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2 Samuel 7, and the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 17, records the now famous covenant God made with King David—what we refer to as the “Davidic Covenant.” Even though David wanted to build God a house it was God that would build David a house. Not of wood, metal, or stone but rather a spiritual house (a kingly dynasty) that would last forever. A line of kings that would begin with his son Solomon but ultimately culminate in the eternal Son and King, Jesus Christ the Lord.
But there’s something else here that we shouldn’t overlook. Notice what God says to David: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.” (1 Chronicles 17:7) In other words, God took a shepherd of sheep and made him into a shepherd of people. And while that is significant it was not anything new. God had done this before. We see lots of examples of this in the Old Testament, but two notable ones are Joseph (son of Jacob and Rachel) and Moses. Joseph was a shepherd who God later used to save His people from starvation. And Moses was a shepherd in Midian for 40 years before God called him to deliver Israel out of the hands of Egypt. And all three of these guys (Joseph, Moses, and David) prefigured the ultimate Shepherd and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
And speaking of that ultimate Shepherd and Saviour, God wasn’t done because when He came in the incarnation of Jesus, He did the same sort of thing as He had done with Joseph, Moses, and David. First of all, Jesus was a carpenter by trade but also became the Chief Cornerstone which the builders rejected. Secondly, Jesus Himself took fishermen and made them fishers of men. Peter, Andrew, James, and John, four of the twelve disciples, transitioned from the fish business to the faith business!
But what’s also noteworthy about Jesus’ disciples is that not all of them were fishermen. In fact, some of them had very different professions and backgrounds. Perhaps the two most notable were Matthew and Simon. Matthew was a tax collector for the Roman government and Simon was a zealot. And since zealots hated the Roman government and wanted to overthrow it, Matthew and Simon would have been natural enemies. And yet in the supernatural they became allies together in Christ. I think this is a great lesson for us as Christians. True Christians. Because even though we all have different cultures, backgrounds, professions, and some different doctrinal views that could potentially divide us, Jesus has called us together as one to build His kingdom.
But I think this does come with a warning too because one of the twelve disciples was Judas. And so, with that, we also need to watch out for modern day Judases—people who are actively anti-Christian or worse yet counterfeit Christians—those people who are in reality wolves in sheep’s clothing—whose purpose it is to kill and destroy. But how can we as true Christians spot the fake ones? By listening to the voice of our true Shepherd, Jesus Christ the Lord who not only speaks truth but is truth. And how do we listen to His voice? Mainly, through His Word, the Bible. For example, in Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus tells us that we will be able to identify false Christians by their fruit: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
Ryan Hembree is a daily co-host, speaker, and writer of Bible Discovery. He also hosts a YouTube channel that shows the unity of the Bible and how science and Scripture fit together. Ryan also has an honorary Masters of Ministry in Creation Science from Phoenix University of Theology.
