I have written a fairly comprehensive
article on this general topic, ‘The
Messiah From An Hebraic Perspective’ – see https://goo.gl/Q7HAkf
As they are not convinced that Yeshua will fill this role, they asked why not King David, who in so many ways would appear to have the qualifications needed to be the ultimate leader of both Israel and the entire earth in the coming age the Olam HaBah (‘World to Come’ or Kingdom of God).
King David was married and had children and so through the challenge of parenthood had gained great maturity and understanding of how to deal with others. Also King David had already had a great deal of experience in leading Israel to the point that many Biblical scholars have argued that the during the reigns of King David and King Solomon was the closest example of what Israel and the world will be like under the reign of the King Messiah (whereas they pointed out that Yeshua had remained single; had a very short life of ministry; was never in a position of significant power and authority; and was still quite young when he was crucified).
As they are not convinced that Yeshua will fill this role, they asked why not King David, who in so many ways would appear to have the qualifications needed to be the ultimate leader of both Israel and the entire earth in the coming age the Olam HaBah (‘World to Come’ or Kingdom of God).
King David was married and had children and so through the challenge of parenthood had gained great maturity and understanding of how to deal with others. Also King David had already had a great deal of experience in leading Israel to the point that many Biblical scholars have argued that the during the reigns of King David and King Solomon was the closest example of what Israel and the world will be like under the reign of the King Messiah (whereas they pointed out that Yeshua had remained single; had a very short life of ministry; was never in a position of significant power and authority; and was still quite young when he was crucified).
So could King David fulfil the role of
King Messiah as the great Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 11 states that the
Messiah will be a son of Jesse (King David’s father).
Well, King David appears to be clearly
excluded in Jeremiah 23:
“ 2
So the Lord God
of Israel has this to say about the leaders who are ruling over his people:
“You have caused my people to be dispersed and driven into exile. You have not
taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil that you have done. I,
the Lord,
affirm it! 3 Then I myself will regather those of my people who are still alive from all the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their homeland. They will greatly increase in number.
4 I will install rulers over them who will care for them. Then they will no longer need to fear or be terrified. None of them will turn up missing. I, the Lord, promise it!
5 “I,
the Lord,
promise that a new time will certainly come when
I will raise up for them a righteous branch, a descendant of David. He
will rule over them with wisdom and understanding and
will do what is just and right in the land.
6 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Israel will live in security. This is the name he will go by: ‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’
7 “So
I, the Lord,
say: ‘A new time will certainly come. People now affirm their oaths with “I
swear as surely as the Lord lives
who delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt.” 6 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Israel will live in security. This is the name he will go by: ‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’
8 But at that time they will affirm them with “I swear as surely as the Lord lives who delivered the descendants of the former nation of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other lands where he had banished them.” At that time they will live in their own land.’” – Jer 23:2-8
As
I have discussed in a number of other articles (see for example, ‘Israel: Return in Belief or Un-Belief’ -
https://goo.gl/iwAvQ4), it seems that this prophecy is
very much speaking about our time since the formation of the State of Israel in
1948.
While the ‘righteous
branch’ has clearly still not arrived to usher in this time of great security
and justice for Israel, much of this prophecy has begun, and for those who take
the time to do an in-depth study of the whole re-creation of the State of Israel
(through books like ‘O Jerusalem' by Larry Collins and Dominque Lapierre; ‘A History of
the Jews’ by Paul Johnson; and ‘Should Israel Exist?: A Sovereign Nation
Under Attack by the International Community’ by Michael Curtis) we can see
how incredibly miraculous this whole event has been so that it is very apt to ‘affirm’
that it is a greater miracle than the parting of the Red Sea and the exile from
Egypt, as verse 7 and 8 prophecy.
Rather than: 7 “… People now affirm their oaths with “I
swear as surely as the Lord lives who delivered the people of Israel
out of Egypt.”
Instead: “… But at that time they
will affirm them with “I swear as surely as the Lord lives who delivered the descendants of the former
nation of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other lands where
he had banished them.” At that time they will live in their own land.’”
In conclusion this question brought me to re-check this great prophecy and to reflect on the great expectancy we should continue to feel as this prophecy continues to work itself out over the coming years.
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