The Key of David
Pastor Leslie Chua
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
‘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.”
“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.”
In His letter to the church in Philadelphia, Jesus identified Himself as the One who had the key of David (Revelation 3:7).
What is the key of David?
Clearly, it is not a physical key. The key of David is a symbol of spiritual power and authority.
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The key of David is a symbol of spiritual power and authority.
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Jesus was alluding to Isaiah’s prophecy that is recorded in Isaiah chapter 22 and verse 22. Isaiah prophesied that God would give the key of David to Eliakim, a man whom God described as His servant (Isaiah 22:20). In other words, Eliakim was obedient and faithful to the LORD.
Eliakim served in the royal court of King Hezekiah. In this promotion, he was elevated to the position of Prime Minister, which would make him the second most powerful man in the southern kingdom of Judah. All the kings of Judah were direct descendants of David. Hence, the kingdom of Judah is known as the house of David.
Having the key of the house of David means possessing complete control over the kingdom. Essentially, Eliakim would have the delegated authority and power to run all the affairs of the country.
Prophetically, the house of David symbolises the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the prophesied Messiah-King who is hailed from the lineage of King David.
So, when Jesus said that He had the key of David, He was essentially saying that He possessed all authority and power over God’s Kingdom. God had delegated all His power and authority to rule and judge to Jesus.
The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven
At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus mentioned another set of keys – the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. After Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19).
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Similar to the key of David, the keys of the Kingdom of heaven are symbolic of spiritual authority and divine power… We wield these keys through prayer and proclamation.
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The keys of the Kingdom of heaven are the keys to bind and loose. This is the set of keys to bind demonic powers and loose captives from spiritual strongholds.
Similar to the key of David, the keys of the Kingdom of heaven are symbolic of spiritual authority and divine power.
While worded differently, both the keys of the Kingdom of heaven and the key of David carry the same meaning generally. They speak of divine power and spiritual authority. We wield these keys through prayer and proclamation.
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God delegates His authority and power to Jesus. In the same way, Jesus delegates His authority and power to His church. Every believer who walks in faith, obedience, and faithfulness can confidently exercise this authority and wield the power to bind and loose and to open and shut doors.
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The keys of the Kingdom of heaven were promised to Peter. But in its context, it is also a promise to the church. That is, to all believers. The same is true for the key of David.
God delegates His authority and power to Jesus. In the same way, Jesus delegates His authority and power to His church. Every believer who walks in faith, obedience, and faithfulness can confidently exercise this authority and wield the power to bind and loose and to open and shut doors.
We are talking about tremendous spiritual power and high-level authority here. Whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Whatever we open no one can shut, and whatever we shut, no one can open.
Pause and consider the implications.
Is the Key of David Given to Believers?
While the keys of the Kingdom of heaven are promised to the church, the key of David is not specifically promised. So, is it biblically correct to say that we can pray to receive the key of David?
The answer is yes. Let me explain.
Take Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the coming Messiah and how He would judge in Isaiah 11:2-4 - And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth…
This is a specific prophecy of how the seven-fold Spirit of God would rest on the Messiah. It is not a promise given to the church. But can we pray to receive the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, and so on?
Absolutely! There is no reason why we cannot do so. Unless these are promises that are exclusively meant for Christ Jesus. For example, the promise to sit at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:44). That is not for us to ask. It will be preposterous to even entertain the idea.
As I explained earlier, the key of David is similar to the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Both symbolise and simply mean divine authority and power, which Jesus has delegated to the church. The problem is few believers consciously wield these God-given authority and power to advance the Kingdom of heaven.
I believe that Jesus would like all believers to have the key of David and steward this anointing of spiritual power and authority obediently, faithfully, and responsibly. For that, we have to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, listen to His voice, and pray according to His will.
Different Measures of Anointing
While we can have the key of David, our level of authority and power is different from Jesus’.
In His human form, Jesus had the full measure of the Holy Spirit - … for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand (John 3:34-35 - NASB).
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God gives to every believer different spiritual gifts and different measures of power for each gift.
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Whereas for believers, each of us has only a measure of the Holy Spirit and His anointing. After listing the twelve power gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul said - All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:11 - ESV). God gives to every believer different spiritual gifts and different measures of power for each gift. For example, two believers have the same gift of healing. One experiences more success than the other.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus moved in the full power of all these twelve spiritual gifts. That is the reason for His one hundred per cent success rate in ministry. When Jesus prayed, ten out of ten got healed. Ten out of ten got delivered.