“And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.”

The occasion of these verses is the completion of the temple that Solomon built for the LORD. God Himself is speaking to Solomon, promising him that through him there would be an eternal kingdom established in Israel. This was a promise that the LORD made to David, Solomon’s father, “There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.”

In the next couple of verses the LORD warns Solomon against idolatry. This would be the undoing of his kingdom. Idolatry would result in the Israelites being removed from the land which God have given them. David never fell into idolatry: his heart was always toward the LORD. Solomon was warned to do the same.

Solomon proved to be disobedient to God in the matter of idolatry. His many wives, many from the nations around Israel, lead him away into idolatry. The great temple that he built, where God had put His name, and the city of Jerusalem were full of the idols of each of the nations from which his wives came.

The books of 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles provide a history of the rest of the kings in the nation of Israel, and in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which were divided from each other during the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. All of the kings of Judah were descended from David, sons of sons that took the throne. We are told that all of the kings of Israel held to idolatry, being called evil in the sight of the LORD. A few of the kings of Judah were declared to be good in the eyes of the LORD, but the majority were declared to be evil, just as the kings of Israel. Further, two of Solomon’s descendants, Jehoiakim and Jeconiah, his son, were such evil kings that God cursed them, saying that their descendants would not prosper on the throne of Israel (See Jeremiah 22:24-30 and 36:30).

Ultimately, both of the nations, Israel and Judah, were removed from their land. Israel was carried away by the Syrians, and Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar and the army of Babylon. They lived for 70 years in Babylon. There were no more kings, and the kingly line was lost. When they finally returned to the land, Israel had no king, and they were under the rule of the lands around them, ending with Rome after the time of Jesus. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Israelites were again removed from the land, around 70 AD, and did not have a kingdom or identity until 1948. The kingly line was certainly lost, and God’s promise of an eternal kingdom was unfulfilled. The kingly line starting with Solomon disobeyed the LORD, falling into idolatry. He promised that if they did so He would remove them from the land, and they were removed. What about God’s promise?

The LORD Jesus Christ was called on many occasions the Son of David. The Jewish leaders at His time knew that the promised Messiah would be descended from David. They expected that the Messiah would come to establish God’s eternal kingdom in keeping with God’s promise to David. But how could even Jesus Christ, the son of God, be made king in Israel if He were descended from Solomon? God could not and would not keep His promise to Israel of an everlasting kingdom because Solomon disobeyed Him, and because of the curses described above.

Not surprisingly, there are two genealogies of Jesus given in the Bible, one in Matthew 1 and the other in Luke 3. It is not surprising because He had two parents, His mother, Mary, and his step-father, Joseph. The genealogy in Matthew 1 includes all of the kings of Judah starting with David, through Solomon, and including Jeconiah, one of the ones who was cursed. The genealogy in Luke 3 includes none of the kings of Judah, but we find that Nathan, another son of David, is the one through which that line goes. The genealogy in Matthew 1 is of Joseph’s line to Jesus. Because Joseph was not Jesus’ physical father, the curse on the kings did not fall on Him. Luke 3 records Jesus’ line through Mary, which came through Nathan.

Man’s sin and disobedience will not thwart God from His purposes. God promised David that of his line would be an everlasting kingdom. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David, Who was descended from David through Nathan. His coming kingdom will be the fulfillment of God’s promise! How great is our promise keeping God!

Standing on the promises of Christ my king,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain (R. Kelso Carter)