" which shall be possessed forever. Gen.12:1; 13:14-17; 15:18; Deut.34:4. "Forever" is the key word in the Davidic Covenant used to describe the eternal nature of the kingdom. 2 Sam.7. Psm.89. (The word ‘forever’ is used 8x in 2 Sam.7 in regards to the Davidic covenant.) David then blended these key aspects of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants with the covenantal fidelity and solidarity required by the Mosaic Covenant, referenced by observance of the "commandments". Deut.5&6. See also Ezk.37:21-28 where the Covenant promises of the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants are linked together in one package. What we are also seeing in this passage is the conditional n