On the fourth Sunday of Advent King David comes into special focus. The first reading is just one of the prophecies where God promises David that the Messiah will be his heir, as in this excerpt,
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.'” (2Sam 7:12-14)
In the gospel, God is shown to fulfill this promise, after one thousand years, as the angel Gabriel announces God's request to Mary to be the Mother of the Messiah,
"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Lk 1:31-33)
Moreover today, December 20th, in the O Antiphons, Jesus is hailed as Key of David. What is it about David that was so important then?
We could say that of all the Jewish kings, it was David who is featured in a heart to heart relationship with God. Throughout his life, he is shown to reverence God in a personally intimate communication with God and God with him, through the prophets. David’s reign is held up as an ideal, one of faithfulness to the Lord, protection of all the people, extending justice and mercy. Despite all his flaws and his sins, David’s immediate recognition of them and his sincere repentance from the heart, are all part of his sincere love for God.
These prophecies of a Son of David, to sit on his throne, seemed so difficult to maintain in the peoples' oppression, and poverty and yet they remained a sacred hope. Now, after a thousand years, Jesus the Messiah was to enter our world and take the throne of David his father. The joy of Christmas is on our doorstep!
As the Key of David, Jesus opens up our full inheritance as God's children to join him in bringing about the Kingdom of God that is peace, love, care for all, forgiveness, and new life, far surpassing what could have been imagined by his devout ancestor King. Come, Lord Jesus!
-Sister Wendy Cotter, csj