Christmas is upon us, and I’m sure that many of us are familiar with Handel’s Messiah. In one of the pieces from The Messiah, Handel quotes a well-known verse from the prophet Isaiah, which is oftentimes used around Christmas: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). The Old Testament is full of prophecies like this; prophecies that foretell the coming of the Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ.
All of the Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus as found within the gospels of Matthew and Luke. But what I find interesting is that we have a reminder and summary of many of these prophesies in an unexpected place – the genealogies found in the first chapter of Matthew. Through this list of names and the mention of a few select events, we gain an overview of salvation history, one which portrays how God has been orchestrating throughout history His benevolent plan of salvation; a plan that unfolds in the birth of Jesus.
The genealogies are, to many Christians, just a list of “begats” that are often overlooked; but they are actually significant. One of my seminary professors from years ago (Paul House), said that the “begats” are a way to portray large segments of historical background in a very short space. This morning, as we take a look at the genealogies, I am only going to hone in on a few key names, not all of them; but as we look at this list of names, we are going to expand our understanding of salvation history, concerning how God’s plan of redemption was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Jesus, Son of David, Son of Abraham (v. 1)
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
We see David mentioned here in verse 1. In 2 Samuel 7:16, David received a promise from God spoken by Nathan. The promise was this: “Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” Jesus, being the one who could bring everlasting life, and being the preexistent and ever-existing one, is the only person through which David’s lineage could continue forever; so this was a prophesy of the Messiah.
The Messiah was first eluded to back in Genesis 12:1-3, in what has been called the Abrahamic Covenant, when the Lord told Abraham to leave Haran to embark on a sojourn. Just to reacquaint ourselves, allow me to read these verses: “Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing . . . And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Abraham was promised a land (v. 1), a nation (v. 2a), and a blessing (v. 2b). The “blessing” is the primary emphasis of the covenant with Abraham. The blessing is none other than the Messiah. You see, it is not only a blessing that will affect Abraham and his direct seed, but one that will affect all the families of the earth; meaning that both Jews and Gentiles will receive this blessing.
Isaac, Jacob and Judah (v. 2)
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
There is one account in particular with Abraham and Isaac that brings to light God’s plan of redemption. In Genesis chapter 22, the Lord told Abraham to sacrifice his son on the altar. So, Abraham, in obedience, went through the motions of preparing the sacrifice; including having Isaac carry the wood, which foreshadowed Jesus carrying His own cross for the crucifixion. But just on the verge of Abraham plunging the knife into Isaac, the Lord provided salvation by placing a ram caught in a thicket. In doing so, God revealed a piece of His plan, especially as Abraham confidently declared to Isaac, “God will provide a lamb” (v. 8, NRSV).
In Genesis chapter 32, Jacob is said to have struggled with both God and men (Genesis 32:28). We read here that he begot Judah and his brothers. I think we all know how Judah and his brothers turned out, as they sold their baby brother Joseph into slavery. Jacob’s struggling with God and men, which was purely a matter of sin, was passed on to his sons. But once again, God showed forth His mercy and compassion by having Joseph ascend to second in command of Egypt. And during a time of famine, Joseph provided salvation for his people Israel and demonstrated forgiveness towards his brothers. Joseph, himself, typified the undeserved kindness and salvation that God would one day offer through the coming Messiah.
Judah and His Descendants (vv. 3-5)
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse.
In Genesis chapter 49, there is a prophecy about the Messiah coming through the lineage of Judah, and here’s what it says: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet . . . Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes . . . Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea . . . I have waited for your salvation, O LORD” (Genesis 49:10a, 11, 13a, 18). Isaiah chapter 9, and Zechariah chapter 9, both contain prophesies with similar details; details which are fulfilled in Matthew 4:13-16 and Matthew 21:1-5.
There’s not enough time to focus on every single name here, but let’s think about Rahab, who was the mother of Boaz. In the book of Joshua, we read how Joshua sent spies into Jericho; but when the king found out about the spies, Rahab (who was a prostitute) protected them. She hid them on the roof of her house, and later lowered them down the side of the city wall in a basket tied to a rope (Joshua 2:1-16). The spies then told her that she and her family would be spared slaughter if she would tie a line of scarlet in the window through which she had lowered them. This line of scarlet exemplifies how sinners, such as this prostitute, who turn to the Lord will receive salvation; and this salvation comes by way of a scarlet line – a line woven through the pages of the Bible, pointing to the scarlet blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
Now think about Ruth. Ruth was a widow living with her mother-in-law Naomi. Naomi, along with her husband and sons, who were native Israelites, had moved to Moab to escape a famine; but then Naomi’s husband and sons died and she returned to her homeland. When she arrived with Ruth they were homeless, and at that point they needed rescue; and their salvation could be obtained through a kinsman redeemer, a relative who would marry Ruth and provide for her and Naomi. The only problem was that Ruth was a Moabite. So, the closest kinsman, which was Boaz’s brother, refused to marry her. In the end, we learn that Boaz himself became Ruth’s kinsman redeemer; revealing how God is willing to redeem anyone from any background who chooses to come into the family of God.
