December 13 – Day 14

Matthew 1:1-17

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, 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, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. 

I have the family albums from my mom and dad, with pictures before I was even born.  They are on these black pages with the little squares in each corner holding the picture in place, four to a page.  I know where the albums are, but I rarely pull them out because I don’t know where any of the pictures were taken for sure, and I definitely don’t know anyone in the photos outside of mom and dad.  It is really easy to get to today’s reading and think of it like those albums I have, yet we have the Old Testament to help us pull the “family line” into focus.  

The first thing we should grasp is whose family line we are reading about here.  Look at it again and see the description Matthew gives us.  

• Jesus – “for He shall save His people from their sins” (verse 21) is the name given to Joseph for this baby who would be born. 
• Christ – “Messiah or Anointed” could be applied to many in the Old Testament, but the next name sets Him apart as the Promised Messiah
• The Son of David – God had promised David that one of his descendants would establish the kingdom and that the throne and kingdom would last forever.  Isaiah 9:6-8 reminds us of the promise of God to David and to us about the rule and reign of Jesus.
• The Son of Abraham – Abraham was the one who God made the covenant with about His people and Kingdom, and Jesus was on his line and able to completely fulfill the covenant (Luke 22:14-20) unlike any before or since.  And it is through Jesus that God will divinely bless all the nations, Jews and Gentiles.  Aren’t we so glad!

Read slowly through the names, reminding yourself of those you know, maybe looking up some that are unfamiliar.  Notice there are four ladies listed (it was not normal to list women) – what do you remember about each of them?  What do you see as you think of those individuals who are listed?  I am reminded that none of them were able to fulfill the promises of God for the salvation of men, not even able to save themselves.  They all died and were buried in the pages of history.  I look at the albums of my mom and day, there are no names on the back of the photos.  Everyone from those days has passed away and there is no one to ask about them, their stories, their impact.  They literally are lost to the dustbin of history.

But because of the birth of Christ (and His subsequent death and resurrection) all those in His lineage, my lineage and your lineage who trust Christ, who follow Him and desire to know Him, we are not destined for the dustbin of history, but to a resurrection to eternal life in His presence. Christ did for all these in this list and for all mankind what we could not do for ourselves, He saved us from our sin if we trust and live for Him.  My life and your life have purpose and He has enabled us to fulfill this purpose of God to glorify Him this day (and each and every other day, too).

Prayer: Oh Lord, thank you for coming for me; for fulfilling all the plans of the Father; for establishing an everlasting Kingdom to which you have called me to serve You in, now and forever.  May this Christmas season I remember that your kingdom is in living color and I am called to be an ambassador of Your Kingdom to a world stuck in the black and white of sin and death.  May I remember this day that this “dry” passage is actually full of life and promises.  Thank you for being the Promised One and the Promise Keeper!  May this fact ring in my ears all day long.