The Scriptures Say That The Messiah Would be Descended from King David

It was prophesied in the scriptures that The Messiah would be a descendent of King David of Israel: 

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”  In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (2Samuel 7:16-17 ESV) 

I have sworn to David my servant:
‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’ (Psalm 89:3-4 ESV) 

My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
I will establish his (David’s) offspring forever
and his throne as the days of the heavens. (Psalm 89:28-29 ESV) 

His (David’s) offspring shall endure forever, (Psalm89: 36 ESV) 

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 forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah (:6-7 ESV) 

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-3 ESV) 

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ (Jeremiah 23:5-6 ESV) 

The Third Chapter of Luke’s Gospel establishes that Jesus was of the house of King David of Israel through His mother Mary, as Heli was Mary’s father.  Luke calls Heli Joseph’s father because in the patriarchal culture of the day, it was correct to refer to one’s father-in-law as their father. 

Jesus’ genealogy, as recorded in the First Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, is His stepfather Joseph’s genealogy.  Although Joseph was a descendant of King David, Joseph was not Jesus’ natural father.  Therefore, Jesus was descended from David through Mary.

If Joseph was Jesus’ birth father, Jesus could not be The Messiah.  Joseph was a descendent of King Jeconiah (a.k.a. Jehoiachin), and Jeconiah was so evil that he was cursed.  None of Jeconiah’s progeny could be King of Israel, and by extension The Messiah. (2Kings 24:8; 1Chronicles 3:16; Jeremiah 22:18-30)

 

Acknowledgement:

All verses shown were copied from https://biblehub.com/esv

A Word About the 2022 Midterm Election Results

The runoff senatorial election in Georgia between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R) is over.  For all intents and purposes, so are the 2022 midterms.  I have withheld comment until the voting was finished, but now is a good time to share a few thoughts about the results. 

The United States Constitution provides a system of checks and balances between three branches of the government, Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.  This system safeguards against codifying the whims of popular opinion and the excesses of one-party rule.  Following the midterm election, we hope to see that system at work.  We want the Republicans to unite together to use their majority in the House of Representatives to limit the immoderate governance we have seen, while the Democrats have controlled all three branches of government. 

The string of debacles caused by the Democrats since January of 2021, gave the Republicans an opportunity to decisively defeat them on 6 November.  They failed to rise to the occasion, and they need to figure out why before the next national election in 2024. 

Things usually happen for more than one reason. In the spirit of attempting to help, I will try to provide these few observations in a respectful way. 

Opinion polls taken before the election found that a big majority of voters thought the country was, “headed in the wrong direction.”  However, the polls also showed that a majority of voters intended to vote for Democratic candidates. *  Still, many Republicans and other conservatives continued to expect a big Republican victory.  The reasons for that discrepancy were rationalized and explained away.  Perhaps more effort should have been given to finding out what was really going on and correcting it. 

The actual vote was fairly evenly divided, but close doesn’t count.  The results of the election seem to show that the conservative message was not what voters wanted.  The Republican party needs to reexamine the alternatives they are providing or revise the way those changes are being presented. 

To win, conservatives should frame their agenda in terms of a positive program of action, rather than opposition to how things are being done now.  The people need to be shown how these positive actions will benefit them, rather than to be asked to blindly accept them. 

By precinct, the pattern of voting showed that the Democrats continue to prevail in large urban areas, while the Republicans win in the “heartland.”  Demographically, the Republican party cannot win elections decisively until they can win in the big cities.  The strategy of concentrating campaign efforts toward “getting out the vote” in rural and suburban areas needs to be supplemented by concerted efforts to win in the cities, and in particular among the urban poor. 

The old guard establishment of the Republican party must realize that the grassroots of Republican support has changed.  If a candidate is selected by the primary election process, that candidate should receive the party’s full support.  The party leadership cannot continue to undermine the candidacies of candidates they disagree with.  This destructive, internecine warfare within the Republican party has got to stop.  If it doesn’t the party cannot win elections, and it cannot govern if it does win. 

To American voters in general, there are some things I hope you will think about before the next general election, in 2024.  In respectful language, I am rephrasing a famous quote from Albert Einstein to wit: ‘It is not logical to do things the same way over and over and expect a different result.’  You cannot change the “wrong direction” America is headed in by electing Democrats, since they are the ones who got us going the wrong way to start with. 

