“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. ”
“When your time comes and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals. 15 But my faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever.”
“The dominion will be vast,
and its prosperity will never end.
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.”
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures— 3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead.”
Friday, December 8
Son of a King
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:32; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 9:7; Romans 1:1-4
Tracing one’s family tree back in history can be an incredibly exhaustive task; though a fun endeavor on Christmas break. There are many companies today that can trace your ancestry through a simple DNA sample. That would be an interesting Christmas gift!
However, for most generations in human history, people like you and I relied heavily on written documentation, all with the purpose of never forgetting where you came from and whose you are.
In Luke 1:32 we learn a little more about where Jesus came from… the lineage of David. Jesus’ adoptive father, Joseph, was a direct descendant of King David. This fulfilled the prophecy set forth in Isaiah and carried forth the promise of God’s Kingdom through David, and ultimately through his most significant descendant, Jesus. Jesus, therefore, had royal blood and was the son of a king Himself. (in more ways than one!)
David was not a perfect king at all. He would falter… he would sin… he would make the same mistakes that many of us do today. But his coming descendant, Jesus, the Christ, would be the Perfect King. And He would usher God’s Kingdom into eternity according to the Scriptures and establish His throne forever and ever. Thus Christmas celebrates the birth of a royal child; King Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
- How does Jesus' lineage help you see the story of Jesus through both the old and new testaments?
- David was an important person in the lineage of Jesus, and yet made many mistakes. In what ways are you, being a child of the King Jesus, also disobedient to God’s commands?
- How does it feel to now rest in the Kingdom that Jesus has established for all eternity?
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for coming and using your servant David to establish Your eternal reign. I recognize that you use people who make mistakes, just like David, to make Your Name known to the whole world. Forgive me when I take for granted your perfect Word and forget Jesus’ role in my life as both my Savior and my King. I am Your humble servant this season, and I ask that You use me in bringing Your Kingdom to those around me. You alone are worthy, Jesus. Amen.You