The covenant which God made with David was included in the covenant which God made with Abraham. The former is a strengthening of the latter, especially in the aspect of the kingdom.
In this covenant God promised that He would be with David, that He would cut off all his enemies from before him, and that He would make him a great name (2 Sam. 7:9). Because of God’s presence, David defeated the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians, the Edomites (2 Sam. 8:1-14), and the Ammonites (2 Sam. 10). Jehovah caused the enemies round about to become servants to David and to bring him tribute (2 Sam. 8:2, 6, 14). Thus, God cut off all his enemies and made him a great name (2 Sam. 8:13).
God also promised David that He would cause his territory to rest from all his enemies (2 Sam. 7:10-11). In the age of the judges the children of Israel forsook God and bowed themselves down to other gods. Therefore, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers, who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies (Judg. 2:12-14). Now since David was a man after God’s own heart, God not only was with him and cut off all his enemies but also caused his territory to rest from all his enemies. Thus, the children of Israel were planted and would not be moved again, nor would they be afflicted anymore.
God would make David a house (2 Sam. 7:11b); that is, He would cause him to have a seed for the fulfillment of God’s will. David had the desire to build a temple for God (2 Sam. 7:1-2); that is, he desired to build a house for God. His thought was pleasing to God. However, he had made great wars and had shed blood abundantly. For this reason, he was not a man of rest and was not suitable for building a house for God (1 Chron. 22:8; 28:3). Nevertheless, God promised him in this covenant that He would make a house for him and would cause him to bring forth a son, whose name would be Solomon and who would be a man of rest to build a house for God (1 Chron. 22:9-10).
God promised David that He would set up his seed after him and that He would establish the kingdom and throne of his seed (2 Sam. 7:12, 13b). This promise refers not merely to Solomon succeeding to the throne of David his father; even more it refers to Christ reigning as King. Christ is the seed of David (Rom. 1:3), the Son of David (Matt. 1:1), and the greater Solomon (Matt. 12:42). God would cause Him to succeed to the throne of David His father (Luke 1:32-33) and to reign as King to execute justice and righteousness on the earth (Jer. 23:5); moreover, He would establish His kingdom and throne forever and ever (Heb. 1:8).
God promised David that his seed would build a house for God’s name. This refers not only to Solomon but also to Christ. Solomon typifies Christ as the Son of David succeeding to the throne of David and inheriting his kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Luke 1:32-33). As a type of Christ, Solomon mainly did two things: he built the house of God in the kingdom (1 Kings 6:2) and he spoke the words of wisdom (1 Kings 10:23-24; Matt. 12:42). As a fulfillment of this type, Christ spoke the words of wisdom in the Gospels, and He is now building the practical house of God, which is the church, in the kingdom of God. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord said that He would build His church. The building of the church began on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 41-42) and continues up to the present. Today the Lord is still doing the work of building the church. It is not until the appearance of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth in eternity that Christ will have completed the work of building the house of God. This is the divine mingling of God with the redeemed, transformed, and glorified ones; it is also a mutual dwelling place for both the redeeming God and His redeemed as the corporate expression of Himself in eternity. Thus, the covenant in which God promised that the seed of David would build a house will be fulfilled.
Furthermore, God promised David that He would be a Father to his seed and that his seed would be a son to Him. This refers to Christ, as typified by Solomon. Concerning the divinity of Christ, Hebrews 1:5 says, “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son.” This word is evidently a quote from 2 Samuel 7:14. Hence, in this covenant, Christ, whom God promised would come to reign as King and build the church, is not only the seed of David but also the Son of God; He has not only humanity but also divinity. This is the first time the Old Testament speaks of Christ as the Son of God, having the deity of God and being equal with God. As the Son of God with the deity of God, He came to be the Christ of God to fulfill the covenant which God made with David.