THE THRONE   OF DAVID     R. H. BOLL       THE WORD AND WORK 2518 Portland Avenue Louisville 12, Kentucky

      The far-reaching doctrine concerning the throne of David has its root in the seventh chapter of 2 Samuel. There we must go for the first fundamental conceptions of this great and important theme.

      It was in answer to David's desire to build a house for the ark of God that God sent him a message by Nathan the prophet containing a promise to David concerning his throne and dynasty as follows:

      "Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. When thy days are fulfilled and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me a house, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my lovingkindness, shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Sam. 7:11-16).

      This is the original promise concerning the Throne of David; and on it is based all else in the Old and New Testaments on this vitally important subject. We shall do well to see what is meant by some of the chief terms in it--David's house, throne, kingdom. When God [2] promised to build David a house, He meant not of course, a house of residence for David, but, as the context shows (vs. 12, 19), a family, and a line of reigning descendants, a royal dynasty, which should never have an end. The throne obviously stands for the specific right of royal rule and authority. He who exercises that in any kingdom is spoken of as "sitting on the throne" of that kingdom; the term is used too often throughout this book to admit of any controversy as to its import. It is the sphere of David's rule and government, which according to 2 Samuel 5:5 was "over all Israel and Judah." "I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep that thou shouldst be prince over my people, over Israel;" (2 Sam. 7:8). "They anointed David king over Israel according to the word of Jehovah." (1 Chron. 11:3). David's kingdom was that over which Saul had previously ruled (1 Chron. 12:23). "David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of Israel." And "If my covenant of day and night stand not, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Jer. 33:17, 25, 26). That is sufficient for definition.

      But if David's throne and David's kingdom were to be "established for ever", by [3] the terms of the Divine promise, it necessarily follows that the people over whom David ruled, the nation of Israel which constituted the kingdom, should continue for ever. For if that people pass away the kingdom of David would necessarily pass with them. God could indeed give him a different people to rule over; but that would be the grant of another kingdom, not the perpetuation of David's kingdom, concerning which the promise was made that it should be established for ever. But the perpetuity of that people in their land is expressly included in the promise as follows: "And I will appoint for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more as at the first, and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies" (2 Sam. 7:10, 11).

      The day has never yet been that saw the people of Israel settled in their own land to be moved nevermore. Yet nothing has been more definitely foretold. "I will plant them upon their land" says Amos 9:15, "and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith Jehovah thy God." Nor is anything more assured than that the nation of Israel shall remain on the earth as long as the present world-order [4] continues and as long as there are nations on the earth. "Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night . . . If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith Jehovah: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done" (Jer. 31:35-37). Nothing they shall do will frustrate this.

      The same sort of preclusion attaches to the promise concerning the perpetuity of David's house. Nothing should ever intervene to prevent the carrying out of this promise and purpose of God. If the kings of David's line should commit iniquity, Jehovah would deal with them as with sons--He would chasten them with the rod of their enemies; but never would He take His lovingkindness away from them as He took it from Saul. So the contingency of failure on the part of David's descendants was fully provided against by the terms of the covenant itself; and to forestall any possible doubt or uncertainty, God confirmed it with an oath.

      This oath-bound covenant which pledged the perpetuity of David's throne and dynasty, did not, however, exclude the possibility of a temporary suspension of David's throne and kingdom. After about four hundred years, when a certain limit had been reached, God overturned the throne (Ezek. 21:27), and cast both crown and throne to the ground [6] (Ps. 89:39-44), yet not for ever, but until the One should come of David's line whose it should be by right, and in whom the whole promise would find its perfect and final fulfillment--Jesus Christ "who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh."

      That this Davidic covenant of promise would find its perfect and final fulfillment in the Messiah, the Christ, was understood from the first. There is but one in it that has no application to Him; the proviso "if he commit iniquity." In Him was no sin. Yet even this touches His case; for though He personally did no wrong, yet He assumed the burden of His people and of the world, and bore our sins in His own body on the tree. For Jehovah laid upon Him the iniquity of us all; and "the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed." (Isa. 53.) In Him the prophecy was fulfilled to its highest potency--every feature of it to its utmost extent. He who was to come should not merely be a son of David, but, par excellence, the Son of David, the One whom God had in mind from the beginning. And whereas all the heirs of David came in for the promise, "I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son;" yet in a unique and unapproached sense God was His Father, and He was the Son (Heb. 1:5). He too, par excellence, was the One destined to build [7] the house of Jehovah (Matt. 16:18), and to reign for ever.

