God's Kingdom Through His Priest-King: An Analysis of the Book of Samuel in light of the Davidic Covenant

Abstract

Though many studies have probed the significance of the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7:1-17) within the biblical canon, few have endeavoured to explore its significance within the narrative of Samuel. The various allusions to the Davidic Covenant woven throughout the books of Samuel suggested to the author of this thesis that it would be profitable to explore the text of Samuel with the following question in mind, “how has the author of 1 and 2 Samuel used the Davidic Covenant to fulfill his narrative purpose?” This thesis presents the findings of such a query: it is argued that by weaving references to God’s promises made to David (collectively known as the Davidic Covenant) throughout his narrative, the author of Samuel reveals God’s will to strip away all human pretension by bringing His promises to fulfillment through the lowly David, whose ascension to kingship and endurance therein is owing all to God. In this way, the author fulfills his purpose to demonstrate God’s sovereign working in history to establish His kingdom on earth through His chosen priest-king, a descendant of David, in fulfillment of the promises He made beforehand. Setting aside historical and text-critical issues for the most part, this thesis presents a close reading of the passages in Samuel where allusions to the Davidic covenant are found, expounding the influence the covenant promises have on the surrounding narrative. Chapter 1 considers 2 Samuel 7, chapter 2 the Davidic Covenant as it appears in the account of God’s promises unfolding (1 Sam 1 – 2 Sam 5), and chapter 3 the Davidic Covenant as it appears in the account of God’s promises being tested (2 Sam 8-24). In the fourth chapter, the threads of this exegesis are brought together in a synopsis of the book of Samuel, presenting an outline of the book and an overview of its overall purpose, themes, style, and canonical placement (thus, a literary-canonical synopsis).

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