Jesus was born to be the Savior of the world. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke describe the details surrounding his birth. Remarkably, one thousand years before his birth, the Psalms give us clues about who he would be. A careful reading of the Psalms and the New Testament show us that Jesus is both son of David and Son of God.
Many of the Psalms were written by King David, about King David or in honor of King David. These Psalms describe what the king was feeling and thinking, how the king should lead, and how the king should honor the Lord. These Psalms about the king demonstrate that no earthly king is perfect. The only person to ever walk the earth and live a perfect life was Jesus. He is the perfect King.
Notice these six truths about King Jesus that we learn from Psalm 89.
The king comes through the line of David. Psalm 89:3-4 tell us this, and the lineage of Jesus’ earthly ancestors in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 affirm this relationship. Jesus of Nazareth was an earthly descendent of David, on both his mother’s side and his father’s side of the family.
Psalm 89:3-4
3 The LORD said,”I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my servant: 4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.'”
The king is the creator. When you read that sentence, you realize that Psalm 89 must be about someone greater than king David, because he was definitely not alive at the creation of the world. But Jesus was. He is our eternal King and he is creator.
Psalm 89:11-12
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours. The world and everything in it — you founded them.12 North and south — you created them. Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name.
The king reigns with power, righteousness, justice, faithful love and truth. Certainly king David desired to reign as the perfect king, but many times he fell short of perfection. Jesus reigns perfectly with the best blend of attributes you can imagine. He is strong, holy, fair, loving, compassionate and truthful all of the time, all at the same time.
Psalm 89:13-14
13 You have a mighty arm; your hand is powerful; your right hand is lifted high. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you.
The king blesses his people. The best leaders are the ones that truly care about the people who live in their kingdom, who work to create an environment where the people experience God’s blessings. Following Jesus does not promise a life of ease and comfort, but as you follow Jesus, you will experience blessings internal and eternal, no matter what the external may bring.
Psalm 89:15-18
15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; LORD, they walk in the light from your face. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long, and they are exalted by your righteousness. 17 For you are their magnificent strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. 18 Surely our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
The king is the Son of God. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus called God his Father. And the Gospels of Matthew and Luke make it crystal clear that Jesus’ birth was miraculous. He had no earthly father. He was born of a virgin. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Jesus’ mother, Mary, and she became pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Prophecies fulfilled, the Son of God was born.
Psalm 89:26-27
26 He will call to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the rock of my salvation.’ 27 I will also make him my firstborn, greatest of the kings of the earth.
The king’s kingdom never ends and his offspring live forever. Jesus did not come to produce human descendants or establish an earthly kingdom. He came to produce spiritual descendants and to establish a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom truly not-of-this-world. His descendants are from every tribe, tongue and nation, who have lived throughout the centuries across the globe, all of those who have placed their faith in him and surrendered their lives to him. His death and resurrection provided the means of salvation and eternal life for all who trust in him.
Psalm 89:28-29
28 I will always preserve my faithful love for him, and my covenant with him will endure. 29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as heaven lasts.
Psalm 89:36-37
36 His offspring will continue forever, his throne like the sun before me, 37 like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.
Jesus is son of David and Son of God. He is our eternal King.