Israel And David's Seed
Copyright by Pastor G. Reckart owner of www.whyapostolic.com
"And the Lord said unto Samuel, how long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons" (1Samuel 16:1).
"Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (1Samuel 16:13).
We have in David the Divine choice of God.
The Divine Choice brought with it a special blessing.
"And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward."
It is the presence of the Spirit of the Lord that speaks distinctly to Divine choice.
Choice is selection, election, being special, set apart, chosen, and recognized in the sight of God.
What was the purpose of David's selection?
God told the Prophet Samuel: for I have provided me a king among the sons of Jesse.
Provided a king!
To provide something for a situation is to fulfill a need. David was going to fulfill a need of God with the nation Israel. He was selected to be king over all twelve (12) tribes. Every person of all the tribes were to be the subjects of king David. He was chosen by God to rule over them. There was no election. There was no political parties with different agenda's trying to appeal to public opinion for votes. There were no special political action committees trying to purchase special treatment from the king. There was no supreme court to decide if God's choice was ok. In fact there were no courts at all involved. There were no riots and no killing and burning down business and homes. This was a theocracy, wherein one man ruled by God's choice and all were to be obedient unto God as unto the king. The king was to rule in righteousness and live his life in holiness before the people and God. He was to bless his people with all the leadership skills he had and then trust in God to do all the rest.
David, his name means "loving" (Strongs Hebrew 1732).
The history of David is like a fairy tale, but it is not imaginary and not concocted from the mystic occult mind of a person who dabbles in witchcraft. David was a young boy, the eighth, and the last son born to his father. He was raised in the small village of Bethlehem, located six miles south of Jerusalem. There is an ancient road that goes to Hebron, the place of burial of Abraham and Sarah. Nearby is the burial place of Rachel, the beautiful and lovely wife of Jacob, whom he lost at the birth of Benjamin. The rolling hills make it a place where raising sheep is quite easy. There are several small streams around the area where David could have looked down upon from one of the hills as he sang: As the deer panteth for the river brook, so panteth my soul after thee of God. This area in the time of David's youth was filled with wild beast such as bears, lions, jackals, and wolves. It was here, among these hills that David developed a relationship with God. While his brothers were busy flirting with the world and chasing after the things of the flesh: David was searching and seeking after God. David paid the price of isolation and being alone with God. And he was rewarded. God's choice is always the best choice that can be made. David was one of God's best choices. Actually, God could have made another choice but to do so would have required him to pick someone whose conduct was way inferior to David. When God promotes a man, all others can be angry and jealous but in the end they are the ones destroyed. David's enemies were many. But the Lord set him up on high above them all.
David captured the highest mountain top among the seven hills of Jerusalem. This hill, named Zion, was the ancient Salem where Melchizedec lived in the time of Abraham. The ancient walls around this mountain citadal made the city look like the figure of a fish. You can see this by looking at the maps in the back of your Bible at Jerusalem in the time of David. Zion was the only inhabited mountain in that area at the time. It was only later that David would purchase the mountain of Moriah from Araunah (2 Samuel 24:24-25). The threshingfloor of Araunah became the location of Solomon's temple. This threshingfloor would be spoken about in Luke 3:17 (thoroughly clean his floor). Since David purchased the Temple Mount, the ownership of it would belong to the family of David and his seed who would rise to rule over Israel. The house of David, were identified as the sons and daughters of Zion. Zion became the identity of the City of David (2Samuel 5:7). From here king David ruled Israel all the days of his life. When David died, a cavern was hewn out of the solid rock and there on Zion he was buried, laid to rest on ancient Salem (peace). It was on Mount Zion that Solomon received the kingdom. While he sat upon his throne Solomon could look out his window down on the lower Mount Moriah and watch the building of the Temple.
Two things made Jerusalem the capitol of Israel: 1.) the king of Israel lived on Mount Zion; and 2.) the Temple, the house of God for all Israel was located on Mount Moriah. All the children of Israel had to come to Jerusalem to see the king or to worship God. God and king were in the same city. All the righteousness of God upon the earth was to be found in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the center of all Israel. Solomon lived out his impressive life and was buried also on Mount Zion with David his father. Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead (2Chron 9:31). Rehoboam made a horrible and costly decision to follow the advice of young novices whom he had grown up with. Instead of listening to the wisdom of the old men who had counseled David and Solomon, he asserted his youthful pride in a spirit of rebellion. This foolish act, split the nation of Israel and the Church that was in unity under David and Solomon was now to be rent and torn asunder. The one act of Rehoboam was to hurt the nation of Israel for ever. To forsake the wisdom of counsel of the old men was his destruction and failure before God.
Jeroboam made a statement that day that would stir up hatred toward the house of David.
"What portion have we in David? Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents" (1Kings 12:16).
"So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day" (1Kings 12:19).
The divided nation, two tribes in the south at Jerusalem: Judah and Levi; and the ten tribes to the north: Benjamin, Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher and Mannasah. At Jerusalem the house of God attendance was now reduced 84%. Only 16% of all Israel came to Jerusalem to worship God. The other 84% followed after the ways of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin when the raised up calves to be worshipped. He set up these idols in Dan and in Bethel and all Israel forsook God and worshipped images of golden calves (2Kings 10:29, see 2Chron 11:15). In those days stood a Prophet by the name of Abijeh. He spoke rather strong words from God:
"2CH 13:4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
2CH 13:5 Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
2CH 13:6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
2CH 13:7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
2CH 13:8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
2CH 13:9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
2CH 13:10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:
2CH 13:11 And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him.
