David HaMelech Outside the Box

2007-02-25T18:19:00.003-06:00

Written By

Walter Vaughn

There once was a artist who appeared weekly on PBS who was absolutely fascinating. Every week he would dazzle the audience with his unique talent accompanied by a soft spoken demeanor. A pet squirrel who would feed at his side while painting a beautiful landscapes. I would watch in what seemed to be a hypnotic trance as his has arm glided across the canvas. I would often say to myself, "what in the world is he painting, what can come of these awkward strokes of the brush?" In the creative process there seemed to be a effortless twist and turn of the brush that could not be easily defined or revealed until the last stroke. And then as if miraculously, every dot came together and every stroke that he had previously made was no longer a mystery, but revealed and easily understood.

And so it is with person of Moshiach. Days that lead up to the Moshiach's arrival can be likened to a blank canvass accompanied by twists and turns that would baffle the most studious Talmudic scholar. For those who have followed and studied David haMelech [King David's] life would agree his life was anything but normal. David always seems to find himself outside the box. What makes David and his descendants different and perhaps more importantly, what are we to make of the final redeemer Moshiach Ben David who is pictured in the Tanach as one who peeks from behind the lattice at the Jewish community? Why does Messiah conceal or hide himself from the children of Israel? To answer these questions we must first search the very origin of the Davidic royal line.

In the book Path of the KABBALAH, by David Sheinkin, M.D. has written a chapter on, "The Lineage of Messiah."

"Behind Kabbalistic metaphysics lies even a deeper message. This is the notion that the Messiah-literally, "the anointed one"-will come from darkness. He will arise from the lowest, most base elements of humanity. This is an interesting idea and derives partly from the view that the Messiah will have to attract all people; he will have to reach the lowest and most base individuals among us, not just the exalted ones. Thus, the Messiah's roots will come from darkness, from the most base places.

Before we return to "Path of the KABBALAH" I wish to interject something very important that Dr. Sheinkin mentions, that being the Messiah's roots. The root gives life to the family tree. The tree is defined genetically by it's root or life force. It provides water and nourishment to the branches above. The tree is defined by it's root. The only way to completely destroy the tree is by destroying the root. The root and or tree are one in the same, they are inseparable. It is possible for a tree to yield fruit forever, but first it must be planted.
The seed is hidden in the darkness and eventually will sprout and produce more seeds into infinity. Although a seed yields it’s fruit in the darkness, with G-d's faithful care it continues to exist. It is often said, "the apple never falls far from the tree." Moshiach is often liken to a plant [Hebrew - tsemach צמח.] A plant is underground and hidden until G-d sheds His light and pours life giving water upon it, and so it is with Moshiach. In the book of Job it is written,

" For a tree there is hope, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again and that it's tender shoots will not cease. Even though it's root grow old in the earth, and it's stump die in the dust, yet at the first whiff of water it may flourish again and put forth branches like a young plant. Job 13:7-9

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh HaShem of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the HaShem:

The seed will only produce a seed of the same kind. The seed of an apple cannot produce a peach and the seed of a peach cannot produce the seed of a orange. Moshiach is inseparable from his kind or his seed. This is something that is very important and must be taken into consideration when identifying the person of Moshiach ben David. Now, lets return to the writings of Dr. David Sheinkin.

We all know that the Messiah will arise from the House of David. No one else is named. The Messiah will come solely from the House of David, we are long told with clear implication that there is something very special about this lineage. This is a very ancient concept within Judaism. For instance, the early Christians were very concerned with demonstrating that Jesus was a descendant of the House of David. Since the Bible explicitly stated that the Messiah would be an offspring of King David, the New Testament sought to document that Jesus roots went back to David. It gives us the account that Jesus was born and raised in Bethlehem, just as David was.

King David was of course very popular, much beloved in the Jewish nation. He was a very righteous, holy man. But when we trace his family roots, where did he come from? The Bible tells us clearly. First, David was a descendant of Ruth on one side and of Judah on the other. But where did Ruth come from? She was a descendant of Lot. But which descendant of Lot? The Bible relates an interesting story about the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah that God destroyed. Lot and his family were the only ones who escaped alive from the decimation; after it, he engaged in incest with his two daughters. It is this incestuous relationship that gives rise to the maternal side of David through Ruth.

What about David's paternal side? Another incestuous relationship was involved. It occurred between Judah and his daughter-in-law. Their union gave birth to Peretz, who became a paternal ancestor of David. The Bible narrates closely this important episode. In those times there was a Jewish law that if a husband died before producing any children, then his brother was obligated to marry the dead man's wife, so that the deceased lineage would continue. What happened is that one of Judah's sons married a women named Tamar and died before they produced any children. Thus, Judah instructed his second son to marry the widow; but the second son also died. Thereupon, Judah told Tamar that his third son was still quite young and that she should wait at her parent's home for a few years before marrying him. Tamar did so, but Judah forgot all about her and never instructed his third son to prepare to marry her.

Tamar then decided to take matters into her own hands, so to speak. She disguised herself as a prostitute and placed herself by the road in order to seduce Judah and produce a child through their union. Tamar's plan worked. Before Judah took his leave from her, though, she made sure he gave her some of his belongings as her "payment". Tamar became pregnant. Judah, never suspecting that he had been seduced by Tamar, was enraged to learn that she was pregnant while still a widow. He ordered that she should be killed as punishment. Just as Judah's countrymen prepared to kill her, she suddenly produced his belongings and declared, "My baby's father is the owner of these garments." At that moment Judah realized what had happened and took responsibility for his child-to-be. That child was Peretz, who became a paternal ancestor of David.

David's lineage is therefore quite fascinating. On one side, Lot and his daughter; on the other side, Peretz. We can again see the notion that light will spring from darkness and that the brilliant light of the Messiah will arise from the darkness of human sexual intrigue. In this context, Saul, the first King of Israel, had truly impeccable family credentials. He really came from a distinguished family and there was nothing amiss in his lineage. And yet it was David, the second King of Israel, who came from the worst of lineages and was granted the honor of serving as the ancestor of the Messiah. There are other Biblical tales that record the same phenomenon: that something goes wrong with the first born or first chosen, and then the second one must carry out the mission. For example, Moses was not the first born son and yet he became the leader.

Our whole point in this discussion is that light must spring from darkness. in the ultimate salvation or ultimate light, the darkest places will have to be reached and transformed. Only one who is steeped in that darkness-in one way or another-will have the strength and empathy to effect the transformation. the Kabbalah even teaches the unfair notion that one who has truly sinned and repented is on a higher spiritual level than one who has never sinned and done only righteous things. This is a very clear concept within Judaism.

Certainly David's family tree was anything but normal. But what about David himself? David had written many of his personal sufferings in the book of Psalms. In chapter 69:5 he writes,

"O G-d you yourself have come to know my foolishness, And from you my own guilt has not been hidden. 6 May those those hoping in you not be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign L-rd, YHVH of armies. May those seeking you not be humiliated because of me, O G-d of Yisrael. 7 For on your account I have borne reproach, humiliation has covered my face. 8 I have become one estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother."

What is this "guilt, shame, and humiliation," that consumes David? Obviously, he finds himself as an outcast to his brothers, a stranger to the sons of his own mother! What are we to make of these distressing circumstances?

David HaMelech Outside the Box יהוה אורא

David HaMelech Outside the Box