He Shall Be Called - Day 8

Birth Prophecy: The Messiah would be a descendent of King David

Scripture: Read the prophecy – II Samuel 7:12 – 16; Isaiah 9:7;
Jeremiah 23:5;
Read the fulfillment – Luke 1:26 – 33; Romans 1:2 – 4

God sent a prophecy to King David through the prophet Nathan. God promised David and his descendants that He would bring the promised Messiah to the world through the geological line of David. What a promise! What an honor!

The record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham is listed in Matthew 1:1 – 17. Sometimes we encounter a passage like this in our Bible reading and we skip over it because we deem it boring or not necessary. This is far from the truth. It was important to show that the Messiah was the legitimate heir to the throne of David. God was faithfully working through many generations to bring the promised Messiah to the world. The fact that Jesus Christ could trace His family tree all the way back to David was just more evidence that He was the true son of David, the rightful heir to the throne in Israel.

Q1. Many people spend considerable time and money tracing their genealogy, i.e. their family tree. Why is it important to know our heritage and who we are descended from?

Q2. Why do you think God made the covenant with King David and promised him that He would bring the promised Messiah to the nation through David’s family line?

Q3. Matthew directed his gospel primarily at Jewish readers. Why do you think he would start his gospel with Abraham and then 42 generations leading up to the birth of Christ?

And our eyes at last shall see Him, through His own redeeming love; for that Child so dear and gentle, is our Lord in heaven above: And He leads His children on, to the place where He is gone.

PRAYER FOCUS: Lord, Your promise to King David was faithful and true. Thank You for all the promises to me in Your Word. Promises to protect me, provide for me, give me peace and joy, and eventually bring me to live with You. I pray that You will give me daily assurance that all Your promises are true and reliable. I pray that my confidence in You is apparent to others and helps make Jesus make sense to everyone I meet.