Advent at Ararat - Day 4: The Lord has and will keep His promise to David.

“This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram. Jehoram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon). After the Babylonian exile: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, I know, reading the “begets” can be laborious; and yes, I have been known to skip over these sections throughout the Bible. But—especially when we are looking at the line through which Jesus came—we must pay close attention.

Indeed, you will see in Jesus’ genealogy all kinds of people, some famous for being very good, some, not so much. But it isn’t about those people; it was and is about God’s promise to David, that the Messiah, the King of kings, would come through him.

Here are a couple of examples of prophetic words signaling that the Messiah would be from the house of David:

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

““For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭23‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Note, the Jeremiah passage references a time yet to come!

As well, taking up further in the passage from Isaiah 11, we see reference to the Second Coming of Jesus when He will rule and reign over all the Earth. And, take note, this is still fulfilling the promise to David:

“In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Make no mistake, the Lord honors David, a man who consistently sought after the heart of God even from a tender age. And, though he sometimes failed miserably, he never failed to be humble before the Lord and make things right with Him.

Now imagine, as much as David found favor in the eyes of the Lord, truly, the awesome feature in this scenario is God’s unwavering commitment to the promises He makes.

For today meditate on our faithful God Who keeps promises through all generations. Additionally, think about how important it is for us to stay humble before the Lord and to trust that what He has said, He will do!

Finally, let us also consider that God is still working on keeping that promise to David; He will send Jesus back to rule and reign forever.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#AdventatArarat