The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Introduction

Matthew and Luke have taken the time to record the genealogies of our Lord. Since they wrote under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, we can assume that this information is important. Thanks to the Pharisees’ fascination with genealogies, at the time that these men wrote there was a great archive of information on the subject, and so they were able to accurately trace the line of Christ.

Luke traces the line of Christ through his mother, Mary. That is why 3:23 reads (or should read if it does not) “Jesus… being the son (as was supposed of Joseph) of Eli…”

• Women were seldom included in Jewish genealogies, and so Luke only had the information about the patrilinear progenitors of Mary. He does start with her, however, even though he does not mention her name.
• Luke did take the time to write the complete story of Mary and the immaculate conception, so he also took the time to write up her lineage.

Matthew traces of the line of Christ through Joseph, and thus back to Abraham. Luke takes Mary’s line back to Adam.

• Though Joseph was not Christ’s biological Father, our Lord traced his legal heritage through him. That is why Matthew’s line stops at Abraham. His line had to do with Israel, and Israel began with Abraham.-

• Since the line of Mary is Christ’s biological line, the line is traced clear back to Adam. Both of the genealogies skip generations.

• This was a common practice in the Jewish handling of these things.

• The reasons varied. It could be that the information was no longer available, or that the genealogist considered a certain generation unimportant. The reason does not matter. Just keep this fact in mind. Luke’s Genealogy. Luke’s genealogy is unique in that it traces its line in the opposite direction from the norm. However, we will start with Adam and go forward, in spite of Luke’s deviant behavior.

ADAM

It is fitting that we start with Adam, because Adam was the first head of the human race. By looking at Adam’s life we can discover the beginnings of our problems… and solutions. Adam is perhaps the one man in these genealogies with the greatest connection to Christ.

Romans 5:12- 21 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”

When God created Adam, He gave him the legitimate authority to rule planet earth When God created Adam, He created him body, mind, and spirit.

• Adam’s human spirit formed the basis for his relationship with God in the Garden.
• Adam’s body gave him the basis for logistical provision in time and space.
• Adam’s mind gave him the basis for volitional decision and true worship of God.

When Adam sinned, the following things happened.

• He surrendered his authority to rule planet earth to Satan.
• His human spirit was removed from his body, causing spiritual death. He could not pass on this human spirit to future generations.
• His body received an old sin nature, which would be genetically transmitted to all future generations.
• His mind became corrupted by the old sin nature, but still remained functional. He still had a conscience, which contained a frame of reference for right and wrong.

Therefore, all of Adam’s progeny would suffer the following consequences:

• They would be born spiritually dead, sharing the condemnation for Adam’s sin.
• They would be born with the indwelling presence of the old sin nature in the cell structure of their bodies (and yes, genetics confirms this).
• They would be born with a soul, and thus would be able to choose for themselves the courses of their lives (and so genetics means very little).
• They would be born with a human conscience, and thus be able to discern right from wrong,

Romans 2:14- 15 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them…”

Romans 5:13,14 “for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed though there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

The first part of this statement communicates the utter degeneracy of the post- sin, pre- flood era, and their great hope in the last Adam.

• The Law of Moses provided very much in the way of Divine Establishment restraint on the old sin nature.
• Without that restraint, the human race became extremely involved in the cosmic system, even to the point of sexual relations with angels.
• And yet even at that time, their personal sins were not imputed to them. They were instead reserved for imputation to Jesus Christ

The second part of the statement has to do with the continued effects of spiritual death.

• Although their personal sins were not imputed to them, spiritual death still continued unrestrained.
• This shows the heart of the matter. Real spiritual death has to do with the imputation of Adam’s sin. Salvation has to do with the imputation of our personal sin into Adam.
• We did not commit Adam’s sin - Adam did. We do receive the imputation of that sin at the moment of human birth.

Romans 5:15,16 contrasts the two Adams:

“But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.” Adam’s original sin resulted in the spiritual death of the entire human race, except for the second Adam, Jesus Christ.

The work of Christ on the cross in receiving the imputation of the personal sins of the human race resulted in the opportunity for the human race to regain spiritual life in God.

Salvation is a free gift, but it must be taken - accepted. It is offered to the entire human race without exception.

Salvation arose from the sins of all being imputed to the one.

Spiritual death arose from the sins of one being imputed to the all.

