The first reference we have of a kingly line among the descendants of Israel is in Genesis 49, where Israel, now old and frail, passes on blessings to each of his sons. Though the birthright is passed on to Joseph's son, Ephraim, it is over Judah that the promise of a kingly line of leadership is spoken.
Geneisis 49:10: The scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people
In 2 Samuel 7, David speaks of a covenant God made with him concerning his kingdom.
2 Samuel 7: 25-29: Now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word You have given as to Your servant and his house; and do as You have said,26 And Your name [and presence] shall be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of Your servant David will be made firm before You. 27 For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant: I will build you a house. So Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. 28 And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. 29 Therefore now let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let [his] house be blessed forever.
Psalm 89:36 says, "His (David's) seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me." The same sentiments are echoed in Jer 33:17 "For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want (for) a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel". This covenant concerning David and his kingdom is a specific form of the covenant with Abraham and the promise to the Latter Day descendants of Judah that focuses on the aspect of rule and authority over the Children of Israel. Its main objective was to mark with greater exactness the line through which the blessings promised in the Abrahamic covenant was to find accomplishment. The seed-royal thenceforth was to be in the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12; 22:51), and especially in connection with the One who was to be pre-eminently the child of promise through which, first to Israel, and then to all nations, the promise should be realised (Psalms 2, 22; Isaiah 9:6,7).
It must be remembered, however, that Judah did not receive the blessing of the birthright from his father Israel - that went to Joseph's son Ephraim (Genesis 47). The covenant promises of the birthright, that "in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-4) was thus given to the offspring of Ephraim in the Last Days. So how does that tie in with the conclusions of the previous chapter? Through Judah would come the King; through Ephraim would come the messengers with 'beautiful feet' who would "preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things" (Isaiah 52;7; Romans 10:15).
The line of rule and authority was thus established initally through Judah and later through David. This covenant of kingship and rule with David was an everlasting unconditional covenant.
2 Samuel 7: 12,13: And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you your offspring who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My Name [and My Presence], and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Samuel 22:51: He is a Tower of salvation and great deliverance to His king, and shows loving-kindness to His anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
Isaiah 9: 6, 7: For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from the [latter] time forth, even forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
During the period of the Judges and the early kings (estimated at being around 1200 to 1000 BC), the Israelites consisted of twelve tribes, which, according to the Book of Genesis, were named after the twelve sons of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin. The term "children of Israel" is used to mean both the twelve sons of Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) and collectively the twelve tribes. Joseph (the most famous of the twelve sons, he of the dreams and multi-coloured coat) did not actually have a tribe named after him; instead, his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, each gave rise to tribes. That would make thirteen tribes, not twelve, but the tribe of Levi took on a priestly role (the only tribe to remain loyal to God and to Moses during the golden calf episode) without a specific region of settlement, and so is sometimes excluded from the count.
The Bible describes how the twelve tribes were enslaved in Egypt, escaped during the Exodus (around 1250 BC), and settled in the land of Canaan, each tribe occupying a separate territory (except the tribe of Levi.) Over the next two centuries, the strength of individual tribes waxed and waned. For example, early on the tribe of Simeon had clearly lost its importance as an independent tribe and was largely swallowed up by Judah (see Joshua 19:1 and 1 Chronicles 4:24-43).
After settling in the promised Land, the tribes were rules first by Judges. God intended that He be their ruler, but because the people insisted on having a human king through whom God could rule the, God permitted this with major reservations. The first king was Saul, however He failed to meet God's standards and was replaced by King David (around 1000 BC). He set the capital in Jerusalem (an area under the control of the tribe of Judah). David's son, Solomon, built the first Temple.
Following the death of Solomon and after the civil war in the time of Solomon's son Rehoboam, said to have been around 931 BC, ten tribes split off the United Monarchy to create the northern kingdom of Israel. I Kings 12 describes the split arising on account of taxes, but there were also undoubtedly deep-rooted tensions between the northern and southern tribes, which had not been obliterated even after nearly a century of a united kingdom. So the Israelites were divided into two kingdoms.
Editor's Note: the following discourse is not necessarily based on proven fact, but relied heavily on myths that are said to be based on historical fact. They are provided here for information only and are not included in this series of studies as factual evidence in support of conclusions drawn in it.
