The significance of Forty Days and Forty Years in the Bible?

The significance of 40 days and 40 nights in the Bible?

The significance and mentioning of Forty Days or Forty Days and Nights in the Bible, what does it signify and when was it it used. Also the mention of Forty Years. The number forty doesn't come up a huge number of times, but does arise frequently enough for it to be noted that it is something of significance. The importance of the event it is normally associated with means it is mentioned and is there in the Bible for an important reason, not numerology but something much deeper. This article also features an analysis to see if the term forty days and forty nights or forty years actually appears in the Book of Revelation, if at all.

The Number Forty is mentioned over 140 times in the Bible and seems to be a God chosen number to represent a period of hardship, trial, testing or a probationary period or a period of irreversible change . It also seems to be a time period that is significantly related to fasting. It could possibly signify a Chrysalis period from Caterpillar to Butterfly a sort of transformation which seems particularly relevant in relation to it's mention in the New Testament and Jesus quite a number of times. Forty Days is also the period of time that is used to Mark Lent that runs from Ash Wednesday and Ends before Easter Sunday.

In depth analysis video from The Twelve Gates at You Tube



THE INCIDENCES OF FORTY DAYS OR FORTY YEARS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

1.The Flood in Genesis
The first instance of Forty Days and Forty Nights is with one of the first major events in the Bible and that is the Flood which lasted for exactly that period of time- this was a time when God was not happy with the planet and it's inhabitants and regretted making man on the earth and decides to reboot the planet with Noah on the Ark carrying the seed for the restarted planet

Genesis 7:4
For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Genesis 7:12
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

2. Moses and the 40 year coincidences

During the life of Moses the Number 40 appeared and manifested itself many times either in the form of 40 days or 40 years.

Moses lived forty years in Egypt and forty years in the desert before God selected him to lead his people out of slavery.

3. Moses was also on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights and this happened twice in order to receive God's laws

Mentioned in the New Testament Acts 7:30
30. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

Exodus 24:18
And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Deuteronomy 9:11
And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 9:18
And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

4. Moses also sent spies, for again forty days, to investigate the land God promised the Israelites as an inheritance

Numbers 13:25
25. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

5. Forty Years was mentioned again for the wandering in the wilderness of the Jews

Numbers 32:13
And the LORD'S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed.

Joshua 5:6
For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

6. The Children of Israel do evil again in the eyes of the Lord and he judges again with a Forty Year period to the Philistines

Judges 13:1
1. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

7. Goliath came for forty days before being killed by David

1 Samuel 17:16
And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

8. The prophet Jonah gave a powerful warning to ancient Nineveh, for forty days, because of it's sins it would see destruction.

Jonah 3:4
And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

9. The prophet Ezekiel laid on His right side for 40 days as form of bearing Judah's sins for the idolatry they performed . This 40 days was representative of 40 years

Ezekiel 4:6
And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.

10. Elijah went 40 days without food or water at Mount Horeb after being strengthened by a meal presented to him by an angel.

1 Kings 19:7-8
7. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
8. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

11. The desolation of Egypt in Prophecy according to Ezekiel

Ezekiel 29:11-13
11. No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.
12. And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
13. Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:

INCIDENCES OF FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS MENTIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Forty Days or Forty Days and Forty Nights is also mentioned in the New Testament through Jesus. Firstly before he started his ministry he went into the wilderness and fasted, the second time when he appeared after the resurrection and thirdly the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

1. Jesus was tempted many times during the 40 days and 40 nights he fasted in the wilderness, just before his ministry began. Satan attempted to deceive and provide temptations to him while he was in a weakened state.

Matthew 4:1-2
1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.


2. He also appeared to his disciples a number of times and to others over a period of 40 days after his resurrection from the dead.

Acts 1:3
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

3. Jesus, before his crucifixion, prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem including The Temple. His crucifixion took place in 30 A.D., the Roman Empire at that time destroyed the city and burned its temple to the ground which happened in 70AD. This is the infamous 70AD Prophecy and formed part of the Olivet Discourse, the quotes below are in connection with that Prophecy between Jesus and his disciples. No actual date was mentioned!