Romans 5:17 tells us about realms of power and authority related to sin.

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Adam’s sin put Satan into authority in the world and in the human body. As a result the entire world was enslaved to Satan through the world branch of the cosmic system.

The individuals of the world were enslaved to him through the individual branch of the cosmic system; But Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death gave the human race the authority to take their lives back.

• The abundance of grace is a brief description of post salvation spiritual assets.
• The gift of righteousness is the imputation of the work of Christ into the new believer at salvation. Therefore even in the devil’s world we can rule our own lives through God’s control.

Romans 5:18 provides a further explanation of the principle.

“So then just as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness [a judicial sentence, handed down by a judge] there resulted justification of life to all men.” The Greek word dikaio.ma indicates a judicial sentence passed down from a judge.

• In this case, it is the death sentence passed down from God the Father to Jesus Christ. Christ died under the sentence of death for us.
• The judicial decision is permanent - and thus lasts for all eternity. God will never rescind His judgment of our sins in Jesus Christ. We are secure forever because of this.

• This judicial sentence is also an act of righteousness for the perfect Christ chose to die for sinful mankind. Because of God’s judicial sentence and Christ’s righteous act provide the basis for our justification.

• The righteousness of Christ is then imputed to everyone who believes in Christ.

• This righteousness is used by God in order to justify our salvation. We are qualified to live forever with Him. Romans 5:19 begins the summary, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”

Adam’s sin was imputed to all, and therefore all were made sinners.

Christ’s work of righteousness on the cross will provide righteousness to all who believe on Him.

The final two verses of the chapter:

Romans 5:19,20

“Now the Law came in the side door [pareiserchomai] so that the transgression [unbelief - the unforgiveable sin] might increase [grow in importance as an issue]; but where the sin increased [as an issue], grace abounded all the more [salvation provision] that, as the sin reigned through [spiritual] death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The purpose of the Law is not to increase personal sin. Actually it limits it.

The unforgivable sin, unbelief, is in view here. The unforgivable sin is the rejection of Christ’s work on the cross.

Because of spiritual death, the imputation of Adam’s sin, the unforgivable sin ruled and does rule over all those who refuse to believe in Christ.

The Law increases the unforgivable sin as an issue, because the Law defines both sin and the grace provision of God.

As sin increased as an issue, so also did grace, and the grace provision of God.

Eternal life is the sum total of life after salvation for both time and eternity.

We live eternal life if we take hold of our portfolio of post salvation provision, and if we live eternal life, then we rule over all aspects of the cosmic system.

Therefore, in Adam we all died. In Christ, we can all live. This is the essence of the baptism of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:20- 28 and 35- 49, tells us what Adam has to do with our future life in God.

1 Corinthians 15:20- 22 introduce the matter.

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.”

This passage points out there is more to human life than life, and more to physical death than death.

Physical death is only a tragedy if it occurs while one is also spiritually dead. Human life is only meaningful insofar as it is spiritual.

Adam’s sin resulted in the spiritual and physical death of all mankind. Christ’s death resulted in the provision of salvation for all mankind.

Christ’s resurrection resulted in the provision of a resurrection body for all believers. Christ was the first to be resurrected, but there will be many more.

1 Corinthians 15:23,24 set forth the order of resurrections.

“But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

The word for order in this passage has to do with human organizations of various kinds. Primarily, it is a word used of military formations. In a military formation, things always happen in a certain order, and that is what is in view here.

• First, Christ is resurrected.
• Second, all believers from the church age receive their resurrection bodies.
• Third, all believers from all other periods of history are resurrected.
• It is at the end of history that all rule is abolished.

arche is the word for rule, and it serves as the general category.

exousia and dunamis define the two types of rulership; exousia for legitimate authority, and dunamis for illegitimate.

It is all abolished because the kingdom of heaven is put into place, where Christ rules all.

The kingdom which Christ delivers is His millennial kingdom.

I Corinthians 15:25,26 explain the reason for the extension of Christ’s millennial rule,

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”

Christ will reign in His kingdom until the job is completely finished. He reigns from the right hand of the Father even now. He will reign on planet Earth in the millennium.

In this case, reigning or ruling means more than just sitting on a throne. It means an active and benevolent rule towards all who are His rightful subjects. All who believe in Him remain just that - His rightful subjects.

There are many enemies of Jesus Christ: humans and angels - and even death.

