Verse 8
"In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of Jehovah before them."
The first verse of the New Testament refers to Jesus as the "Son of David"; and here all the followers of that Greater David shall partake of the likeness, character, and perfection of Jesus Christ.
"As the angel of Jehovah ..." Some have mistakenly believed that this was intended to be a qualification or limitation on the promise of one "as God" in the house of David. Mitchell classified it as a gloss; and Baldwin understood it as "modifying" the phrase "as God"; but Hailey evidently understood the two phrases more perfectly, stating that: "This places the angel of Jehovah on the same level as Jehovah himself."[20] The oneness of the Father and Son is indicated. The thought of applying this passage to anyone other than Christ is preposterous. "Only one member of David's family was God. That one was Jesus Christ."[21] Thus we see in this verse, "An intimation of the grace and endowments bestowed upon every faithful member of the Church of Christ."[22] McFadyen thought that this verse meant that:
"The weakest Jew would prove as strong as David, and the descendants of David like God Himself, inspired with supernatural strength by Jehovah himself."[23]
Of course, it is erroneous to see any promise whatever in this for any racial group. Race means absolutely nothing to God. There is no such thing in this whole dispensation as a divine distinction between Jew and Gentile (Romans 10:12, etc.).
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