BREAKFAST BIBLE STUDY

A Royal Line Unbroken?

2 Samuel 7: 16 (NIV)

3/29/26

“Christian nationalism is just fascism cloaked in religious garb.”

– Grace Pecker

My plan, since it is Easter time again, is to find one passage in the Old Testament that Christian and Grace will believe prophesies Jesus. If I can find just one, maybe then I can convince them to start coming to church with me. I’ve attended church a few times since Trump became president again. Pastor Komen prays for people in government to do a good job, but he does not say God chose Trump. Grace and Christian avoid church because they think all preachers call Trump the Chosen One.

Last week, Pastor Komen found a good passage in his sermon that I can use for my breakfast Bible study with Christian and Grace. It not only proves that Jesus was prophesied but also proves that God only picks leaders from the line of David, which Trump is not from.

It goes: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” See, Jesus came from David’s line, which both Matthew and Luke talk about in their genealogies. Even better, Jesus became King of Kings forever and ever when he rose from the dead, Amen, which proves both of my points.

“How is that prophecy in any way true?” Christian asked when I pushed the highlighted page next to his plate.

“It says Jesus will be King of Kings forever.”

“Does it call Jesus out by name?” Christian asked.

“Your brother’s grumpy this morning,” Grace said. “His back is bothering him. Go easy on him, Cole.”

“It doesn’t call Jesus out by name,” I said, “but the genealogies point right to Jesus being the one that Samuel means when he said David’s house will endure forever.”

“So, Jesus is a throne and house?” Christian said.

“It’s a metaphor,” I said. “Jesus reigns in Heaven.”

“Why didn’t Samuel say that?” Christian asked.

“It’s implied.”

“Good word,” Grace said.

“Implied by Christians,” Christian said, “not by Jews. Christians accepted a spiritual messiah, who they hoped would one day return.”

“He did, and he will,” I said.

“The Jews look to their sacred texts and expect an earthly messiah,” Christian said, “who will rule the nations and bring peace. That hasn’t happened.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

“But all the prophecies are about Jesus,” I said.

“Okay,” Christian said. “Isaiah prophesied that the wolf and the lamb shall dwell together. Same with the leopard and goat. And the lion will eat straw. Those are metaphors for peace.”

“Yep,” I said. “That’s what Jesus did.”

“There hasn’t been that sort of peace. Right now, we could be entering a third world war, thanks to the bumbling antics of the Trump administration,” Christian said.

“When Jesus comes back a final time we’ll have peace,” I said.

“Okay, you’re renegotiating,” Christian said, “which is what people of faith have to do because…well, harsh reality generally conflicts with dogmatic belief.”

“Then I don’t get it,” I said. “Jesus had two genealogies going back to David. David had grandchildren going all the way up to Jesus. Jesus became King of Kings forever.”

“Grace?” Christian said.

When she sat down, Grace offered Christian an ice pack for his back. “You know that show I like to watch about genealogies?”

“Where they look at Civil War documents and census records and junk like that to find people’s family history?” I asked.

“Exactly,” Grace said. “Do you think Matthew and Luke had records like that to trace Jesus’ ancestry a thousand years back to David?”

“God inspired them,” I said.

“That’s a belief rooted in faith, which is fine,” Grace said. “What we do know is that the House of David lasted for several generations and then finally collapsed.”

“It did?”

“It’s in the Bible. Israel was under constant threat from external and internal forces,” Grace said. “The scribes who wrote the earliest iterations of Samuel likely thought the House of David would last forever, but it did not. Israel went into captivity. The Bible attests to the fact that David’s line was broken. We know little from the Old Testament about what happened to David’s line after Babylonian captivity.” 

“But we have the New Testament,” I said.

“That’s true,” Grace said. “And inspiration, or some might argue imagination, is the only way Matthew and Luke could have created their genealogies.”

“They might not have had Ancestry.com,” I said, “but didn’t they have records?”

“Not for common folk,” Christian said. “Royalty, yes. But David’s line is broken well before Jesus comes onto the scene. Matthew and Luke were filling in gaps. John and Mark have nothing to say about genealogy. John simply calls Jesus the Word.”   

“Jesus could have been an ancestor of David…on his mom’s side,” I said.

“Yes, he could have,” Christian said. “We all have ancestors going back tens of thousands of years. Family history was important in ancient times. We just have no documented proof in the Old Testament of David’s line. There are gaps spanning hundreds of years. I’m guessing that’s one of many reasons Jews were skeptical. Jesus did not fulfill their messianic vision. Outside of Israel, the idea of a spiritual messiah was easier to accept. In Rome, emperors died and became gods.”

“For real?”

“Not for real,” Grace said. “Jews had prophets and heroes, but the idea of a lowly human becoming the son of God was offensive to many in Judea and the greater Roman empire.”

“Blasphemous,” Christian said. “Grounds for execution. To claim divinity was to claim kingship because only emperors became gods.”

“Just like what happened to Jesus,” I said. “He became King of Kings. No, I mean, he was born King of Kings…but Herod didn’t like that. So…the verse I picked is prophetic, right? I mean, for the Christians back then?”

“Early Christians read it that way,” Grace said. “They looked to scripture for prophecy.”

“But when Samuel was written,” Christian said, “I have a feeling it was a bit of royal propaganda. Read the text surrounding the passage and see if it has more to do with the House of David and David’s legacy or if it has more to do with the teachings of Jesus.”

“Oh,” I said. “I tried to avoid doing that this week. Is propaganda like when people say all sorts of stuff about Trump being chosen by God? If that’s all they were doing with David, I think that might be wrong. That’s why I focused on the genealogy, which is more important.”  

“Most Christians would agree with you,” Grace said.

“Propaganda is exactly what I think Samuel is doing,” Christian said, “but it’s fine if you believe this is prophecy. And it’s perfectly acceptable to believe Jesus descended from David. He had to descend from someone. Kings sired many children with many women. Odds favor kings with many wives and concubines being ancestors to many people. I’d argue most people around the world have a drop or two of royal blood.”

“So…if I’m kind of right, can you come to church for Easter?” I asked. “I promise nobody will worship Trump while you’re there. Pastor Komen doesn’t allow that. We can leave before coffee and Bible study and all that other junk where people might talk politics.”

“If those are the conditions, I’d consider,” Grace said.

“If my back’s feeling okay,” Christian said, “I’d tag along.”      

In state legislatures across the country, Christian fundamentalists are passing laws meant to force the teaching of the Christian Bible in public schools. From the posting of textually inaccurate iterations of the Ten Commandments on the walls of classrooms to the incorporation of the “Trump Bible” across multiple pedagogical disciplines, these laws and mandates are sweeping the reddest parts of this nation.

The height of hypocrisy is banning books in the name of “protecting children” while mandating one particular book rife with numerous acts of sexual violence and scenes of graphic violence and genocide.

Book bans are dangerous. The Bible is worth reading and exists online and in public school libraries across the country, but proponents of mandating its formal teaching in public schools need to know what it actually says.

Some biblical themes in my books below might not be appropriate for children.