Friday, December 4
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1
Is there anything in your family that is passed down from generation to generation? Maybe it’s a wedding dress, a piece of furniture, a house, or a work of art. In a family, only the heir receives these things that are passed down. In the Old Testament, covenants, which are agreements between God and people, were passed down. These concepts are important and help give meaning to this genealogy.
One of God’s first covenants was with Abraham: Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1–3).
Paul also called it, in a broad sense, “the gospel” (Galatians 3:8). This “gospel” is further specified by the Davidic Covenant, the promise made in 2 Samuel 7:12, 13, where David is promised that one of his descendants would establish a forever kingdom: When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
The promises made by God to bless all nations and peoples through the kingdom of God are all fulfilled in Jesus. When Matthew states that Jesus is the son of Abraham and of David, he is saying that Jesus is their heir in the family line. Jesus receives the promises made to Abraham and David.
Paul gets really excited when he writes about this in 2 Corinthians 1:20: For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. We get all the benefits of the promises made that are fulfilled in Jesus! We can say as well, Amen, glory to God for all that God is for us in Jesus this Christmas! We are heirs to all the promises of God, through Jesus, the ultimate heir.
