We see in the Tanakh (Old Testament) where it is promised that YHVH will raise up a seed after David, which shall be of his bowels, who will build a house for Him. He will be a son to YHVH and His throne will be established for ever.
And it came to pass in that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, Go and say to David my servant, Thus said the Lord, Thou shalt not build me a house for me to dwell in it. For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up Israel until this day, but I have been in a tabernacle and a tent, in all places through which I have gone with all Israel: did I ever speak to any one tribe of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why is it that ye have not built me a house of cedar? And now thus shalt thou say to my servant David, Thus saith the Lord Almighty, I took thee from the sheepfold, from following the flocks, to be a ruler over my people Israel: and I was with thee in all places whither thou wentest, and I destroyed all thine enemies from before thee, and I made for thee a name according to the name of the great ones that are upon the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant him, and he shall dwell by himself, and shall no longer be anxious; and the son of iniquity shall no longer afflict him, as at the beginning, and from the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel. Also I have humbled all thine enemies, and I will increase thee, and the Lord will build thee a house. And it shall come to pass when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me a house, and I will set up his throne for ever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and my mercy will I not withdraw from him, as I withdrew it from them that were before thee. And I will establish him in my house and in his kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be set up for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so spoke Nathan to David.
And king David came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast loved me for ever? And these things were little in thy sight, O God: thou hast also spoken concerning the house of thy servant for a long time to come, and thou hast looked upon me as a man looks upon his fellow, and hast exalted me, O Lord God. What shall David do more toward thee to glorify thee? and thou knowest thy servant. And thou hast wrought all this greatness according to thine heart. O Lord, there is none like thee, and there is no God beside thee, according to all things which we have heard with our ears. Neither is there another nation upon the earth such as thy people Israel, whereas God led him in the way, to redeem a people for himself, to make for himself a great and glorious name, to cast out nations from before thy people, whom thou redeemedst out of Egypt. And thou hast appointed thy people Israel as a people to thyself for ever; and thou, Lord, didst become a God to them. And now, Lord, let the word which thou spokest to thy servant, and concerning his house, be confirmed for ever, and do thou as thou hast spoken. And let thy name be established and magnified for ever, men saying, Lord, Lord, Almighty God of Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O Lord my God, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant that thou wilt build him a house; therefore thy servant has found a willingness to pray before thee. And now, Lord, thou thyself art God, and thou hast spoken these good things concerning thy servant. And now thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, so that it should continue for ever before thee: for thou, Lord, hast blessed it, and do thou bless it for ever. (1Ch 17:3-27 Brenton)
I made a covenant with my chosen ones, I sware unto David my servant. I will establish thy seed for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Pause. (Psa 89:3-4 Brenton)
Then thou spokest in vision to thy children, and saidst, I have laid help on a mighty one; I have exalted one chosen out of my people. I have found David my servant; I have anointed him by my holy mercy. For my hand shall support him; and mine arm shall strengthen him. The enemy shall have no advantage against him; and the son of transgression shall not hurt him again. And I will hew down his foes before him, and put to flight those that hate him. But my truth and my mercy shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be exalted. And I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall call upon me, saying, Thou art my Father, my God, and the helper of my salvation. And I will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth. I will keep my mercy for him for ever, and my covenant shall be firm with him. And I will establish his seed for ever and ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children should forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they should profane my ordinances, and not keep my commandments; I will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their sins with scourges. But my mercy I will not utterly remove from him, nor wrong my truth. Neither will I by any means profane my covenant; and I will not make void the things that proceed out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie to David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me; and as the moon that is established for ever, and as the faithful witness in heaven. Pause. (Psa 89:19-37 Brenton)
A Song of Degrees. Lord, remember David, and all his meekness: how he sware to the Lord, and vowed to the God of Jacob, saying, I will not go into the tabernacle of my house; I will not go up to the couch of my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, nor rest to my temples, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. Behold, we heard of it in Ephratha; we found it in the fields of the wood. Let us enter into his tabernacles: let us worship at the place where his feet stood. Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thine holiness. Thy priests shall clothe themselves with righteousness; and thy saints shall exult. For the sake of thy servant David turn not away the face of thine anointed. The Lord sware in truth to David, and he will not annul it, saying, Of the fruit of thy body will I set a king upon thy throne. If thy children will keep my covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne for ever. For the Lord has elected Sion, he has chosen her for a habitation for himself, saying, This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have chosen it. I will surely bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation; and her saints shall greatly exult. There will I cause to spring up a horn to David: I have prepared a lamp for mine anointed. His enemies will I clothe with a shame; but upon himself shall my holiness flourish. (Psa 132:1-18 Brenton)
“Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.” The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.” (Jer 33:20-26 ESV)
When reading the New Testament it is evident that the anticipated Messiah in Yeshua’s day would be a son of David, and much of the focus in Matthew’s account, in particular, is to demonstrate how Yeshua is that son.
