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Messiah is Son of David The
Messiah was to descend from the seed of Eve,
The Messianic "baton" now passes to Jesse's son David. This is confirmed
by the following word spoken by Nathan, the prophet, and directed toward
David: And when thy days be
fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I
will set up thy seed after thee, which shall all proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name... .(1)
The immediate cause for this prophecy was David's desire to build a
"house for the Lord." He communicated this desire to Nathan, who
was inclined to agree that David should build the temple. Nevertheless,
contrary to David and Nathan's desire, God spoke through Nathan and said,
"No." God's reasoning for not selecting David to build the Temple
was that David was a warrior and had "shed blood abundantly."(2)
Instead, it was David's son, Solomon, " the man
of Shalom " (peace), who was destined to build God's house. Nathan's
prophecy, however, extends much farther than the building of an earthly home
to house the Ark of God. Nathan continued: I will establish the throne of his kingdom for
ever. I will be his father and he shall be my son. ... And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever
before thee. (3)
This prophecy did not find fulfillment even in David's son, Solomon. Solomon
did not reign as king forever. In fact, Solomon is well known as the king who
committed many sins by marrying pagan wives and succumbing to their
idolatrous influence. (4)
The eternal throne would be held by Messiah himself, who would establish
eternal peace. The prophets who spoke centuries
after David's death, when speaking of the latter days, often invoked the name
of David as a reference to this Messiah. For example, the prophet Hosea
said, Afterward shall the children
of Israel return [to their land], and seek the Lord their God, and David
their king ... in the latter days. (5) Since David was no longer alive, it is
obvious that the prophet is speaking of the "greater David" - the
Messiah. Similarly, the
Lord spoke through Ezekiel saying, ... And I will set up
one shepherd over them ... even my servant David...
a prince among them. ...
(6)
Finally, the prophet Micah confirms that Bethlehem, the birthplace of David,
will also be the birthplace of the "greater David," when he was
inspired of the Ruach HaKodesh
to speak: But thou, Bethlehem Ephra-tah, though thou
be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth
unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from
of old, from everlasting. (9) The prophet here could not
have been speaking of David since this "ruler" is one who was "from everlasting." Also, the prophet
speaks of the future and David was dead and buried
by the time Micah spoke.
The Psalmist, Ethan the Ezrahite, also recognized
that the throne referred to in Nathan's prophecy was not simply an
earthly throne but one which would be occupied eternally by a
"greater David": ...I
will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. ...His seed
also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
...My covenant will I not break... . I will not lie
unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before
me. It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in
heaven. (10)
The Psalmist here is no doubt longing for the "greater David. " For he was expecting a Messiah who would endure
forever, and who is God's firstborn. A Midrashic
portion has this comment about the psalm: Rabbi Nathan said that God
spoke to Israel, saying, As I made Jacob firstborn for it is written Israel is my son even my firstborn
(Exodus 4:22), so also will I make Messiah my Firstborn as it is written, I will make him my Firstborn.
Psalm 89:27) (11)
Accordingly, Messiah is both David's
descendant and God's begotten Son. This is a most amazing
revelation, yet not one that was confined to this psalm. Other scriptures
reveal details about the fact of the sonship of the
Messiah. Another psalm tells us that Messiah, God's begotten Son, will rule
the nations and they will worship him; otherwise they will be punished. Why do the nations rage... against the
Lord, and against his anointed... ? Agur
Ben Yakeh, one of the writers of a portion of the
Book of Proverbs, further identifies Messiah as the Son of God when he poses
a riddle : Who hath
ascended up into heaven, or descended?
The
prophet Isaiah who lived several centuries after David also
referred to the Son of God who would sit upon the throne of David forever
when he said: For unto us a
child is born, and unto us a son is given. ... Of the increase of his government
and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with justice and with righteousness
from henceforth even forever. (14)
Finally, the
prophet Daniel saw in the
night visions of the Messianic Son coming with the clouds of heaven (15): And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion
is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed. (16) Messiah was to be the Son
of David. He was also to be the Son of God.
References: What
The Rabbis Know About The Messiah by Rachmiel
Frydland For further
information contact
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