Jesus Christ - Son of David - Son of Abraham - Part II

 

Jesus Christ

Son of David – Son of Abraham - Part II

 

Matthew 1:1

 

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.

 

In Part I of this title brief mention was made of the covenant of promise set before us in Psalm 89. The promise was to the Greater Son of David, Jesus Christ, the King of glory (Psalm 24); and to His seed which from everlasting has been in Him. In this present article it is the writer’s intension to examine more closely contents of Psalm 89 to find: first, to whom the promise is made; and second to find some of the more obvious particulars of the covenant of promise.

First: to whom is the promise made? The eternal aspect of the promise is made to Jesus Christ the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, and the Son of God. Christ Jesus is “made of the seed of David according to the flesh;” (Romans 1:3), and is therefore the son of Abraham, and He is “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead:” (Romans 1:4). Our Lord Jesus Christ is declared to be the Son of God in the Second Psalm: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” (Psalm 2:1-8).

That the Person intended in Psalm two is Our Lord Jesus Christ is made plain by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles: where it is written: “Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.” (Acts 4:25-28).

In Acts chapter two the testimony of David, who being a prophet, spoke of the resurrection of Christ: “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:29-36).

The Covenant of Promise is with Jesus Christ and His spiritual seed. As it is written: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.” (Psalm 89:34-37). The promise is to Christ; and the spiritual seed of Christ, who are and have been, in Christ: “His seed shall endure for ever” (Psalm 89: 29, 36).  The seed of Christ are those who were given to Christ of the Father before the foundation of the world. They are called: the elect, the church, the body of Christ, the Israel of God, Jerusalem which is above, the bride, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God, and many other names; And as Jesus of Nazareth is The Christ, all the members of The Christ have been in Him from everlasting; for, without the total number of His members, He would be incomplete, seeing that each member is a member in particular, as it is written: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (I Corinthians 12:27). Again it is written: “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Christ Jesus is not; and has never been without His fullness also being in Him. The fulness that is in Christ is according to the will of the Father: “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;” (Colossians 1:19). This fullness, that is in Christ is through that union that is by the covenant gift of God, to The Christ of God: all the fulness that is in Christ is through His Godhead. Christ’s members, who are of the fulness of Christ were chosen in Him before the world was made; (II Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 1:4; II Timothy 1:9) and are beloved of the Father as Christ is beloved of the Father, for both Christ and His members are one in the Father. (John 14:20; 17:21-26). The union of the body of Christ with the Father is through Christ Jesus; and the union subsists in Christ.

The first cause of the union of Christ and His members is the will of God: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once.” (Hebrews 10:10: italics omitted because added by the translators). And the union is as durable as the union of the Word and flesh of Jesus Christ: for “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). For the union of the Word and flesh in Jesus Christ is the efficient cause of the union of Christ with His body the church, for it is written, “Yet a little while and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:19-20). The effects of the union are first recognized by the children of the covenant, through the power of the Holy Spirit, as He begins His operations in the soul that infallibly culminate in eternal life of the child of God. Therefore it is found that the covenant is with Jesus Christ and His spiritual members, the mystical body of Christ, the church of Jesus Christ. Next; and according to our stated intension, the more obvious particulars of the covenant will be, very briefly considered. There are three more obvious particulars for our inquiries, they are first: The throne of Christ, and next the eternality of the citizenship of the children of the covenant, and finally the Perfect Justification of the Children of the covenant.

Faith rests in the written word of God, which declares the incarnate Word of God. The children of God do not trust their own heart, the inner voice, for their instruction in righteousness; for, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9): “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (II Timothy 3:16). Therefore the scriptures are given for the “obedience of faith”: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: (Romans 16:25-26). By the “obedience of faith” is meant, believing the scriptures, submitting to the authority of the written word of God, which is a submission to the righteousness of God. All the word of God is given for the obedience of faith; and the word of God concerns His Son Jesus Christ, as it is written: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” (Luke 24:44).

 Psalm 89 verses 19-37 are an explanation and expansion of the promise made to David in II Samuel Chapter 7. As it is written: “Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. (V-19) I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: (V20) With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. (V-21) The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. (V-22) And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. (V-23) But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. (V-24) I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. (V-25) He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. (V-26) Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. (V-27) My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. (V-28) His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. (V-29) If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; (V-30) If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; (V-31) Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. (V-32) Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. (V-33) My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. (V-34) Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. (V-35) His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. (V-36) It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah. (V-37)

In verses 19 and 20, the Covenant Head is identified; and called David, by whom is intended Jesus Christ the Greater Son of David. As Jesus Christ is the Covenant Head, all the children of the covenant are considered in Him and one with Him, therefore the statement of the covenant, as it follows, is to the Head of the covenant and to the children of the covenant who are, in Him, by the sovereign will of Him who has sworn to the covenant. For He saith: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” (I Corinthians 1:30).

In verses 21-23 success is promised in all that the Covenant Head, our Lord Jesus Christ, undertakes, As said Isaiah the prophet: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.” (Isaiah 42:1-4) And Zechariah: “And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah 6:12-13). The Temple of the Lord in Zechariah’s prophesy is the church of Jesus Christ, as it is written: “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:20-22).

In verses 24-27 universal dominion is promised him: This dominion is exercised as our Lord commanded His people, saying: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28: 18-20). See (John 13:3; Hebrews 10:12; Revelation 3:21).

In verses 28-29 eternal endurance of His seed and of His throne are promised. Of His seed it is written: “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,” (John 10:28; See I John 5:7-11; Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:28-39; II Timothy 1:9). From these verses it is clear that, those who shall endure to the end are those who have interest in, and are named in, the everlasting covenant of grace (Hebrews 12:23). The throne of Jesus Christ is included in this promise, it is said that His throne shall endure as the days of heaven. The throne is indicative of His kingdom, and of His dominion, which are to last forever: of this kingdom it is written: “ And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44). At the Last Passover; and just before He initiated the Lord’s Supper our Lord Jesus said: “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” (Luke 22:15-18). The passover type was fulfilled in the kingdom of God, when the true Passover was crucified: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:” (I Corinthians 5:7).

In verses 30-34 the immutable stability of the blessedness of the children of the covenant is promised. “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.” (Romans 4:3-10). In the judicature of God, righteousness entitles to life eternal, so that all who are counted righteous in Jesus Christ through faith are entitled to everlasting life as was Abraham. And in the Corinthian Epistles it is written: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” (II Corinthians 5:18-19). The children of God are reconciled to God in the death of Jesus Christ; for by His death their sins are put away, and it was their sin that separated them from God (Isaiah 59:2) through the enmity of their mind which was by those wicked works. (Colossians 1:20-22).

In verses 35-37 God reaffirms His oath to Jesus Christ, saying: “Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.” And in the New Testament it is written: “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec.” (Hebrews 6:17-20).

Those who are born again of the Spirit of God are the sheep of His pasture, Christ Jesus has declared that “they shall never perish” (John 10:28). And God Has declared that Christ’s seed shall endure forever. Therefore professors of religion who perish were never, of the sheep of Christ (John10:26), they were never born of the Spirit of God, for it is written: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (I John 2:19) Therefore let no true believer be discouraged by the apostacy of others, For it is not possible that the elect of God should be deceived, as it is written: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24). 

 

AJ Ison

 

See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com Hear the true gospel preached at www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting live at listed service times.