Month: April 2020

 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The  virgin will   be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 

Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14, a prophesy that led to God calling Isaiah to name his next son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, meaning, “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil” – a poignant prophetic object lesson of the impending Assyrian invasion. Yet everyone who ponders such things can know that Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was an imperfect fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, for the Lord had said, “the virgin will be with child” and Isaiah’s wife had already bore him a son – the very son he had with him when he was given these words. Although the Hebrew could mean “young girl”, such would not be the full meaning of the word. 

In 1:22-23 of his Gospel, Matthew is saying that the fulfillment of the prophesy is only now given, in Jesus Christ. That is a very bold observation, and it is an observation that is itself pregnant with meaning.

Just what meaning is gestated in the mind and ultimately given birth by confession is up to the reader. For the disbeliever, it simply means Matthew transposed a cherry-picked prophesy to his own point. But this Gospel is not for the disbeliever, we’ve already grasped that Matthew wrote it for those who consider themselves the people of God.  For them (the average Jewish reader in Matthew’s day), it would’ve immediately stirred up hopes of deliverance from Roman occupation. We can relate to that, because that occupation – which was understood as punishment for national sin – was an offensive and dangerous oppression in the minds of most Jews. Just as secular governments are to most Christians today. 

But for the reader with true faith in God, it means not only that Jesus is the fulfilment of yet another prophesy (praise the Lord!), it means a disciple of God  – in this case Matthew – can rightly interpret Scripture. 

That is no small thing – Matthew was not a learned Jewish scholar, as Paul was. Matthew was formerly a tax collector for the occupying Romans. He had been a traitor to his own people, an outcast that Jesus invited to become a disciple. That such a man as he can pick up the Scripture and see something even the learned Pharisees and scribes failed to notice is a powerful testimony to the work, wisdom and grace of God. Only the Holy Spirit could reveal Christ in the prophesies of Isaiah, and only the Holy Spirit could cause him to articulate it so perfectly that the finished work is literally Gospel. And that is not just a point of marvel at something the Spirit did a long time ago with someone on the other side of the world. It is a point of fact with profound implication, because the same Holy Spirit is at work right now in you, to bring you to complete maturity and full Christlikeness. 

Praise the Lord indeed!

To have the Scriptures in a language you understand is a great gift. To read the Scriptures is an awesome privilege. To study the Scriptures is a tremendous opportunity. But to obey them – that is the test. Only when you have passed that test should you dare to interpret them for others. 

Marcus Verbrugge

Spiritual maturity is not reached by the passing of the years, but by obedience to the will of God.

Oswald Chambers

APPLICATION: Thankfulness

We benefit from Matthew’s obedience just as we benefit from the obedience of all who came before us. Someone – likely many thousands of people – will benefit from your obedience to God and His Word. Thank God for that. It is His grace to all His children.

After disclosing the angel’s words to Joseph, the writer of Matthew abruptly switches back to addressing the reader, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 

With all we know, the explanation seems almost superfluous. Those who know their Bible well cannot read of Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph’s decision, his dream and the angel’s counsel, without thinking of the familiar passage in Isaiah 7, when the prophet first speaks of Immanuel. But how many of Matthew’s original readers would have done likewise is hard to say, because Isaiah wasn’t writing a particularly gleeful promise in Isaiah 7. 

At the time, Isaiah had been told to go with his son to talk to the king of Judah. It was while Jerusalem (Judah’s capital) was being besieged by Israel and Aram. The king of Juday and all his countrymen were disheartened that their northern brothers (Israel) had allied themselves with Damascus (Aram), believing the combination too great for them to resist successfully. While giving the Lord’s strong counsel that Judah should not fear this development, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, king of Judah, “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah goes on to detail that before the boy is old enough to know right from wrong, the siege will be over because of a massive invasion from Assyria, and the two kings Ahaz fears will be swept away. “The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.” […] “Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” 

So the prophesy’s immediate application in the day it was given was to be Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, and we can know it was given as a prophesy of deliverance followed by imminent war. The birth of Immanuel would be followed by sweeping destruction and foreign occupation (via Assyria) until the completion of the whole prophesy and the setting up of Messiah’s kingdom (see Isa 8:9-1, 9:1-7). The implication is that Immanuel’s birth was to be a sign to Ahaz of peace for him and his household, even amidst the conflict and danger all around, and a sure sign of God’s coming kingdom, when public peace would reign forever over all nations.

So it was in Matthew’s day too – the coming of Immanuel (Jesus Christ) signals peace with God for those who receive Him, even though all around is destruction and foreign occupation – at the time via the Romans. The same is true for every Christ-follower. We receive Him into our lives and with Him we have peace with God, even though all around is the chaos of our broken world. And just as Ahaz did, and just as the righteous in Matthew’s day did, we can take Immanuel’s presence with us as a surety of God’s coming Kingdom, when we will never again fear war or destruction.

Amen.

It may be a cliché, but it is fact: If we recognize Immanuel we know peace for ourselves and we have hope for peace on earth. If we do not recognize Immanuel we have no peace for ourselves and we have no hope for peace on earth.

Marcus Verbrugge

APPLICATION: Thankfulness, Intentionality

Jesus told us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  

Are you experiencing His peace today? How can you extend His peace to those around you?

Joseph had thought through his next actions in light of his financé unplanned  pregnancy.   He knew he wasn’t the father. He knew that it would bring much shame to both families if he married her, and in his culture it would be her undoing if he pointed out that she was pregnant out of wedlock. His line of thought was rooted in kindness. With noble intentions, he chose to avoid shaming her by divorcing her quietly. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

We should read that sentence carefully. It says, “But after he had considered this…” That meant that some time passed. The Lord is not uncomfortable leaving us in uncomfortable circumstance if it furthers His glory. Whenever we are faced with an uncomfortable choice, we should remember that. 

One wonders how long Joseph wrestled with his choices. He had to carefully process every possibility. As a Jew, he would’ve known that Isaiah had prophesied Messiah would be born of a virgin. Just how believable was Mary’s story in this case, even if there was a truthful ring to it? 

There is a difference between a good choice and the best choice. The Lord is purposeful in seeking that we might make the best of our choices, and not any less. Perhaps that is one reason we who follow Jesus have such a difficult time discerning His will in some matters. To be God’s disciple, we must learn how to pick between the better and the best, and then act on it decisively. That is not a habit easily gained. But God knows our frame, and He is well able to encourage us to make the right choice. In Joseph’s case, God sends an angel to speak to him. This is the first time we read of Joseph hearing God speak, even if it is through an angel:

“Joseph, son of David”. To hear his name spoken by that which is beyond his frame of reference must be both terrifying and strangely comforting – the words being reassurance that supernatural God knows him, and where he came from. “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” His concern is dealt with straight on, and the Lord calls it for what it is. Not a mere concern for his parents, but a personal fear. No doubt there was yet some prideful fear that he would lose his place in society if he took Mary in spite of her pregnancy. “…because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” A full validation of Mary’s testimony. He could know for certain she was sane, godly and blessed. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

This simple truth changes everything for Joseph. The promised Messiah would finally be born, and He would be born into Joseph’s house! A higher honour could not be hoped for. 

In just a few sentences, the Lord had taken what looked to be a personal disaster and turned it into a tremendous blessing.    

That is so like Him. 

Even the ungodly can see that often what appears to be disaster is actually a blessing. Oscar Wilde said, “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise for which we are later, in the fullness of time and understanding, very grateful for!” So it is. The Lord who redeems broken and sinful people also redeems the soreness of the trials we endure. Did the Lord not turn the cross into the greatest of blessings? Dear child of God, fear not. You are in HIs hands. Perhaps He is doing something similar in your circumstance.

Marcus Verbrugge

APPLICATION:

Mediate on God’s character as revealed in His promise in Joel 2:25-27; 

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.”

“Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose  her to   public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…” 

The Word of God calls Joseph righteous, and his intention to avoid shaming his bride reveals his godly character. His circumstance, character and choice have put Joseph in a place where he is about to experience God on a whole new level.

We all want that. We all desire to be like Joseph in being called righteous. We all desire to act in God’s character so as to be considered godly, and we all desire to hear God speak to us through dreams and visions. Indeed, some cross earth and sea to get to what they understand as “thin places” – places where they might be close enough to God to hear Him more clearly or see spiritual reality more tangibly. Places like where Joseph is now, sleeping. These are the enviable traits of Joseph’s story, but not many would envy where he actually is at this point in his story. 

Consider: His bride to be has just revealed her pregnancy – something that in all likelihood has already destroyed their hopes for a wedding celebrated with much family and many friends. When his family and friends found out, they would be more than disappointed. Both his side of the family and her side of the family would be crushed. Even if they were to be married anyway, for reasons of propriety it would need to be done quietly and without fanfare. Joseph was finding himself between a rock and a hard place. 

With that weighing on his mind, one can imagine it was not easy for him to fall asleep. One can imagine he was broiled in thought about exactly what to do. In reality Joseph was close to God. But in his mind, Joseph is in a very difficult place indeed!

Truth is, we all want the honour that God showed Joseph (in being called righteous). But we want that honour without the difficulty of living out the day-to-day decisions that result in refinement of our character. We want God to call us righteous without God first calling us to challenging circumstance. We want to be in thin places – places where the Lord might reveal Himself in a most meaningful way – but we want that without the inner pain that places us there. We want dreams and visions of God’s plans for us without crying ourselves to sleep. We want His best for us now, without first seeking to do the very best thing for those who have deeply hurt us and dashed our dreams and hopes.

But there are no shortcuts to righteousness or God’s favour, whatever our circumstance. Only choices. Choices that either put us nearer to Him, or not. Those choices are ours to make. 

They are yours to make, even today.

Desire of righteousness is preceded by repentance, accompanied by humility, and followed by works of mercy.

Gaultier

APPLICATION: Intentionality

What are you expecting to God to say to you? 

How are you preparing yourself to hear Him speak?

Upon finding out of Mary’s pregnancy, we read this in Matthew 1:19; “Because   Joseph  her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” That tells us three things: That Mary’s husband’s name was Joseph, that he was a righteous man, and that he did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace, so he purposed to divorce her quietly.

As a name, “Joseph” is both of solid Hebrew stock and a shout out to the patriarch of long ago, so we can know that Mary’s chosen husband was one that was culturally appropriate. Whether that was her choice entirely, or one that was arranged by the families, is not given to us. What we can ascertain is that they as a couple were likely to fit in well with their society. They were a ‘normal’ couple. But then, the truly great almost always start off as ‘normal’. 

Of course, just how ‘normal’ Joseph was is a matter of subjectivity. The narrative of the Word of God details Joseph as a righteous man. That is striking, and makes him hardly average. For it is one thing to be righteous in your own eyes. It is  another altogether to be actually right in your character. More than both, very few are counted righteous in the pages of Scripture, yet it is into this last category that we find Joseph placed. That is a high honour by the hand of God, and certainly something that marks Joseph as far above average. Even more than that, the text tells us he was unbelievably kind. For he hears the news that his bride to be is pregnant, and his measured reaction is to avoid exposing her to disgrace! Is that how most of us would’ve reacted? In consideration of her, after she comes and tells us she is pregnant by God Himself?  

