1. Faithful in Disgrace (David's sin with Bathsheba)
2. Faithful in Division (Rehoboam's folly)
3. Faithful in Defection (Athaliah)
4. Faithful in Deportation (Jehoiachin)

A few weeks ago, I preached a message on Psalm 100. A Psalm, which calls us to worship the LORD with joy and thanksgiving. We are to come in worship to the LORD with joy because he is God, the creator of all things, the shepherd of those who believe. We are to come in worship the LORD with thanksgiving, because he is good. The very last verse of the Psalm says it this way: "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations" (Psalm 100:5).

This advent season, we are focusing upon this last phrase, “his faithfulness to all generations.” This is who God is. He is “faithful to all generations.” We see this clearly in the genealogy of Jesus, which precedes the Christmas story in Matthew, chapter 1.

In the very first verse of the book, Matthew tells us where he is going. He says, 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Last week, we looked at the genealogy of Abraham, not so much by looking at each name and examining who they were and what they did, as much as we considered the promises that God made to Abraham, and how the LORD was faithful to the generations after Abraham to fulfill the promises he made to Abraham.

And if you remember, in Genesis 12:1-3, we have the core promise that the LORD made to Abraham.

Genesis 12:1-3
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

There are essentially three promises. First, “I’ll show you a land,” which God would later give to Abraham’s descendants. Second, “I’ll make you a great nation,” which means lots of descendants. Third, “I’ll bless you.” The blessing would be so great that it would come to all of the nations of the earth. Last week, we considered how faithful God was to Abraham and the promise the made to him. First of all God was

1. Faithful in Barrenness (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel)

God had promised to make him a great nation, with as many descendants as the stars of the heaven, and as many as the sand by the seashore! But there was a problem: Sarah was barren. So also Rebekah. So also Rachel. But that didn’t stop the faithfulness of God. He gave them children. And the descendants of Abraham continued to multiply. Second, God was

2. Faithful in Brokenness (Judah and Tamar)

If you remember the story of Judah and Tamar, it’s a story of broken people, filled with sin and broken promises. Yet, God was faithful to Abraham, in continuing his seed through Judah. Third, God was

3. Faithful in Betrayal (Joseph)

Jacob loved Joseph, the son of the wife he loved. But Joseph’s brothers hated him. They betrayed him and sold him into slavery. By God’s providence, Joseph arose to power in Egypt and became the means through with Abraham’s descendants would be saved. What his brother meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20). Fourth, God was

4. Faithful in Bondage (Israel in Egypt)

It was during the days of slavery that God was especially faithful to the people of Israel, multiplying them greatly! They eventually came to number in the millions! Fifth, God was

5. Faithful in Bitterness (Naomi & Ruth)

This point has reference to the story of Naomi and Ruth. They both faced a hard and bitter life. So much so, that Naomi wanted to be called, “Mara,” which means “Bitter.” Yet, the LORD was faithful to provide Boaz, the kinsman, who would redeem them, so as to provide for them and give them new life in Bethlehem, continuing on God’s faithfulness to Abraham.

Well, this morning, we are going to be looking at God’s faithfulness to David. The title of my message this morning is, “Faithful to David.”

I want to do as I did last week. I want to start with the promise made to David. and then, we will come back to the genealogy in Matthew 1, and see the faithfulness of God in the genealogy.

God’s promise to David is made in 2 Samuel 7, chapter 7. This chapter takes place after David has arisen as King of Israel and Judah. He has brought the ark to Jerusalem. And now, he has the idea of building a temple. I pick up my reading at the beginning of this chapter.

2 Samuel 7:1-3
Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

David wanted to build a temple. Nathan, the prophet, said, “Sound’s good! Go for it.” But the LORD had a different idea.

2 Samuel 7:4-7
But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

In other words, “Yes, David, I dwell in a tent. But that’s fine with me at this time. I have never asked anything else of the people of Israel.” Then, the LORD continued to speak with Nathan:

2 Samuel 7:8-13
Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Right there is the crux of God’s promise to David. David wanted to build a house for the LORD. But God will build a house for David. When God said that he would build a “house,” he meant offspring and a kingdom! Speaking of David’s son, God says, "He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." The LORD continues,

2 Samuel 7:14-17
I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

This is the Messianic promise that was made to David: "your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” The line of David would endure forever! The throne of David would endure forever! This will be the focus of our message this morning, because this is the point of his genealogy. The house of David would endure.

Now, when we looked at the promise to Abraham, our focus was upon his many descendants. But our focus this morning is upon the continuation of the Davidic throne and kingdom!

So, let’s read the genealogy from Matthew, beginning in the second half of verse 6.

Matthew 1:6b-11
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, 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, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

The genealogy shows us that God is faithful to David, 

1. Faithful in Disgrace (David's sin with Bathsheba)

Disgrace was the end of David's sin with Bathsheba and his cover up. Here in the genealogy, David’s sin is staring us all in the face. Did you see it?

