Son of Abraham

The Coming Kingdom: Matthew 1.1-17 (2)

Pray Psalm 105.1-7.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
He is the LORD our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.

Sing Psalm 105.1-7.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Give thanks unto the LORD Most High; call on His Name, before Him cry! 
Make known His deeds in every land; sing praise for all the works of His hand. 

Glory in God, rejoice in heart, all you who seek His holy part. 
Him and His strength and Presence seek; His works proclaim, His judgments speak. 

You holy children of Abraham, you chosen ones of Jacob, stand! 
He is our LORD, of wondrous worth; His judgments are in all the earth.

Read Matthew 1.1-17; meditate on verse 2.
What comes to your mind with the mention of each of these patriarchs?

Preparation
1. Which patriarchs are named?

2. With whom does the naming end?

Meditation
Abraham to Judah: Son of the promise, promised King. This is what Matthew wants us to gain from this part of his genealogy (which is now a descending genealogy as opposed to the ascending genealogy of verse 1).  The mention of Abraham recalls the promises made to God’s people though him: a great name, abundant blessing, a blessing to all the world, and all this through a “seed” descending from Abraham (Gen. 12.1-3; Gal. 3.16-18). The Child born to Mary is heir of all the promises to Abraham.

But to Him also is the Kingdom promised through Judah in Genesis 49.8-11. He is that “Shiloh” with whom the Judaic dynasty ends. Shiloh in Hebrew is a contraction meaning, “Him Whose It Is”—Jesus is He to Whom the Kingdom comes and with Whom the dynasty of kings descending through Judah ends. Jesus is the coming King, and His Kingdom is forever and ever.

One more thought: The ascending and descending aspects of this genealogy—unique in Scripture—may be intended to recall Jacob’s dream, where angels ascended and descended from and to heaven on a ladder. Jesus identified Himself as that ladder in John 1.51. Matthew may have had that in mind right here. He is coming Who rules a Kingdom that links heaven and earth for the life of the world.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh comes; and 
to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen. 49.10).

“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
a Star shall come out of Jacob;
a Scepter shall rise out of Israel…” (Num. 24.17).

But now we see Him and behold Him.
The Lion of the tribe of Judah. Our King and Savior. Jesus.

“But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2.9).
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (Jn. 8.56).

“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. 1.32, 33).

Jesus’ Kingdom is here on earth, right now, within us and around us; and yet there is still more to come. Things that we have yet to see and experience. There and then. Of this Kingdom that has no end. John tells us: 
“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, 
has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals” (Rev. 5.5).

We, His children, rejoice with Abraham, because we too have seen His coming.
We are part of His glorious Kingdom now; and our work is to bring more of His Kingdom 
into our world—our lives and Personal Mission Field—daily.

For His arrival, we praise God.
For His life and death, we thank Him.
For His resurrection, we praise Him.
And for His glory, we serve Him.

“Your Kingdom come. 
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10).

Reflect.
1. In a sentence or two, what is the Kingdom of God?

2. How should being in the Kingdom of God affect our understanding of our faith in Jesus?

3. What does it mean to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6.33)?

Abraham was the father of the faithful, and when God wished him to be an example for the virtuous, he said to him, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” So that all who should wish to be the sons of Abraham might know how to receive that living land of promise, it was written, “I believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Anonymous (date unknown), Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 1

Pray Psalm 105.8-11, 26-45.
Christ fulfills all the covenant promises God made to Abraham, and we are the offspring of Abraham, and heirs of the promises in Him. Give thanks and praise to God for Jesus, and seek His direction for laying hold on the promises today.

Sing Psalm 105.8-11, 26-45.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
He will His covenant faithfully guard—His oath, the promise of His Word. 
That which He to our fathers swore, He will perform forevermore!

He brought His people from Egypt alive, and made their joy and song revive. 
He made the nations’ land their own, and all the wealth that they had known. 

To them He granted the promised land, the portion of His gracious hand. 
Though they were few, and wandered far, He kept them close within His heart. 

So let us all in our Savior confide, and in His holy Law abide. 
Let us observe His glorious Word, and praise our sovereign, faithful LORD!

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 6^th-century Irish saint, Coemgen. In ReVision we continue exploring the values which characterize the Kingdom of God. 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.