The Beloved Son

God gives a phenomenal promise about the Messiah when the prophet Nathan tells King David: 

I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever. 2 Samuel 7:12-14, 16 (NKJV)

Later, God sends Nathan to David with another message when Solomon is born: 

The LORD loved him … so he called his name Jedidiah. 2 Samuel 12:24-25

In Hebrew, Jedidiah means "beloved of the Lord." Yet Solomon doesn’t use that name; in all his writings he refers to himself as Solomon. So who is Jedidiah?

Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 42 begins, 

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights.”

—meaning "beloved of the Lord."

Jesus quotes this while withdrawing from the great crowds following Him. If they acclaim Him as their ruler, they’ll expect Him to establish the Davidic line on the throne in Jerusalem and overthrow the Roman oppression. Yet Jesus knows that before coming in power and glory, He must fulfill His calling as the Suffering Servant. 

And He quotes Isaiah at length: 

Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!” I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust. Matthew 12:18-21

The prophecy had to be fulfilled. He must do all these things because He is Jedidiah; He is the beloved of God. This is confirmed in the New Testament a number of times.

When Jesus is baptized, a voice from heaven says,

“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record that when Jesus is transfigured on the mountain, a voice from the cloud declares, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

And notice how Peter concludes his eyewitness account of the Transfiguration: 

He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed. 2 Peter 1:17-19

Yes, the ancient prophecies are confirmed. Jesus is Jedidiah, the Beloved Son. And God is saying, “This is the One. Hear Him.”

At the dawn of New Testament times, people sensed that God was doing something new. They anticipated the coming of the Son of David. 

Matthew 20:30 describes two blind men sitting by the road. When they hear Jesus is passing by, they cry out, 

“Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 

Similarly, Mark 10:47 says that Bartimaeus, a blind beggar in Jericho, shouts, 

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 

They knew Isaiah’s prophecy that the deaf will hear and the blind will see.

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s great plan. And the Lord is building a house for His name, just as Nathan prophesied a thousand years before Christ was born. Jesus is the architect, making us into a temple. He is the Alpha and Omega, the author and finisher of our faith. He is Emmanuel—God with us and in us. And because we are in Christ, God considers us His beloved. 

As Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, 

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

This is the best news the world has ever heard. When we believe it, we are seated with Him in heavenly places. He will withhold nothing from us. We have power, authority and healing because we stand in this place of Jedidiah—the beloved of God. 

God bless you.

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.