 |
A
|
NDSalmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. (Ruth 4:21-22)
A
|
NDthe LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. 4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem….. (1 Sam 16:1-4)
In my hymn devotion for yesterday concerning Handel’s Coronation Hymn #1, I referenced how King David commanded that his son, Solomon, would travel to the city of Gihon to be crowned king riding on David’s own mule. Observing that Christ, in the legal sense, is considered the Son of David and the inheritor of his throne, and all thrones of this world, should it surprise any that He rode into Jerusalem to become King of Kings and Lord of Lords riding on a colt of a mule? Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring themunto me. And if any mansay ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. (Matthew 21:2-)
Does this not sound astonishingly like that order of David to Nathan the Prophet? The king (David) also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon (1 Kings 1:33-34)
David was, in so many ways, typical of Christ in his identifying characteristics that we shall be limited on making long expository commentary and lean more firmly upon specific Scripture texts and points to conserve space and meaning. Just as Ishmael was not the intended Seed of Promise from Abraham, but Isaac, neither was the first King of Israel, Saul, in the true line of that Seed, but David. The seed-line would pass through Jesse to David who would typify that coming King of Kings in Jesus Christ. Let’s examine the early calling and background, first, of David for its relationship to that of Christ.
Both David and Jesus had their nativity in Bethlehem (Heb: the House of Bread and Praise). …I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. 4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem…(1 Samuel 16:1-4)Bethlehem is called the City of David in Scripture. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) (Luke 2:4, and many other passages)
Both David and Jesus came through the genealogical line of Jesse. 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. Both genealogies in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke record this fact. We see Paul make reference to the fact of Christ as coming from the root of Jesse: And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. (Romans 15:12) There are many other references in Scripture to confirm this fact, but I forego the mention for sake of brevity.
David was King of Israel whose beginning was under humble circumstances. David was a shepherd boy at the time of his anointing. Jesus Christ was King of Kings and had his nativity in humble surroundings. David was a shepherd boy while Christ was the Good Shepherd and Shepherd King. (John 10:11 & Psalm 23)
David was, except in his adulterous affair that led to murder of Uriah, a man after God’s own heart. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus (Acts 13:22-23)Of course, Jesus was not only a man after God’s own heart, but Jesus actually had the Heart of God!
David was a prophet and king: Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne (Acts 2:29-30)Jesus was prophet and king: Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? "And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. (Luke 24:19)Jesus IS King of Kings: That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.(1 Tim 6:14-15, and others)
David began his reign as anointed king at age thirty. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. (2 Sam 5:4)Jesus was thirty years old when baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit to begin His ministry. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph. (Luke 3:21-23)
David surrounded himself with mighty men: These be the names of the mighty men whom David had – then follows a list of courageous men and their exploits. (2 Sam 23:8) The Lord also surrounded Himself with mighty men of courage – the Apostles.
David was confronted with many enemies, some openly so, and other secret enemies who were capable of betrayal. Even David’s own son (Absalom) rebelled against his father to destroy him. And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left. (2 Sam 13:30)Absalom later waged a full scale revolt against his father as recounted in 2 Samuel. Jesus also faced many enemies, both public and secret. In fact, Jesus’ own bosom friend and table guest betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver. I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. (John 13:18) Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me (Psalm 41:9)
David was sought after in his youth by King Saul to destroy him. Jesus, too, in His youth was sought by King Herod to destroy Him. David was king of fleshly Israel of the Hebrew nation. Christ is King of the true and spiritual Seed of Israel forever – both Jews and Gentiles.
The Psalms of David contain David’s words, but mysteriously also do they contain the Words of Christ. The Messianic Psalms have direct applicability to Christ. Psalms 22 is such a Messianic Psalm that describes, in its first half, the sufferings of Christ on the cross; and in its second half, the glory of His resurrection.
We cannot help but be amazed at these signs and characteristics that an omniscient God has placed in the particular persons of His own choosing in antiquity to point to that coming glorious Son of God who would fulfill the reality of promises made to the Fathers. Do you believe these to have happened by coincidence of nature? Can you not point to many seeming ‘accidents of life’ wherein you can know that it was God’s Hand all along that was your Guide and Mainstay? We may all say with the Maiden of the Wilderness, HAGAR: And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi (Heb: well of the Living One who seest me); behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. (Gen 16:13-14)Do you not know that there is the Living One that seest YOU, too, even in the Wilderness of Life?
