O Come O Come Emmanuel: Pt. 5

In the last post, we talked about Jesse. Now, the songwriter is going to talk about David. He once more starts with an invitation to come and this time, the name used is the “Key of David”. The verse reads, “O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death’s abode.” To start, what does this term, “Key of David” mean? This is referencing several prophecies in the Old and New Testament. God made David a few specific promises in what we now know as the unconditional Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:9-16). He promised David:

1.      A great name

2.      A place for Israel to dwell securely away from all of their enemies (a wonderful promise for a king that constantly had to defend his people)

3.      To give him rest from his enemies

4.      That his son would build the Temple

5.      That God would give him a house – a dynasty. Someone from David’s line would be on the throne forever (ultimately finding fulfillment in Christ)

We also find this term, “Key of David” in at least two places within Scripture. The first, is in Isaiah 22. God promises Eliakim that he will become the new steward of king Hezekiah’s house. He promises Eliakim authority and honor. We read, “And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open” (Is. 22:22). This is getting at the essence of what a key does. It opens doors that are otherwise closed. It represents power, access, and trust. In the ancient Middle East there was a tradition of placing the keys of office on one’s shoulder. They were easily accessible so that tasks could be carried out, but they were also clearly visible as a status symbol. The levels of access were not conferred lightly. Today we think in terms of security clearance (i.e., confidential, top secret, etc.). Back then, they thought in terms of keys. Even today we have ceremonies where people are given the “keys to the city.” Obviously in modern contexts, the key doesn’t literally open all the city doors. However, it symbolizes that if this person were given total access, we trust that they would use that power responsibly. This notion of the key of David is echoed in Revelation 3:7 when Jesus himself said, “The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.” If Jesus has the key of David or we could even argue ultimately is the key of David, then the question becomes, what is he going to unlock?

Christ is the fulfilment of the promises given to David. He has a “great name” above every other name (Phil. 2:9). At the end of all things, the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the lion will eat straw and children could play with cobras (something I could never in a million years imagine allowing – Is. 11:6-8). Israel will dwell in total peace and all enemies will be placed under Jesus’ feet (Eph. 1:22-23). Jesus will rebuild the Temple for the Millennial Kingdom and then in the final New Jerusalem, he himself will be the Temple (Ezekial 44 and Rev. 21:22). Solomon built a Temple for worship, but it was temporal and imperfect. It was pointing to the one who is worthy of worship – it was pointing to the person, not just a place. This is why Jesus reminded the woman at the well that worship was not simply about the location – it was about how we worship (Jn. 4:23-24). It is about worshipping accurately. It is about worshipping the person of Christ, not ritualistic traditions that cannot redeem. So, Christ will not only build a Temple like Solomon did but ultimately, he will replace the Temple, as the true object, source, location, and heart of worship. Finally, David was promised an eternal dynasty. It is not possible for a human heir to fulfil this promise because no one can live forever. I’m not sure to what extent David understood this covenant. Maybe he had a perfect grasp that this promise was talking about the Messiah. Even if he didn’t though, he had to understand that this covenant was special. Kings come and go. Governments are overthrown. David’s own predecessor was proof of that. However, God promised David forever.

Jesus is the Key of David because he is the fulfilment of the covenant. He is the one who turns the promises into reality. He has full power, trust, access, and authority. The Davidic covenant is ultimately a Messianic covenant. There was only one perfect God-man who could ratify the promises and unlock the doors (the way) to our heavenly home. We have already talked about the fact that we now have access to the Father. What a blessing that he made a way for us to have perfect fellowship and communion with the one that was previously inaccessible. The door was shut and no one could try hard enough or do enough “good” to get in.

Instead, Jesus opened the path to God, the “heavenward road” as the song reminds us. In Hebrews 10:19-22 we read, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” The Greek word for “new” way is only found once in Scripture. It has the idea of new but mainly of recently slain or freshly made. The root word is to slay, kill, or wound – to butcher. This doesn’t sound like a very safe heavenward road! We want a way to our heavenly home as the lyricist asks. However, the way that Christ opened is not one for the faint of heart. It strikes a little different to read, “We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the [slain] and living way.” I don’t think any of us want to walk the path of death. We don’t want to be a living sacrifice as Paul challenged (Rom. 12:1).

However, the only way to get to heaven is to die. C.S. Lewis, in one of his more experimental writings Till We Have Faces said this, “Die before you die. There is no chance after.” We can either voluntarily surrender our will and die to self or we can continue demanding our way, proclaiming our rulership, and die separated from Christ. He will not be an addition or afterthought. He died to open a path to the Father. Salvation is given full and free to those who repent and surrender. We can do nothing to earn it. However, sanctification will cost us everything. It will require us to hold the things and people we love with open hands, not knowing God’s plan but trusting that the one who spared not his own Son, will give us everything we need (Rom. 8:32).

So, the fulfilment of the Davidic covenant has come to open a new (slain) and living way to our heavenly home. The pathway may not seem particularly safe, but he has walked it before us. He knows the plans he has for each of us. He knows our frame. He knows our weakness. He is our faithful high priest. He walks with us and ultimately is in us empowering us to do whatever he calls us to. He doesn’t always deliver us from the fire, but he is the fourth man in the fire with us. The road may not be what we would choose but it is the way to heaven and ultimately to eternal fellowship with him.

That brings us to the writer’s last request to, “bar the way to death’s abode.” Notice, he doesn’t say bar the way to death. Rather, he says death’s abode. Close any paths that might lead to hell and destruction. If the author is asking for the covenant keeping and fulfilling God to open our heavenly abode and the path to the Father, it makes sense that he wants to bar any other paths that would lead us astray. Jesus reminded his listeners, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13-14). The path to death’s abode is easy to find and there is not much resistance. It can be fun and filled with “friends” who will celebrate with you. However, the way still leads to destruction. It still leads to both physical death and eternal separation from God. The journey may feel simpler or easier. The people on that path get to make the choices they believe will serve them best. They get to be in charge in this life.

However, there is a coming eternity during which Christ will rule from the throne of David. We shouldn’t simply be worried about our current path. Eternity is far longer than any transient realities we are currently enduring. The writer of Hebrews shares an entire chapter of believers who endured and trusted that God would be faithful, despite sometimes horrific circumstances (anyone faced being sawn in two lately?). He finishes that chapter and immediately challenges his readers to, “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1-2).

There was nothing inherently joyful about the cross. However, the joy that was set before him allowed him to endure – to walk through the pain, separation, and suffering. The joy was bringing many sons to glory (Heb. 2:10). The joy was the fulfilment of the Father’s will (Lk. 22:42, Jn. 6:38). The joy was the fulfilment of the promises and covenants given in the Old Testament. There was (and is) joy. However, there is a reason it is called a “sacrifice” of praise. We are walking in bloody footprints through circumstances we would not always choose for ourselves. Yet we are walking in the power of the one who proclaimed, “Not my will,” found joy along the journey, and fixed his eyes on the eternal. Let the one who unlocked covenant promises, opened heaven's doors, and secured the path to heaven rule in your heart this Christmas. When we do, "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). What a promise in uncertainty - what a foundation on which to rest.