Matthew 1:6b
6 And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

That is, "David was the father of Solomon by [Bathsheba]." But the genealogy doesn’t mention Bathsheba’s name. It identifies her as “the wife of Uriah,” thereby bringing David’s sin into the forefront. I trust that you know the story. It’s told in 2 Samuel, chapter 11, just a few chapters after the great promises made to David in chapter 7, after David’s military victories in chapters 8 and 10.

2 Samuel 11:1
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

The author includes this verse, I believe, to show where David began to mess up. Rather than continuing on in what made him successful, in going out and leading the victory, David stayed home, away from accountability, ripe for temptation. The story continues in verse 2,

2 Samuel 11:2-5
It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

At this point, David has sinned several times. He sinned against the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:17) by coveting another man’s wife. He sinned by abusing his kingly power. He used his power to send for her, rather than turning away from what he saw. He sinned against the seventh commandment (Exodus 20:14) in committing adultery. He sinned in disregarding her ceremonial purity. The text says in verse 4 that she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness. This has a reference to devotion to the LORD, to be clean, so that she could come into worship. But David didn’t concern himself with any of that.

When David heard that Bathsheba was pregnant, he launched into his deception in trying to cover up his sin. First of all, by bringing Bathsheba’s husband back from the front line, hoping that he would go home, and provide an explanation for Bathsheba’s pregnancy. But he was too honorable a man to go home while his fellow soldiers were fighting. Then, David again launched into his deceptive ways. He sent a note to Joab, the commander of the army, to have Uriah set in the front of the battlefront, then to withdraw, so that he would be struck down and die (2 Samuel 11:15). Essentially, seeking to cover up his adultery with murder!

As the story unfolds, Uriah indeed fell on the battlefield. David, then, married Bathsheba, claiming the child as his own. Of course, I think it was obvious for many to see that the facts didn’t line up with the timing of the pregnancy and child that came. It was a year later that, David finally confessed his sin. What a mess! What a disgrace!

Our point this morning is that the LORD was still faithful to his promise to David. When David confessed his sin to Nathan, Nathan said, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Samuel 12:13). In other words, your dynasty will carry on! even through David’s sin and deception. We see this in Matthew’s genealogy, where David’s line will continue through Solomon, who was born “by the wife of Uriah” (Matthew 1:6).

With this, there is great hope for us, Just as God was faithful to David despite his sin, so also will God be faithful to us, despite our sin as well. "The LORD is faithful to all generations. including ours" (Psalm 100:5). This is why Jesus came! He came to die on the cross, so that we might receive forgiveness of sins. so that we might be reconciled to God! so that we might not die, but live with him forever.

Let’s continue on to see God’s faithfulness to David. God was faithful to David, even in deception, which led to disgrace. Second, we see God being 

2. Faithful in Division (Rehoboam's folly)

I’m thinking here about the events surrounding the dividing of Israel. I’m thinking of that because of the next name in Matthew’s genealogy.

Matthew 1:7
and Solomon the father of Rehoboam

Rehoboam is the king who brought about the division of Israel. The story is told in 1 Kings, chapter 12, when Rehoboam takes over the kingdom from his father, Solomon. There was a decision for Rehoboam to make at the beginning of his reign. What type of reign would Rehoboam have? Would he continue in the ways of his father, Solomon, who drove the people of the kingdom pretty hard? Or, would he lighten up a bit.

Solomon placed a heavy yoke upon the people. Solomon’s projects required heavy taxation from the people to fund them all. He built the temple (1 Kings 6). He build his palace (1 Kings 7). He fortified the cities (1 Kings 9:15, 17-19) (Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer). In order to accomplish this, he drafted people into forced labor, some 30,000 of them were sent to Lebanon in shifts to accomplish his work (1 Kings 5:13). Many more were employed in his work. Over 150,000 were needed to accomplish his projects (1 Kings 5:15-16), all funded by the taxes of the people.

When Rehoboam became king, the northern tribes came to Rehoboam and said to him,

1 Kings 12:4
Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.

As the story continues, Rehoboam asked for three days to make the decision. The old men said to him,

1 Kings 12:7-11
“If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” The young men (who had grown up with Rehoboam) told him to answer the people harshly, saying, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

Rehoboam followed the counsel of his peers, not the counsel of the older, wiser men. And the kingdom was split in two. Ten tribes followed Jeroboam in the north, the northern kingdom came to be known as “Israel.” Two tribes (the tribe of Judah and Bejamin) followed Rehoboam in the south (1 Kings 12:21), the southern kingdom came to be known as “Judah,” as the tribe of Benjamin was quite small and insignificant. The kingdom remained divided until the day when Sennacherib came and wiped out the northern kingdom of Israel in 722BC. But the promise to David remained intact, as his promise was to David’s house, was through the tribe of Judah, which continued on, as Matthew’s genealogy shows.

By way of application for us all this morning, we know that division isn’t good. It's in contrast to unity, which is so pleasant, "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133:1). It wasn’t good for Israel to divide into two nations.

Divisions are the reality of this life. Churches split. Families crumble. Marriages divorce. None of these things are good. But none of these things nullify the faithfulness of God. God is faithful to build his church, even when churches split. God is faithful to restore when is broken, even when families fall apart. God is faithful to heal the hurt, even when marriages fail. God is faithful to us in Christ, that despite the divisions that we experience, Jesus is there to heal the wounds. By his wounds, we are healed.