      But the controversy arises over the question when the Lord Jesus was to assume David's throne--whether He has done so already, or whether that event is yet to transpire. Those who hold that Christ is already sitting on David's throne present in the main the following lines of argument:

      1. David's throne was "the throne of Jehovah."

      2. All authority in heaven and on earth is Christ's now; which certainly must include the throne of David.

      3. David's rule was over God's people, Israel. Christ's present rule is over God's people, the spiritual Israel, which is His church or kingdom.

      4. The scripture foretells that the Christ was to be a priest upon His throne (Zech. 6:13). But Christ could not be a priest on earth. Therefore His throne, which is David's is in heaven.

      5. The apostles plainly declare (it is claimed) that Jesus was set on David's throne at the time of His ascension and exaltation (Acts 2:29-32; 5:31).

      These arguments seem to those who make them quite convincing and conclusive; but their force weakens under examination.

      1. David's throne was the throne of Jehovah over Israel--not God's absolute [8] rule in heaven, but a government on earth, delegated expressly to David and David's family for ever. God's throne in heaven was in no wise affected, and He did not at any time abdicate His own supreme authority and right of government over the world, nor even over Israel, though He delegated the administration of the government of Israel to David's house. The thought that God's throne was at any time brought down to the earth when Israel asked and received a human king, and that God's throne was for that time suspended, and finally taken back to heaven, refutes itself in its own absurdity.

      2. To say that Christ must be on David's throne now, because all authority and power has been given into His hands, is false reasoning. In Rev. 11 the four and twenty elders give the Lord thanks because, they say, "Thou hast taken thy great power and didst reign." The power has been his all the time, but at the right moment--God's moment--He takes it. (Rev. 11:17). In the next verse (18) we read that it was "the time of the dead to be judged." Christ has been judge all along, but only in God's time will He exercise His power as judge. That time is not yet; neither is it time yet for Him to take His great power and reign, in the sense of Rev. 11:17. 3. David's rule was over God's [9] people, Israel. But David never occupied the throne (sphere of government) which the Lord Jesus Christ holds today; nor has the Lord Jesus Christ on the other hand ever yet occupied that throne on which David sat. David's rule extended over Israel; and David's son fell heir to that particular right and sphere of kingly rule by virtue of the Divine promise. The Lord Jesus has indeed other and wider prerogatives than those He inherited from David; but from His father David He inherited specifically the right to the throne over the nation of Israel. "The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall rule over the house of Jacob for ever" (Luke 1:32-33). Now, the "house of Jacob" is not "the church"; but it is the nation descended from the twelve sons of Jacob. That, exactly, is the sphere of rule which the Lord Jesus inherited from His father David. The present position in heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ in the place of supreme authority over all the universe, could be held by Him regardless of tribe or descent, without any infringement upon the prerogatives of David. But over the nation of Israel (and through it over the nations of the earth, as promised) none except the scion of David's house could have the sovereignty according to the terms of the oath-bound covenant. The Lord Jesus is not now exercising any distinctive [10] rule over the people of Israel. Really, no nation is farther from being subject to the rule and government of the Lord Jesus Christ than the house of Jacob, a people nationally disobedient and rebellious unto this day.

      4. The argument offered in proof that David's throne is in heaven is that drawn from Zech. 6:13 in connection with Hebrews 8:4. The prophecy of Zechariah says that the Christ should be "a priest upon his throne." But Heb. 8:4 declares that "if he were on earth he would not be a priest at all." It would follow then that if He is a priest on His throne, and since He could not be a priest on earth, that His throne is in heaven.^*

      The argument hinges on the application made of Heb. 8:4, "Now if he were on earth he would not be a priest at all." If that means that the Lord Jesus would forfeit His position and office as a Priest if He were personally on earth, the argument might have some force. But a mere glance at the context of Heb. 8:4 reveals the fact that the inspired writer was not speaking of the personal presence or absence of our Lord's person, but rather of [11] the nature of His priesthood, that it is of a heavenly, not an earthly order. The reason given, why "he would not be a priest at all" if He were on earth is that "there are those who offer gifts according to the law, who serve that which is a copy and shadow of the heavenly things." The place of earthly ministry in the earthly sanctuary was given to the sons of Aaron; in which ministry the Lord Jesus could have no place, seeing He was neither of that family nor that tribe. "For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priests" (Heb. 7:14). The sanctuary in which Jesus ministers is "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man." And His priesthood is not of the earthly and carnal order of Aaron ("made after the order of a carnal commandment"), but after the order of Melchizedek. He has not entered into a holy place made with hands, but into heaven itself, there to appear before the face of God for us; and He shall appear from thence a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation (Heb. 9:24, 28).