Matthew 24:1-2
1. And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Mark 13:1-2
1. And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!
2. And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Conclusions:
As can be seen by the above examples Forty Days or even Forty Years has a special significance in the Bible. It seems to mark a period of suffering, fasting or a transformative period. It happens too many times in the Bible for it to be a coincidence. This is not just something that happened in the Old Testament but happened in the New Testament as well showing that even Jesus was subject to this 40 days and 40 nights scenario.


What is interesting is that the Book of Revelation which includes the monumental Tribulation Period and the mention of the End Times or Last Days would appear to be a prime candidate for either Forty Days or Forty Years or Forty in any other form to appear. On closer inspection and analysis bizarrely it never appears in the Book of Revelation.....not once? Why is a mystery?

Further Bible Quotes that Mention Forty (there are many others)

Further interesting Bible quotes reveal the number Forty also is mentioned in isolation not as in a duration of time period such as 40 days or 40 years but also in reference to quantity and also age.

Genesis 25:20
And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

Genesis 26:34
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:
Genesis 50:3
And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

Exodus 26:19
And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

Deuteronomy 25:3
Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

Judges 3:11
And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

Judges 8:28
Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

2 Samuel 5:4
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

1 Kings 11:42
And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

Acts 13:21
And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

Hebrews 3:9
When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

The Birth of Jesus and Prophecy Fulfilled

The Birth of Jesus and Old Testament Prophecy fulfilled

The previous article looked at the birth of Jesus foretold in Prophecy in the Old Testament in the Bible many hundreds if not thousands of years before the birth of the Messiah. This article will focus on the fulfillment of those Old Testament prophecies in the New Testament in relation to his birth and see how close those prophecies were.

Many prophecies from the Prophets in the Old Testament not only predicted the birth of the Messiah, but also many other prophecies appeared which foretold what he would be like, who we actually was, what he would do, the purpose of his life, his ministry, his death or crucifixion and finally his resurrection. This article focuses on the birth aspect and not his life afterwards which would require a number of articles, to do it justification. One article out their on the web shows over 300 prophecies relating to Jesus, his birth, life and death and Resurrection.

The Birth of Jesus Story according to Matthew and Luke Video



God worked through the Prophets to reveal repeatedly that something never seen before was on it´s way in the future and the accuracy with which these prophecies foretold not only the arrival of the Messiah BUT how he would arrive, prove that God was working through these people quite strongly throughout the history of the Bible.

There are many Bible prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus, but the six main ones are listed below which show how the Old Testament prophecy and how it was fulfilled in the New Testament pretty much word for word.

The six main Bible prophecies that relate to the birth of Jesus.

1. Jesus would be Born in Bethlehem.

The Old Testament foretells of the messiah being born in Bethlehem.

Old Testament Prophecy
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem is told in the New Testament books of Mathew and Luke

Matthew 2:1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Matthew 2:6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

2. Jesus would be Born of a virgin.

Old Testament Prophecy
Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The New Testament book of Matthew repeats this prophecy in a passage detailing Joseph’s encounter with an angel of the Lord, who tells Joseph that Mary’s child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and will save his people from their sins.

Prophecy confirmed in the New Testament
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Luke 1:27. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

3. The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham

Old Testament Prophecy
Genesis 22:18: "And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed."

The genealogy of Jesus is told in the book of Matthew, which refers to him as “the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

New Testament Fulfillment

Matthew 1:1
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

4. The Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob.
The genealogy of Jesus laid out in the book of Matthew details Jesus lineage through Isaac and Jacob with Matthew 1:16 giving the last lineage
Matthew 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ

Old Testament Prophecy
Numbers: 24:17 says: "A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel."