Death will be the last of these enemies to fall to the power and authority of Jesus Christ.

Death was brought into the world by Adam, though Satan was Christ’s first real enemy.

1 Corinthians 15:27,28 comment on the victory that has already been won.

“For he has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when he says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all.”

God the Father has placed all things under the rulership of Christ - positionally. The cross and the resurrection were the dual strategic victories that absolutely assured the overall victory of God in the angelic conflict, and completely reversed the adverse effects of Adam’s sin.

• The cross was the strategic victory over sin; all the sins of man were imputed to Christ on the cross, and judged in Him.
• The resurrection was the strategic victory over physical and spiritual death. Physical death because of the resurrection body; spiritual death because of the resurrection mind.

The conflict will continue, even though the handwriting is really on the wall at this point. Evil fights on though completely beaten.

God the Father is the exception to the rule. All is under Christ’s subjection because of the cross, resurrection and ascension. God the Father is the exception to that. He will remain in authority over the Son forever.

The purpose of this subjection is so that from beginning to end, God might remain in authority - and it is fitting that He is.

• He was in authority over Christ in eternity past.
• He remained in authority throughout human history, and even until now.
• Therefore it is right that he remains forever. (Verses 29- 34 form a parenthetical statement that is not pertinent to our study, so we will skip them

1 Corinthians 15:35 picks up the subject of the actual resurrection.

“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?’”

We know how death came into the world - through Adam’s original sin came both spiritual and physical death. We should also come to understand how life will come again.

Paul begins his explanation of the mystery with an analogy from the world of agriculture. “That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else.”

• The seed is planted in the shell of the human body, and the human body must die in order for the seed to grow.
• An entire corn stalk is not sown in order to grow another; just a seed, and that is it.
• An entire resurrection body is not placed inside of our own; just the kernel, the seed of one is placed.

1 Corinthians 15:38,39 are an explanation of the individuality of the resurrection bodies of all creatures.

“But God gives it a body just as He willed, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.”

God made a sovereign decision to make our resurrection bodies in a certain way. Since it is God’s decision, it is going to be a wonderful body.

The flesh of each order of creatures is different, and so are the resurrection bodies of all humans.

Heaven means inequality - among resurrection bodies.

It is impossible to tell from a seed what it will grow into. So it is with the resurrection body. You cannot tell from looking at someone how they will turn out in heaven. Only God can tell.

The resurrection body is the result of what you do on earth with your human spirit, which is the seed.

If you cultivate it and nourish it, it will grow into something fantastic. If you neglect it, it will be not much.

1 Corinthians 15:40,41 continue the explanation.

“There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.”

The heavenly bodies are used to analogize the difference in the glory of the earthly categories. The sun is great and glorious - the moon just its reflection. Stars are far off and dim. All are different according to the will of God.

1 Cor. 15:42,43 tell us the about the soil into which the seed of the resurrection body is sown.

“It is sown in a perishable body, it is raised in an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonorable, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a soulish body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

The soil into which the seed is planted is the human body. The body is the perishable, the dishonorable, the weak, the soulish.

The soulish is from the Greek word psuchikos. Soulish is used elsewhere in Scripture (1 Cor 2:14; James 3:15; Jude 1:19) to connote a person without a human spirit.

The weakness is from the Greek word astheneia, which emphasizes the inability of the human to make the conversion.

The dishonorable points the old sin nature in the cell structure of the human flesh.

And now a comparison is made between the earthly body of Adam and his race, and Christ and His followers.

1 Corinthians 15:45,46

“So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a lving soul.’ The last Adam [Christ] became a life- making spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.

Adam’s bad decision resulted in the spiritual death of the entire human race. This is summed up in the phrase psuche zosan - “living soul.”

• A living soul is one that has human life, but not spiritual.
• Human life is the sum of biological and soul life, or psuche zosan.

The second man’s, Christ’s, good decision resulted in the spiritual life of all who would believe in Him.

All who believe are given spiritual life in the form of the human spirit. All who receive the human spirit have human life, and eternal life.

The order of things was for Adam to come first, and then Christ. The problem must appear before the solution.

The conclusion is in 1 Corinthians 15:47-49.

“The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”

Christ’s Genealogy from Shem to Abraham

When Noah began the building of the ark, God made a covenant with him.

Genesis 6:18

“But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife, and your sons wives with you.”

