Over the past several years, Matthew 1:1-16 has become one of my favorite passages of Scripture to study during Christmas. I must confess though, in the past I found this passage of Scripture to be quite boring. I used to see these verses as just a list of names I had to quickly read through in order to get to the “good stuff.” It wasn’t until I really began to appreciate the Old Testament that I began to appreciate the earthly genealogy of Jesus. Matthew 1:1-16 loudly announces that Jesus is the fulfillment of both the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants! Jesus is the long awaited Messiah that will be a joy to all nations, and He is the true Davidic King who will sit on the throne forever!
Think about the thousands of years that went by after God made his promise in Genesis 3:14-15, that He would one day crush the serpent. Think about the thousands of years that went by after He promised Abraham that his seed would be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:1-3, 15, 17). Think about how many years had gone by since the Lord promised David that He would establish a forever kingdom through David (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Imagine how difficult it was to wait for these promises to be fulfilled. Imagine the temptation there must have been to doubt God’s faithfulness in keeping his promises, when in reality God was working out his perfect plan for salvation through the people and events of the Old Testament that would ultimately find their fulfillment in Jesus. When we read Matthew 1:1-16, we are reading God’s declaration that the fulfillment of the long awaited promises has arrived! The Messiah has come! This was great news for the people of that day and it is great news for us today!
As you read this passage, celebrate God’s sovereignty and his goodness! If you are tempted to doubt God’s faithfulness and his timing, look to Matthew 1:1-16 to see that God works out his perfect plan, in his timing, for His glory and our good!
As we celebrate Christmas, celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness in keeping his promises!
Isaiah 9:6-7
[6] For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
[7] Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Merry Christmas and in Christ,
Jeremy
Jeremy Bledsoe
Elder / Member Care Pastor
Jeremy and Aerial have been married since 2005 and have served at Tri-Cities since 2010. They have four children: Camille, Clayton, Chandler, and Carson.