Williams summarizes the story of the Judges, Samuel, Saul, and David, continuing to emphasize the continuity of the one covenant of grace, and drawing attention to the growing theme of the kingdom of God. Despite the failure of Israel’s kings, “the promises of the Davidic covenant take on a significant critical and eschatological import during the period of the prophets” (187).
“But the fact that the prophets focus upon the covenant people of God shows that their complaints and threats have a positive purpose: to call the covenant community back to faithfully obeying the God who had redeemed them by his mighty deeds on their behalf” (189).
“Thus [the message of the prophets] does not entail a rejection or even a revision of the Mosaic revelation. Quite the contrary: the prophets, as reformers, seek to call Israel back to the covenant’s original meaning and vitality” (190).
“Of the sins of Israel, the one that stands out as the wellspring from which all others flow is this: it presumes upon the covenant goodness of God” (195).
“The message of biblical prophecy is that God is faithful to his promises and able to see to it that his promises come to fulfillment” (200).
