“I will be a father for him, and he will be a son for me. If he does something wrong, I will punish him with a rod and blows, just as everyone gets punished; nevertheless, my grace will not leave him, as I took it away from Sha’ul, whom I removed from before you.”-2 Samuel 7:14-15
Following on the heels of yesterday’s post, let’s explore the Biblical relationship between a Father and Son.
In the ancient Middle East, a father had total authority over his son…
Yet he also showed him great mercy.
The son received special privileges…
But in return, he had heavy obligations.
Now, if the Lord was going to be the Father of David’s son…
This meant this Son of David (who would rule Israel) would be beholden to God’s authority.
In other words, he’d be ruling in his Father’s name.
Again, that Father would NOT be David.
It would be God Almighty Himself!
Just like how Jacob, not Joseph, was considered the father of Ephraim and Manasseh.
At the end of the day, every king of Israel had to answer to God as their ultimate ruler.
But the promise being made here is something on a whole other level.
David’s sons would be like sons to God, and God would be their father.
This was revolutionary!
See, God was always the Heavenly King…
And Israel’s earthly king was always the Lord’s representative.
While the king ruled the people, God ruled the king.
But this was different than a father-son bond.
A father and son have a close, loving relationship.
This went way deeper than just a king ruling over another king, which is just a boss-worker relationship.
A father-son bond is a personal relationship based on love.
Israel’s first two kings, Saul and Ishbosheth, were legit kings who were supposed to be loyal to God.
God was their Heavenly King, just like He was for any other Israelite ruler.
But again with David’s son, something new happened.
A father-son relationship was established!
In verse 14, God makes it clear:
If David’s son (the next king) messes up and breaks the Law of Moses, he’ll be punished—just like any other king who disobeys God.
But here’s the big difference:
No matter what, David’s son will never lose God’s grace.
He might be punished, but never destroyed.
That’s a huge contrast to King Saul.
Saul was given no such promise.
When he rebelled, God took His grace away, and as far as we know was doomed to eternal destruction.
So here’s your takeaway for today.
When a father disciplines a son…
It isn’t about pushing his son away…
It’s about drawing him closer.
When David’s sons were punished, it wasn’t to cut them off…
But to correct them and strengthen their bond with God.
That’s the big difference between David and Saul.
Saul’s disobedience led to rejection…
But David’s lineage had the promise of discipline with love.
And if you’ve been grafted into David’s lineage through your faith in the Messiah…
You are now a son (or daughter) of God…
This means when God corrects you…
It’s not to cast you aside…
But to keep you close.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.
It is for discipline that you have to endure.
God is treating you as sons.
For what son is there whom
his father does not discipline?”
– Hebrews 12:6-7
“Those whom I love,
I reprove and discipline,
so be zealous and repent.”
– Revelation 3:19
“But when we are judged by the Lord,
we are disciplined so that we may
not be condemned along with the world.”
– 1 Corinthians 11:32
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