Genealogy

God’s Providence

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God’s Faithful Providence
Matthew 1:1-17

The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy of the King of the Hebrews. Matthew’s Gospel was written to the Hebrew. It is written so they might know that Jesus is their King. At the time they were blinded by their own religious practices, and ceremonies, and self-righteousness as a nation, but Jesus was at that time their Messiah and King and to this day is their King.

The following is the outline Warren W. Wiersbe gives for the Gospel according to Matthew in THE BIBLE EXPOSITION COMMENTARY –

I. The Revelation Of The King – chapters 1-10;
II. The Rebellion Against The King – chapters 11-13;
III. The Retirement Of The King – chapters 14-20;
IV. The Rejection Of The King – chapters 21-27;
V. The Resurrection Of The King – chapter 28

The Gospel begins with Jesus, and His genealogy beginning with Abraham; not Adam. Abraham the father of the Hebrews and their relationship to God the Father. In the Gospel of Luke the genealogy is given backwards and ends with Adam, showing Jesus to be the Son of Man. The Gospel of Mark has no genealogy, nor does the Gospel of John. Servants have no genealogy as in Mark’s account, nor does God have genealogy as in the Gospel of John.

By way of introduction let me give some information concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The human penman for this Gospel is Matthew. He was called by Jesus while sitting at his place collecting taxes: “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him” (Matthew 9:9). As a tax collector he would have been a reject to those who were religious rulers, they would have counted him a traitor, because he was collecting taxes from his people for the Roman government.

This Gospel was written to the Jews to declare and give evidence of Jesus’s royal lineage.

I. A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCES IN THE FOUR GOSPELS.

A. First of all in Matthew; Jesus is seen as the King, and is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

1. John wrote in the Revelation chapter four verses six and seven, “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle”.
2. “As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle” (Ezekiel 1:10).

B. In Mark’s Gospel; Jesus is seen as a Servant, and is the ox/calf – Jesus Himself said in the Gospel of Mark, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
C. Then in the Gospel of Luke we see Jesus as the Son of Man, and represented, of course by the “face of a man”.
D. Finally in the Gospel of John we see Him as the Son of God, and represented by the symbol of the eagle. The eagle above all, soaring in majesty, representing the All-Knowing power of God.
E. The Royal Lineage of Jesus is given by Matthew in verses 2 – 16, and with all its blemishes.
F. In this Gospel we see a gracious King. We also see the wondrous providence of our great God and King.

II. MATTHEW’S GOD-BREATHED DECLARATION OF JESUS’S JEWISH ROYALTY (vv. 1-2).

A. David is considered, by the Jews, and by many others, to be the greatest of Israel’s kings.
B. Abraham was the patriarch of Israel, and this identifies this gospel to the Jews, and to Jesus as being Jewish.
C. Jesus, of course, is who this Gospel is really about.
D. Jesus came and showed the people, and told the people who He was, but was despised by the Jewish religious establishment, and many of the people.

1. He is defended by Matthew, as their King.

III. EVIDENCE OF JEWISH ROYALTY IN AN ANCESTRY OF SINNERS (vv. 3-6).

A. This genealogy is evidence of divine lineage of Jesus, and succession of God’s establishment of a people.

1. It is given so that man may have proof of Jesus’s true identity.
2. You could call this Gospel ‘The Identity Papers of Jesus the King’.
3. It is proof positive that Jesus is the King of kings.

B. There are five people who are included in the genealogy of Jesus that most noble people would not want to claim, but here they are in the lineage of our Lord Jesus who is King of all kings, Lord of all lords, and He rules the Universe, and all that is within it.

1. Tamar who deceived her father in law and committed an act of harlotry (Matthew 1:3; Gen. 38:13-30).

a. Tamar is a representation of sin.

2. Rahab, and she was a prostitute in the city of Jericho who was delivered from Jericho’s destruction because of her faith in the God of Israel (Matthew 1:5; Joshua 2:1-21; 6:23);

a. Rahab is the representation of faith; she later married a Jew by the name of Salmon, and these were the proud parents of Boaz.

3. Ruth – a Moabitish woman who was forbidden by law to enter the congregation.

a. Ruth represents the principle of grace (Matthew 1:5; Deut. 23:3-6; Ruth 1:16; 3:19; 4:18-22).
b. These three women were Gentile women, and Tamar was a Canaanite (Gen 38:2) one of the peoples who were to be driven from the land of Promise and killed.

4. The next woman on the list is not even named; she is instead called, “of her that had been the wife of Uriah” (v.6).

a. We know her as Bathsheba – the partner in David’s great sin of adultery and murder, and she represents the principle of forgiveness.
b. It is possible that Bathsheba was also a Gentile woman.

5. The fifth and final woman mentioned in this kingly genealogy is Mary.

a. A woman loved, respected, and admired by many.
b. Jesus alone is worthy of our worship and we need no mediator to get to Jesus.

1) He is the Mediator for us to the Father.

c. Luke recorded, by the breath of God, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” O, that we had a heart like Mary.

IV. THE SON OF GOD; BORN OF A VIRGIN (vv. 7-16).

A. God protects His purity.
B. Matthew spares nothing to proclaim the virgin birth of Jesus.
C. Mary does have something in common with the other four women of this genealogy.

