The Coming Kingdom: Matthew 1.1-17 (5)
Pray Psalm 85.1-3.
LORD, You have been favorable to Your land;
You have brought back the captivity of Jacob.
You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people;
You have covered all their sin.
Selah
You have taken away all Your wrath;
You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger.
Sing Psalm 85.1-3.
(Lyons: O, Worship the King)
O LORD, You Your favor showed to Your land;
Your people You saved by Your mighty hand.
Their sins You forgave, all Your wrath You withdrew.
You turned back the anger which to them was due.
Read Matthew 1.17; meditate on verses 12-16.
Look at Luke 3.23. How is Joseph described there? Why?
Prepare.
1. Does this passage mention anything about returning from captivity?
2. How is Mary described here?
Meditate.
Matthew does not mention the return to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. He seems intentionally to have left out any mention of Israel no longer being captive. The message to his first readers was clear: We are still a captive people. But, as he would show, beginning in chapter 4, the people of his day were captive and oppressed by a foe far stronger than the Babylonian kings, a foe that Jesus would overthrow and one day destroy with a violence described as the crushing of his head (Gen. 3.15; cf. Ps. 137.9).
Matthew’s genealogy ends with Joseph, the legitimate heir of David’s throne. Mary is his wife, so her first-born would be in line to assume the kingship of Israel (Lk. 1.30-33). We know this First-born as Shiloh, the One for Whom the Kingdom of God has been prepared (Gen. 49.8-12), with Whom the Judaic and Davidic dynasty ends. Victorious over all His foes, including the last foe, death, Jesus receives the Kingdom from God and gives it to the saints of the Lord, Who puts all His enemies under His feet, until all nations bow and obey Him (Dan. 7.13-18, 27; Ps. 110; Phil. 2.5-11).
But just to make sure we understand that all the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus, Matthew, as we shall see, begins his account in a way reminiscent of how the Bible itself begins: God spoke to a man, gave him a woman, and a child was born to them. The story of Adam, Eve, and Abel is reenacted in the birth of Jesus. Only Jesus is not Abel, but the promised Seed of the woman who, though wounded, would destroy the enemy of God’s people and set free from the bonds of sin all who believe in Him (Gen. 3.15). He is the Priest Who brings them to God, the Prophet Who proclaims God’s Kingdom, and the King Who is Ruler over all.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus is exactly Who the Scriptures foretold.
Jesus is Prophet, Priest, and King.
Jesus had earthly parents because He came to earth “in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2.7).
His lineage was given for our benefit, to proclaim that He is the Promised One of the Old Testament.
He fulfilled all the prophecies of Scripture—His birth being just one of many such things foretold.
As Luke wrote: “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and minsters of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account…that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed” (Lk. 1.1-4).
And so it is for us.
Matthew and Luke have written these books to clarify the consummation of the promises in Christ Jesus.
“Behold, the Man Whose Name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out, and
He shall build the temple of the LORD; yes,
He shall build the temple of the LORD.
He shall bear the glory, and
shall sit and rule on His throne;
so He shall be a priest on His throne…” (Zech. 6.12, 13).
“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come,
with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His Own blood He entered the Most Holy Place
once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9.11, 12).
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
Who gave Himself a ransom for all…” (1 Tim. 2.5, 6).
Moses said, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, Him you shall hear.” And God said, “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My Name, I will require it of him” (Deut. 18.15, 18).
The angel told Mary: you “shall call His Name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Lk. 1.31-33).
And in His Kingdom now and forever, obedience is required,
as we serve this mighty Prophet, Priest, and King.
For in Him all the Promises are fulfilled. And by obeying Him, we fulfill our calling:
“Jesus said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22.37-40).
“I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,
Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1.8).
The Son of God.
Reflect.
1. Why do we need Jesus as our Prophet?
2. Why do we need Him as our Priest?
3. For what purpose has He been appointed King and Lord?
When the Son of God was pleased to take our nature, he came near to us, in our villainy, wretched condition; but he was perfectly free from sin: and while we read the names in his genealogy, we should not forget how low the Lord of glory stooped to save the human race. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Matthew 1.1-17
Pray Psalm 85.4-13.
Our King came among us in humility, love, and service. Pray for such opportunities today, and pray that God will grant you grace and humility to do all His bidding.
Sing Psalm 85.4-13.
(Lyons: O, Worship the King)
Restore us, O God, renew us in peace,
and cause all Your wrath against us to cease.
Will You evermore all Your wrath to us show?
Revive us that we may Your joy again know.
LORD, show us Your love; restore us, we pray!
And help us to hear the words that You say.
Speak peace to Your people; in truth let us stand.
We fear You; let glory and grace fill our land.
In Jesus God’s grace and truth are combined;
both goodness and peace in Him do we find.
Truth springs from the earth as He walks in our midst,
and righteousness flows from the heav’ns as a gift.
The LORD by His grace will give what is good;
our land will produce abundance of food.
And righteousness will go before the LORD’s face,
and make of His footsteps a way in this place.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast invites you to bring Joy to Your World!. And our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a brief series on the early 6th-century Irish saint, Coemgen. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
