Daily Bible Reading – December 2021: God’s Word of JoySample

December 20

Introduction

Mathew’s Gospel begins with a presentation of the ancestors of Jesus in order to make clear that Jesus is from the family of King David and Abraham.

Today’s Scripture Reading 

Matthew 1:1-17

Today’s Key Verse:  Matthew 1:17

There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, and fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from then to the birth of the Messiah.

Reflect

You may wish to compare Matthew’s account of Jesus’s ancestry with that of the one recorded by Luke (3:23-38) and note the similarities and differences. Matthew’s account names five women – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba (Solomon’s mother), and Mary. Learn more about these women by reading about them in the Bible (information about the first four women mentioned can be found in the Old Testament; information about Mary is found in Luke 1–2). What does their inclusion in Jesus’s ancestry teach you about God?

Pray

Lord God, in sending Jesus, the Messiah, you demonstrate your love for all people and your regard for people from all walks of life. Teach me to reflect your love to those I encounter today. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen. 

Prayer concern

Genealogists

Tomorrow’s Reading

Matthew 1:18-25: Matthew gives an account of Jesus’s birth.