Matthew
1:1
One of the genealogies of Christ is given
in the first chapter of Matthew. This is actually the genealogy of Joseph, the stepfather
of Jesus. In Luke chapter 3 is given the genealogy of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Even though Matthew gives part of the human
lineage of Jesus starting with Abraham, the divine lineage of Jesus extends
back into eternity where Jesus always was one with the Father; and so Jesus said of Himself in John 8:58, "Before Abraham
was, I am." Matthew and Luke give the human lineage of Jesus, and John
gives the divine lineage. John said of Jesus in John 1:1, "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Matthew chapter one tells us some important
truths about the human lineage of Jesus. Sometimes we do not enjoy reading
genealogies in the Bible, but this genealogy actually has several blessings in
it. There is probably at least a two-fold purpose for this genealogy. One of
the purposes is to show that Jesus is a rightful heir to the throne of
Another purpose for the genealogy of Jesus
that is given in Matthew chapter 1 is to have a detailed record of the
historical accuracy of the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The story of Jesus of
Nazareth is not based upon myth or fiction. The majority of the first
Christians were Jews. If the genealogy given by Matthew had not been accurate,
then the Jews of the first century would have had ample evidence to reject
Jesus, and honest Jews would have never become believers in Jesus. If the
details were not accurate, the story of Jesus would have been easily rejected
as a hoax. But because this genealogy is accurate, it stands as a bold
testimony to the authority of Jesus as the King of Kings. The next time that
you think of the birth of Christ, remember that you are thinking not only of
the birth of the Savior of the world, but also of the birth of the greatest
ruler, king, and potentate that was ever born.
The Bible says in Matthew 1:1-17, "The book of the
generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begot
Isaac; and Isaac begot Jacob; and Jacob begot Judas and his brethren;” and it goes on to say: “And Salmon begot Booz of Rachab;
and Booz begot Obed of Ruth; and Obed begot Jesse; And Jesse begot David the
king; and David the king begot Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
And Solomon begot Roboam;” and it goes on to say: “And Josias begot Jechonias and
his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they
were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begot Salatiel;” and it goes on to say: “and Matthan begot Jacob; And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of
Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from
Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying
away into
The genealogy is given from Abraham to
Joseph, the husband of Mary. Verse 1 is given as an introduction to the
genealogy. 46 different people are mentioned by name, and 2 of the 46 are
emphasized above the others by being mentioned in this first verse of the New
Testament. Matthew 1: 1 says, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of
David, the son of Abraham." David
and Abraham are mentioned first as being in the genealogy of Jesus for a
reason. King David is mentioned first of all because the Bible is emphasizing
the nobility of Jesus, the kingship of Jesus, and the authority of Jesus. King
David was the first of the great kings of
One of the things that is most noticeable
about both Abraham and King David was the fact that God made to each of them
some tremendous and specific promises. God always keeps His promises, and the
promises that He made to Abraham and David were ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.
Let’s look at the promises that God made to Abraham and David and remind
ourselves of how those promises have been fulfilled in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
There were two major promises that God made
to David. God spoke about King David to Nathan the prophet, and God made two
great promises. The Bible says in Second Samuel 7:14-16, "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: but my mercy shall
not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee: thy
throne shall be established forever."
The first promise that God made to David
was the promise of mercy. God said, "But my mercy shall not depart away from him." We all need mercy. Mercy is when God does
not give the punishment that we deserve; instead of a curse there is a
blessing, and instead of judgment, there is forgiveness. This mercy that was
promised to David is unconditional. There are no strings attached. There are no
requirements or conditions placed upon the human recipient of the mercy, other
than to repent and turn to God to receive the mercy. It is offered by God, and
it is promised by God who cannot lie. It is a massive quantity of powerful and
forgiving mercy that flows from the heart of God, and this great mercy of God
was first expressed to King David.
The prophet Isaiah understood the nature of
this mercy that was proclaimed to King David. Isaiah 55:3 says, "Incline your ear,
and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." This kind of mercy is sure. It is certain.
You can count on it. You can make everlasting plans to be in the
A covenant is an agreement between two
parties. Each party is bound to fulfill their end of the agreement. The thing
about this covenant is that it is entirely one-sided. God has agreed to hand
out mercy. He does everything, and you do nothing to merit what He does. You
simply hear the words, agree to the covenant, and receive His unconditional
mercy through Jesus Christ, and then you also become a beneficiary of the sure
mercies of David.
King David also understood the nature of
the mercy that God had extended to him. David wrote in Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed is he
whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto
whom the Lord imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." This is one of the better explanations of
God’s mercy that is found in all of scripture. It is quoted by Paul in the book
of Romans in chapter 4 when Paul is explaining the details of salvation by
faith and imputed righteousness.
