2023_07_14 Insight Post- Karenna Rowenhorst
This week’s reading- 1 Samuel 16, Luke 20, 2 Samuel 5, Romans 1
This week I came across the phrase (referring to Jesus), “who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David” (Romans 1:3).
And I started thinking, why is that so important? The connection to King David is frequently mentioned when tracing the lineage of Jesus. When Jewish cultures traced the lineage of a king, they followed the father’s family line, and Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, was related to King David. But why do they always pick King David? Although David is one of the more famous kings (think: David and Goliath), David wasn’t the first king, there were other kings in Israel’s past. Couldn’t there be other kings worth mentioning in Jesus’ lineage? Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. Surely that deserves a mention?
I think one of the main goals of the Redemptive-Historical Bible Reading Plan this year is to show us the pathways that God took to begin to reveal Himself to humans. Reaching out to humanity is a long, hard road (we humans are stubborn, short-sighted, and impatient!), but God is more than up to the task. In fact, he created us with an innate desire to love Him. But, it takes us time to learn how this whole God-in-relationship-with-us thing will work. God starts his relationship with people by reaching out to establish Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Fast forward a few generations, and God is still at work, trying to lead the people into something better, into a trusting relationship with Him.
But instead, the people want a king, like the other tribes around them, a human leader to tell them what to do (and that they can blame for their problems). After a faltering start with Saul, David is anointed as the next king, and things begin to shift. David, in short, is a warrior who is confident in battle and connected to God. He goes where God tells him and follows God’s commands. David conquers Jerusalem, establishes it as the capital city, and he unites the 12 tribes. Safety and security were established.
Sadly, after his rise to success, David succumbs to temptation, and all his hard work begins to unravel. David had a dream of building the temple, but God tells him that his son Solomon will fulfill that role. God does give David a glimpse of the future when He says in 2 Samuel 7:12-14, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son.”
I think when Jesus comes, we see someone who is like King David in his desire to see the people connected to God and following his commands. Like King David, Jesus provides us with security. But this time, it’s not necessarily physical security; instead, it’s the security of the truth of God’s love for us and the redemption offered through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Full out, nothing held back, David pursued God’s laws, and he modeled how to live in relationship with God. Only Jesus does it better and not only better, but perfectly. Jesus is a king who brings about unity of all people – Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, male and female. And not only unity of people, Jesus provides the sacrifice of Himself to unite humanity with God and invite us into God’s own family.
Karenna Rowenhorst
Senior Director of Education