As The Patriarchs & Kings Hoped for their Greater Son
Hebrews 11: 1 to 12: 2
The Reformer's Fire
Exposition by Max A Forsythe
There is one miracle not ordinarily apparent in the ordering of the genealogy of Jesus Christ through his apparent father: Joseph of Nazareth. That is in the perfection of the kingly line in the male lineage recorded for Joseph in the gospel of Matthew. While scholars do not agree on this totally, it is usually thought that the Lukean genealogy proves the kingly descent of Jesus through Mary the mother of Christ. Now, about that unnoticed miracle, you see - if you count genealogy from father to son for many generations - there regularly and always comes a generation where there are either no children or no male heirs.
Such a common happening was the bane of the princely houses of Europe on many occasions. Henry the Eighth tried every means possible, including murder to legitimize a male heir - all without any blessing from the Lord. So Elizabeth I came to the throne. Later in the time of Victoria - the Hapsburg provinces slipped away at her ascension because of the Salic law held in regard in those German provinces who had earlier provided the three Georges to test the parliamentary steadfastness of Englishmen! Now the English crown has an unusual genealogy that traces Elizabeth II all the way back to Adam, provided of course, if the legendary daughter of Jeremiah did in fact find her way from Egypt to Ireland with the stone of scone and the sword of David which some called Excalibur! Ah - how easy it is to slip from fact into legend where national and noble honor is concerned. The stone of scon is in fact Irish in origin and Excalibur is only mythical in the telling of tales.
But the earthly Crown rights of King Jesus do indeed have a double testimony to His legitimate descent from the now ancient patriarchs and kings of Judah. These sovereign rights to kingship were promised regularly and carried out within the providence of God from the time of Adam clear through to the birth of Jesus. And those genealogical records have a testimony outside of the Scriptures. Because a separate source tells us that King Herod once caused the entire collection of the lineal heritage of Israel to be destroyed so that no one might have a better claim to the throne than himself.
No sooner had Adam and Eve been evicted from paradise, than the Lord remembered His providential will. In His cursing of the serpent, the Lord God promised Adam and Eve that one day an heir would strike at the head of Satan.
Genesis 3: 15
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel."
Galatians 4: 4
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under that law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."
Covenant promises were regularly made to Abraham, the man of faith who left his kin and searched earnestly for the Kingdom of God. Many, many years were spent waiting for an heir and when that heir neared the age of manhood - Abraham's faith was tested to see if he would sacrifice the only legitimate issue that could lead to the promised greater heir to come!
Genesis 21: 12
"for in Isaac your seed shall be called."
Genesis 22: 18
"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,"
Galatians 3: 16
"Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made."
Hebrews 11: 17-19
"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called' concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense."
Now as we well know the birthright does not flow through the oldest sons always, but is still traced from father to son. Esau is put aside that Jacob might know and show the elective nature of our Lord's lineage. Jacob in his old age thought that he would never see his beloved Joseph again, but not only did he see his beloved son, but the next generation as well. And in his blessing of his family he singles out his son through whom Messiah shall come.
Genesis 49: 10
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people."
In the Lord's own timing, the heir of Judah attains the throne after the Lord's wisdom is proven through the spiritual failure of Saul and the throne's being forfeited to the proper household of God - a descendant of Judah. The youngest son of Jesse, he whose name is known as David - a man noted to be after God's own heart - a warrior king - a singer and poet extraordinary! A noted man for whom His own greater Son would be titled - the Son of David.
Psalm 132: 11
"The Lord has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it:
'I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body.'"
Acts 13: 16-39
"Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, 'Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment."
"After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him. He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will." From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior - Jesus - after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, "Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose."
"Men & brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we declare to you glad tidings - that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus.
As it is also written in the second Psalm:
'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'
And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus:
'I will give you the sure mercies of David.'
Therefore He also says in another Psalm:
'You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.'
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore let it be known to you brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."
Oh, did you know - there was another, more modern heir to the throne of David - an emperor who claimed descent down to our own time. That heir was Haile Selessie - Emperor of Ethiopia and Lion of Judah - amongst other titles. According to the Ethiopian legends the Queen of Sheba brought back more than just the material awards of trade and commerce. All of that tradition ended in 1973 when the communists killed the emperor and two thousand of his relatives so that there will never ever be a blood claimant to the throne of Ethiopia again.
Didn't Herod try that with the Christ child? - He failed. Didn't Satan try every means possible to destroy Israel and Christ's church? He failed too. And the One who was to come, did indeed come in the fullness of time and through the miracle of God's providence - this Jesus that Paul preaches about became heir not only to the throne of David but even now sits at the right hand of God the Father in haven from whence He shall come again in glory at the end of the age.
Therefore - since the biblical evidence is so clear about the promises made to these ancient patriarchs and kings in Israel - let us consider carefully the challenge given to us in these verses at the beginning of the twelfth chapter of Hebrews! Let us accept the clear and logical evidence or God's revelation and worship the King of Kings. Let us put aside every weight of sin which is so common to every son of Adam except Jesus. Let us look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith this day and all the days of our lives.
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Amen.
Resources Used:
Bentley, Michael. Welwyn Commentary Series: Saving A Fallen World - Luke.
Lockyer, Herbert. All the Promises of the Bible.
Places Preached:
Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America)
Box PO Box 13926 -- Columbus, OH 43213
TKC03 13 December 98
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