When you receive God’s mercy through Jesus,
then your transgression is forgiven. You become separated from your sins,
and you are no longer tainted by them. To say that your sin is covered, is a
description of your spiritual condition whereby God looks at you and sees only
righteousness. By your own deeds you should be considered a sinner, but because
your sins are covered, when God considers you, He thinks only of a righteous
person.
David said, "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputes not
iniquity...". Every action of
every human being is seen by God. God, Who is everywhere and Who knows all
things, makes an account of every human action. Every sin and every evil deed,
every selfish act and every cruel word is accurately and properly recorded. If
you were to stand before God without mercy and answer for the deeds done in
your flesh, you would be without excuse and would stand guilty and condemned.
The amazing thing about the mercy of God is that for each person who has
received His mercy; the slate is wiped clean and any negative entries are taken
out of the ledger. If you have received God’s mercy, when it is time for you to
be judged; no bad thing will be found in your account. You will be regarded as
if you were a person who had never sinned. It will be just like David said, "Blessed is the man
unto whom the Lord imputes not iniquity."
God made a promise of mercy to David, wonderful
and majestic mercy; mercy that is certain, and unconditional, and eternal. We
are glad that the New Testament opens with a reminder that Jesus is the son of
David. Because Jesus came into the world and died for our sins, we can enter
into the great and marvelous mercy of God. We can know what it means to be the
objects of God’s favor; not because we earn it but because Jesus earned it for
us.
God promised David mercy, and He also
promised David that David’s kingdom would ultimately be established as an
eternal kingdom. In Second Samuel
It is a normal human desire to look at the
failures and injustices of our society, and to try and do something to correct
them. Every person is responsible in their sphere of influence to make the
world a better place in which to live, and to right every wrong that they can.
But you will be making a big mistake if you think that your hopes and dreams
about what a country should be can be fulfilled in this life. The world will
not be what it ought to be until Jesus comes and sits upon the throne of David.
Our ultimate hope for a better place, and a
better way, and a better life, and a better country is not in the kingdoms of
this world; but is in the
There is another kingdom that will come.
The kingdom will come because God promised it to David, and the kingdom will
come because Jesus came as the son of David. Isaiah understood this promise
also. He said of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6-7, "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 Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this."
Jesus came in the lineage of David in order
to fulfill the promises that God made to David. God also made promises to
Abraham, and Jesus came in the lineage of Abraham in order to fulfill the
promises that God made to Abraham. Several times in the book of Genesis God
declared His promise to Abraham. In Genesis 17:2 God said, "And I will make my
covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thy seed exceedingly." In Genesis 17:6-7 God said, "And I will make
you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come
out of you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed
after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto
you, and to your seed after you."
These promises that God made to Abraham had
some similarities to the promises that God later made to King David. In both
situations God said that His promise was a covenant, a binding contract between
the two parties. To both Abraham and David God said that His promise would last
forever.
The promise that God made to Abraham was
the promise that God would bless Abraham. We need God’s blessings, and we need
to know that God regards us in a benevolent and kind way. There are few things
more important in life than to be able to believe that God loves you, and that
He is kindly disposed towards you. "They that come to God must believe that He is and that He
is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him."
God loved Abraham, and God promised to bless him, and God promised to bless him
forever.
Genesis 15:6 gives the means by which
Abraham became the recipient of God’s eternal promise. The Bible says, "And he believed in
the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Paul quoted this verse in Romans chapter 4
in order to emphasize the fact that salvation is by faith and not by works. It
was not anything that Abraham did that caused him to be declared righteous, but
it was Abraham’s belief in the promise of God. Before Moses and before the law
was given, God established by the example of Abraham that salvation would be by
faith. Promises were made to Abraham and he believed the promises. He took God
at His Word. God has also made us promises about forgiveness of sins and about
eternal life in Jesus Christ. Those who reach out to Jesus, and those who trust
in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, will become partakers of the same
promises that were given to Abraham and to David. Galatians
God made great promises to Abraham and to
David. Hundreds of years passed after the promises were made, and then came
Jesus, born of Mary, to fulfill the promises of God. The wheels of God turn
slowly, yet ever so finely. When the time was right, Jesus came to fulfill the
promise of blessing. He came to fulfill the promise of mercy, and He came to
fulfill the promise of an everlasting kingdom. He can do all this because He is
the Son of God. He can do all this because He is the Messiah, the Savior of the
world. All of the promises of God are fulfilled in and through Jesus. If you
have come to Jesus by faith, then God has given you mercy, and blessing, and a
place in His eternal kingdom. It is a wonderful thing that the New Testament
starts with Matthew 1:1 that says, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of
David, the son of Abraham."
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Copyright; 2009 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved