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1. Genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17)

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MATTHEW 1:1
1 … of Jesus Christ, the Son of David …

Every Jew knows David, for many have kept his "Psalms" by heart and chanted them at religious feasts and occasions. They glorify God’s love and care with words from his Psalms which are outbursts of praise and thankfulness. They use the words and phrases of their king to confess their sins and to ask the Lord to deliver them from their enemies.

Who is David? The Lord chose David while he was still a young shepherd to be the anointed king of the people of the Old Testament. During his service as keeper of his father’s sheep, he learned patience, courage, leadership, and trust in God. He struggled against bears and lions, learned to hunt and play the psaltery and harp. And in his youth he overcame, with the power and assistance of God, Goliath, the giant; therefore, King Saul envied him and was jealous of his famous bravery.

David had to flee to the Philistines where he lived under their protection until his enemy, Saul, killed himself. Thereafter, he established a kingdom in Hebron for seven years. When the situation became better in 1004 BC, he captured Jerusalem and made it the capital of his kingdom. He then removed the Ark to the center of his kingdom making Jerusalem the center of the Jewish civilization. He also gradually defeated his neighboring enemies in bloody wars.

When David became rich and famous, he was overcome by his lust - committing adultery and then killing and taking the poor man’s "lamb." But he heard God’s reproof and responded to it, so God accepted his sincere repentance and forgave him his sin after his clear confession. The son bore from sin died, for it is impossible for sin and blessing to meet together under one roof. God punished him through his children's many sins and acts of rebellion until he had to flee from God’s presence. Though he was old, he fled to Jordan where he stayed until his rebellious son Absalom was killed.

During those troubled years, David continually drew near to God and prayed until the Holy Spirit inspired him with indescribable hymns and prophecies. A great part of his psalms refer to the coming Christ. The deepest influence that the Holy Spirit carved in his heart was that a son would descend from him whose father would be God himself (2 Samuel 7:12-15; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14). These exciting promises establish that Christ would be a son of David.

In the first sentence of his book, Matthew did not only call Jesus by the title "Christ" but he also emphasized that he descended from David, showing that Jesus is of the kindred of the king, designated from his birth to be the promised king over a kingdom without end.

PRAYER: O Holy God, your ways are unseen to my eyes, but every promise of yours is true and is established. You did not choose me because of my own goodness, but because of your great mercy. I have rejected you in my sins; yet you purify me if I sincerely repent. Please direct me to overcome my pride and repent of my sins that I may reject all evil, and be sanctified by the power of your pure Spirit.

QUESTION:

6. Why was Jesus called "The Son of David"?

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