Introduction
When you think of the word “dynasty,” what comes to mind?
Some might think of the long dynasties of the kingdoms of the Far East or maybe the great European dynasties. There’s the world’s longest royal dynasty, the House of Dulo, which ruled Bulgaria for over 2,800 years. There are dynasties as related to politics. The Roosevelts, Kennedys, Bushes and Clintons are viewed as such by some. In sports, we regard teams that win multiple championships over a period of years as dynasties. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots franchises have six Super Bowl wins which gives them the dynasty moniker. You can also lump in L.A. Lakers basketball, Montreal Canadians hockey, and—it pains me to even say…that one New York baseball team. Or maybe you are among those who hear the word dynasty and you think of the cheesy 1980s prime-time soap opera “Dynasty”, or the even cheesier more modern soap opera “Duck Dynasty”.
Regardless, when we think of a dynasty, we think of success and power exercised over a period of time, leaving a mark on history. This is what constitutes a dynasty. But there is no dynasty that has left a bigger mark on history than the Davidic dynasty—a dynasty that still reigns today.
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This Fourth Sunday of Advent is about the royal line of King David—a dynasty that had an unlikely beginning—occurring after a period of Israelite tribal conflict, which was a lawless time reined in by “judges” who reminded the Israelites of their relationship to God. Samuel was the last of these judges, and was the judge who anointed Israel’s first king, Saul— who was an abject failure as a leader and became a one-hit wonder. No dynasty there.
As a result, even while Saul was still alive, Samuel anointed David to take Saul’s place as Israel’s king. David was God’s chosen one and God preserved David when he was threatened by Saul and while he was leading Israel’s armies to victory against their enemies. Now, in II Samuel 7, David is finally secure in his house in Jerusalem, having captured the city from the Jebusites. The fighting is over. David is now at rest. And the writer interprets this rest as a gift from God—rest being a familiar term in the Old Testament referring to God dwelling with God’s people.
So David has it all—a powerful kingdom, all his enemies conquered God’s presence and rest. It is a dynasty complete with everything a king would want, and so David naturally wants to keep it all going. And how should he do that? Build a temple of course—because David felt the glory of the God of Israel demanded something more than the tabernacle tent the Israelites had carried with them since the days of Moses. But David is about to learn that building a temple is no way to sustain God’s dynasty of grace and love.
Move 1
David’s motivation to build the temple, and his dynasty, is the crux of our text. In the ancient world the pagan gods of the ancient Near Eastern religions were territorial, and rulers would build temples for their local deities as a way of “paying them back” for giving them victory over their enemies. These temples were supposed to bring the deity’s protection to the king and his land, and the more permanent and luxurious the temple, the better the gods’ favor and, consequently, the longer the king’s dynasty.
And this was David’s motivation. But God puts the kibosh on David’s building project, through the prophet Nathan, telling David a house is not needed, and at no point in their history has God ever asked Israel for a temple because God had always been moving with God’s people.
David’s desire to build a permanent, luxurious, temple reveals his formula of trying to pay God back for what God had done for him, which is a transactional way of thinking. God gave to me, so I owe God a debt, and the more I do for God, the more God will do for me in turn. Quid pro quo. This thinking was typical of the Canaanite pagan religions, and it is unfortunately typical of the way some Christians think today.
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How often have we prayed for something and inwardly made the promise, “God, if you do this for me, I’ll do that for you.” Or the reverse, “God, I’ve done this great thing for you; now I expect a blessing.” This transactional theology in which we try to make a deal with God is not only exhausting when we try to hold up our end of the bargain, or guilt riddled when we don’t, but it goes against the biblical instructions that clearly show God doesn’t work in this transactional way.
When we treat God like a cosmic vending machine, we’re inevitably disappointed when we don’t get what we think we deserve. But the truth is we often receive from God what we absolutely don’t deserve. In fact, that’s the story of the whole Bible. God’s people repeatedly lapse into sin and idolatry, and yet God still loves and preserves them with grace and unconditional love: an unmerited, undeserved gift from God.
David wanted to build God a house to pay God back, and as a way of ensuring God’s favor in the future. God tells David, however, it’s not necessary because David hasn’t earned God’s favor—not to mention David cannot repay God for preserving him, making him king, and everything else God has done.
All of God’s blessings are the result of God’s initiative on David’s behalf and on behalf of God’s people. And God’s initiatives are always rooted in grace and love.
Move 2
All of this gets us to the point of the matter here on this fourth Sunday of Advent when we are reminded of God’s love for God’s children, made manifest through Jesus who shows us how to love—as God has been loving us since “in the beginning.”