Entering the ark was equivalent to entering in to the covenant with God. The covenant was continued when Noah made his sacrifice at the landfall of the ark - when he left the ark (this was really the first ark of the covenant).

Genesis 8:20

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”

God spells out the details of the covenant:

Genesis 8:21

“And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said in His heart, ’I shall not again personally cause the cursing of the earth because of man. There is evil in the imagination of man from his infanthood. And I shall not again personally cause the destroying of every living creature as I have done.”

So, God makes a promise to Noah, and to the entire human race, even to you and I in this passage. He will never again flood the earth with water.

• This is the background to the verb which is translated ‘cursing’.
• qalal means to diminish something. When it is used of water, it means to drain it.
• It is this same verb which is used to describe the draining of the water after the flood.
• The word used for ‘earth’ is Adamah. Adamah in the feminine means earth and all its inhabitants, and so it is here.
• The final part place the blame squarely where it belongs: on man.
• Therefore, this is a promise, specifically, to never flood the earth for what man has done. The second part has to do with the destruction of all life. God will not destroy all life on the earth.

Notice the comment in between: There is evil in the imagination of man from his infanthood."

In spite of man’s evil imagination, God will not again destroy the earth and its inhabitants. Man’s imagination is evil from infanthood, and note not from his youth.

In Genesis 8:22, the future conditions of the planet are defined:

“While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

With the tilting of the earth’s axis, all of the named conditions will exist. This is in contrast to the previous stable conditions of the planet. The environment is going to be rougher from here on out.

Man’s relationship to the animal kingdom is changed by the new covenant, as described in Genesis 9:2-4.

“And the respect of you and the terror of you shall be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the gournd, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I did the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, its blood.”

The change means that the beasts will respect good human beings, and be terrified of the bad. In all cases their subordination is required. It is because of fear that animals are violent.

All animals are now O.K. to eat. The lifeblood of that creature must be drained before it is eaten, but that is the only requirement.

The third part of the covenant had to do with capital punishment.

Genesis 9:5-6

“And surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.”

This is crucial, for before the flood there was no capital punishment, which is the major restraint on criminal activity. Capital punishment is ordained from this moment forward. If man or beast kills a man, he will be killed by man.

This would be a major difference from before the flood. Man is now responsible for policing himself, which provides a restraint on the function of the old sin nature.

The fourth part of the covenant is the sign of the promise.

Read Genesis 9:8-17

So the covenant is made and the transfer is made to post-diluvian civilization. Let’s pick up the line of Christ again with Shem.

The Abraham Connection

From Abraham to David, there are fourteen generations. Abraham- Isaac- Jacob- Judah- Perez- Hezron- Ram- Admin- Amminadab- Nahshon- Salmon- Boaz- Obed- Jesse- David.

Between the genealogies in Luke and Matthew there is only one difference, and that is the Luke’s insertion of Admin between Ram and Amminadab. This points out the reality of skipped generations in genealogy lists.

It was a common practice to skip a generation and go from grandfather to grandson. Sometimes that generation was skipped due to a spiritual failure in the person in question; more often, there is no reason given.

We will concentrate on Abraham, Nahshon, and Boaz in this line.

This line covers the age of the patriarchs, from God’s covenant with Abraham to the next covenant with David. Its chronology runs from Abraham’s birth in 2160 BC to Israel under king Saul in 1004 BC

The covenants to Israel.

God provided the nation of Israel a fantastic portfolio of grace blessings in the form of covenants. A covenant is based on the attributes of God.

• It finds its motive in the love of God. There is nothing treacherous or deceitful about a covenant.
• It finds its modus operandi in grace. God gives based on his thinking, power, and merit.
• It finds its dependability in faithfulness. The blessings always wait for Israel to take them.
• It finds its timing and organization in order. Everything is arranged by the capabilities of God in eternity past.
• It finds its enactment in the sovereignty of God. God chooses to bless Israel.
• It finds its revelation in the truth of God.

God is forthright and clear and honest in His communication of the details of His covenants. He always keeps His Word.

The only thing that Israel is to provide is their acceptance of the very first covenant, which is the spiritual one. The spiritual covenant is the relationship with God provision. In it, God provides Israel with everything that they need to have a national relationship with Him.

