The Advent of the Covenant upon King David, Part 8

In an Address to the Jewish people Lord Bahá’u’lláh declared:

“The Most Great Law is come, and the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the throne of David. Thus hath My Pen spoken that which the histories of bygone ages have related. At this time, however, David crieth aloud and saith: ‘O my loving Lord! Do Thou number me with such as have stood steadfast in Thy Cause, O Thou through Whom the faces have been illumined, and the footsteps have slipped!’”

It seems plain from this that Lord Baha’u’llah intended the people to know that He ruled upon the throne of David and that this declaration was connected with “the histories of bygone ages”.

No one sincerely professing belief in Him would be inclined to reject the evident meaning of this verse if not for the interference of others in whom they have placed their trust. Thus, a few have been misled through an interpretation that by the words “throne of David” Baha’u’llah did not actually intend the throne of David’s Kingship but something other than that.

This cannot present any real obstacle to accepting the apparent meaning of Baha’u’llah’s declaration for, in accordance with the principles of the Faith, authoritative interpretation rests with the rightful successors chosen by the Lord of Baha and those other than the rightful successor cannot claim this for themselves. For this reason most Baha’is deem it prudent, in the absence of an authoritative interpretation for a particular verse, that one’s understanding should not conflict with the plainly evident meaning.

On this basis alone there should be no need for further consideration of any unwitting disparagement of this verse. However, even as the dark is made to serve the light, the arguments against its apparent meaning may actually help those who practice justice to affirm that Baha’u’llah was indeed established upon the throne of David.

Furthermore, it also seems necessary to distinguish the nature of David’s throne and of Baha’u’llah’s own throne as a Manifestation, and so an examination of the historical basis of this claim along with some degree of examination of the arguments against it may prove useful to clarify exactly what Baha’u’llah intended.

Thus, concerning His statement:

“Thus hath My Pen spoken that which the histories of bygone ages have related.”

Let us consider the fact that the Jewish histories of past ages are replete with accounts of King David, his successors, their genealogies and prophecies concerning his descendants. For instance, the legends and histories of the Jews includes information of particular interest concerning a renowned descendant of David known as Bostanai, who was descended from the Davidic King Jehoiachin who had been taken captive to Babylon.

For more information on Bostanai please refer to:

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12688-resh-galuta

and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bostanai#Descendants