Over the past three weeks, we have followed David’s remarkable journey. We saw his anointing, his victory over Goliath, and his devastating fall followed by repentance and restoration.

We met a shepherd who became a warrior and a warrior who became a king. We also discovered that even a man described as being after God’s heart desperately needed God’s mercy.

Today, we conclude by looking beyond David to the King his story anticipates: Jesus Christ.

Matthew begins his Gospel with a genealogy. We may be tempted to hurry through the names, but Matthew is establishing something essential: Jesus belongs to the story God has been telling all along.

The opening verse identifies Jesus as the Messiah, the son of David, and the son of Abraham. Before Matthew describes a miracle or records a sermon, he announces the identity of the King.