• They have the information that they need in order to have a relationship with Him.
• They have the power that they need in order to have a relationship with Him.
• They have the righteousness that they need in order to have a relationship with Him.

This relationship with God is the greatest of all the covenants, and it provides the best of the blessings.

Abraham is an example: until he got his relationship with God on track, he would not receive the remainder of his covenant blessings.

During the age of Israel, only racial Jews receive the blessings of the covenants to Israel.

Individual Gentiles may still fulfill the plan of God for individuals, and they may share in the covenants to Israel by way of blessing by association.

The covenant to Abraham includes the promised land, a new and unique race, blessing by association to all who bless his race, a curse on the anti- Semitic, and a messianic clause.

• The land is defined in Genesis 15:18-21.
• The Jews must fulfill the spiritual covenant, and accept Christ as Messiah in order to fully inherit this land. This will not occur until the second advent of Christ. This is the messianic clause.
• The new and unique race is formed at the conception of Abraham’s first son by Sarah, providing a brand new genetic race through the seed of Abraham.
• All who bless the Jews are in turn blessed by God. Throughout history the Jews encounter a massive amount of murderous persecution. Whenever a person or a nation provides protection, or aides them in some way, or just has a virtuous mental attitude about their race, that person or nation is blessed by God.
• All who curse the Jews are in turn cursed by God. anti- Semitism is a death wish. Abram did as the Lord commanded, and went out from Ur when he was 75 years of age.

Abram means, “top father (as in rank), or exalted father (as in respect)”.

Sarai means, “contentious woman”.

When he arrived in the new land at Shechem, he worshipped God. Soon after Abram arrived in the new land, a terrible famine hit, and he went down to Egypt to eat. This caused a complication.

• Abram feared that he would be killed by the Egyptians if they knew that Sarai was his wife, because she was very beautiful.
• He was an oaf, and cared more about his safety than what would happen to Sarai in the Egyptian harem.
• Therefore, he lied to the Egyptians, and told them that Sarai was his sister.
• Pharaoh took Sarai for his own, but by stealing her (unwittingly) from Abram he was the first to invoke the cursing clause of the Abrahamic covenant.
• When the cursing hit, Sarai blabbed the whole deal to Pharaoh, and so Pharaoh was upset with Abram, but he did not kill him! He was honorable and gave Sarai back and sent the whole entourage back to Canaan.
• When he arrived, Abram held a worship service in honor of the Lord. Apparently he had recovered from his devious ways.

When Abram returned to the land, he and his nephew Lot were so prosperous that their herds were always getting tangled together, and their shepherds were at the point of engaging in a range war. Therefore, Lot decided to go down into the Jordan valley with his bunch in order to avoid further confrontations.

After a time, Lot became entangled in a local war. Genesis 14 tells the story.

• When Lot was living down in the Jordan valley, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fought a big battle, where they were defeated.
• Lot got himself tangled up in it all somehow, and he was captured by the victors. They took their spoil and Lot as well and left for points North.
• Abram heard about this and did the honorable thing: he took the men of his household, 318 all told, and formed them into a fighting force.
• They must have been well trained, because they pulled off the most difficult of all military maneuvers, a coordinated night action.
• They rescued Lot and all his goods, and returned to their homes.

It is here that Abram has another worship service.

Next is the story of Abraham’s offspring.

Abraham’s Offspring

The story of Sarai’s treachery begins in Genesis 16

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, ‘Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to may maid; perhaps I shall be built up through her.’ And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. And after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. And Sarai said to Abram, ‘May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms; but when she saw she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.’”

This was not a good marriage. We have already seen the treachery of Abraham, and now it is Sarai’s turn.

Sarai is barren, and no doubt she had quite a complex about it. So Sarai conceives a plan. Maybe Abram was bugging her all the time about children. Maybe the incident with Pharaoh had turned her off to him in some way.

Because of all this, Sarai just wanted to get it over with. However, she did not realize, that God’s plan included her as well.

And Abraham was dumb enough to go along with the plan.

Of course, Hagar conceived right away, and after living for so long with Sarai, the contentious woman and no doubt the contentious master, she could not help but exult over her.

Poor Sarai. Her plan had failed miserably. What was worse, she had this daily reminder of her failure to give Abram an heir. Every time that Hagar craved new and unusual food combinations she probably winked in Sarai’s direction.

