Abiding in ChristmasSample

"Abiding in Christmas: Daily Advent Thoughts" by Bryan Craig

DAY SIXTEEN

“And Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.” Matthew 1:16-17 (ESV)

Of all the Gospels, Matthew was mostly written for the Jews. The Jews knew their history, the plight of their ancestors, their scriptures, and they knew the importance of bloodline. So, Matthew starts out with a genealogy, starting with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. As you peruse it, you won’t know many of the names, but you will see others you know like Boaz, Ruth’s husband. By the way, Boaz’s mom was Rahab, whom we know today as the prostitute who helped hide the spies of Israel when they were in trouble. Then there’s King David, of course, and his son, Solomon, who was born to David by Bathsheba. Yes, this is THE Bathsheba whom David fell for and sinned with at a dark moment in his history.  

So, on the path to Jesus, there were ups and downs, times of great faith, but also distress. One name on the list is King Hezekiah. He was sick and about to die but he prayed to the Lord, and God granted Him 15 more years. In that 15-year extension, Manasseh was born, who is also in the lineage list in Matthew.  All of this tells us that God’s plans will not be thwarted. Despite our sin, brokenness, sickness, and evil, Jesus made His way to us.

APPLICATION: Do you realize that you are part of Jesus’ family tree as well? Those who have received Jesus as their Savior are adopted into His family. So your life and your lineage are important! When they write about your life, there will be ups and downs to mention, but will there also be details of faith, trust, and obedience to the Lord?