Jeremiah 33:17 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne, &c.— Or rather, There shall not be a failure in the line of David of one sitting, &c. From the Babylonish captivity to the coming of Christ, David was without a successor of his family sitting upon the throne of Judah or Israel, in any sense whatsoever. And from the destruction of Jerusalem to the present time, the Jews have had neither a king nor a regular priesthood belonging to their nation. So that hitherto there has been a failure and interruption both in the royal line of David, and in the sacerdotal one of Levi. A plain proof that the prophesy alludes not to any time that is already past, but respects what is to come. It is true indeed, that in a spiritual sense the kingdom of Christ, the son of David, has been for some time established over those whom the Apostle calls the Israel of God, Galatians 6:16 and the children of Abraham, Galatians 3:7 meaning thereby all true believers, whether of the Jews or of the Gentiles. And it is true also, that in the church of Christ there has been a constant and uninterrupted succession of persons to perform the public offices of religion in the room of, although not taken out of, the priests the Levites. And the perpetuity of this kingdom and this ministry is, I know, in the opinion of many learned expositors, looked upon as a full and authentic completion of the intention of this prophesy. This, however, seems to be spiritualizing too far, when the case admits of a more direct and literal interpretation. The days, it is evident, are not yet arrived, though they certainly will come, for the performance of God's good promise concerning the restoration of the house of Israel and the house of Judah under Christ, THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Admitting this, and that all the families of Israel shall again be re-established in their own possessions, what improbability is there, that the two families of David and Levi may actually revert also to their ancient privileges, subject only to the supreme authority of the Messiah, and continue to enjoy them, as it is here expressly declared, in uninterrupted succession to the end of the world?