Matthew 1
The life of the Lord Jesus on earth was written by four men, each giving some events not told by the others. These writings are called “Gospels” which means “good news”; the first Gospel was written by Matthew.
God wants all to know this good news about His Son, who left heaven to come to this world. There is no news so important as this.
The beautiful story of the angels telling the shepherds that the Saviour had been born in a manger in Bethlehem, was not written by Matthew. But he wrote that an angel told Joseph that the holy Child to be born should be named JESUS, which means Saviour.
He was the holy Child, told of long before by the prophet Isaiah, to be called also, Emmanuel, a most wonderful name, for it means “God with us” (Isa. 7:1414Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14); Math, 1:22.)
King David and others had been told that the Great One to come, would be King over Israel and over all the earth, that He would be from the family of David. To prove to the people that Jesus belonged to that family, and from Abram, was the reason for the long list of names which begins the book of Matthew.
Those names were of fathers and sons from Abraham to King David, and from David’s son Solomon, to Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The people then kept their records carefully and knew that list was correct, and. by their law, Jesus was heir to the throne of Israel, from Joseph.
At that time the nation of Israel was weak, and ruled by another nation, and needed the Great King.
If you read over that list of names you will see some you know, kas Isaac, Jacob, others. All the men named were of the Hebrew nation, but three of the four women mentioned, were of other nations, and had no right of their own to be in families of Israel. But all believed and valued the promises of God, and He blessed them.
The women were Thamar, mother of Phares (vs. 3); Rachab, the mother Booz (vs. 5); Ruth, mother of Obed (vs. 5); and the mother of Solomon (vs. 6), who was Bathsheba (1 Kings 2:1313And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. (1 Kings 2:13)). These women seem to be in that important list to show how willing God has always been to bless any who believe Him.
More is told of Jesus being born to be King of the Jews in the next chapter of Matthew.
Note: The spelling of many names in Matthew, and in all the New Testament, is often different from the spelling in the Old Testament, because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek; as: Boaz is written Booz Judah is written Judas; Hezekiah is written Ezekias; Josiah is written Josias.
ML 01/03/1943