Scripture: Matthew 1:1-17 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David and son of Abraham…
Observation: I often wondered why Matthew wrote this first verse. 1 – 17 is a litany of crazy names and people, some of whom I have never heard of. And then I remember that: God’s word is sharper than a two-edged sword – Hebrews 4:12 and that everything in the Bible is relevant and meant to be heard and understood by us.
Application: I vaguely remember the first time I read this passage as a young Christian, and all I could think about was how hard the names were to pronounce and really, do we have to name every relative that Jesus ever had and if we do then why? But reading it today as a more mature Christian, I realize that every word in God’s Word has meaning. It is there for a reason. Now I like history, and I also love genealogy – it is one of my hobbies (love tracing my family tree and learning about DNA and where “My people came from.” But why would God put all these crazy to pronounce names of Jesus’ ancestry in the Bible? Well, if I genuinely think about it, I believe it is because He wants us to understand the whole of Jesus’ essence. His earthly life is like ours; it has relatives and ancestors who, in some cases, play a significant role in history and prophesy. If I think about it, Jesus’ genealogy (just like mine) goes back to Adam and Eve. This is part of God’s great plan for the world. Beginning with creation (Genesis)and then ending with end times (Revelation).
Prayer: Father, you encompass so many things: you are Sovereign God, Holy Trinity, Abba, Father, Daddy, Teacher, Historian, etc. etc etc… Please help me remember to rely on you more and to remember that you hold all the answers to our lives. “You have the whole world in your hands,” a song from my Sunday School Days, which verifies you HOLD US UP – You CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD – YOU ARE ALL MIGHTY GOD! I AM SO THANKFUL TO BE ONE OF YOUR CHOSEN FOLLOWERS. Help me remember who you are in my walk with you. Amen