God promised David that if his seed would commit iniquity, He would chasten his seed, but His lovingkindness would not depart from his seed (2 Sam. 7:14b-15). This word was fulfilled in Solomon and in his descendants. Solomon succeeded to the throne of David and built the holy temple for God. However, in his old age, lusting after his foreign wives, he forsook God and followed his foreign wives to worship idols, thus committing a grievous sin. Hence, God raised up adversaries to him, Hadad the Edomite and Rezon the king of Syria; Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Solomon’s servant, also lifted up his hand against him (1 Kings 11:14, 23, 26). Moreover, God was angry with him, and He tore the kingdom from him and gave it to his servant. However, for David’s sake, He did not do it in his days; He tore the kingdom out of the hand of his son, but He gave one tribe to his son for the sake of David and of Jerusalem which He had chosen (1 Kings 11:11-13). Although God chastened Solomon with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men, His lovingkindness did not depart from him as it did from Saul, whom He rejected.
God promised David that his house, his kingdom, and his throne would be established forever before God (2 Sam. 7:16). This refers to Christ inheriting the kingdom and throne of David His father. In the house of David, only the kingdom of Christ and His throne will last forever (Dan. 7:14). The word of God conveyed by the archangel Gabriel also confirmed that the covenant of David was fulfilled in Christ. This word says, “The Lord God will give to Him the throne of David His father; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall not be an end” (Luke 1:32-33). Therefore, God’s promise to David that his house and his kingdom would be made sure and that his throne would be established forever was fulfilled in Christ.
According to the covenant which He made with David, God caused David’s son Solomon to succeed David to the throne (1 Kings 1:39) to build the holy temple for God (1 Kings 6:1). Before his death, David gave to Solomon his son the pattern for the building of the holy temple (1 Chron. 28:11-19). After Solomon succeeded to the throne of David, he built the holy temple according to the pattern that his father had seen. This temple became the proper and firm dwelling place of God’s desire. At this point, God not only obtained a kingdom to express His authority, but He also gained a house to express His glory.
Solomon succeeded to the throne of David and built the holy temple for God. However, when he was old, he lusted after foreign wives and thus turned away from Jehovah, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep Jehovah’s commandment and did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah (1 Kings 11:6, 9-10). Besides taking the daughter of Pharaoh for his wife, he loved many foreign women. The foreign wives turned away his heart after other gods, and he rebuilt the high places for the foreign images (1 Kings 11:6-8). It is hard to imagine that such a one as Solomon, to whom God had given the surpassing wisdom, and who was such a king who had built the holy temple after God’s heart, could lust after foreign wives, allow them to lead him away from God to follow them in worshipping idols, and thus provoke God to anger (1 Kings 11:9) to the extent that God would tear the kingdom away from his son (1 Kings 11:12).
Because of his son Solomon’s wickedness, David’s kingdom lost ten tribes (1 Kings 11:29-36) and the nation of Israel was thus divided into two. When both parts were carried away to the nations, the kingdom of David became the tabernacle that has fallen (Amos 9:11), and his throne was thus suspended.
When Christ, the seed of David, comes again, He will rebuild the tabernacle of David—the kingdom of David—that has fallen; that is, He will restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). He will inherit the throne of David according to the promise of God to David to reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall not be an end (Luke 1:32-33).
After the children of Israel entered into the good land of Canaan, and from the time that David became the king and there was peace in the entire nation, David desired to build the holy temple for God. At that time God made a covenant with him through Nathan the prophet, the seventh covenant that God made with man. The One who made this covenant is Jehovah of hosts, the Commander of all the host. This divine title was used beginning with the fall of the priesthood. The one with whom the covenant was made was David, a man after God’s heart and the one who prevailed against the enemies to become the king. This covenant was a strengthening of the covenant which God made with Abraham, 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, that He would make him a great name, and that He would cause his territory to rest from all his enemies. Furthermore, God promised that He would make him a house, that He would set up his seed after him, and that He would establish the kingdom and throne of his seed. His seed would build a house for God’s name, and God would be a Father to his seed, Christ, and his seed would be a son to God. If his seed (referring to Solomon and his descendants) would commit iniquity, God would chasten his seed, but His lovingkindness would not depart from his seed. His house and his kingdom would be made sure before God, and his throne would be established forever. The result was that his son Solomon succeeded him to the throne and built the holy temple for God. However, when he was old, Solomon lusted after his foreign wives and followed them to worship idols, so that God was angry with him and tore the kingdom out of the hand of his son, thus dividing the kingdom of Israel into two. When both parts were carried away to the nations, the kingdom of David became the tabernacle that has fallen, and his throne was suspended. When Christ, the seed of David, comes again, He will rebuild the tabernacle that has fallen and will succeed to the throne to reign forever.