"and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham," - Matthew 1:7b-9a
Without looking, do you know what Judges 21:25 says? I know that may seem like a rather obscure Bible reference, but it is really important! Here's what it says:
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
In other words, God's people needed a king who would lead them in truth, and righteousness, and faithfulness. Saul was the first king and, to put it simply, things didn't work out with him. His abysmal reign set the stage for Israel's most celebrated king, King David. From all accounts, it looked like David fit the bill of this true king. Unfortunately, his sin with Bathsheba showed that this was not actually the case (2 Sam. 11:1-27). But the Lord did make an important promise to him. In 2 Samuel 7, the Lord told him that his throne and kingdom would be eternal (2 Sam. 7:12-17). When we understand this promise within the broader storyline that began at Judges 21:25,* we realize that for the remainder of the storyline to follow, we are awaiting the arrival of the true Davidic King of God's people whose kingdom would be eternal. And 1-2 Kings provides us with a running list of candidates. But sadly, many were evil. And the ones who were "good" still failed to remove the "high places." What were "high places"? They were local shrines where God's people offered sacrifices to idols. The table below shows where the kings mentioned in Matthew 1:7b-9a fall in these groupings:
| Did evil in the eyes of the Lord | Did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Nevertheless, did not remove the high places |
| Abijah (1 Kings 15:1-8) | Asaph (1 Kings 15:9-24) |
| Joram (2 Kings 8:16-24) | Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:2-50) |
| Uzziah (2 Kings 15:1-7) | |
| Jotham (2 Kings 15:32-38) |
Ready for the plot twist? By the time we get to the end of 2 Kings, no candidate has shown himself to be the true king of God's people. In fact, things go from bad to worse. Israel went into exile in 722 B.C. & Judah followed in 587 B.C. Does this mean that God failed to keep His promise to David? Not at all. God ensured that against all odds the true King would come. And Matthew introduces us to Him: "Jesus Christ, the Son of David" (Matt. 1:1).
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*Judges 21:25 helps us to understand clearly that the Serpent Crusher from Gen. 3:15 would also come as king.