It is a love without condition, an undeserving love, a love that encompasses grace upon grace. This is how God has loved, and will always love. It is successful and powerful, and leaves a mark on history. Therefore the need for ever bargaining with, or trying to appease God was made moot long before David and his dynasty. It happened when God made a promise to Abraham—to make his name great, bless him with a family through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. And that Genesis story parallels our text for today… “I will make for you a great name” (v. 9). “I will appoint a place for my people Israel” where evildoers will no longer threaten them (v. 10). “I will give you rest from all your enemies.” God will rest with David and his people even though God knows they don’t deserve it. And that is God’s promise to us still today.
God’s covenant promise does not depend on human effort, goodness, or even consistency. It’s unconditional because God will be the one who makes it happen and will keep it for eternity. Notice the repetition of “forever” three times in the text to describe David’s kingdom (vv. 13, 16). This is God’s promise. This is God’s gift. And it is forever.
Move 3
Historically, most dynasties have a relatively short life. Kingdoms go bad. TV dynasties eventually get canceled. Great players retire. The dynasty of David will be tested by unfaithfulness, excess and brokenness. At some point, it will appear that the royal line of David will be cut off forever. The sins of future kings will result in the expulsion of the people from the land in exile and the destruction of the temple. But God’s covenant promise doesn’t fail. A new king from the line of David will arise, just not in the way anyone anticipated.
He will be born in the obscurity of a stable in Bethlehem, David’s hometown. He will live in poverty, wander as an itinerant prophet, challenge the status quo, speak truth to power, revere the marginalized, eventually die on a Roman cross, but then is resurrected three days later. He doesn’t look like a worthy descendant to most of his people, and yet he is the long-promised King who will sit on the throne of David forever, ruling not only Israel but the whole cosmos. He will be the embodiment of God’s hope, peace, joy, love, grace, and forgiveness. Through him, the promise of God, the dynasty of grace and love, will be fulfilled.
It’s through Jesus that we experience this grace and love for ourselves. We can never do enough to earn God’s favor, nor can we ever do enough to repay God’s grace. We simply receive it and live in humble and grateful response to it.
Conclusion
I say it often, I know, but I’m going to say it again because God knows I can’t hear it enough—and maybe you can’t either. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it only has to be faithful. And the “it” in this instance, is our lives.
God’s grace and love given to us through Jesus Christ is not dependent on good behavior, fancy buildings, church attendance, gifts given or anything else. God’s gifts and blessings are not the result of a formula, nor are they the result of services rendered. They are simply indicative of the grace and love God has for us, despite our human sinfulness.
It is a love that calls for a response—but not a transactional one. We give our lives to God in love because God has come to give God’s life for us, the children of God.
So as we prepare for the arrival of the promised King, may we rest in the knowledge that He brings God’s grace and love to all of us, even though we don’t deserve it. And because of that grace and love we can become the people God created us to be when we share that grace and love with others in the same way it has been shared with us. For when we do so, we become part of Christ’s dynasty— a dynasty of success and power, exercised for all eternity, through grace and love. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, Advent 4, December 20, 2020
Loving God, as we draw closer to the glory of Christmas Day, we remember with awe the signs of your son, our Savior’s arrival—the glorious singing of the angels, the beckoning twinkle of the star, the hushed stillness of the night.
It was an event that brought adoration from those who witnessed its power, and it is a celebration that fills our spirits with adoration.
And so Holy God, we pray our hearts may always be open to the Christ child, but also to all your children—of all ages, all nations, all colors.
As you sent Jesus, not just to his own people, but to all the world as the bearer of the Good News of your love, we pray you empower us to carry the Good News and love into a divided and hurting world. By your grace, make the spirit of Christmas shine from our hearts, that we may freely and happily share the gift of your son with others.
But we do want to be and do more. We want to live out such not just at Christmas, but at all times.
So we pray for those who are broken hearted this Christmas because of the sorrow of separation, that they may know peace.
We pray for others whose lives are so filled with hate, violence and fear that they are unable to believe in your love.
We pray especially for children—all across the globe—to whom a new day will bring nothing but more hunger, more abuse, more neglect.
We pray your love shared will eliminate the murderous noise of war, so all may enjoy the blessings of Christmas and clearly hear the song: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace, good will among the people.”
By your power O God, may our adoration of your son be turned into life giving actions of hope, peace, joy, and love.
We ask that you hear now the prayers we have in our hearts, offered now in this time of holy silence.
All this we pray in the name of your son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”