Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names [. . .]
(Philippians 2:9)
“Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past, starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“‘Furthermore, the LORD declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:8–16 NLT)
There is a unique phenomenon to our twenty-first century digital world where individuals are made famous simply for sharing pictures online of their everyday life. For many of those who have been made “Instagram famous” – particularly those who spend a majority of their lives online – they can easily forget how small their fame truly is.
There are countless videos online of people with low-level, online fame ranting at restaurants or clubs who won’t give them preferential treatment.
It’s one thing to be considered famous within a given context like Instagram, a niche fandom, or a tight-knit community, but it’s something else entirely to be known around the world. Even greater is to be so famous that your fame doesn’t fade when you die but instead grows, akin to that of a legend.
King David of Israel is certainly in this last category. He was quite well known in his time, not just because he was king of Israel but because his deeds were impressive. He was a fierce warrior, a skilled poet, and a talented musician. Even though his flaws have also been part of the retelling of his life story throughout the ages, that has not lessened his fame. As the Lord tells David through his prophet Nathan, “I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!” (2 Samuel 7:9b).
God tells David his “throne will be secured forever,” but as we see in the historical annals of the Bible, that throne ended with Zedekiah when he was deposed by the ruler of Babylon in 597 BC. From an earthly perspective, that was the end of the house of David and his kingdom.
But from a heavenly perspective, that was but a hiccup in the line, a pause between what was and what was to come. The earthly kingdom was never meant to last, but the heavenly Kingdom of God will never have an end.
David’s fame – spanning the globe as well as the ages – pales in comparison to the fame of David’s descendent, Jesus of Nazareth. It is Jesus alone who has the name elevated above all others, who’s fame is truly transcendent. As Jesus tells his disciples, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear” (Matthew 24:35).
It is incredibly easy to fall prey to the trap of fame. Even those of us who are more comfortable living in the background and are perfectly content not being known beyond our circle of family, friends, and acquaintances can be tripped up by a desire to be considered special or important. When that happens, the best antidote is to remember that the world as we know it is fleeting and will disappear, but God’s Kingdom will last forever.
Michael Benson is the communications director for the North American Baptist Conference.