2 Samuel!

2 Samuel 7:16

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.

The unfolding drama of revelation continues with this promise, made to David.  Like so many of God's promises it has an obvious and a hidden quality to it.  It looks simple on the surface: David's family will continue to rule Israel forever.  Only it's not simple since both "rule" and "Israel" are terms which are pregnant with more meaning that David himself guessed. The House of David's political rule eventually petered out.  But instead giving up, the prophets recognized that this only paved the way for a mysterious "son of David" who would one day come and take up a cosmic and messianic rule.  God's promises are typically much bigger than we realize.

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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