As long as the American voting public continues to elect executives and legislators who think that the way to solve problems is to throw money at them, we will see our great nation continue to decline.  If we persist in electing leaders who promise to provide us with a cradle-to-grave socialist nanny-state, we will continue on the path to poverty.  Those who want to remake our country in the image of the Social Democratic countries of Europe ignore the fact that they are successful because for the last 70+ years, the United States has provided the lion’s share of the cost of their defense and the defense of freedom around the world. 

Hopefully, America will be able to recover from the damage that big spending, big government is causing.  We made a mistake on 6 November by not decisively turning things around. 

In 2024, let’s vote for win-win trade agreements with our trading partner nations that safeguard the interests of American workers and consumers.  We need to vote for a strong national defense and a firm but fair foreign policy.  Our immigration laws must be rewritten and then enforced.  Our industrial and manufacturing base needs be incentivized to return to the United States. The federal government should encourage economic growth and reduce inflation by reducing taxes and deficit spending.  Public education ought to be focused on subjects like reading, writing, mathematics, science, computer literacy, conventional history, geography, music, literature and the trades.  It must equip our young people to successfully participate in the economic activity of the United States and the world.  Government spending on infrastructure ought to be on improving our electric grid, railways, roads and bridges, and air and seaports.  To lower fuel, electric power, and home heating costs, domestic oil, natural gas, and coal production should be regulated by free market demand and not by the government.  Americans want their government to keep them and their property safe, and Republicans must provide law and order.

All of these, and more, are positive steps that conservatives offer to improve the quality of life of our citizens.  Do you know of more that can be done?  Write your senators and congressmen.  Let them know.  Together, we can get the country moving in the right direction again.

 

*See our post from 4 November 2022

The Greatest Christmas Gift of All

Jesus Christ is God revealed in a human body (Colossians 1:19, 2:9); fully divine and fully human, but without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) He was with God the Father from eternity past, before the creation of all things. (Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:1-3)

He is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. (Matthew 17:5, Luke 3:22, 2Corinthians 13:14) Yet, He stepped down from the glory and majesty He shared with God the Father in heaven, to be born in a stable. He taught us how to live by the things He said and the example He set for us.

Then, He died by crucifixion – a death the Romans reserved for the worst of criminals and traitors. In so doing, He took our sins upon Himself, and He died in our place. (2Corinthians 5:21) Afterward, He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death. (1Corinthians 15:20) We can have eternal life in the very presence of God because He did these things for us.

Scripture shows us that the Christmas story can be viewed as including Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and glorification. It ends with the glorification of Jesus Christ, and the promise that those who believe in Him will one day share His glory.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV) [1]

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30 NIV) [2]

Let’s pause then, during our busy Christmas activities, to remember that salvation is the greatest Christmas gift of all. If you don’t have it, all you must do to receive it is to believe in Jesus. (John 3:16-21) Get the gift of salvation for Christmas.

 

 

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[1] https://biblehub.com/niv/philippians/2.htm

[2] https://biblehub.com/esv/romans/8.htm

 

 

Moses Foretold The Messiah 1400 Years Before Jesus was Born

Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the coming Messiah was foretold in the Old Testament.  Depending on the source, it is said that anywhere from about 40 to over 500 Old Testament verses refer to Jesus Christ. (Christ is the Greek word for Messiah.) [1] 

Christianity, Judaism, and several other religions regard Moses as the human author of the Pentateuch – which comprises the first five books of the Christian Holy Bible.  Christianity’s inclusion of the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in the canon of scripture testifies to our belief that these books are inspired by Holy Spirit, and that they are God’s Word. 

The NIV Study Bible dates the life of Moses from 1526 to 1406 BC.  It bases the time of Moses on 1Kings 6:1, and dates the Pentateuch to that time period. [2] 

The Book of Genesis, then, was written about 1400 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.  In the power of the Holy Spirit, Moses foretold the defeat of Satan by our Savior.  He prophesied that The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that He would be from the tribe of Judah: 

Then the LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

Cursed are you more than all the livestock,

And more than any animal of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And dust you shall eat

All the days of your life;

And I will make enemies

Of you and the woman,

And of your offspring and her Descendant;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15 NASB)

Now the LORD said to Abram,

“Go from your country,

And from your relatives

And from your father’s house,

To the land which I will show you;

And I will make you into a great nation,

And I will bless you,

And make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing;

And I will bless those who bless you,

And the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

(Genesis 12:1-3 NASB)

Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.  And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.  Live for a time in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.  I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,  because Abraham obeyed Me and fulfilled his duty to Me, and kept My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

So Isaac lived in Gerar. (Genesis 26:1-6 NASB)


Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he happened upon a particular place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and made it a support for his head, and lay down in that place. And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Then behold, the LORD was standing above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:10-15 NASB)

 

“The scepter will not depart from Judah,

Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

Until Shiloh comes,

And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

(Genesis 49:10 NASB)

Moses spoke of how it was Isaac’s descendants who would inherit the promises God made to Abraham:

Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac!” The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. (Genesis 21:9-12 NASB)

Abraham’s obedience to God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was a pattern of the sacrifice God was to make of His “one and only Son” to save us from sin and death:

Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  And Abraham reached out with his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”  Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son.  And Abraham named that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven,  and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,  indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.  And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:9-18 NASB)*

 

 Do you believe in miracles?  It is a miracle that these verses have been preserved intact for us to read 3400+ years after they were written.  It is a miracle that they prophesy about events before they happened.  It is a miracle that one life, that of Jesus of Nazareth, fulfilled hundreds of prophesies given centuries before He was born in Bethlehem.  The probability of this happening by chance is miniscule.

*Acknowledgements:
All verses quoted were copied from https://biblehub.com/nasb_/genesis
The Jack Van Impe Prophesy Bible was used in identifying the verses used.
(Jack Van Impe Ministries https://www.jvim.com/ )

 

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[1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/christ

[2] Palmer, Edwin H., et al. The NIV Study Bible. Zondervan, 1985.

Thanksgiving 2022

Best wishes on Thanksgiving Day. We had a wonderful time, and we hope you did, too. Now that the leftovers have been put away and the dishes have been washed, please take a little time to praise and thank God for all His blessings, and especially for giving His Son to wipe away our sins.

David’s Song of Thanks

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Seek the LORD and his strength;

seek his presence continually!

Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

his miracles and the judgments he uttered,

O offspring of Israel his servant,

children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

(1Chronicles 16:10-13 ESV)

David’s Prayer

Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

(1Chronicles 29:10-13 ESV)

Joy Comes in the Morning

A Psalm of David

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

(Psalm 30:4-5 ESV)

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

His Love Endures Forever

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

(Psalm 100 ESV)

Jesus Gave Thanks

And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 

(Matthew 15:35-37 ESV)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

(Matthew 26:26-29 ESV)

Give Thanks for Redemption, the Forgiveness of Sins

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14 ESV)

Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

(1Thessalonians 5:16-19 ESV)

Thanksgiving in Heaven

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

(Revelation 4:9-11 ESV) *

* All of the verses shown above were copied from: https://biblehub.com/

Jesus Restores Peter

Once when I had lost my way, I prayed that God would show me His will.  Then I began reading, in the Gospel According to John, the account of how Simon Peter was restored to fellowship.  It answered my prayer. 

The Bible tells us that after Jesus arose from the grave, he appeared to the eleven and to others on several occasions.  We have a record of one such appearing in the 21^st Chapter of John: 

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.  Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.  Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”  He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.  That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.  The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.  This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 

Jesus and Peter 

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”  He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.  Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”  (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21:1-19 ESV) * 

Reading these verses began a slow process of change by which the Holy Spirit eventually turned me away from the sinful life I was living.  Praise God for answered prayer. 

Any reading of scripture is beneficial, but the Holy Bible is high, wide, and very deep. The more carefully you dig into it, the more you find.  Looking casually into this passage, the reader may wonder why Jesus asked Peter three times whether Peter loved Him.  I suppose that is okay if it is just curiosity, but we must guard against passing judgement on the Lord’s methods.  It is important to remember He is God, and we are not. 

The Bible does not tell us why Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Do you love me?” three times.  However, there is a television documentary series called Drive Thru History by Dave Stotts, in which he gives a plausible explanation.  In Season 4 entitled The Gospels, and Episode 17 called The Resurrection, Mr. Stotts points out that, while Christ was on trial before He was crucified, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus three times.  Stotts indicates that may be why our Lord asked Peter to affirm his love three times. 

It is commonly agreed that Jesus was also restoring Simon Peter to fellowship by asking him to declare his devotion.  Then Jesus reinstated his ability to minister by telling him to care for the flock three times.  Moreover, as when Peter was first called, Jesus told him to “Follow me.” 

Like Peter, Jesus calls us back after we fall.  He did it for Peter, He did it for me, and He will do it for you. 

 

* https://biblehub.com/esv/john/21.htm

Giving Thanks

Let’s remember to give thanks to our Lord for His goodness to us: 

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 

So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,  and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 

So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”  And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19 NKJV) *

 

*  https://biblehub.com/nkjv/luke/17.htm