Finally, we come to that part of the genealogy that finds its focus in the king, the one who held the scepter that would be left to Jesus (Genesis 49:10), the Christ, or Messiah. We have come to Israel’s greatest king, he to whom all other kings would be compared, King David, the son of Jesse and the descendant of Abraham (Matthew 1:1, 6). The genealogical list has already come through several surprising twists, illicit events and contradictions, but here we are, finally, at the reign of David, the greatest king of Israel.
Surely, we shall now come to the climax of the genealogy. Surely, Israel’s golden age has come, and all other ages will pale in brightness. Surely, the king, David, will fulfill the promises the Lord had given to Abraham: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great; you shall be a blessing. I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you. In you will all the families of the earth be blessed!” (Genesis 12:2-3).
Well, Israel had been blessed by God, and had, indeed, become a nation, and under David, Israel became a great national power in the Middle East. However, during his reign the blessings God had promised to Abraham were not fully realized. At no time during David’s reign or afterward could one conclude that all nations or “all the families of the earth” were blessed because of David or the Jews. In fact, during much of David’s reign he was a war with his neighboring nations.
Not only so, but David even betrayed one of his most faithful servants, Uriah, the Hittite, by staying behind instead of leading his men in battle. When he did, he lusted after Uriah’s wife, whom he saw bathing on the roof of her home, which was visible only to wall of David’s fortress in Jerusalem. David sent for her and seduced her, but when she found she was pregnant, David tried to hide his adulterous affair by sending for Uriah at the battleground under the guise of reporting to him concerning the success of the war. When Uriah refused to accept marital pleasures, while his comrades were risking their lives, David saw that his plan had failed. Therefore, he gave a note to Uriah to take to David’s general, Joab, who had Uriah killed in battle. Thus, David thought to hide his adultery and betrayal of his loyal servant.
However, David’s deed wasn’t hidden from the Lord. David’s son died, and he was almost rejected, as Saul was before him. But, David repented and the Lord forgave him. Nevertheless, David’s son, Solomon, who eventually inherited the throne, was born from David’s adulterous relationship with the wife of Uriah, a Canaanite, whom David murdered through his command to Joab.
Some scholars point out that Matthew doesn’t even name Uriah’s wife in Abraham’s genealogy in Matthew 1:6, believing that he didn’t approve of her. However, what was her name? Most folks would say her name is Bathsheba. Nevertheless, this only means daughter of seven or daughter of an oath, was Bathsheba her name or is it simply a euphemism meant to hide David’s indiscretion? I believe the latter is so. Why? In Genesis 38:1 we are told that Judah left his brothers to live with the Canaanites, and in verse-2 we are told: “Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua” and he took her for his wife. In Israel’s genealogy Judah’s wife is called Bathshua in some translations (1Chronicles 2:3; NET and other modern translations), while the KJV refers to her as “the daughter of Shua. This implies the text may be hiding Judah’s indiscretion of leaving his brothers to live with the Canaanites and marrying a Canaanite woman. If this is logical and true, then Bathsheba is the daughter of seven/oath, and probably a Hittite woman, a Canaanite, like the wife of Judah.
What is Matthew saying? Well, most folks catch the idea that the royal line continues from David’s adulterous and murderous affair, usually blaming the woman for enticing David. However, this isn’t quite true. It is David, not the woman, who is to blame for adultery and murder. After all, what does one say to the king who demands your presence and cooperation? Moreover, Matthew also seems to be uncovering something that is usually hidden or overlooked. Judah’s genealogy begins with children of a Canaanite woman (cp. Genesis 24:3; 28:6) and comes to David. If Judah’s indiscretion wasn’t bad enough, David repeats that rebellious deed through his adulterous affair with Uriah’s wife and, after murdering Uriah and marrying his wife, David promised her that her son, Solomon, would succeed him as king. Thus, four gentile women find their way into the genealogy of Abraham which eventually leads to Jesus, the Christ, who now must redeem it all, and, like Moses, lead his people into the Kingdom of God!
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