Again today we have two texts. Our first text is from Genesis chapter forty-nine: “10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10). Our second text is from Isaiah chapter nine: “7Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:7). These are our texts.
Just a reminder as we get started that this year during the Lenten Season and through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are looking at some of the prophecies of the Old Testament which have their fulfillment in the New Testament in the person and work of Jesus. Last week we began with the very first promise of a Savior, a Messiah, a Christ, that promise given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and reiterated to Abraham as the family line through which the Savior would be born. Today we move ahead and look at another reiteration of the promise of a Savior and another narrowing of the line of promise being the line of Judah.
As we were reminded at Christmas as we celebrated Jesus birth; He was born in Bethlehem, the hometown of David and He was born from the line of Judah. As our text states, God’s promise was that the throne, not yet given, would be from the line of Judah. As we heard earlier in our first text, “10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10). From the line of Judah was born David who became King of Israel. While David ruled over an earthly kingdom the promise of the Savior was looking, not to some future earthly ruler and king, but to one who would rule in heaven for eternity.
When the promised land was divided and settled, the town of Bethlehem was a part of the inheritance of the fourth born of Jacob, renamed Israel, that Judah received. At the time of Jesus’ birth the ruler of the land, Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken and that everyone should return to their hometown to register. This order is what brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem so that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and born from the line of Judah, the royal line of Judah.
In order to be the Savior the one born must fulfill all the prophecies including the prophecy of birth place and line of descent, thus it was important that Jesus was born from the line of King David and that He was born in the city of David, Bethlehem.
So, we know that Jesus is true God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave up the glory that was His in heaven. Jesus was born as a true human, being born of the human woman, the Virgin Mary. Jesus also gave up use of His Divine powers so that He did not always nor fully use His Divine powers. And although He was born from the kingly line of Judah, by the time of His birth it must not have meant very much that Jesus was born of royal blood.
And although Jesus was born of royal blood and probably had a claim to the throne, He did not rule on earth nor did He seek an earthly kingdom. You might remember that the Romans were in power at the time and the Israelite's were reestablishing themselves since the last exile. Also, we know that Jesus came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom.
While some in Israel were seeking an earthly king and Savior, one who would over throw the Romans and set up Israel as a self governing people, Isaiah points out the eternal nature of this rule as we heard in our second text, “7Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:7). Jesus ultimate rule was and is His heavenly kingdom.
From man’s view, as we just said, many in Israel were looking for an earthly Savior and an earthly kingdom. Many in Israel saw the many times Israel was disciplined by God, they repented and God sent an earthly Savior to overthrow whoever God had used to discipline them for their apostasy and disobedience.
For many in Israel they continually looked for the glory days of King David and King Solomon. We might imagine that the glory days of Israel were the days of peace, following all the wars of David which solidified their country in the promised land and the days of peace under Solomon before the kingdom was divided. And so many continued seeking a social/political savior.
When Jesus was born, as He became more and more popular, as He truly showed Himself to be God in flesh, still many in Israel rejected Him because He did not, nor was He seeking to be an earthly king. Jesus proclaimed a spiritual salvation, not a social/political salvation.
Thus, many in Israel rejected Jesus because they were not looking for a spiritual Savior. The spiritual nature of many in Israel was an order of following rules and regulations, especially those rules and regulations as prescribed by the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Too many were simply focused on this world and their rule, power and authority in this world.
There are many even today who reject Jesus as spiritual Savior and continue to seek Him as an earthly King. There are those who deny the spiritual and eternal nature of the covenant God made in Eden, reiterated to Abraham, and reiterated and narrowed through Judah.
What was given in Eden and reiterated was God’s promise, thus to better understand what God promised and is giving one needs to look at His word and promise from His view. Remember, back in Eden, Adam and Eve sinned and their sin brought the beginning of physical death and if not for the promise of a Savior it would have brought eternal spiritual death. The price for sin was set by God so that the day Adam and Eve disobeyed, the price was death. So God stepped in and His initial promise was for a spiritual Savior.
When God called Abraham He narrowed down the family line through which He would fulfill His promise and He added earthly promises with conditions and earthly promises that pointed to the ultimate spiritual fulfillment. In other words, some promises, such as the land and wealth were conditioned on the faithfulness of the people. But, as we know their history, they were not faithful and so they lost those earthly promises. The earthly promises and their loss, however did not affect God’s heavenly, spiritual promises, because God always keeps His Word. And His spiritual promises had no conditions attached as they were promises of grace and mercy.
Jesus was God, perfect and holy and He had to be God to be perfect and holy. Jesus was born as a human and He had to be a human in order to be able to substitute and trade His life for ours. Jesus lived a perfect life, the perfect life demanded of Adam and Eve and of all Israel, the perfect life that if they had lived would have meant earthly promises being fulfilled. Jesus lived perfectly for us in our place in order to fulfill God’s demand on us. And so we see that Jesus’ birth and life were never intended simply for earthly reasons.
Jesus’ perfect birth, perfect life, perfect suffering, perfect death and perfect resurrection brought forgiveness of sins to us and with forgiveness is life and salvation. What we could not and cannot do, what the whole nation of Israel could not and cannot do, Jesus did, for us, in our place, as our substitute.
Jesus fulfilled God’s promises, all of God’s promises, all the prophecies concerning the Savior and has brought us salvation through forgiveness and continues to pour out on us all His good gifts and blessings, faith, life and salvation. Although there are many in our world today who continue to think of Jesus in terms of being some type of social/political savior or being a physical bread king savior, we know that Jesus is our true spiritual Savior. Jesus lived, suffered, died and rose paying the price for sin, earning salvation for us which He freely gives to us and today He gives us the gifts and blessings He has to give through the means He has given to give to us, His means of grace; Holy Baptism, His Holy Word, Confession and Absolution and His Holy Supper.
As we continue on in this Lenten season we are reminded that Jesus is who He says He is, the One God promised to save us, to earn, pay for and give us forgiveness. Yes, we are reminded of our part in these events, that it was for us and because of our sin that Jesus did what He did, that God promised and fulfilled His Word. And we are reminded of God’s great love for us, so much that He gave His life for us so that we have forgiveness, life and salvation. And so we rejoice and say, to God be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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