E. W. Bullinger

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September, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index

Things to Come

Fourth. In Matthew 15:22. "And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David! my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon."

The name of David was known far and wide, and it must have been fairly familiar in the regions of Phœnicia. Hence it became a link, and this distressed Canaanite laid hold on it and appealed to Christ by means of it. She recognized the new prophet as a true descendant of David, and as possessed of royal rights; yea more, she appealed to Him as Lord, thereby owning that He had power to deal with the demoniac spirit which was afflicting her daughter.

She confessed that the blessings of God—"the children's bread"—of right belonged to Israel, and that they could only come to her by the merciful grace of "the Son of David." Thus the truth was conserved and the overflow was shared in by this Gentile "dog." Thereby this "woman of Canaan" became, like the centurion, a representative of the "many" that should come from north and south, and east and west, and take their seats in the Kingdom, in a later day, gathered round the person of the "son of David."

Fifth. In 20:30, 31: "Behold, two blind men, sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!" And as they were told to desist they cried the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"

The Son of David could not be deaf to such a persistent request. "And Jesus stood still." We read of an old-world miracle when sun and moon stood still at the bidding of a man; but here the Lord of sun and moon "stood still" at the voice of needy men who, in their blindness, appealed to the son of David. So He called them, questioned them to bring forth a confession of the trouble, and then, of His royal bounty, granted their request. The two blind men are illustrative of Judah and Israel, and the day is coming when both parts of the nation will have opened eyes to look upon and confess Jesus as the "son of David."

Sixth. In 21:9, 15: "And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David!"

It was when the chief priests and scribes heard this cry that they were "sore displeased." And they are sore displeased to this day as they hear the multitudes of Jews and Gentiles singing the song of "Hosanna to the son of David." Let the children sing it! Forbid them not. For if they should hold their peace surely the stones would cry out and echo back the Hosanna of the children's welcome song. We call it the triumphant entry. Well, let it stand, with reservations. The true triumphant entry is in abeyance until He comes again, and when, without reserve, He will be welcomed by the humbled nation with the shout, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna to the son of David!" God speed the glad day!

Seventh. In 22:42: "Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is He? They say unto Him, The son of David." They would not admit that He was the son of God. And yet David calls him Lord: and Christ asks, "How is He then his son?" And no man was able to answer Him a word. And no Jew is able to answer that question to this day. The real difficulty is His humanity, not His divinity. How is He then David's son? And hence it is that to heartily and wholly own Him as the "son of David" is to accept Him as the One possessing saving grace and sovereign power: as having "the Key of David," a key to unlock many bolted doors, the key of divinity and humanity, and who can therefore set before the needy, trusting soul an open door which no man can shut. The test question abides, "What think ye of the Anointed One? Whose son is He?" Blessed is he who can combine true confessions and say, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel, Thou art the Saviour of the world! Hosanna to the son of David!

September, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index  

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