1. They are all guilty of , or accused of sexual immorality.
2. “Betrothed” in that culture was much more than engagement for our culture.

a. It would have taken Joseph to write a legal letter of divorcement for the marriage to cease, but he did not do that.
b. There must have been suspicious, gossiping tongues.

3. Mary, also was a sinner, in need of a Savior, and she gave birth to her own Savior and ours. Luke 1:47 states from Mary’s Song of Praise, “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior”.

D. There is a man named Jechoniah and called “Coniah” in Jeremiah 22:24-30.

1. There was a curse placed on “Coniah”, thus this line was cursed by God.
2. Because Jesus’s Father is God and not Joseph, and Jesus has the lineage through Mary He is not acquainted with the curse.
3. By legal authority, because Joseph is the adoptive father, the curse does not apply to Jesus.

E. God’s grace is so amazing; so divine; when there seems to be no way of hope; no way of salvation; God provides; that is GOD’S FAITHFUL PROVIDENCE.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The Archers Arrow of Accuracy

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“And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, an hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin.” 1 Chronicles 8:40 (KJV)

The names of this genealogy are of the lineage of Benjamin. This genealogy from chapter one through ten is of the returning remnant from the Babylonian captivity; that they might remember who goes where, and proof of ownership of any land in the land of Promise.

It is noted by the above verse that the “sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers…” What is valor? It can be defined as bravery in the face of seeming defeat; it is courage when it seems that defeat is inevitable. That is what Christians need in the world today.

Christian men, especially need to step up and stand in the face of the enemy; whatever that enemy may be; whoever that enemy may be; and we know the enemy of us all is the devil himself. He hates Christ Jesus, he hates Christians who love Jesus more than life itself. Christian men and women need to stand in this day.

Ulam’s sons must have been excellent archers, being recognized for it in Scriptures. May God Jehovah direct every word to accomplish that which He pleases in the hearts of men and women.

Through the Bible in a Year – Evening 010613

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Generations of Righteousness
Matthew 1 – 5
1.  The Lineage of Jesus Christ (1:1-17);
2.  The Birth of the Righteous One (1:18 – 2:23);
3.  The Fulfillment of Righteousness (3:1-17);
4.  The Trial of the Righteous (4:1-25);
5.  The Words of the Righteous One (5:1-12, 17-20, 48)

-Tim A. Blankenship

Day 71 – Son of Man

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As we looked at the gospel of Matthew we saw Jesus as the King.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords at which every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…  In the gospel of Mark Jesus is a servant to men.  In the gospel of Luke He is the Son of man.

Matthew had a genealogy of kings.  Mark has no genealogy.  Luke has a genealogy of man showing Jesus is human, yet the God/Man.  Someone put it this way, “The Son of God became the Son of man; that the sons of men, might become the sons of God”.

My reading today was Mark 15 – 16 and Luke 1 – 12.

In the genealogy of Jesus we find in the beginning of it these words,

“And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli…”  Luke 3:23 (KJV)

That same genealogy ends with,

“Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” 3:38

Matthew’s genealogy begins with Abraham, and goes through Joseph and Mary, through David.  Luke’s account begins with Jesus and goes backwards all the way to Adam.

My reading this morning took me a little longer than it has, due to the length of the chapters in Luke.  Great reading.

Let me leave you with these words from Jesus, the Son of Man,

“Also I say unto you, ‘Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.  And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.”  Luke 12:8-10

-Tim A. Blankenship

Family And Geography

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In our world today it is not uncommon for family to become separated by geography, and live hundreds, or even thousands of miles apart.  With our technology we are able to call, write, text, email, and even view one another on our computer screens and never feel that far away.

With Abraham and Sarah and isaac that was not so easy, yet they seemed to have maintained some kind of contact with one another.

“And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;  Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,  And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.  And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.  And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.”  Genesis 22:20-24 (KJV)

This passage of Scripture from Genesis may  not seem that important, however, it does let us know that Abraham maintained contact with his family back in Mesopotamia, and news had came to Abraham and family of the family they had left behind 60 years before.

We will get to the matter of Isaac’s marriage later, however, as we look as this passage today we can see that God is telling us that He has made preparations for a bride for Isaac.  The people of the land of Canaan were ungodly, and knew nothing of Jehovah [YHWH] except what they had seen in Abraham.  They probably admired his faith, but had no use for his God.  He was too confining; too restrictive;  limiting one to worship only one god?  What kind of worship could that be?

The worship of one God, and the true God of gods, is less confusing; much more fulfilling; and accurate, because God has said, “There is no other”.  There is no worship of YHWH, except through the Son of God Jesus Christ.

You will notice in this short genealogy that a young lady by the name of Rebekah is mentioned.  She will later become Isaac’s wife.  God is God, and directs the affairs of mankind; and He will be glorified in us all.

Is family important to our God?  Most definitely.  Through family God’s Word and God’s will is done, and He is glorified.

It is not certain how families maintained contact and kept up with one another in that day.  It could have been by travelling caravans, traders, coming through.  It is unlikely that they made a 600 mile plus trip to keep up on family news.  In this case it was important for the linage of Jesus Christ, for He came through Abraham and Isaac.

Remember Paul’s words, breathed by God;

“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”  Romans 9:6-8 (KJV).

-Tim A. Blankenship