The Significance of David (v. 6)
6 And Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
When the passage arrives at verse 6, there is an emphasis placed on David, stating that “David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.” David was an important figure in the history of Israel, because he brought about military, economic, and social prosperity to the land. However, the mention of Uriah is meant to remind us of the murder of Uriah and the adulterous relationship between David and Bathsheba. David was very prosperous, but he was also a sinner; and his sin eventually led to the gradual downfall of the nation.
David’s prosperity was the result of his obedience to the Lord’s top two commandments: “You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make for yourselves a carved image” (Exodus 20:3-4a). God is a jealous God, demanding all attention directed unto Him. The prevalent trend in the history of Israel is that whenever Israel departed to worship other gods, the Lord allowed them to fall into oppression and bondage. This is the reason why Israel eventually fell into oppression by Assyria in 721 B.C. and bondage in Babylon in 587 B.C.
Bad Kings and a Downward Spiral (vv. 7-10)
7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. 8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. 9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
In this list of successors there are a few decent kings mentioned; however, most of them were pretty rotten to say the least. For example, Solomon placed the people into forced labor, and he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. So Solomon had a problem with sexual sin. Many of these wives and concubines were from other countries and worshipped foreign gods; and 1 Kings 11:4 says, “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.”
Look at Rehoboam as another example mentioned in these verses. 2 Chronicles 12:1 says of Rehoboam, “Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel along with him.” When the people came to Rehoboam asking that he lighten the burden inflicted by Solomon, his reply to the people in 1 Kings 12:10 was this: “My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist.” This meant that he would inflict even more burden on the people than his father Solomon had.
There’s not enough time to talk about all the kings mentioned in this list. What we need to understand here is that David’s sins of murder and adultery started a pattern of sin, one which was learned by Solomon and continued throughout the generations, placing the nation of Israel on a downward spiral. The Lord knew He had to put a stop to it; which leads us to what we encounter in the next two verses.
Babylon and the Return to Jerusalem (vv. 11-12)
11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
We now come to the next big event in Israel’s history, which is the Babylonian captivity that began in 587 B.C. and lasted for seventy years. The captivity was the result of straying from God and it served to purify God’s people, as many sinners perished from trials and old age, never to return to their homeland to contaminate it with their sin. Others were forced to turn to the Lord for help in their time of need.
During this captivity, the people were longing for deliverance and a return to Jerusalem. They needed a savior; and who better than someone with the traits of a great ruler like David? The prophets made predictions that the deliverer would be of the seed of David; but these prophesies would not be fulfilled until a few hundred years later, as they were manifested in Jesus Christ. The type of deliverance foretold by the prophets spoke of a spiritual deliverance and salvation from sin.
The people, however, wanted salvation from their captivity in Babylon. They wanted a physical deliverance, not a spiritual one; and they did get their deliverance long before Jesus was slated to arrive. In Jeremiah 29:10 we read, “For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.”
The Lord did indeed cause His people to return to their homeland after seventy years, and it was through the help of a man named Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was a governor who led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, to return from the Babylonian captivity in the first year of Cyrus the Great. Zerubbabel also led the people in laying the foundation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
It All Concludes with Jesus Christ (vv. 13-17)
13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. 17 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.
Many of the descendants after Zerubabbel cannot be found in the Bible, because between the Old and New Testament is a 400-year silent period. But it’s significant to note that the genealogy arrives at Joseph (v. 16), who was the earthly father of Jesus; or the “foster parent” as Warren Wiersbe calls him, since Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not by Joseph (Matthew 1:20).
Verse 17 says, “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations.” Wiersbe says, “The numerical value for the Hebrew letters for [the name] David equals fourteen. Matthew probably used this approach as a memory aid to help his readers remember this difficult list.”(1) But this list ends at Jesus, and it’s a list that is supposed to be committed to memory, showing us that Jesus is the focal figure in this passage.
Notice also that when we arrive at verse 17, a quick summary is given, highlighting three important groupings of generations: “From Abraham to David are fourteen . . . from David until the captivity . . . are fourteen . . . and from the captivity . . . until Christ are fourteen.” Each grouping represents a people that has fallen from God; a people that can never get it right; a people that are in desperate need of a Savior. Going back to last name in the genealogy (v. 16), that Savior is named Jesus, who is identified as Christ, which means Messiah and Deliverer.
Down in verses 21-23, we read, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’.” The name of the long-awaited Messiah is Jesus! His name in Hebrew is Yeshua, meaning, “Yahweh will save.” He is also called Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” So, Jesus is finally among us, bringing a type of deliverance that people could never provide on their own, as He has come to provide salvation from our sins.
Time of Reflection
I quoted Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6, at the beginning of this message. Listen closely as I share verses 6-7: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.”
From the beginning of time God had a plan set for the redemption of His people. There was a scarlet line woven through history and the pages of the Bible. All the prophets foretold the coming of one who would establish an everlasting kingdom of peace. The Davidic Savior was sought after in many earthly figures; but He was never found until the birth of Jesus Christ, the true redeemer of the world. Jesus’ kingdom must be a heavenly kingdom, in order to fulfill the prophecy about it being an everlasting kingdom of peace. This kingdom is ours to live in for all eternity if we choose to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and confess that He truly is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
NOTES
(1) Warren Wiersbe, The Complete New Testament in One Volume, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (David C. Cook: Colorado Springs, Colorado), p. 12.
