Reading the Word

Matthew 1:1–17 (ESV)

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

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

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 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.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus’ genealogy as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Today, we look at Jesus’ genealogy as recorded by Matthew. When we read this list of names, it is important to understand why Matthew is giving us this list. He tips us off to his purpose in the very first verse. He wants us to know that Jesus is the son of David and the son of Abraham.

Luke shows us how Jesus was the fulfillment of the promise made to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. That is why his genealogy traces all the way back to Adam. However, Matthew is showing us that Jesus is the fulfillment of promises made to both Abraham and David. God had promised Abraham that kings would come from his line (Genesis 17:6) and he had promised David that he would have a descendant who would sit on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the King whose reign was promised and would never end.

It is amazing to think about the promises that God made in the Scriptures long ago. Through them, we see that God is faithful and trustworthy. He keeps his promises! We also see that God loves us even though we are often unlovable due to our sin. But God sent his Son into the world to be our King, the King who would die for his people so that we could be saved and have life. What a great King he is!

**Shaped by the Word is a daily, Bible-reading devotional. Please subscribe to this page so you can follow along each day. We will be reading through the life of Christ as recorded in the four Gospel accounts in 2019.