The Deity Of Christ Part Five

“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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:32-33).

The angel Gabriel announced to a young virgin woman named Mary, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31-34). Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:31-35).

While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to a son, thereby fulfilling two prophecies that were chronicled seven-hundred years earlier – “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel… But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity” (Isa. 7:14; Mic. 5:2). Magi from the east came to worship “He who has been born King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:1-2).

Approximately nine-hundred and seventy years earlier, King David died and his son Solomon sat on his father’s throne. The kingdom under the reign of Solomon was firmly established (1 Kings 2:1, 12). The LORD promised Solomon, “I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel’” (1 Kings 9:5). But there was one caveat: “But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight” (1 Kings 9:6-7).

Jehoiakim was the last king of Israel before deportations began in 605 B.C. under the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chron. 36:5-6); Dan. 1:1). Like his father Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, also known as Coniah (Jer. 22:44) and Jeconiah (1 Chron. 3:16), “did evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Kings 23:36-37; 24:8-9). Consequently, the LORD kept the promise He made to Solomon. “As I live,” declares the LORD, “even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; and I will give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life, yes, into the hand of those whom you dread, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans… Thus says the LORD, ‘Write this man down childless, A man who will not prosper in his days; For no man of his descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah’” (Jer. 22:24-25, 30).

Since none of Jehoiachin’s male descendants, through natural childbirth, will sit on the throne of David and rule over Judah, then how is the LORD going to keep His promise to Solomon that the throne of his father David will never lack a man to sit on it?

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. “In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness’” (Jer. 23:5-6).

“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal. 4:4).

Matthew 1:1-17 is the “record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” The Davidic kingship line, from Solomon to Jeconiah (Jehoiachin/Coniah), is documented in verses 6-11. Joseph, the son of Jacob and the husband of Mary, is a descendant of Jeconiah (Matt. 1:6).

Luke 3:23-38 is the genealogy of Jesus, “the son of Adam, the son of God.” Jesus “was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli.” Since Mary is the wife of Joseph, then Eli, a descendant of David through his son Nathan (Luke 3:31), must be his father-in-law.

God raised up His righteous Branch – Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God – through the womb of a virgin named Mary and her husband Joseph. Jesus is not a descendant of Jehoiachin through natural childbirth. Since Joseph is His father through adoption, Jesus has the legal right to sit on the throne of His father David. He will rule over the house of Judah forever. When Jesus physically and gloriously returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Matt. 24:29-31; Rev. 19:11-16) He will “sit and rule on His throne” (Zech. 6:13; Matt. 25:31) where He will “execute justice and righteousness on the earth” (Jer. 33:15).

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (Isa. 9:6-7).

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations cited in this post are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.