      But none of these facts warrant the conclusion that His priesthood would cease if at any time He should return to the earth. While the nature of His priesthood demanded His ascension and entrance into the heavenly sanctuary, it is [12] not to be inferred that it confines His person to the precincts of heaven. Nor does it follow that when He leaves heaven (as one day He will, Acts 1:11; 1 Thes. 4:16) He thereby forfeits His rank and place as God's Priest. He is a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek; and He "hath His priesthood unchangeable" (Heb. 7:24). The function which specially required His personal presence in the heavenly sanctuary was performed once for all (Heb. 9:23) after which He sat down (Heb. 1:3; 10:11-14). But His ministry of intercession will not be abrogated by His descent. His return from heaven will not deprive Him of the access to God which even Melchizedek, His prototype, enjoyed, who officiated on earth, although he was not a minister of any earthly sanctuary; and even we have, already, access into the Holiest of all through Him, though we are now on the earth (Heb. 10:19). Manifestly then, although the Lord Jesus could not be a priest on earth in the sense in which Heb. 8:4 uses the term, He is the heavenly priest even while He comes down on the earth, when He comes again. For even Christians are here and now priests of God, notwithstanding the fact that their sphere of priestly ministration lies in heaven, at the Throne of Grace above.

      Since then there is no ground to believe that the Lord Jesus renounces or [13] forfeits His priesthood by His personal return to the earth, it does not follow from Zech. 6:13, that the throne of David is in heaven.

      5. The argument that is put forward as the strongest and most conclusive to prove that Jesus Christ is now on David's throne is that "the apostles plainly declare that Jesus was seated on the throne of David at the time of His ascension and exaltation. We must therefore examine fairly and impartially the scripture passages which are supposed to prove this. We have (in items "1" and "2" above), shown what is the nature of David's throne and the scope of his realm; that David's throne was not the eternal throne of God's universal rule, which the Lord Jesus Christ now shares, seated at God's right hand; but that in all scripture reference David's realm was over the house of Jacob, the nation of Israel.

      But we are told that in Acts 2:29-33 it is plainly stated that Christ was raised from the dead in order to be seated on David's throne. This is quite true. But the statement of the proof-text does not go so far as to say that He was there and then seated on David's throne. Here is the passage:

      "Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his [14] loins he would set one upon his throne; he, foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we are all witnesses. Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear."

      Here it is simply stated that God had sworn with an oath to David that of the fruit of his loins He would set one upon His throne, and David, being a prophet, foresaw and foretold the resurrection of the Christ, in which fact the promise concerning David's throne is guaranteed. The risen Christ was of the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom. 1:3)--and it is carefully noted that His flesh (which was the only link by which He was joined to the house of David), did not see corruption. Thus, by the resurrection of Jesus, the ancient oath and promise of the reign of David's seed upon his throne, which was to be "for ever", was made possible, and its fulfillment assured. That is as far as this passage goes. To say that by Christ's exaltation to God's right hand He was seated on David's throne simply begs the question. Nor can it be so. For David never occupied that throne; nor has Jesus as yet taken the throne of David, nor asserted His right and rule over the house of Jacob. In fact, to this day, the throne of David is yet "overturned" (Ps. 89:44). [15] The throne which our Lord Jesus Christ now occupies is not overturned, nor ever has been. So likewise the statement in Acts 5:31--

      "Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins".--

      This does not say that He sits on David's throne; but that He was exalted in order that He may give repentance and remission of sins to Israel. When the nation accepts this gift and turns to Him, then, not till then, will He assume "the throne of His father David" and "reign over the house of Jacob forever" (Luke 1:32).

      All authority in heaven and on earth is Christ's now. This includes the right and power of David's throne. But He bides His time. In this present age Satan is yet the prince of the world, and its god; and Satan's throne is yet on earth. He holds sway in the whole world (John 14:30; 2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 2:13; 1 John 5:19). The day is nearing when Christ shall take His great power and reign (Rev. 11:17); and to Him, not only the house of Jacob, but all the nations of the world shall bow in submission. Then "the kingdom of the world shall be the kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). [16]

[TTOD 1-16.]

      The electronic version of R. H. Boll's The Throne of David (Louisville, KY: The Word and Work, [1940]) has been produced from a copy of the tract recently acquired from Word and Work. The date of publication can be fixed by an advertisement for the tract in Word and Work, June 1940.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained; however, corrections have been offered for misspellings and other accidental corruptions. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 p. 5:      night . . .If [ night . . . If
 p. 14:     exhaltation. [ exaltation.
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 2 December 2000.
Updated 20 June 2003.