OK, let’s move on. We have seen God being "Faithful in Disgrace" (with David's sin with Bathsheba), and "Faithful in Division" (with Rehoboam's folly). Thirdly, the genealogy of Matthew shows how God is

3. Faithful in Defection (Athaliah)

I’m thinking here, particularly of the story of Athaliah. I’m not sure if you know the story or not, but it’s a great story of the faithfulness of God to preserve the line of David. It’s told in 2 Kings, chapter 11.

Judah was going through some treacherous times. Jehoram was the king of Judah, but he married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, two of the most wicked characters in all of the Bible. Judah, as a result, was influenced by their wicked behavior (2 Kings 8:27). When Jehoram died, Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his place. He died a violent death at the hand of Jehu (2 Kings 9:27-29). When he died, Athaliah, his mother, saw her opportunity to become queen.

2 Kings 11:1
Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family.

Wiping out the royal family means that there is no longer any descendant that can be king! The kingdom would default to her! We see this often in the northern kingdom of Israel. Kings are killed, and then, all of their children are killed, thus, killing off the dynasty, so that no other relative could rise in his place.

This happened 8 times in Israel, when a king was killed, all of the royal line as killed as well. This was done at the orders of the incoming king! So that there would be no threat in the kingdom.

That’s what Athaliah did. She had all of children and grandchildren killed, so that she could become queen of Judah. What heartlessness did she have! but such was the wickedness of the rulers in Judah at the time. But God was faithful, in that Athaliah didn’t quite succeed in killing off all of the royal family. A baby was hidden.

2 Kings 11:2-3
But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death. And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

The chapter goes on to tell of how Jehoida the priest, when Joash was seven years old, arranged for Joash to be revealed as the rightful king. He came and made a covenant with those guarding the temple,

2 Kings 11:5-8, 12
“This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, those who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king's house (another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace. And the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the Lord on behalf of the king, shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in.” ... Then he brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

When Athaliah heard it and realized what was going on, she tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” (2 Kings 11:14). But then she was put to death, and Joash became king, one again establishing the line of David over the kingdom of Judah, in God’s faithfulness to his promise to David, "I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever," even when an evil queen tries to wipe out all of the royal family, and destroy the dynasty of David!" (2 Samuel 7:13). But that would never be. For God had promised to David: "your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). God’s purposes will always stand, even when others are trying to destroy it.

We see this in Matthew's genealogy. From David to the time of the deportation to Babylon, there was a single dynasty.

Matthew 1:6b-11
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, 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, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

The list of these people may seem to simply be names. However, they testify to the faithfulness of God, particularly to David. God's plans for David's offspring will not be thwarted. This is how Matthew begins his gospel, bringing us to the time of the kingdom.

Regarding his church, Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:16). Let us comfort ourselves that God’s purposes will not be thwarted in any way. even the very gates of hell cannot withstand the ultimate victory of the world through Jesus. God has said,

Isaiah 46:9-10
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Nothing can deter him from his plan. Paul said, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32). In Christ Jesus, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).

OK, Let’s move on to my last point this morning:

We have seen God being (1) Faithful in Disgrace (with David's sin with Bathsheba); (2) Faithful in Division (with Rehoboam's folly); and (3) Faithful in Defection (with Athaliah’s rebellion). Now, we see God being 

4. Faithful in Deportation (Jehoiachin)

I’m thinking here about Jechoniah. We see the deportation mentioned in verse 11 of our text.

Matthew 1:11
and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

Another name for Jeconiah was Jehoiachin, who was the last king in Judah before Babylon came and exiled the nation. When a nation conquers another nation, they do what Athaliah tried to do. They destroy the leaders. They wipe out the royal line, to dishearten the people. to help protect themselves against a rebellious uprising.

Yet, Jehoichin (Jechoniah) was kept alive, for 37 years in captivity. Then, Evil-merodach, the king of Babylon showed mercy to him.

2 Kings 25:27-30
And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.

This is God’s blessing to the line of David, even while the former king, Jehoichin, was imprisoned and in exile, he wasn’t eliminated. God was faithful, allowing him to be blessed by the king, and given a regular allowance. This act of kindness enabled kingly line of Judah to continue, in accordance with the promise made to David: "your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16).

The line of David would endure forever! The throne of David would endure forever! Not even a nation taken in exile could stop the promises of God. God kept Jehoiachin alive there in the prison in Babylon, so that he could be restore.

And Jechoiachin (Jechoniah) had children! We will look at these verses next week:

Matthew 1:12-13a
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, ...

Jechoniah was the father of children, from which continued the kingly line of David. Not even an exile can stop the promises of God.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. An exile might separate a king from his land. But even in a Babylonian prison, the faithfulness of God still shines through. God is faithful to all generations. We see this in Matthew's genealogy leading up to Christmas, when Jesus would be born as our Savior.

Matthew 1:21
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

This is Jesus, the Savior, who is the king who rules and reigns.

Let us trust in God to be faithful to all generations. Let us trust in God to be faithful to our generation.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on December 7, 2025 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.