On the Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland can be found an area, three miles north of Tara Hill, called "Dowd's Town" -- literally "DAVID'S TOWN" -- THE SETTLEMENT OF DAVID! Is it just possible that King David of Israel visited Ireland and brought the country under his sway? Herman L. Hoeh thinks so:
"Perhaps the enigmatic 29th chapter of Isaiah will take on new meaning in answer to this question: v 'Ah, ARIEL, ARIEL, THE CITY WHERE DAVID ENCAMPED! Add ye year to year, Let the FEASTS come round! Then will I distress ARIEL, And there shall be mouning and moaning...' (Jewish translation)
"That this prophecy refers to the House of Israel is made plain from the context. The climax of the prophecy is the time of divine intervention in all human affairs. But why should the "CITY WHERE DAVID ENCAMPED" symbolize the center of government of the House of Israel today? It is not a fitting expression for Jerusalem and Mt. Zion, for David DID MORE than encamp there. He dwelt and ruled there! Notice further the name ARIEL. Here is a CITY WITH THE NAME ARIEL. It symbolizes the same people as does Mt. Zion in prophecy, but it is NOT Mt. Zion. It is only a place WHERE DAVID ENCAMPED.
"Cities in early times often changed names, or were given names, due to FAMOUS MEN WHO RESTORED OR REBUILT THE SITES, or to men who established the priority of their names in a genealogical line. Take for example the change of the name of Aegialea to Sicyon in Greece....Was there at Tara a FAMOUS KING with the name of ARIEL whose blood line rules today in the British Royal Family? Indeed there was. Of four sons of Gede the Heremon, only the line of IRIAL (Irish for Ariel) continued to rule from Tara. His name was as RARE in Irish history as the name David was in Jewish history!
"These scant evidences of history are more than mere conicidence. NO OTHER PLACE ON EARTH bears the names of Eber, of Dan, of David, of Ariel." -- Compendium of World History, Vol. I., Ambassador College, Pasadena, CA. 1962. Pp. 426-427.
Irial Faidh was the sixth Milesian king of Ireland, ruling from 1414 B.C. to 1404 B.C. The annals point out that he was a great warrior who fought four major battles during his ten years on the throne. He was the first of the Irish kings to FORTIFY AND BUILD EMBANKMENTS around the city of Tara, and to clear the plains and build forts throughout the land. This Irial was none other than the ARIEL of Isaiah 29; and Tara was named after him for a period of time.
Both Ollamh Fodhla and King David reigned for FORTY YEARS; and of ALL the Milesian kings from Heremon down to Queen Elizabeth II only FOUR in 3,500 years had reigns of 40 years in length. BOTH kings were noted warriors; BOTH kings were poets and sages; and BOTH kings died natural deaths at home. Of ALL the Milesian kings from Heremon to Ederscel (time of Christ) ONLY EIGHT died a natural death; and of these FOUR DIED AT TARA (i.e. AT HOME). Most of the others died in battle. King David faithfully kept God's annual festivals; and the Irish annals show that King Ollamh Fodhla faithfully kept a seven-day feast in the fall of the year -- the FEAST OF TABERNACLES!
O'Flaherty records in his work that "from his name OLLAMH, the name of ULSTER [northern province of Ireland] is said to be derived." (P. 70). This is very significant! The flag of Northern Ireland (Ulster) has a white background with a red cross. In the center is a SIX-POINTED STAR, and in the center of this white star is "the BLOOD-RED RIGHT HAND OF ULSTER." Immediately above this six-pointed "STAR OF DAVID" is the royal crown.
Why does Northern Ireland or Ulster have the STAR OF DAVID on its flag (symbolic of David and the Pharez line of Judah) AND the Red Hand (symbolic of the Zarah line of Judah)? Because the Red Hand represents the line of Zarah which has ruled Ireland from the time Heremon established himself in the land (1434 B.C.); and the star of David indicates the presence of David in Ireland some 400 years later! It does NOT, however, necessarily indicate a healing of the breach that occurred in Genesis 38:27-30!
"Why," some say, "should this strange story of the scarlet thread be recorded in Bible history unless this BREACH was to be healed between the sons or their descendants at some future date?" True -- but it never occurred during the lifetime of Pharez and Zarah. How, then, (or when) was this breach healed?
The British-Israelites and a number of churches believe the breach was healed when the prophet Jeremiah supposedly traveled to Ireland with a daughter of King Zedekiah (of the line of Pharez). This daughter, so they claim, married Heremon the son of Gathelus (of the line of Zarah), thus healing the breach. Unfortunately, as we have seen, this never occurred! Jeremiah NEVER set foot in Ireland with Zedekiah's daughter. Instead, the breach was healed at a much later date in the person of King Arthur -- who himself was a type of Christ! Send for our article "Joseph of Arimathea and David's Throne in Britain" for the exciting details!
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