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How
can Yeshua be the Son of David? |
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Among knowledgeable students of the Jewish Scriptures
it is recognized that one of the necessary credentials of the true
Messiah of Israel is that He be from the lineage of King David (Isaiah
7:13,14; 9:5-7; Jer. 23:5,6; etc.). Those who do not accept Yeshua* as
the Messiah argue that since He did not have an earthly father, then
obviously He could not be from the lineage of David. In other words, if
He was born of a virgin as Yeshua’s followers claim, then He could not
also be “the son of David.” |
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A Tale of Two Lineages The fact of the matter is that not only is Yeshua’s stepfather, Joseph, from the line of David, but His mother, Miriam, is as well. Miriam’s genealogical line is traceable back to King David as recorded in Luke 3:23-31: “Now Yeshua Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi....the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,...the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse.” On the other hand, Joseph’s genealogical line back to King David is recorded in Matthew 1:1-16: “...and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon… Josiah became the father of Jeconiah… begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, … Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Miriam, of who was born Yeshua who is called Messiah.” The text is very clear: Joseph and Miriam are both from the lineage of King David. Joseph came through David’s most famous son, Solomon; and Miriam through Nathan, another son of David. These two lines merge again at Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, following the Babylonian captivity. The lines then divide again with Joseph coming from Zerubbabel through his son Abiud, and Miriam from Zerubbabel through his son Rhesa. What about the Curse of Jeconiah? According to the prophet Jeremiah, Jeconiah (a descendant of King David), had come under a curse and made David’s seed through Jeconiah invalid to serve as King: “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. 22:30). Since Joseph was from Jeconiah’s line, no physical son of Joseph could inherit the throne of David. Miriam’s line, though, is untainted. Thus her son could legitimately lay claim to the Davidic throne. Although Joseph is not Yeshua’s biological father, as his stepfather he was His legal guardian. Thus Joseph provides a patrilineal (father’s side) tie to the line of David for Yeshua. This is why Joseph’s genealogy is included in the New Covenant record. Since there was no earthly, biological father outside of the Davidic line, Yeshua had no non-Davidic father that would give Him a lineage other than that of King David. On the other hand, even if only His mother was in the line of David, it would still be sufficient for Yeshua to be of Davidic lineage. Some traditional rabbis might protest that the mother’s side cannot give genealogical credentials, and it is true that the biblical records are patrilineal. However, in the Scriptures there are clear exceptions regarding the right of a female to pass along the family heritage (see Num. 27:1-7). So, whether viewed from the stepfather’s legal side, or from the mother’s biological side, Yeshua is “the son of David,” and the authorized Messiah of Israel. In fact, since the Messiah was prophesied to be “virgin-born” (see Isa. 7:13,14*), this is the very way the lineage would have had to have been worked out. The fact that the true Messiah not only had to be a son of David, but virgin-born as well, narrows down the field quite a bit. So, other than Yeshua, what legitimate claimants are there for the position? |
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David’s Son, David’s Lord Paradoxically, Messiah the son of David was also to be the Son of God--in fact, Messiah was actually to be the Mighty God (Isa. 9:5, in Hebrew, “El Gibbor”). The son of David was not only to reign from David’s throne over all Israel, but to have ultimate authority over all of the peoples of the world (see Isa. 2:1-4; 11:10; 49:6). Again, Yeshua is the only claimant with the proper credentials. In Psalm 2 David wrote, “Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that take refuge in him” (v.12). |
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“Kiss the Son” means to
give homage to the Son, as symbolized in kissing the ring of the King.
Yeshua is therefore the only One who has authentic as well as authorized
authority over each of our lives. He is the one, true Son of God to whom
we are to give due homage. Yeshua is the one and only Son of David who
can give true security to our people for today, and for eternity, even
as was prophesied in Jeremiah 23:5,6: |
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