2CH 13:12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper."
In the midst of the revolution of Jeroboam to split Israel, to bring disaster upon the house of David, and to destroy the worship of the Lord God in Jerusalem at the Temple, God sent a rebuke!
God reaffirmed that the house of David would rule over Israel in spite of the fact ten tribes of the house were now rebels and apostate from God. The house of David still ruled even if they rejected it, even if they raised up their own fake king and nation, even if they did set up a fake religion and ordain priest to perform fake rituals and teach fake religious practices. God has already set up the house of David and the priesthood of Jerusalem and nothing would ever destroy these two unified powers of God. The religious power and the temporal kingly power would be bonded in such a way there would never be a division. The religious would be protected by the kingly power. The house of David would safe-guard the religion of God. This religion would later be called Judaism because the entire embodiment of its spirituality would be from the tribe of Judah and its great sons. The Prophet Abijeh certified once and for all, the throne and David would endure for ever.
After many centuries of war between the small southern tribe of Judah and the large number of the ten tribes to the north, God had enough. He allowed the king of Assyria to invade the north and take captive the ten tribes. These were taken far away to the northern lands of Assyria. Many thousands left the upper area of Israel prisoners of war, in chains, naked, and hungry. Many no doubt died along the long journey. These disappeared from the pages of Bible history. Only a remnant of these tribes, the poor of the land, remained in Israel, all that remained of these people. What brought about this judgment of God? It was God's anger over the treatment of Jerusalem, the Temple and the house of David, together with hatred for those of the tribe of Judah now called Jews. These northern ten tribes, who called themselves Israel, were fake! They were a fake Israel who had stolen and usurped the name-identity of the people of God. But the true Israel, the Israel that remained faithful to God was the tribe of Judah.
But alas, one hundred years after these enemies of God were taken prisoner to a far away place, many among the tribe of Judah fell into grevious sins and also angered God. Only a remnant of the tribe remained Godly and righteous. So God allowed the king of Babylon to come into Israel, capture Jerusalem and take captive the children of Judah. When this happened, the house of David ruling over Israel ceased. There was no nation, no kingdom, to rule over. But this kingdom was to be for ever. This was according to the Prophet of God. The kingdom and the king's seed were both in captivity. God would have to bring them out and restore the nation. The messianic seed had to come out of Babylon, return to Israel, and there dwell until the fulness of time would come. They came, they waited, and they prayed.
And so, the restoration of the nation was the hope of all those remaining of the nation who still loved God and whose heart it was to follow after the religion of the Law and Commandments. These respected the Prophets and prayed daily toward Jerusalem that God would heal the land, return them home, and set back up that house of David that had been broken down all these years. Restore Zion in Jerusalem and let a foundation be laid there again. Let joy and singing, laughter and dancing be restored in the streets. Let the voice of the bridegroom and the bride once again echo off the houses as they celebrated their nuptials. Let the old and the young come forth to see the restored glory of God. Rebuild the temple and the house of God. Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered.
Prophet after Prophet came and spoke the Word of God: there was Jeremieh, Isaieh, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadieh, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephanieh, Haggai, Nehemieh, Ezra, Zecharieh, and Malachi. Each contributed to the future hope in the hearts of those who loved God. Some saw great visions of the future and still others called Israel to repentance and the right ways of God. Out of all these Prophets came the Messianic Hope. That the seed of David would arise again. That this seed would be the Messieh. He would come and bring to Israel the fulness of God's purpose and plan. He would bring Truth and the nation would receive him as their king. The people waited from year to year for this great day. They studied the scriptures to discover any small wording that might help them understand more of what would take place. They were in expectation.
While they waited, while they repented and turned to God, enemy after enemy came and tried to destroy them. Antiochus came and sacrificed a pig on the altar, killed priest, and tried to corrupt the house of God. False high priest after false high priest came and bought the office and played politics with new conquering nations. As the clock ticked toward Messieh's coming, many of the people went into mysticism, Hellenism, and Roman paganism. Jews were scattered among all the sea-coast nations. Each year they would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost and rededicate their lives and hearts to God. Each year they celebrated Passover they would end the observance with: "next year Jerusalem." Thus signifying their faith they would celebrate under the new kingdom of David's seed and the Kingdom of God would come.
Around 5BC the angel of God visited the hill country of Judea to the home of a priest named Zacharias. His wife was Elizabeth and she was a descendent of the high priest seedline of Aaron. Zacharias himself was also of the seedline of Aaron. The angel announced to Elizabeth she would birth a son in her old age. Zacharias was told to name him John when he was born. Now John means beloved. It was in the sixth month of her being with this miracle child that the same angel visited a virgin of the seedline of king David. She was told she would bring forth a son also. Her espoused husband Joseph was told to name this child Jesus. The prophecy concerning this child was was enormous:
LUK 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
LUK 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
LUK 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Not since 587BC had God given the throne of David to any one.
And here was the seed of David, Jesus, son of Mary, to be born in Bethlehem, to be given the throne of David upon his birth.
Jesus was born king of Israel.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
Jesus was born of royal seed, of the virgin Mary, the elect lady.
To this we have the witness of Peter in Acts 2:30
--"that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;"
of Paul in Romans 1:3
--"Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David;"
2Tim 2:8
--"Jesus Christ of the seed of David;"
and at last by Jesus himself:
--"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
Israel and David's seed: is now the Apostolic Church and all Acts 2:38 born again sons and daughters of God.
DIVINE CHOICE!
And we who are in Christ are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.