David's Promised (Patrilineal) Line Was Not Terminated!

David's Promised (Patrilineal) Line Was Not Terminated!
by Shmuel Playfair
[edited for easier reading]

Reportedly, the kings of Judah did such evil that God cursed the line of Jeconiah in Jer 22:24-30, stating that no person of the seed of Jeconiah will ever sit upon the throne of David, or rule any more in Judah. Many Christians claim that since Jeconiah was cursed, the promised Messiah could not come from this male seed which was cursed. They reason that this curse is why their triune god had to provide the male seed for the virgin conception of Yeshua. But, the curse against Jeconiah's male line was revoked. As Jeremiah clearly stated one could always reform his ways and actions and obey the voice of God. Then God would relent concerning the disaster that He had pronounced against one. [cf. Jeremiah 26.12-19]

How do we know that God relented concerning the curse He pronounced against Jeconiah ben Jehoiakim? In Haggai we read the following regarding Jeconiah's grandson, "I (YHVH) will take you, Zerubabbel son of Shealtiel, My servant", declares YHVH, "and I will make you like the signet ring for I have chosen you" declares YHVH of Armies. [2.23] The revocation of the curse by pulling off Jeconiah as "a signet ring on My right hand" is seen in making Jeconiah's grandson, Zerubabbel, His "signet ring". The fact that YHVH *did* choose Zerubabbel as His "servant" and that Yeshua did come through Jeconiah's seed through Zerubabbel (according to Matthew's genealogy) is further proof that God later cancelled the curse against Jeconiah's offspring.

While the other "Jesus" did not come from the seed of Zerubbabel, the original Yeshua did come from his seed "according to the flesh". [cf Rom. 1.3; Matt. 1.12-13] The imaginary god-man had a virgin birth like that of Hercules and other such pagan god-men; the original man of God had a miraculous Jewish birth like that of Isaac, Samuel, and John.

veteran said:

Jeconiah's seed never did reign on the throne of David at anytime later.

Jer 22:24-30
24 As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;
25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26 And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.
27 But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return.
28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?
29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
30 Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.
(KJV)

The throne of David in Jerusalem ended with king Zedekiah who's sons were killed by the king of Babylon, and with Zedekiah himself having died in Babylon. Thus the throne of David in Jerusalem ended with Zedekiah. Zerubbabel did not assume the throne after the Babylon captivity. Zerubbabel's real father was Pedaiah...

1 Chron 3:19
19 And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister
KJV




JEHOIACHIN
Jehoiachin wore prison garments for 36 years, until at the death of Nebuchadnezzar EVIL-MERODACH (which see), having been for a time sharer of his imprisonment (Jer 52:31-34), "in the 12 th month, the 25 th day of the month (in 2 Kings 25:27 'the 27 th,' the day when the decree for his elevation, given on the 25 th, was carried into effect) lifted up the head of Jehoiachin (compare Gen 40:13-20; Ps 3:3; 27:6), and brought him forth out of prison, and spoke kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, and changed his prison garments (for royal robes; compare Zech 3:1-5; Luke 15:22), and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life (compare 2 Sam 9:13); and there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day its portion (compare margin 1 Kings 8:59) until the day of his death." God, in sparing and at last elevating him, rewarded his having surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, which was God's will (Jer 38:17; 27:6-12; compare 2 Kings 24:12). In the fourth year of his uncle Zedekiah (so called by Nebuchadnezzar instead of Mattaniah), false prophets (see HANANIAH) encouraged the popular hope of the return of Jehoiachin to Jerusalem (Jer 28:4). But God's oath made this impossible: "as I live, though Coniah were the signet (ring seal, Song 8:6; Hag 2:23) upon My right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence." "Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? (he was idolized by the Jews). Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure?" Jeremiah hereby expresses their astonishment that one from whom they expected so much should be now so utterly cast aside. Contrast the believer, 2 Tim 2:21; compare as to Israel Hos 8:8, to which Rom 9:20-23 gives the answer.

Jeremiah (Jer 22:28) mentions distinctly "his seed," therefore "childless" in Jer 22:30 means having no direct lineal heir to the throne. One of his sons was Zedekiah (Zidkijah), distinct in name and fact from Zedekiah (Zidkijahu), Jeconiah's uncle, whose succession after Jehoiachin would never cause him to be called "his son" (1 Chron 3:16). This Zedekiah is mentioned separately from the other sons of Jehoiachin, Assir and Salathiel, because probably he was not led to Babylon as the other sons, but died in Judea (Keil). In Luke 3:27 Shealtiel (Salathiel) is son of Neri of the lineage of David's son Nathan, not Solomon. Probably Assir left a daughter, who, according to the law of heiresses (Num. 37:8; 36:8-9), married a man of a family of her paternal tribe, namely, Neri descended from Nathan. Shealtiel is called Assir's "son" (1 Chron 3:17), i.e. grandson. So "Jechonias (it is said Matt 1:12) begat Salathiel," i.e. was his forefather. (See JECAMIAH) Assir, as often occurs in GENEALOGIES (which see), is skipped in Matthew.

A party of the captives at Babylon also, through the false prophets, expected restoration with Jehoiachin and Nebuchadnezzar's overthrow. This accounts for the Babylonian king inflicting so terrible a punishment (compare Dan 3), roasting to death Ahab (Jer 29:4-9,21-23,27-32). Ezekiel dates his prophecies by Jehoiachin's captivity, the latest date being the 27 th year (Ezek 1:2; 29:17; 40:1). The Apocrypha (Baruch 1:3, and the History of Susanna) relates dubious stories. about Jehoiachin. Kish, Mordecai's ancestor, was carried away with Jehoiachin (Est 2:6).
(from Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database Copyright ©1998 by Biblesoft)

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Does it matter if Jeconiah's descendants ever reigned? The Jewish people never truly regained their independence after the Babylonian exile, so Zerubabbel was only a governor. How does this negate the fact that Jeconiah's seed regained God's favour? And if they did, the Messiah could surely come through this line. The Messiah cannot come through the lineage given in Luke. He must come through David's son, Solomon:


2 Samuel 7:
12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’”

Notice there were no conditions attached to this promise other than "if he fails I will correct him". Other passages you may want to look at: Psalm 89:28-38, 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, 22:9-10, 28:6-7

So, according to the Greek manuscripts, Matthew makes a great effort to prove Jesus' lineage through David and Solomon - and then he fails to prove that Jesus is from that line because he didn't have a natural descent, which was required for tribal membership as under Jewish law certain family and tribal affiliations must be through the birth father and cannot be claimed by adoption: Numbers 1:18-44, 34:14; Leviticus 24:10.

Don't forget that in the first century after the movement was born they didn't have all the NT writings. According to the Greek church fathers Matthew was written in the language of the Hebrews (either Hebrew or Aramaic, but most likely Hebrew because of the extensive use of Hebrew idioms) and might have been the first gospel. It was translated into Greek by great difficulties, perhaps by using Mark as a template.

So those early Jewish believers picked up Matthew just to see that according to the genealogy in it Jesus did not qualify as the Messiah. Huh!

So there are three options:

1. The Greek reading is correct and Jesus is not the Messiah - but you can have the virgin born god-man, no problem;
2. The Syrian version is the more ancient reading - which I vote for - and Jesus is the Messiah, chosen and empowered by God Almighty.
3. The birth narratives are late additions, and they were not in the original Matthew - certainly, the Gospel of the Hebrews used by the Ebionites lacked it.