The Value Of History

The Value of History

Matthew 1:1-17

Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

Matt. 1:1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Matt. 1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

Matt. 1:12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

Matt. 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to theadeportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

I have always had a fondness for history. When the History channel was created I was a thrilled camper. I spent hours watching historical documentaries. Now I know there are many students who dread taking a history class. All those names, dates, places, and events that must be learned. To be honest with you, having to remember exact dates does not do it for me. Getting the year right works for me.

In fact, my favorite instructor of Christian history said that it was important to know what century things happened in the church then it was to remember exact dates. For example, it is important to know when the Reformation happened. By the way that is a date that is hard to forget. Why, you may wonder Because it was October 31, 1517. Who can forget Halloween Free candy for everyone.

The Gospel of Matthew lists a genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. You probably never heard it read in a church worship celebration. Why? Because many preachers do not see the value of this chapter. However, I do. I have used this chapter more than once in my 25 years of preaching. There are some very important historical points in the genealogy. The most important point is that genealogy proves history to us.

What does the statement “proves history" mean? We are told that our savior Jesus was to be born from the line of David. This is an important point of what is called the Messianic tradition. This is a fancy word, and it means how will the world recognize the Messiah when God sends Him? Prophets and sages throughout the centuries prior to Jesus’ birth told us what to be looking for.

So, if we ignore history and did not learn about it, then we might have missed Jesus when He was born and walked with us. The Hebrew people knew their history. The bottom line is that they knew who to look for because they knew their history.

There were people who doubted that Jesus was the Messiah. However, there were many people who knew that He was the Messiah because He fulfilled the prophecies of history. Many prophets from God were sent to tell us that one day, the Messiah would be with us.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we like to read the New Testament. Oh no, that’s history! History is an account of actions and words from the past. The Gospels can be considered as sacred historical documents. They tell us all about Jesus’s life, His words, His actions, His attitudes, His opinions, and His love for us.

The coolest part of learning about Jesus from the history in the Gospels is that His love is still with us today. When you love Jesus as He loves you, you become a part of the extended Gospel history. Many of the things that Jesus did can happen to you. If you let Jesus into your heart, you will hear Him talking to you. His voice may not be something you hear, rather his presence can be something you feel.