Writing of Moses' death as Israel approached the banks of the Jordan, Calvin describes the Church as “a body with its head chopped off.” Leaderless, the Church could not hope to attain God's blessing – the promised land, prosperity in their lives, and, ultimately, union with God in the promise of eternal life – for it would be directionless, powerless, and more apt to scatter than to undertake unified action. The one who fulfilled the office of the king or head of the Church, then, as typified first by Joshua and, more definitively, by David, was to serve as the Mediator of God's blessings upon the Church – unifying the people under him so that they could enjoy God's blessings of security, abundant life, and unity with God. Through the office of the king, God's covenant promise was enacted. But, as with the priesthood, the truth of the royal office was not contained within the Davidic kingship, for Israel's kings could only bestow blessings that were temporally constricted – Israel eventually lost the promised land – and materially limited – they themselves could not bring the Church eternal life. The true fulfillment of the royal office could only be found in Christ, and David and his descendants only pointed to this truth as they prefigured it in Israel's history.

Calvin's exploration of Christ's royal office in his Gospel commentaries and in the Institutes can best be understood with the template of the Davidic kingship before us.