The first thing that Sarai did was to try to take it out on her husband. “I may have suggested it, but you didn’t have to go through with it. This is all your fault!” She had become quite irrational.

The second thing that Sarai did was to try to take it out on Hagar. She verbally and mentally and physically abused this poor pregnant woman. Hagar had to leave.

But the Lord would deal justly with Hagar, and she believed in him, and returned to the authority of Sarai, and things were better from then.

Now this plan had backfired terribly, and both Abram and Sarai suffered for it.

There is no Biblical record of the next fifteen years. But we know from the next part of their lives, Abram and Sarai have improved their relationship with God tremendously.

In Genesis 17, the story picks up again.

“Now when Abram was ninety- nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.’ And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’

God renews the covenant with Abram because Abram has grown spiritually to the point where he has capacity for all the great covenant blessing that God has prepared for him.

Abram falls on his face because he now has true humility. This is a humility that can only come from an intimate knowledge of God. Abram developed that knowledge over the fifteen years since the Hagar disaster.

Now Abram is Abraham, the father of a multitude. Now he is ready for the next test.

Genesis 16:9

“God said further to Abraham, ‘Now as for you, you will keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you will keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.’”

Had Abraham not been a mature believer, he probably would have said something along the lines of, “You want me to do what to my what?!” Instead, he humbly complies.

And, he must have been a great leader, because his entire household was under the requirement as well. “You want us to do what to our whats?!”

But this was the beginning of the miraculous birth of Isaac.

ISAAC TO JESSE

Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah. He would marry Rebekah, and father the twins, Jacob and Esau. It is worthwhile to note that Rebekah, too, was barren. She was the second in the line to find healing in God. Another miracle to continue the line of Christ.

Jacob. This man was no prince, at least at first. He took advantage of his older brother, Esau, and took his birthright from him. Later he would wrestle with God, and in that match he would win God’s respect. God changed his name to Israel, ‘wrestler with God’.

Judah was one of the twelve sons of Israel. Tamar, the widow of both his first and second sons, tricked him into sexual relations by disguising herself has a prostitute. Tamar did this as revenge, because Judah had wronged her by not giving her to his third son. She became pregnant by this liaison, and bore him twin sons. Judah would go on to spiritual maturity, in spite of his early handicaps.

Perez was the second born son of Judah, the second of twins. However, he was the one through which the line of Christ would run. Not much is know about this man, except his birth.

Hezron forms a link in the genealogy, but not much else is known about him.

Ram forms another link.

Amminadab We know only one thing about this man: His daughter was the wife of Aaron the High Priest under Moses. He was a man of the Exodus, and he died in the desert.

Nahshon. Now we can tell something of this man. His sister Elisheba was married to Aaron. He was also a man of the Exodus generation, the captain of the tribe of Judah. He must have been a talented military leader, but he died in the desert with the rest of his generation.

Salmon married Rahab, the famous prostitute of Jericho. Although little is mentioned of Salmon, Rahab deserves mention.

• She was a prostitute in the town of Jericho, and when two spies from the army of Israel come to scout the town they are going to destroy, they happen upon Rahab’s house of ill repute (O.K., even 3500 years ago military men had an instinct for this sort of thing).
• She saved these two spies from certain death by hiding them.
• Rahab speaks to the two spies, and here is what she said, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihan and Og, who you totally destroyed. And when we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord you God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”
• Then the spies promise her that she and her family will be spared, and they are. Rahab and her extended family were the only survivors of the town of Jericho. All the others were killed. Rahab lived out her years with the nation of Israel, and she married Salmon.

Boaz was the son of Salmon and Rahab the prostitute. It was his destiny to marry a foreign woman named Ruth.

• Elimelech lived in Bethlehem with his wife Naomi and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.
• A famine came upon the land, and so Elimelech took his wife and sons to the land of Moab.
• Elimelech died in Moab, and after his death, his sons took Moabite women for wives. Their names were Ruth and Orpah (not Oprah).
• Sadly, both the sons also died before they could give sons to their wives.
• After some quibbling, Ruth determined to return to Bethlehem with her mother in law, while the other daughter in law stayed in Moab.
• Ruth believed in God, and she wanted to be in the land of promise.
• By her hard work in the fields she earned the respect of Boaz, a man of Bethlehem, and eventually he would marry her.
• Through Ruth and Boaz, the line of Christ was continued.

