Christ, the true and better David, lowly shepherd, mighty King
He the champion in the battle, where, o death, is now thy sting?
In our place He bled and conquered, crown Him Lord of Majesty
His shall be the throne forever, we shall e’re His people be
This final verse in the modern hymn Christ the True and Better, written by Matt Papa and Matt Boswell, speaks of one more type of Christ—David. Today let’s spend some time looking at the significance of these specific truths from Scripture.
Christ, the true and better David, lowly shepherd, mighty King
We learn in the book of 1 Samuel that David was a simple boy from the humble town of Bethlehem. He had no power or position or reputation to speak of when the prophet Samuel was commanded by the Lord to anoint him as king—in fact, quite the opposite! He was the youngest son (1 Samuel 16:11), he had likely the lowliest occupation of the family—that of a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:11) as well as a sort of an errand boy for his father Jesse (1 Samuel 17:17-20), and his brothers seemingly despised him (1 Samuel 17:28). Yet in spite of all this, he was chosen by the Lord to become arguably the mightiest king of Israel, because he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Jesus also was born in the town of Bethlehem, in even more humble circumstances (Luke 2:4-7), likely worked the lowly occupation of a carpenter (Mark 6:3), and was despised by his brothers as well (John 7:3-5). And yet He was the mighty King who was given “the throne of His father David” to reign forever (Luke 1:32-33). Christ the True David.
Just as David was a shepherd, so Jesus is also. But He is far more than a shepherd of physical sheep, He is the Good Shepherd who watches over and protects us the human sheep of His pasture in the Kingdom of God (John 10). David was a man after God’s own heart, but he still struggled daily with his own sinfulness (2 Samuel 11). Jesus, however, lived His life on earth as the only perfect man—though still fully mighty and holy God at the same time. Christ the Better David.
He the champion in the battle, where, o death, is now thy sting?
David is not known as one of the mightiest kings of Israel for nothing—his might in battle was practically unheard of in his day (1 Samuel 18:5). From conquering a giant single-handedly (1 Samuel 17), to inspiring a simple song that endangered his life with jealous king Saul (1 Samuel 18:7), David truly recognized where his strength came from. In his short speech to Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45-47, David expresses the great power of the Name of the LORD: Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
Similarly, Jesus was the champion in a different battle—the spiritual battle against evil spirits. He drew on the same power that David did, as explained by Peter in Acts 10:38: “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Christ the True David.
Despite the fact, however, that one of David’s most impressive feats was conquering the giant Goliath, at the end of his life he still had to face the giant of death (1 Kings 2:10). When Jesus died then rose again, He defeated that giant once and for all—now death has no sting for us who are in Him! “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) Christ the Better David.
In our place He bled and conquered, crown Him Lord of Majesty
Though perhaps not explicitly mentioned in the accounts of David in the Bible, war is a painful thing. On a very basic physical level, David must have been wounded innumerable times. On a deeper level, he also experienced the great pain of family strife. As Jesus was, David before Him also could be described by Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Christ the True David.
But David could do nothing to remedy the spiritual pain of this world. We who live today are still powerless to overcome the sin, death, and agony that we live in. But Christ was not powerless. He fulfilled every bit of the remainder of the prophecy in Isaiah 53: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. … Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:5-6,10-12) David bled and conquered only in the physical realm of battle, Jesus bled and conquered sin to bring us peace, healing, and communion with the Lord. Truly He is crowned Lord of Majesty: “And He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the Name of the LORD His God. And they shall dwell secure, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth.” (Micah 5:4) Christ the Better David.
His shall be the throne forever, we shall e’re His people be
In 2 Samuel 7, the Lord made a covenant with David to establish the throne of his offspring forever before the Lord. The Lord promised David that His steadfast love would not depart from his house, but for many years as Israel waited for their Messiah, it seemed as though this promise had been forgotten. But then Christ did come and became the One who truly would reign forever (Luke 1:32-33). Christ the True David.
David was a flawed human shepherd. His mistakes as he strove to shepherd his people Israel as their king were many. Jesus, however, as our Good Shepherd, promises that He will never lose any of the sheep given Him by the Father (John 10:14,28-30). David was only a temporary shepherd and king, but Christ reigns on his throne forever, and He will forever be our God, and we forever His people: “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. … And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. … No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 7:17, 21:3, 22:3-5) Christ the Better David!
In light of all of these powerful words and promises from Scripture, there is one response that is appropriate and expected of all of us—worship. May we all join in echoing the words of the chorus of this song, and praise our Mighty Shepherd King all our days!
Amen! Amen!
From beginning to end
Christ the story, His the glory
Alleluia! Amen!
Listen to the song Christ the True and Better here: https://youtu.be/CXnRQw3TP1g
(All Scripture quotations from the ESV.)
Written by NBB Alumna: Bethany Boone
