The Old Testament reading for this morning from the Treasury of Daily Prayer spoke of Samuel going to Jesse to anoint one of his sons as king over Israel (1 Samuel 16). Jesse brings seven of his sons before Samuel, but none of them is the one whom God had selected. It was the youngest, David, who was anointed king. Okay. So far, so good. But what I had never thought about before this morning, as I was reading these words, is that David was the eighth son of Jesse.
Why does that matter? Well, because the number 8 is significant in the Scriptures and in theology. The 8th day is the new day of eternity, ushered in with Jesus' resurrection. Little boys in Israel were circumcised on the 8th day. 8 people were saved for a new day in Noah's ark. So David is the eighth son of Jesse, and under David's kingship, Israel enjoyed the height of prosperity and peace. But even more, one of his descendants (Jesus) would be the one to usher in the new day of perfection, peace, and prosperity for all people through His death and resurrection.
So David . . . the eighth son . . . a coincidence? I don't think so.
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