I gotta have my orange juice.

There is a sense in which God’s covenant with David, and David’s kingship, are exemplary of the new covenant and of Jesus’s kingship in ways that exceed later covenants. Peter Leithart works to demonstrate some of the ways in which this is true in his outstanding book From Silence to Song.

I especially like to highlight a few aspects of this. The so-called “Messianic Secret” is a fruitful parallel between the ministry of Jesus and the life of David. Related to this, the seven-year period in which Israel was gathered from Ish-bosheth to David is a significant parallel to the forty-year period in which old Israel was called to change her allegiance to Jesus. I especially like to reflect on the water crossings during the time Absalom drove David into the wilderness. Everyone who crossed the Kidron with David into the wilderness—including Ittai and his little ones (2 Sam. 15)—was baptized into David and enjoyed a union with David and all of the blessings of his kingship, victory, and vindication. In fact, on David’s return, it was necessary for the leaders to welcome David back by entering into his exile and crossing over the Jordan to bring him back (2 Sam. 19). These are clear analogs to our baptism into Jesus as well as our children’s baptism.

Mephibosheth was unable to join in this ministry to David. Instead, he allowed his hair to grow long (2 Sam. 19). Mephibosheth was thus to David what the Nazirite is to God. Earlier Nazirites had conducted a ministry of holy warfare; Mephibosheth’s ministry was instead a ministry of spiritual warfare, of prayer and fasting. This is instructive for Christians today. Today, all Christians are baptized; we are all priests (as well as being sons and prophets). There is therefore no more Nazirite, no need for a temporary priest or holy warrior. But the ministry of prayer—especially prayer in corporate worship—is how we fulfill the offices of priest and Nazirite today.

The fire that sat upon the heads of Christians in Acts 2 is equally instructive. This is not just the making of every Christian into a sacrifice and offering; it is also the making of every Christian’s head into a sacrifice and offering, just like the Nazritie. In terms of Pentecost, the work of speech, prayer, and worship is once again a significant characteristic of our service to God and his house.