Some have suggested that it is well possible Joseph thought she had simply lost her mind, or was covering for a family member who had done something too horrible to speak of. But to conclude such would be to embark down the same faithless line of thought as Mary’s pregnancy had first suggested to the reader, and to ignore the text entirely, because the text of Scripture says that Joseph was a righteous man. He therefore would’ve been able to hear the Spirit’s silent witness to his Bride’s explanation for her sudden pregnancy. Not that it would’ve been easy news. But that she was not wrong, whatever had happened. So he determines to quietly divorce her (engagement being as legal marriage in their society). There will be no public shaming, no stoning for adultery and no demands for increased dowry. Joseph was a righteous man, and kind. 

On a human scale, this is a touching story of humility and grace. But it is more than that, it is one of those rare seasons when you know God is up to something. For to display Godly character in the face of the sorest of trials (and surely it is that, when the one you’ve already committed your whole life to shares such news with you) – is to live out what His Spirit has quietly said in the depths of your soul. That, of and by itself, is a rare thing. It ought to be normal, especially among God’s people. But we all know it is not. 

Realize then, that Joseph is now in a thin place, regardless of geography. He is close to God. His character and his choices have put him there.

Passive righteousness tells us that God does not need our good works. Active righteousness tells us that our neighbor does. The aim and direction of good works are horizontal, not vertical.

Tullian Tchividjian

APPLICATION: Intentionality

In light of all the kindness God has shown you, what small kindness can you do for someone else today? 

In many evangelical churches, it is common to find people eager for more of the  Holy   Spirit. Why wouldn’t they? After all, who would not want more of the Spirit? He whom Jesus promised, whom He sent, He who imparts spiritual gifts to His children, who leads us and guides us into all righteousness – we all want that! 

Yet the Holy Spirit is also Sovereign God Most High. He does what He wishes, when He wishes, as He wishes. He brings glory to Christ, is part of the Godhead, and answers to no man. The consequence of which is that sometimes – perhaps a whole lot more often than any care to acknowledge – He does that which does not seem convenient to us in the moment. Of course, inconvenience is not what most are looking for. Certainly not what any are expecting from God Most High.

The Christmas story is perhaps the single best-known story on the face of the globe. But in Matthew’s Gospel it does not start with wonder and amazement. It starts with a profound and troublesome inconvenience. Matthew writes, ”This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” 

By leaving out the angelic encounter Luke informs us about, Matthew confronts his readers with the realization that Mary had to wrestle with. In fact, reading it without the benefit of Luke, one can well imagine a sinking feeling in Mary’s gut as she realized she was pregnant. She was keenly aware she had not yet slept with her husband. Humanly speaking, nothing but doubt and questions would’ve flooded her mind. Matthew’s unbelieving readers might wonder; Did someone rape her while she slept? Did she ingest some potion that removed her memory?  Of course, we have the Gospel of Luke, so we know very much otherwise. An angel – well, not just any angel, but the archangel Gabriel – appears to her (see Luke 2:28-35).  So we know Mary did not have a sinking feeling, but rather one of elation. Even if it was to be tempered with a healthy dose of fear for how her community – and her fiancé – would take the news. 

Matthew’s omission of these critical facts leaves the reader of his Gospel startled, and perhaps deeply skeptical of the words, “she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” Yet isn’t it always that way with God’s revelation? We either take it at face value and believe, or we have a million reasons to question and disbelieve. 

Matthew is not afraid of confronting this natural tension. He knows it resides in each of us, so he addresses it head on. The reader, having already been reminded of God’s work through so many of the saints over the ages, knows that God has been working and speaking to this point. They are immediately confronted with the reality that God is continuing to work. He is doing something in the here and now. Something uncomfortable in the text, and perhaps something else uncomfortable in the reader.  

A most wise man once said, “Consider carefully how you listen!” Such advice is critical. Either you will read Matthew 1:18 and realize God is still speaking though His Word -even to you right now – or you will read it and listen to your own inner doubt instead. To those who choose to listen to the Spirit, the rest of Matthew is full of delight, wonder and blessing. It is God, speaking to them. But to those who choose to listen to their doubt, it is nothing but straw.

Which will it be for you? 

