The Resurrection of the “Son of David”

The Resurrection of the Messiah and God’s Promises to King David

As we reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus during Holy Week, I’m reminded that the Old Testament resounds with the sure hope that a son of David would one day rule on God’s throne. After hundreds of years of waiting, the New Testament is filled with the good news that Jesus is the promised Son of David, born in Bethlehem in accordance with God’s promises of old (Matt. 1:1-17; 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-20).

When Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he is praised as the Son of David in fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy that the coming king would enter Jerusalem, humble and mounted on a donkey (Zech. 9:9-10; cf. Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-14). The crowds shout out: “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” (Mark 11:10). We, too, shout out, “Hosanna!”  

But there’s another promise given to David that is often overlooked, yet it was not missed by the early church. Embedded in God’s promises to David is his promise that he will “raise up” David’s descendant and establish his everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12; 1 Chr. 17:11). It is important to recognize that the Hebrew verb “to stand, arise” (Heb. qum) is used in the causative stem, which underscores that God will cause to arise David’s descendant. While not readily apparent in our English Bible, the resurrection of Jesus lies at the center of this promise, and it lies at the center of the Casket Empty acronym.  

When Peter preached his sermon at Pentecost, he not only recalled that Jesus had been nailed to a cross and put to death, but he proclaimed that God “raised him up again, putting an end to the agony of death” (Acts 2:24). Peter uses the Greek verb “to raise up, resurrect” (anistemi), the same verb used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) in the promise that God would “raise up” David’s son (Greek, anistemi, 1 Chr. 17:11). Although the story of kingship in the Old Testament ends tragically in 586 BC, the prophets promise that God will one day “raise up” a righteous Davidic king (Jer. 23:5).

When God’s promises are interpreted in light of the Messiah, God’s promise to David looks ahead to the resurrection. Jesus is the promised Son of David who rules over God’s everlasting kingdom, but his resurrection vindicates him as the righteous Son of David whom God promised to raise up (Rom. 1:3-4). 

It is not surprising to find that the Apostle Paul interprets the resurrection of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises to David. He declares the good news that God has fulfilled his promise made to the fathers when he raised up Jesus (Acts 13:32). Jesus is the promised Son of God, but unlike King David, who died and was buried in a tomb, God did not allow his Holy One to undergo decay (cf. Ps. 16:10). The resurrection of the Messiah stands at the center of God’s promises to David—something David saw from afar. The verb “to raise up” (anistemi, Acts 13:33-34) is the same verb used in the Greek translation of 1 Chronicles 17:11. God has acted decisively in history by raising Jesus from the dead, and this is in fulfillment of God’s promises. Praise God, Jesus is the righteous Davidic King, and the grave is empty!

This Easter we worship our risen King who reigns at the right hand of the Father. His kingdom is everlasting, and regardless of our circumstances or how unhopeful our cultural moment may be, we are not without hope. The grave is empty! We join with the cloud of witnesses who proclaim the good news of the resurrected Messiah. We live in hope because Jesus is on the throne and He is ruling over God’s everlasting kingdom. Amen!    

You can read more about God’s promises to David in Dr. Kaminski’s commentary on 1-2 Chronicles (pp. 174-186).