Obed was the son of Ruth and Boaz, and he was the grandfather of David.

Jesse, Obed’s son, was David’s father.

Up to this point, we have studied some of the covenants of God with Israel.

The Noahic Covenant, where God promised never again to destroy the world by flood, and where God established man’s responsibility to capital punishment.

The Abrahamic Covenant, where God established a new racial species.

The Mosaic Covenant, which was the national policy covenant for the nation of Israel.

Next God established the Davidic, or Messianic, Covenant. This was the leadership covenant for the nation of Israel.

The leadership covenant for Israel described a man who would be their great leader, and who would combine the three offices of prophet, priest, and king.

Christ fulfilled all three covenants. As prophet, He spoke of His kingdom, and offered it to the Jews, but they rejected Him.

As priest, he died for the sins of the world, but the Jews would not receive Him.

Because the Jews rejected Christ as prophet and priest, He could not be their king, which was their only desire. Because of the Jew’s rejection of Christ, His earthly kingdom was delayed, and the church age was inserted into history.

The Jews were not unlike many other people in history. They desired an outside solution to their problems, a panacea that would remove their troubles quickly and permanently.

• They did not see that their humility was required, and the circumcision of their hearts needed to precede the rescue of their nation.
• They were too proud to back down from their arrogant legalism, and love of the cosmic system.
• From their pride they desired a king that would solve their problems, so that they could go on with their arrogance.
• From their pride they rejected the man who was also a prophet and a priest.
• There are many passages in the Old Testament which refer to the Messiah, the king after the pattern of David.

Genesis 3:15

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This is the first prediction of the Messiah. It communicates to Satan that the future Messiah will come from the seed of the woman.

The last part of the prophecy concerns the ultimate victory of Christ. Christ will wound the head of Satan. This is a metaphor, and can refer to many things. It is probably a reference to the death, resurrection, ascension, and session of Christ.

Genesis 12:3

“I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse;and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”

Of course, this is the Abrahamic covenant. Through the seed of Abraham came Christ, and through the death of Christ all nations and all people were blessed.

Genesis 22:18

“and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” This is a reaffirmation of the Abrahamic covenant.

The reflexive pronoun ‘themselves’ denotes the function of volition related to salvation and post salvation spiritual growth.

Christ the Messiah is the source of these blessings.

Genesis 49:8,10

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

These verse confirm that the Messianic line runs through Judah.

It also emphasizes the royalty of the Messiah - that he would be a king.

Deuteronomy 18:18

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

This is a preview of the prophetic office and function of Christ. Christ will speak only what God commands.

It is worthwhile to note that the Jews had this verse available to them, and yet they still rejected Christ.

2 Samuel 7:11-16

“from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men;

but I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.’"

This is a prediction of the coming of king David. Furthermore, it predicts that the house of David will last forever. It also describes the relationship of God to the Messiah: Father to Son.

It hints at the death of the Messiah - that He will take the stripes (the whipping) of men.

2 Samuel 23:5

“Yea, does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?”

Here is communicated the everlasting nature of the Davidic covenant. It exists in the Divine decree. It is secure, regardless of what Israel will do, and they will do a lot. Also it is the communication of the prosperity which comes from the Messiah.

Read Psalm 2

This is the first reference to the Messiah as the anointed one. The word ‘Christ’ means ‘anointed one’.

Anointing with oil was a metaphor for the ministry of the Spirit.

• People in ancient times used oil for light. The Spirit sheds His light on the Word, so that we might understand it.
• People in ancient times used oil for a medicinal ointment. The ministry of the Spirit with the Word heals our souls.
• People in ancient times used oil as a cosmetic. The ministry of the Spirit leads to true beauty - the beauty of the soul full of Truth.
• People in ancient times used oil to anoint the bodies of the dead. The Spirit is the member of the Godhead who resurrects the dead.
• People in ancient times used oil to cook and flavor their food. The ministry of the Spirit in the Word flavors our lives, making them not only palatable, but enjoyable.

Christ was the Messiah, the anointed one. He is the keystone of our faith, and without Him and all that He has done our faith has no meaning. The Spirit ministered to our Lord from his birth. In Jesus Christ was manifest the fullness of the Holy Spirit - all of the things that anointing represents.

Read Psalm 16

The key phrase in this passage is “in thy right hand”. Jesus Christ would sit down at the right hand of God after the ascension. This is called His Session.

