“David’s Son”
[Luke 2:1-14]
December 24, 2010 Second Reformed Church
Nine months earlier, the angel had visited Mary and Joseph. He told Mary that she was with Child by the Holy Spirit – that her Son would be Holy, the Son of God. She was assured by the angel that her Son, Jesus, was the Savior God has promised to send. The angel visited Joseph as well and assured him that Mary had not been unfaithful – she was with Child by the Holy Spirit – she was still a virgin. And Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married.
At this time in the history of Israel, Rome ruled over the nation, and Caesar Augustus was emperor. To raise funds for Rome, there would be registrations by family for the purpose of being taxed. And during the first registration held when Quirinius was governor of Syria, Joseph was compelled to go from his home in Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem – the City of David – because he was of the house and the lineage of David. And he took his very pregnant fiancee, Mary, with him.
This was a fulfillment of prophecy: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth from me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2, ESV). Our Sovereign God worked through the oppressive Roman government to make sure that His Son was born in Bethlehem, as prophesied.
Bethlehem was crowded with all of the visitors for the registration, and there was no room in the inn for Mary and Joseph, so they took shelter in an animal stall. Mary gave birth to Jesus, wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and lay him in a manger – in a feeding trough. The vast multitude in the town around them was unaware of what had just happened – the Promised Savior had been born.
There were shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem, feeding their flocks. The shepherds we low on totem pole of society – they lived with and protected the animals. The average person stayed away from these smelly parts of society. Unless something went wrong, they weren’t much thought about. They did their job, but were invisible to the multitude in the town around them.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and the Glory of the Lord shone around them – they must have been terrified. So the angel told them not to be afraid, for they had been chosen to receive the Good News – to know that great joy that would be for all the peoples: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
What must they have been thinking? “Why has the Lord revealed the birth of the Savior to us – shepherds – of all people? And why did God send the Savior as a baby? And why is the Savior wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger?” But they purposed to go look for the signs and see what had been revealed to them.
And suddenly the heavens opened and a multitude of the heavenly beings began praising God, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with who he is pleased ”
As they made their way towards the manger, no doubt their minds ran over all of the prophecies they remembered hearing in the Temple: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forever more. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6-7, ESV).
“Now the Child is born. He will grow up and ascend to the Throne of David. He must be a descendant of David. He will free us from the oppression of Rome. The Savior will be the King of Israel. ... He is called ‘Mighty God’?”
The national of Israel didn’t always have a human king. When God called Abraham to form the nation of Israel, God was their only King. God spoke to Israel and He sovereignly and directly ruled over them. But God is not a king that can be seen – and Israel started itching to have a king that they could put out in front of the nations – like the other nations – and have them see him.
In the days of Samuel the prophet – when he was old and his wicked sons judged – “all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, ‘Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them’” (I Samuel 8:4-9, ESV).
So Samuel went before the people and explained what would happen if they took a human king: The king will take their sons and send them to war. He will make them his servants and workers in his fields. He will take their daughters to cook for him and to be his wives. He will tax the people unmercifully and give gifts to those who bow before him. And when they cry out for relief from God, God will not listen to them. And the people said they still wanted a human king, so God gave them Saul. And then God replaced Saul with David.
And to David, God made this promise: “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (II Samuel 7:16, ESV). God promised David that the throne of Israel would always be held by his descendants and David would always have a descendant on the throne of Israel.
So, is the current President of Israel a direct descendant of David? No. So, is God unfaithful? Did God break His Promise? No. Is a descendant of David reigning on the throne of Israel?
We need to turn back to the Gospels for the answer:
In Jesus’ Ministry, He was recognized by a number of names – listen to these words:
“And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David’” (Matthew 9:27, ESV).
And Gabriel said, “[Jesus] will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom their will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33, ESV).
Jesus is a direct descendant of David – He is David’s Son – and the people recognized Him to be the Son of David.
“But Jesus is not sitting on the throne of Israel now – and He never did in His Life on earth.”
The problem is solved when we understand that God did not – ultimately – make the promise that a descendant of David would always sit on the throne of the physical nation of Israel; God promised that a descendant of David would always sit on the throne of Israel. Certainly, descendants of David did sit on the throne of the physical nation of Israel, but that is not the promise – ultimately – that God made. Paul explains, “For not all those who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring” (Romans 9:6b-8, ESV).
What Paul is saying is that your parents – your biology – does not make you a part of Israel. The Pharisees thought the since they could trace their lineage to Abraham that they were safe in the eyes of God. But Paul explains that the real descendants of Abraham – the real children of the Promise – are all those who believe in the Promise of the Savior – no matter what their biology.
In the same way, the Israel that the descendant of David reigns over is not the physical nation of Israel, but the spiritual nation of Israel – all those who believe in the Savior for their salvation. That’s what Paul is saying – if you believe in Jesus Alone for your salvation – you are a member of the Israel of God.
Jesus is David’s Son. And where is He? Paul writes, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1, ESV). Of course God doesn’t have hands, what Paul is telling us is that Jesus is seated on the Throne of the Son and He is reigning – Jesus has the power and the authority of God, Who He is. And right now, Jesus is reigning over the Israel of God – over you and me and everyone who believes savingly in Him.
That should be a comfort to us this evening – that This Little Baby – the God Who came to earth to make us right with Himself – This God Who revealed Himself to teenagers and shepherds – and would one day grow up to give His Life for all those Who would believe – This Little Baby is the Sovereign Ruler of History – of Creation – of you and me.
God has appointed earthly rulers for us – and we are to pray for them and follow them and rebuke them when necessary – calling them to holiness. But God puts each one in authority who is in authority to carry out His Will. And they move to the left and to the right only as God allows.
We can trust Jesus and have hope in the sure promises He has made. And even when our human leaders are doing evil and failing us, we know that the Son of David is ruling over them and He will bring all His Purposes to fruition.
Receive this word of comfort this evening: the Little Baby Whose Birth we celebrate is David’s Son, the King of Kings, the Sovereign God over all Creation.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You have not left us alone, but sent Your Son to be our Savior. We thank You that when He left this earth, You did not leave us alone, but Jesus, the Son of David, reigns over all. May Jesus Christ be praised. Amen.
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