The Fulfillment of God’s Promises: From David to Christ

December 24, 2024 - Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29; Luke 1:67-79

In the first reading from 2 Samuel, we see David troubled by the disparity between his own home and the Ark of God, still in a tent. He desires to build a temple, a physical house for God, but God speaks through Nathan, reminding David that God alone has orchestrated his rise from shepherd to king. God does not require David’s construction but instead promises that He Himself will establish a "house" through David's lineage.

David planned to build the temple around 992 BC, and the angel visited Miriam of Nazareth in 7 or 6 BC. It took nearly 1,000 years from the announcement of the promise to its fulfillment. During those years, a silent prayer rose from the hearts of God's people to His throne—a prayer the Church has now vocalized: "Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus, and do not delay, that those who trust in your compassion may find solace and relief in your coming" (Collect Prayer for December 24).

It is not without reason that Psalm 89 recalls God's promise to David: "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations" (Ps 89:4-5). Biblical scholars date this psalm to the time of the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC. The nation had lost its independence, and no kings were sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem. What happened, then, to God’s promise to David? What happened to God’s steadfast love and faithfulness? 

Although no Davidic king sat on the throne in Jerusalem after 586 BC, the line of David did not disappear. By tracing Jesus’ ancestry all the way to David, both Matthew and Luke testify that God maintained His kindness toward David and fulfilled His promise (see Ps 89:29). Tonight, we sing of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. The promise given centuries ago to David as “an everlasting covenant” is fulfilled on Christmas Night. Jesus of Nazareth, “the shoot from the stump of Jesse” (Is 11:1), is born in Bethlehem, the city of David. 

Zechariah’s prophetic song, the Benedictus, joyfully recounts the imminent arrival of the “mighty Savior” and the role of his son, John, as the “prophet of the Most High.” Filled with the Holy Spirit, Zechariah acknowledges that salvation has arrived and that the world is going to be changed forever. In his future ministry, John would point to Jesus as the one who alone liberates humanity from the “shadow of death” and leads us into “the way of peace.”

As the Advent season draws to a close, let us proclaim to the whole world that our Savior is near, offering us freedom from fear, a way out of darkness, and life in the light of His love. "O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Gospel Acclamation for December 24).