When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves – that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude which is very near the heart of authentic Christian experience.

NT Wright

APPLICATION: Thankfulness, Intentionality

Perhaps the next inconvenience you encounter will actually be a blessing of God for you. Choose now to make the very best of it. 

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,  Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.  After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.  Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.”

In consideration of the above passage, no less than Martin Luther wrote, “It looks like a useless, unnecessary writing in which he has reviewed the names of the dear fathers, since we know absolutely nothing about them, and it is of no help to us at all.”  

That is quite a statement. As audacious as it sounds, it probably isn’t a statement that many Bible readers would disagree with. What then is the point of including such a tedious history in the annals of God’s own Word?  

Could it be that we simply need to know that our lives might be a part of something much greater? Could it be that we need to be informed that our lineage leads somewhere? That who we bring into the world means more to the world than just adding a name to our particular family picture, and another mouth to feed? That the Lord knows where we as a family and a people group came from, and to where we as a family and as a people group are headed? Could it be that the Lord, in His sovereign and perfect will, wants to show us that He is sovereign over the lives of those who came before us, and over the lives that come after us? 

Perhaps He wants us to be keenly aware, even as we look for the fulfillment of promises made long ago, that who we are and even our name are not unimportant to Him in our present generation? 

Or perhaps, this particular genealogy is only here because God is committed to demonstrating that His plan is far greater than ours, so much so that even the number of our generations is counted? Or that we too might aspire to have our name written down – not in a genealogical record per se, but in the Lamb’s book of Life? 

So many good and useful lines of thought, all jumping out at us!

Think not that Jesus’ genealogy is a useless bit of trivia. It is the Holy Word of God, able to make the foolish wise and to discern the hearts and motives of all who read it. Remember that, ”All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”  Yes, even a genealogy! Amen.

Our names are not written in either the Old Testament or the New Testament, but we who know Jesus in our day are honoured all the same. For we too are part of His story.

APPLICATION: Prayer

Today, pray for your pastor and at least one distant relative in addition to yourself. God is doing something tremendous through each of you. Thank Him for that.

 After introducing us to Jesus Christ, “the son of David, the son of Abraham,” Matthew continues, “Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.”

If Matthew meant to give us a complete genealogy, he would’ve listed Adam, Seth, and everyone else listed in Genesis 11. By choosing instead to start Jesus’ genealogy with Abraham, the Gospel writer is making an assumption that the readers already know Abraham’s history. That assumption is therefore a statement – out of the box, this Gospel is a Gospel expressly for those who count Abraham as their forefather.

Of course, Abraham is the man who was declared righteous by faith. So it is that even in Jesus’ genealogy one can see how it takes faith to realize the promises of God. For Abraham waited a very long time to have his son Isaac, and Genesis 25 tells us that Isaac prayed for 20 years to see his son Jacob born. On his part, Jacob undertook hard labor for seven years before he married Leah and could begin building his family. Further, Perez and Zerah were born in scandal to Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, and only after Tamar waited what Genesis 38:12 calls, “a long time”. 

Not only that, but Boaz met Ruth the Moabite (with whom he had Obed) only under the extraordinary circumstance of Ruth’s Jewish mother-in-law Naomi leaving Moab after both her husband and two sons died, and on account of the widow Ruth travelling with Naomi back to the land of Israel. 

One cannot help but note that the lineage of Jesus is filled with difficulty, hardship and long waits.  But that is part of what Matthew wants us to see: The realization of the promise of God does not come without the struggle of faith over time. We see that in how Jesus Christ is tied to both Abraham, to whom was promised the Messiah (Gen 12:3), and to David, to whom was promised the Messiah (Ps 89:3-4). God’s great favour was on both, but both also had to endure much time and testing of their faith to see the day Messiah was born.

