The Son of David

 

Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 16:11-13 ESV).

 

Today, as we move closer to Christmas, we move on to the second section of Matthew’s genealogy, which focuses on David and his descendants. Matthew wants us to know clearly that Jesus, the son of David, came to be our King. Remember, David was not the first king of Israel. Saul, who was tall and handsome, had become the people’s first king (cf. 1 Samuel 8-10). But Saul disobeyed God’s commands, so the Lord rejected him as king. God then chose David to be king. He was not chosen because he was perfect, but because he was a man after God’s own heart (v. 14).

 

What does that mean? Psalm 23, written by David, who had been a shepherd in his youth, helps us understand. In Psalm 23, David says the Lord is his shepherd, leading him to green pastures and quiet waters, guiding him in the right paths and protecting him in dark valleys. The Lord, said David, refreshed his soul, comforted him, and assured him that God’s goodness and love would surround him forever. In some ways, we could say, David walked with God as Enoch and Noah had done.

 

Jesus, who became not only the son of David but is also the Son of God, our King, is our “good shepherd” who has laid down his life for us, his sheep (cf. John 10:14-15). And he has shown perfectly the way of living by God’s heart. The message of Christmas is that God has always been working on our behalf to redeem us. This could only be accomplished by the work of grace through Jesus. That’s the meaning and message of Christmas. For those who seem to think they can leave Jesus out of Christmas, they are sorely mistaken. There is no Christmas without Jesus!