(Mat 1:1 ESV) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah), the son of David, the son of Abraham.
(Mat 1:20 ESV) But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
(Mat 9:27 ESV) And as Jesus (Yeshua) passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
(Mat 12:23 ESV) And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
(Mat 15:22 ESV) And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord (master), Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
(Mat 20:30-31 ESV) And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus (Yeshua) was passing by, they cried out, “Lord (master), have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord (master), have mercy on us, Son of David!”
(Mat 21:9,15 ESV) And the crowds that went before him [Yeshua] and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” … But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,
(Mar 10:47-48 ESV) And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus (Yeshua), Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
(Mar 12:35 ESV) And as Jesus (Yeshua) taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ (Messiah) is the son of David?
(Luk 1:32 ESV) He [Yeshua] will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
(Luk 18:38-39 ESV) And he cried out, “Jesus (Yeshua), Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
I think it is clear that Yeshua was understood to be a “Son of David” when he walked this earth, and I believe those who knew and spoke of him understood him to be so through Joseph.
Matthew starts his gospel account with the lineage of Yeshua coming through Joseph and a messenger of YHVH appeared to Joseph in a dream, referring to him as the son of David and telling him what the child his wife will bear will be named.
(Mat 1:16 YLT) and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was begotten Jesus (Yeshua), who is named Christ (Messiah).
(Mat 1:18-21 YLT) And of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Messiah), the birth was thus: For his mother Mary having been betrothed to Joseph before their coming together, she was found to have conceived from the Holy Spirit, and Joseph her husband being righteous, and not willing to make her an example, did wish privately to send her away. And on his thinking of these things, lo, a messenger of the Lord in a dream appeared to him, saying, `Joseph, son of David, thou mayest not fear to receive Mary thy wife, for that which in her was begotten is of the Holy Spirit, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus (Yeshua), for he shall save his people from their sins.’
Luke records an account where the messenger Gabriel goes to Mary, clearly identifying the man to whom she is betrothed as being of the house of David. Then later he records Joseph and Mary were to travel to the city of David for a census, because Joseph in particular was of the house and family of David.
(Luk 1:26-27 YLT) And in the sixth month was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which is Nazareth, to a virgin, betrothed to a man, whose name [is] Joseph, of the house of David, and the name of the virgin [is] Mary.
(Luk 2:1-5 YLT) And it came to pass in those days, there went forth a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world be enrolled– this enrolment first came to pass when Cyrenius was governor of Syria– and all were going to be enrolled, each to his proper city, and Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, that is called Bethlehem, because of his being of the house and family of David, to enrol himself with Mary his betrothed wife, being with child.
When Yeshua is born, a messenger appears to shepherds in a field and announces the birth of the Messiah. Then when the shepherds go to see the child, they find him with Joseph and Mary. Notice, there is nothing in this passage to indicate that this child was not Joseph’s son.