What then of us? Surely God’s great favour is on us also. In one sense, much more than on David and Abraham, for the New Covenant in Christ is superior to the Old Covenant through Abraham. As Hebrews teaches us, “The ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.”  In that sense, the blessing of our adoption as God’s sons and daughters is far better than all Abraham received during his lifetime. So when we are faced with long seasons of waiting, difficulty and hardship, we too must lean on our faith, just as they did. 

Doubt not, God is about fulfilling His promise. 2Cor 1:20 says, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

Sometimes when I seek Him in prayer for a long-awaited answer, I hear the sound of swords clashing. I smell the fires of war, and I know that there is much spiritual battle going on, hidden from my eyes. For God means to answer  quickly, but His answer must overcome much resistance in reaching me.

anonymous

APPLICATION: Thankfulness

Thank God for His faithfulness. 

What answer/promise are you waiting for? Meditate on 2Cor 1:20.

When reading through the Bible, one cannot help but notice that God creates a  covenant with Adam (Gen 1:28-30), a covenant with Noah (Gen 6:8, 9:8-9,11-17), a covenant with Abraham (Gen 15:18), a covenant with Moses (Ex 6:5, 24:1-8, 34:10-28), and a covenant with David (2Sam 7, 23:5, Ps 89:3; 132:12; 2 Chr 13:5). They are all written by God and directed to His people. That tells us that God Most High designs that His people should be in a covenant relationship with Him.

In fact, if you look closely at all of those covenants, you will see that although they each build on each other in terms of complexity and understanding, they each say something to ordinary human beings to the effect of, “God is our God and we are His People”. In that sense they are all really the same covenant – each is a solemn commitment we enter into by His unilateral command. Each lays out what we are to do to honor Him as King. Each explains how God will bless us as His people. And in each there is some signal of death that God’s people will know that there is a grievous penalty for abandoning the Covenant. 

Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord promised another Covenant. This New Covenant (from which we get the words, “New Testament”) is not like the Old Covenant in that it offers forgiveness for disobeying the terms of the Old Covenant. On that basis alone it is a greater covenant. But it is far greater yet, because by the New Covenant, God offers us full reconciliation with Him – so much so that all who are part of it can enter His presence day by day, just as a single man (the high priest) was able to do only once a year under the Old Covenant. In that sense it is a tremendous fulfillment of the Old Covenant. It allows that we are all to be made like the greatest high priest. It is made with the same God (through His Son), and the penalty for disobeying is still eternal separation from Him and all the creation He rules over. To that end we can rightly say that the earlier expressions of His Covenant pointed to the New Covenant. 

Two of those expressions were most pertinent to the Jews; The covenant with Abraham – which established the Hebrew race, and the covenant with David – which established the temple, the dwelling of God among the Hebrew people. All Jews knew all the Old Testament covenants, but it is these two that they could look at to see both the demarcation of their nation as unique out of all the nations of the earth, and the pinnacle of their nation at its very best. 

So when Matthew begins his Gospel with, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham,” he is making a pointed declaration that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Jewish people group could aspire to become. That he also starts off by naming Jesus as Christ – meaning, “anointed one”, and “son of David” (a messianic title), means we can also understand that he writes from that viewpoint. 

So then, the Gospel of Matthew should not be read as a treatise arguing toward understanding Jesus as Messiah. Rather, it should be understood from the start as a revelation of what God’s people are called to become. For it is a record that starts with who Jesus is, but ends with the common calling of all Christ’s followers to be like Him in reaching and restoring God’s people. 

After all, that is exactly what Jesus our Messiah and High Priest ultimately offers – that we, mere fallen human beings – might become perfect children of God through Him, engaging in His work with Him. As Paul would later put it, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” Glory to God!

“The same Jesus Who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future. He is still in the miracle-working business, and His business is the business of transformation.”

Adrian Rogers

APPLICATION: Thankfulness

Think about the fact that God had a holy purpose in mind in creating your family line. From the beginning He meant for you and all your relatives to be part of His work. Praise Him for that high calling, and pray that it would be fully realized in your generation.