New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 1:2
Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren

5. The Messiah would be called out of Egypt.

Most Christians believe the Old Testament foretells Jesus being called out of Egypt in Hosea 11

Old Testament Prophecy
Hosea 11:1: When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

The New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 2:13-15 is believed to explain this prophecy: "An angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream.
13. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15. And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

6. The Messiah would be Born among sorrow
There are many parallels with the Birth of Jesus and the Prophecy of Jeremiah mentioned in Jeremiah 31:15. He would be born amongst sorrow and would live his life being despised and rejected by men. A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Old Testament Prophecy
Jeremiah 31:15:
Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

This prophecy is repeated in the book of Matthew, which says that King Herod sought to kill Jesus.

The New Testament Fulfillment
Mathew 2:16
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Other Prophecies Fulfilled

There are many other prophecies in the Old Testament that refer to his bloodline, who he would be and what he would say, the essential bloodline of David and The House of Judah, what his name would be and "The cornerstone"

The Seed of Judah.The Seed of Jacob
He is the physical descendent of David through his mother. He is the adopted son of David through his father, by an adoption consistent with the Christian message of our adopted sonship, and he also fulfilled the prophecy to be born of a virgin. David was of the House of Judah

Old Testament Prophecy
Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

New Testament Fulfillment
Luke 2:4-7
4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Galatians 4:4
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Sent by the Father to speak His word
Old Testament Prophecy: stated Jesus would speak directly God´s word to everybody that he was told to which was fulfilled in The New Testament.

Old Testament Prophecy
Deuteronomy 18:18
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

New Testament Fulfillment
John 8:28-29
28. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
29. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Davids Seed, Son of David
Referring to the fact that Jesus would be of the lineage of David not as in a direct son. The prophecy and fulfillment would be the genealogical proof that Jesus, in His humanity, was a direct descendant of Abraham and David through Joseph, Jesus’ legal father although not biological.

Old Testament Prophecy
2 Sam. 7:12
12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

1 Chr. 17:11
And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

New Testament Fulfillment
Matthew 1:1,
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew 22:42-43
42. Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
43. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

Matthew 9:27
27. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.

Will be Born The Saviour
The birth of Jesus was prophesied to be the redeemer of sin and saver of souls hence the term "Saviour" which means somebody that can achieve salvation.

Old Testament Prophecy
Psa. 22:9-10
9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

New Testament Fulfillment
Luke 2:7
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Emmanuel to be higher than earthly kings
The Old Testament Prophecy stated that he was God´s firs born who would be held in higher esteem than the kings of the earth at the time. This was confirmed in the New Testament

Old Testament Prophecy
Psa. 89:27
Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

New Testament Fulfilment
Luke 1:32, 33
32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

A Servant from the womb.
This refers to the human nature of Christ formed in the womb of the Virgin by the Holy Ghost

Old Testament Prophecy
Isa. 49:5
And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.

New Testament Fulfilment
Luke 1:31
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Philippians 2:7
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

The Messiah would be the Cornerstone
The Cornerstone in ancient building practices was the strongest and largest and most solid part of the building and the reference to the cornerstone in connection with Jesus in prophecy is he would be the cornerstone of the church, the body of believers that would be known as Christians

Old Testament Prophecy
Zech. 10:4
 Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.

New Testament Fulfilment
Ephesians 2:20
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Summary

The Birth of Jesus wasn´t something that just happened as a spur of the moment event in the New Testament, this was something that was foretold and planned  hundreds if not thousands of years ago going right back to the times of the Book of Genesis and Abraham. Many of the prophecies, not only were they fulfilled to the last detail, but some of the prophecies are so specific and difficult to recreate by mankind such as the virgin birth, it really illustrates, very clearly, that maybe the whole Bible was geared up to the birth of Gods only son and the salvation of mankind.

God working through various Prophets producing what were precise predictions made by the all-knowing all-seeing God of the Bible who repeatedly demonstrated that He has perfect knowledge of all past, present, and future events. All producing the miracle event that was the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.

This is a considerably condensed and simplified version on the vast topic of the Birth of Jesus and Prophecy fulfillment. There are huge debates on the blood lineage comparing what Luke states and what Matthew describes and the Jews and the Jewish faith have a completely different idea again on the blood line of Jesus and the The House of Judah according to their faith.