(Luk 2:8-20 YLT) And there were shepherds in the same region, lodging in the field, and keeping the night-watches over their flock, and lo, a messenger of the Lord stood over them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared a great fear. And the messenger said to them, `Fear not, for lo, I bring you good news of great joy, that shall be to all the people– because there was born to you to-day a Saviour–who is Christ the Lord–in the city of David, and this is to you the sign: Ye shall find a babe wrapped up, lying in the manger.’ And suddenly there came with the messenger a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, `Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace, among men–good will.’ And it came to pass, when the messengers were gone away from them to the heavens, that the men, the shepherds, said unto one another, `We may go over indeed unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that hath come to pass, that the Lord did make known to us.’ And they came, having hasted, and found both Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger, and having seen, they made known abroad concerning the saying spoken to them concerning the child. And all who heard, did wonder concerning the things spoken by the shepherds unto them; and Mary was preserving all these things, pondering in her heart; and the shepherds turned back, glorifying and praising God, for all those things they heard and saw, as it was spoken unto them.
Then when it came time for the baby to be circumcised, Simeon prophesied over the child. Again, notice, there is nothing in this passage to indicate that Joseph was not considered the boy’s father.
(Luk 2:25-35 YLT) And lo, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name is Simeon, and this man is righteous and devout, looking for the comforting of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him, and it hath been divinely told him by the Holy Spirit–not to see death before he may see the Christ of the Lord. And he came in the Spirit to the temple, and in the parents bringing in the child Jesus, for their doing according to the custom of the law regarding him, then he took him in his arms, and blessed God, and he said, `Now Thou dost send away Thy servant, Lord, according to Thy word, in peace, because mine eyes did see Thy salvation, which Thou didst prepare before the face of all the peoples, a light to the uncovering of nations, and the glory of Thy people Israel.’ And Joseph and his mother were wondering at the things spoken concerning him, and Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, `Lo, this one is set for the falling and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against– (and also thine own soul shall a sword pass through) –that the reasonings of many hearts may be revealed.’
When the child was 12 years old, Joseph and Mary go up with him to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. When they leave, Yeshua stayed behind. When they went back to find him, Mary referred to Joseph as Yeshua’s father, and this is the first recorded time Yeshua refers to YHVH as his Father, yet his parents did not understand what he was talking about.
(Luk 2:41-52 YLT) And his parents were going yearly to Jerusalem, at the feast of the passover, and when he became twelve years old, they having gone up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, and having finished the days, in their returning the child Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother did not know, and, having supposed him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey, and were seeking him among the kindred and among the acquaintances, and not having found him, they turned back to Jerusalem seeking him. And it came to pass, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them and questioning them, and all those hearing him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And, having seen him, they were amazed, and his mother said unto him, `Child, why didst thou thus to us? lo, thy father and I, sorrowing, were seeking thee.’ And he said unto them, `Why is it that ye were seeking me? did ye not know that in the things of my Father it behoveth me to be?’ and they did not understand the saying that he spake to them, and he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and he was subject to them, and his mother was keeping all these sayings in her heart, and Jesus was advancing in wisdom, and in stature, and in favour with God and men.
Luke then records the account of the voice coming from heaven declaring Yeshua to be YHVH’s son, followed by a supposed lineage for Joseph, in the line of David through Nathan as opposed to Solomon.