The session of Christ represents the finished state of all His work, and the accomplishment of the strategic victory of the angelic conflict.

Read Psalm 22

This is a long passage that records with perfect accuracy the first person narrative of Christ on the cross.

The gospels have very little information on what Christ thought while He was dying for our sins - just a few short verbal expressions. However, the thoughts were recorded one thousand years before the event - in this Psalm.

The physical details given in this Psalm hit the experience of crucifixion right on the head. In fact, there is no other explanation.

Read Psalm 110

In this passage there is a repetition of the session of Christ. Furthermore, it emphasizes the royalty of the Messiah, and his priesthood.

Melchizedek was a priest and a king during the age of the patriarchs. He once had a brief association with Abraham. Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which was the city of Jerusalem at that time. Christ will be the king of Jerusalem in the millennium and in the eternal state.

Finally, there is mention of His sovereignty, which He will reveal to the entire world for the first time at the second advent.

Read Isaiah 2

Isaiah chapter two concentrates on the millennial rule of Christ. Christ will rule over a magnificent kingdom, in which peace and prosperity are the rule.

All the arrogance of man and the fallen angels is brought down, because of the greatness of the day of the Lord. An end will come to all idolatry. An utter and final end.

You should note that this passage hints at the idea of idolatry as being the source of the earth’s many ills, including poverty and war.

Isaiah 7:14 records two details concerning the Messiah. That His mother will conceive Him while a virgin, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Read Isaiah 9:1-7

Here again is the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

Also, this passage establishes the location of the hometown of Christ, and the place where much of His ministry will take place.

Zebulun and Naphtali are two tribes of Israel. Their tribal boundaries form the area to the West and Southwest of the Sea of Galilee.

Included in these territories is the town of Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus Christ.

They are made glorious because of the ministry of Christ around them.

** Read Isaiah 11:1-5**

This passage concentrates on the prophetic character of Christ.

Through the Spirit and the Word, Christ will be the greatest prophet of all time.

Isaiah 40 proclaims the coming of the Messiah to the people of Israel.

This passage predicts the ministry of John the Baptist. This passage hearkens back to the wilderness journey of Israel.

It emphasizes the need for faith perception of the truth. For us, it looks forward to the coming of Christ, or our joining with him.

Read Isaiah 42. It establishes the purpose of the Messiah. "

These verses spell out the purpose of the life of Christ.

• He will bring justice to the nations.
• He will open the eyes that are blind.
• He will set free the prisoners from the dungeon of the cosmic system.

The passage also confirms that these things are a part of the Divine Decree in eternity past.

Read Isaiah 49, which records the call of the Messiah.

This call will result in the salvation of Israel, and of all mankind. It will solve all problems, no matter how great. It will bring about the millennium.

Isaiah 53 records the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ, a priestly function.

This is really important, because it records the purpose of the death of the Messiah. He is to die a substitutionary spiritual death, one that will pay for the sins of all mankind. It is a great sacrifice, and so God gives Him a great destiny.

Jeremiah 23:5-6

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely ; and this is His name by which He will be called, the Lord our righteousness.”

Daniel 7:27

“Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.”

This is a passage which describes the eternal kingdom of God under the rulership of Jesus Christ.

It tells of the gathering of all nations, human and angelic, and their subordination to Christ at the Great White Throne.

Micah 5:2

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

The eternal nature of Jesus Christ is set forth here. He is truly God. Micah also identifies His birthplace - Bethlehem.

Zechariah 12:10

“And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first born.”

This is a little different. It records the crucifixion of Christ as it relates to the Jews who demand His crucifixion. The Jews turned against Christ, and demanded his death over that of Barabbas, a common criminal who had participated in an insurrection against the Roman rule.

Malachi 3:1

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.

There are two predictions here. First, the prophet predicts the ministry of John the Baptist. Second, there is a prediction concerning the scouring of the Temple, which actually occurred on two occasions.

King David, the Forerunner of Christ

King David was the forerunner of Christ in at least three ways:

In his selection by Samuel the prophet.

In the establishment and administration of his kingdom.

In his fantastic relationship with God. The words of a man on his deathbed reveal a lot about him. David, for all of his sin and tragedy was a man of God.

Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Mary’s Line, the Biological Line of Christ (Luke)

Note: We are taking this one all the way to Christ.