Further reading on the family tree of Jesus at Bible Study

The Birth of Jesus Foretold in the Old Testament

The Birth of Jesus foretold 

The Birth of Christ was foretold hundreds of years before the actual event took place by the major prophets including Isaiah, Jeremiah and Micah and other Books in the Old Testament including very early on in Genesis, in the Book of Numbers and the Second Book of Samuel.

Isaiah as many who read the Bible know, is one of the more profound books in the Bible, these prophecies read like the Book of Revelation, you have to read a number of times and cross reference to other Books to really understand what is being said. I would say Isaiah is one of the hardest Books to understand in the Old Testament, but if you understand that Book, it reveals another dimension to the Bible that makes you realise that it is more than just something you read like a novel.

The birth of Jesus is mentioned in Genesis, not really referring to his birth in prophetic terms, but just stating that something big is on it´s way in the future and it is stated that he will come from the Tribe of Judah. As we will see later this lineage or blood line is imperative in the creation of the Messiah. Judah was Jacob´s fourth son.

Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Note 2

Note 2 Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Shiloh. From shalah; tranquil; Shiloh, an epithet of the Messiah

It was also mentioned in Prophecy terms in Genesis that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham as told in:

Genesis 22:18: 18. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (When the Angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham)

References to the Birth of Jesus

The Prophet Isaiah

Isaiah wrote a prophecy about the Birth of Jesus about the mid 700 years before he was born. These two Bible verses from Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 9 state quite strongly and in detail how the birth of Jesus would come about.

A virgin shall conceive and bear a son

Isaiah. 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel Note 1

Note 1 "Immanuel" is a Hebrew word meaning "God with us" and expresses the wonder of the incarnation, that God "became flesh and made his dwelling among us"

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The Prophet Micah
Micah prophesies that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem which at the time was a small village of 300-1000 inhabitants in Judah and is referred in the New Testament as the City of David. He mentions that he will be born of a woman. This was written approximately 700 years before the Birth of Jesus.

Micah 5:2-4;
2. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
3. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

He would be Jesse's descendant

David is a key part of the lineage of Christ. Jesse in the Bible is father of David and thus an important part of that lineage.

Isaiah 11:1-10

1. And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2. And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
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.

The Messiah would be a descendant of King David

The Prophet Jeremiah goes into more detail in his prophecy that the bloodline of the Messiah would be a descendant of King David who was Head of the House of David which is is the head of the Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The hereditary bloodline of King David was the the only legitimate royal bloodline in Jewish history. From David will come all the future kings of Judah and ultimately the Messiah himself hence the importance of this bloodline. Saul was removed as King and David was placed in his place and as the Bible states in Acts David was described as a man after his own heart, hence the favour.

Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

One of the main reasons for the importance of the David/Judah blood line.

Jeremiah 23:5-8
5. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth.
6. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
7. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8. But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land

The Book of Numbers

The Book of Numbers from the Old Testament was written at the time of Chapter 1 about 1444 years BC and spans over 30 years. The events of the book began in the second year after the Israelites departed Egypt, as they camped at Mount Sinai. This Prophecy speaks again of something way off in the future.

Numbers 24:17
I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

The line of kings from David would endure forever

The birth of Jesus was mentioned in the Second Book of Samuel which was composed in the period around 630–540 BC

2 Samuel 7:12-16
12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

Summary.

The Birth of Jesus was part of Gods plan via the virgin birth that the Messiah was to be born of God according to God’s will.......... not man’s will. It is also a fulfillment of God’s promise to Eve that her descendant would destroy the serpent and the seed of the serpent (sin) Genesis 3:15,  thereby preparing the way for salvation of mankind from his fallen state.

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Further reading on why God chose Mary and the Judah Blood Line which is a whole topic and book in itself that arouses huge debate, but here are a couple of links that go into some detail..

The Blood line of Judah

Why did God choose to bring Jesus into the lineage of David through his mother Mary?