(Luk 3:21-32 YLT) And it came to pass, in all the people being baptised, Jesus also being baptised, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily appearance, as if a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, saying, `Thou art My Son–the Beloved, in thee I did delight.’ And Jesus (Yeshua) himself was beginning to be about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, son of Joseph, [the son] of Eli, [the son] of Matthat, [the son] of Levi, [the son] of Melchi, [the son] of Janna, [the son] of Joseph, [the son] of Mattathias, [the son] of Amos, [the son] of Naum, [the son] of Esli, [the son] of Naggai, [the son] of Maath, [the son] of Mattathias, [the son] of Semei, [the son] of Joseph, [the son] of Juda, [the son] of Joanna, [the son] of Rhesa, [the son] of Zerubbabel, [the son] of Shealtiel, [the son] of Neri, [the son] of Melchi, [the son] of Addi, [the son] of Cosam, [the son] of Elmodam, [the son] of Er, [the son] of Jose, [the son] of Eliezer, [the son] of Jorim, [the son] of Matthat, [the son] of Levi, [the son] of Simeon, [the son] of Juda, [the son] of Joseph, [the son] of Jonan, [the son] of Eliakim, [the son] of Melea, [the son] of Mainan, [the son] of Mattatha, [the son] of Nathan, [the son] of David, [the son] of Jesse, [the son] of Obed, [the son] of Booz, [the son] of Salmon, [the son] of Nahshon,…
When Yeshua spoke in a synagogue of his hometown, folks were amazed at his words and asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” indicating they understood Joseph to be his father.
(Luk 4:16-30 YLT) And he came to Nazareth, where he hath been brought up, and he went in, according to his custom, on the sabbath-day, to the synagogue, and stood up to read; and there was given over to him a roll of Isaiah the prophet, and having unfolded the roll, he found the place where it hath been written: `The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because He did anoint me; To proclaim good news to the poor, Sent me to heal the broken of heart, To proclaim to captives deliverance, And to blind receiving of sight, To send away the bruised with deliverance, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ And having folded the roll, having given it back to the officer, he sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing on him. And he began to say unto them–`To-day hath this writing been fulfilled in your ears;’ and all were bearing testimony to him, and were wondering at the gracious words that are coming forth out of his mouth, and they said, `Is not this the son of Joseph?’ And he said unto them, `Certainly ye will say to me this simile, Physician, heal thyself; as great things as we heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country;’ and he said, `Verily I say to you–No prophet is accepted in his own country; and of a truth I say to you, Many widows were in the days of Elijah, in Israel, when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, when great famine came on all the land, and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but–to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a woman, a widow; and many lepers were in the time of Elisha the prophet, in Israel, and none of them was cleansed, but–Naaman the Syrian.’ And all in the synagogue were filled with wrath, hearing these things, and having risen, they put him forth without the city, and brought him unto the brow of the hill on which their city had been built–to cast him down headlong, and he, having gone through the midst of them, went away.
Philip identifies Yeshua as the son of Joseph when speaking to Nathaniel. And on another occasion there were Jews who recognized Yeshua as being the son of Joseph, and indicated they knew his parents.
(Joh 1:45 ESV) Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus (Yeshua) of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
(Joh 6:41-46 YLT) The Jews, therefore, were murmuring at him, because he said, `I am the bread that came down out of the heaven;’ and they said, `Is not this Jesus (Yeshua), the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we have known? how then saith this one–Out of the heaven I have come down?’ Jesus (Yeshua) answered, therefore, and said to them, `Murmur not one with another; no one is able to come unto me, if the Father who sent me may not draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day; it is having been written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God; every one therefore who heard from the Father, and learned, cometh to me; not that any one hath seen the Father, except he who is from God, he hath seen the Father.
I believe all of these accounts testify to Joseph being the earthly (or biological) father of Yeshua, thereby making Yeshua the Son of David. I understand this flies in the face of those who hold to the Virgin Birth doctrine and believe Yeshua was conceived apart from Joseph, but I challenge those who adhere to that belief to reconsider this matter. If Yeshua is indeed the Son of David, how is that possible without an earthly father given the fact that Genesis 4 establishes procreation through a man knowing a woman?
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DISCLAIMER: We need to seek our heavenly Father for wisdom and understanding. Mankind, myself included, is fallible. Even with the best of intentions, we can lead others astray. While I don’t mind sharing what I have learned and where I’m presently at in my understanding of these matters, I know I have not arrived and my understanding is continually being refined. So, please test everything I share.
