The Coming Kingdom: Matthew 1.1-17 (7)
Pray Psalm 66.13-16.
I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
Sing Psalm 66.13-16.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
To Your house we come with off’rings, what we vowed, LORD, help us do.
O, receive our praise and homage as we give ourselves to You.
Come and listen, all who fear Him: hear what this great God can do!
Read Matthew 1.1-17; meditate on verse 1.
How much of the Old Testament is encapsulated here?
Prepare.
1. Why did Matthew begin with a genealogy of Jesus?
2. What stands out in this genealogy to you?
Meditate.
Matthew 1.1-17 opens the door to the New Testament. It is a hinge on an Old Testament door frame. Thus, it enables us to look back and look ahead at the same time.
As we read these verses, the saying about the Scriptures—sometimes attributed to Augustine—comes alive which goes, “The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is by the New revealed.” Matthew pulls forward, in summary form, important aspects of Old Testament history, literature, and narrative, and deposits them in Jesus. He teaches us that the Old Testament has one guiding purpose—to direct our hearts and hopes to Jesus (cf. Jn. 5.39).
Here, at the beginning of the New Testament, we gain insight into how God carries out His eternal plan to “save His people from their sins” (v. 21). He intervenes into history, coming to the world in the form of a Man. For in Jesus Christ, Son of David and Son of Abraham, God has come to be with His people, and to accomplish all His Word for their salvation. All the disappointments of the past will be replaced with renewed hope; and all the promises of the ages will be put within reach for those who believe, to lay hold on them here, now, and forever. Matthew’s announcement comes like the good news of a Roman runner, breathlessly declaring the evangelion that a great war has been won and a mighty empire has been overthrown and plundered. The Seed of the woman has arrived at last; Immanuel is among us for salvation!
It’s a new day in the world, says Matthew the tax man. And he wants us to understand that, as exciting as this wondrous birth is, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
At a certain point in history, our son-in-law Dave was begotten by his parents, then married our-second-begotten daughter Ashley; and they are raising three children.
During our Thanksgiving dinner of a few nights ago, Dave mentioned that one of his favorite Christmas carols is Of the Father’s Love Begotten. As we were all humming along, trying to bring it up in our memories, I realized that the only part I remembered was the recurring last line, “evermore and evermore.”
So today I found the rest of the words and would like to share them with you because they speak so clearly of “the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham…” (Matt. 1.1). Many thanks to Dave for reminding us of this beautiful hymn written by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, who lived during the years of 348-413 AD. Our lineage has been praising the Lord for a very long time.
Of the Father’s love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the Source, the Ending He,
Of the things that are and have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!
This is He Whom they in old time
Chanted of with one accord,
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long-expected;
Let creation praise its Lord,
Evermore and evermore!
O ye heights of heav’n, adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
All dominions, bow before Him,
And extol our Lord and King.
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert ring,
Evermore and evermore!
Christ, to Thee, with God the Father,
And, with Holy Ghost, to Thee,
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be;
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore!
Blessed, each of us has a lineage of people we know now and have heard of in the past. We are also in the lineage of historical people, like Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, and all the past saints of Scripture. And best of all, we are in the lineage of Jesus. Chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and loved. And the whole family joins our voices together in praise of our God and Savior:
“I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly;
indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly…
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘The LORD be magnified!’” (Ps. 40.9, 10, 16).Unto us a Child is born—Immanuel, God With Us (Matt. 1.23)—to the whole family,
all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity (Eph. 6.24).
Reflect.
1. “Evermore”—all eternity past; “evermore”—all eternity future. What does this mean for you?
2. Who played a role in your coming to faith in Jesus? This would be a good time to thank them again.
3. Review the first stanza of “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”. Send that to some friends to encourage them at the beginning of Advent season.
Do not speculate beyond the text. Do not require of it something more than what it simply says. Do not ask, “But precisely how was it that the Spirit accomplished this in a virgin?” For even when nature is at work, it is impossible fully to explain the manner of the formation of the person. How then, when the Spirit is accomplishing miracles, shall we be able to express their precise causes? John Chrysostom (344-407), Gospel of Matthew, Homily 4.3
Pray Psalm 66.1-12.
Thank God for the coming of Jesus and His Kingdom! Praise His Name, and rejoice in Him! Ask Him to give you someone to whom you can proclaim this Good News today.
Sing Psalm 66.1-12.
(Regent Square: Angels from the Realms of Glory)
Shout for joy to God, all people, sing the glory of His Name!
Give Him glorious praise and say, “How great Your pow’r and great Your fame!
All the earth shall worship gladly as they praise Your glorious Name!”
Great and awesome is our Savior in the works which He has done.
He the sea and river dried to let His people cross as one.
Then our joy was great to worship Him our mighty, sovereign One.
He the nations watches ever—all you rebels, humbled be.
Bless our God, all men and nations, praise His Name eternally!
He preserves our souls, and He will keep His paths beneath our feet.
You have tried us, LORD, as silver, and have brought us into nets,
made us carry heavy burdens, let men trample o’er our heads.
But through all Your grace sustained us and has brought us through to rest.
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.
