[God] raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
This week, I will look at five passages in the New Testament outside of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth, which refer to Jesus’ birth. As it happens, I have been looking at Galatians over the past few weeks, and Galatians 4 was in the plan for this week. Galatians 4:4 is one of the most clear references outside of the Gospels of the birth of the Savior. That passage will be our focus on Christmas Day.
Today’s passage is a reference to the Messiah as David’s Son. Throughout the Old Testament promise after promise detail the plan of God to save his people. That which was planned from the foundation of the world and humanly-speaking reached its climax in the reign of David. He was the king – following Saul – who inspired God’s people. He was at the acme of Israel’s kingdom. Everyone looked for a return to the glory days of David’s kingdom.
When the angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ coming birth to Mary, he said, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).
When Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the census ordered by Caesar Augustus, they went “to Bethlehem the town of David, because [Joseph] belonged to the house and line of David” (Luke 2:4-7).
Jesus is also David’s Lord, as Jesus – later in his ministry – proved: “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ‘What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ ‘The son of David,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him “Lord”? For he says, “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’” If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?’ No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:41-46).
David was a man after God’s heart. But great as he was, David had great failures. It would be his progeny, Jesus of Nazareth, who would fulfill all that God promised, and all that David should have been.
Today we recognize Jesus not only as David’s Son, but also as his Lord. He is our Lord, too, the very Son of God. In fact if Jesus isn’t God he should be dismissed out of hand. But he is God in the flesh – a mystery of profound grace and truth. We worship the man Jesus who is God. We worship the Son of God, Jesus who took on human flesh for us. He is both David’s Son and David’s Lord, and our Savior from sin, death, and hell.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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