Seize the Moment – Day 891
The Descendant of David!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 25.
Jesus describes Himself in a very important way in Revelation 22:16b, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Why does Jesus proclaim this historic truth of His ancestry in the final chapter of the Bible?
The prophet declared about the coming Messiah in Isaiah 11:1-2 & 10:
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. … Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and His resting place will be glorious.
That is the purpose of 1 Chronicles 3 – the Chronicler is declaring that the root of Jesse is alive and well in post-exilic Jerusalem. David’s children are listed in verses 1-9, then his children’s children up to the time of the Chronicler are listed in verses 10-24. The kingdom of Israel may have been decimated by the Assyrians and Babylonians, the temple system may have been destroyed by order of Nebuchadnezzar, and the people may have been scattered to the ends of the earth, but the royal line of David was alive and well.
David’s line held the promise of Israel’s Messiah – the Savior and King (1 Chronicles 17:1-5; 2 Samuel 7:8-17)! While it would be another four hundred years before Jesus was born, the Chronicler established the lineage of David for the coming Messiah to give Israel hope of the bright morning star!
Seize the moment and be on the alert for the second coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:42-44; Luke 21:36). In the same way that Jesus came the first time, He is coming again. God always keeps His promises!