Foretelling of a King

Christmas is coming, so our focus will be on Jesus, which is totally different from other weeks! (/sarcasm) Anyway, this week we'll be looking at the foretelling of Jesus' birth in the Old Testament, and how that was perceived by the Israelites.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." - Genesis 3:15

Here, just after Adam and Eve sinned and ushered evil into the world, God is already giving them hope. Eve's offspring will be wounded by evil (on the cross) but would ultimately crush its head (resurrection and salvation).

Judah will hold the royal scepter,
And his descendants will always rule.
Nations will bring him tribute
And bow in obedience before him. (Genesis 49:10)

His descendants will always rule? Who on Earth is on the throne from the tribe of Judah? Some places want to claim Queen Elizabeth might hold that claim, but honestly, this is at most a vague connection and at worst, completely missing the point!

The Lord says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)

The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David’s descendants. (Isaiah 11:1)

The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. (Jeremiah 23:5)

You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end. (2 Samuel 7:16)

I understand that you probably understand who God was speaking of at this point. The King of Judah was Jesus, and He'll rule on the throne forever.

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”

You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. - Deuteronomy 18:15-22

Jesus referred to these words God spoke to Moses when he stated:

"For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me." - John 5:46

Everything Jesus stated came to pass, but there was even more proof that He was the King and prophet to rule the world.

But the LORD will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

A child is born to us!
A son is given to us!
And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
“Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Check, check ,and check. These aren't the only signs of His coming that were foretold in the Old Testament.

“What I saw in my vision
hasn’t happened yet.
But some day, a king of Israel
will appear like a star. (Numbers 24:17)

Magi were men who studied the stars, interpreting omens, dreams, and signs. Who they were exactly have been debated apparently forever, but they were scattered throughout the country and were occasionally referred to as wise men.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”... After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. - Matthew 2:2-12

The King of Israel would be foretold and found by a star, and who better to notice that star sign than the Magi!

Honestly, we could go on for a while finding all the signs that Jesus would be born and destined to be King of Israel. The only problem is - the Israelites thought they would notice Him and make Him a King on Earth.

Next week, we'll find out how that worked out in the Fulfilling of a King.