"The Gospel Begins with a Genealogy: God's Faithful Covenant and the Coming King"

Text: Matthew 1:1–17 (KJV)

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren...”

Introduction: The Gospel According to a Genealogy

We often skip over genealogies when we read the Bible.

Long lists of names—some difficult to pronounce, many unfamiliar—seem out of place in a book about salvation.

Yet God, in His infinite wisdom, begins the New Testament with one.

Matthew 1:1–17 is not merely a list of names; it is the opening trumpet of the gospel, declaring the faithfulness of God, the fulfillment of promises, and the arrival of the long-awaited King.

Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, and he begins with a genealogy to prove a crucial point: Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.

He is the Son of David—the King—and the Son of Abraham—the fulfillment of the covenant.

This text reveals how God’s hand has guided history to bring about His redemptive plan.

As the 1689 Baptist Confession affirms in its chapter on God’s Decree (Chapter 3), "God hath decreed in Himself… all things whatsoever comes to pass." This includes every name in this genealogy.

Every birth, every life, every failure, and every triumph listed here is part of God’s sovereign plan.

Let us walk through this text together in four parts:

I. The Purpose of the Genealogy (v. 1)

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

A. The Title of a New Beginning

This phrase, “the book of the generation,” echoes Genesis 5:1—“This is the book of the generations of Adam.”

Matthew is deliberately linking his Gospel to Genesis to show that Jesus is the new beginning, the second Adam (cf. 1 Cor. 15:45), the one who brings life where the first Adam brought death.

Application: Jesus is not just an addition to the Old Testament story—He is its fulfillment and its climax. The gospel is not “plan B.” From the beginning, God purposed to send His Son.

B. The Identity of Jesus: Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham

Jesus: From the Hebrew Yeshua, meaning “Jehovah saves.”

Christ: The Greek word for “Messiah”—the Anointed One.

Son of David: Royal identity; the promised King in 2 Samuel 7.

Son of Abraham: Covenantal identity; the seed in whom all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:16).

As the 1689 Confession declares in Chapter 8, "It pleased God, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son... to be the Mediator between God and man."

II. The Structure of the Genealogy (vv. 2–17)

“Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob...”

Matthew divides this genealogy into three sets of fourteen generations:

From Abraham to David (vv. 2–6)

From David to the Babylonian exile (vv. 6–11)

From the Exile to Christ (vv. 12–16)

Why this structure?

Jewish readers loved symmetry and numerology.

David’s name in Hebrew = DVD = 4+6+4 = 14. Jesus is the greater David.

This organization shows God’s control over history and fulfillment of prophecy.

Let’s consider each section more closely.

III. The Line from Abraham to David (vv. 2–6a)

This section roots Jesus in the covenant with Abraham. It begins with:

“Abraham begat Isaac…”

God called Abraham out of Ur to be the father of a new nation. To him, God gave the covenant promise:

“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18).

Paul tells us in Galatians 3:16:

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one… which is Christ.”

Jesus is that promised seed!

A. Grace in the Lineage

Note the inclusion of Tamar (v. 3), Rahab (v. 5), Ruth (v. 5), and Bathsheba (v. 6, “her that had been the wife of Urias”).

Tamar was involved in deception.

Rahab was a harlot.

Ruth was a Moabitess, a Gentile outsider.

Bathsheba was involved in David’s sin.

This shows the grace of God. Christ came through sinners to save sinners.

1689 Confession, Chapter 15 (Repentance unto Life and Salvation): God's grace is free and available to all kinds of sinners.

IV. From David to the Exile (vv. 6b–11)

“David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias…”

This portion traces the royal line. God promised David:

“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee” (2 Sam. 7:16).

But what happened? The kingdom split. Idolatry crept in. Kings fell into sin. The people were taken into Babylonian exile.

Why does Matthew include these fallen kings?

A. The Faithfulness of God Despite Failure

Though David’s descendants failed, God’s promises did not. The covenant held because it was based on God’s faithfulness, not man’s performance.

1689 Confession, Chapter 7 (God’s Covenant): The covenant of grace is unchangeable.

God preserved the royal line because the Messiah had to come from it.

B. The Hope Beyond the Exile

Even as they were carried to Babylon, the line of Christ was intact. God’s plan could not be stopped by judgment. From the ashes of exile, hope would rise.

V. From the Exile to Christ (vv. 12–16)

This is perhaps the most obscure section of the genealogy. These names are not found elsewhere in Scripture. But they were known in Jewish history.

Jeconias (v. 12): Also known as Jehoiachin. Though cursed (Jer. 22:30), the line continued legally.

Joseph (v. 16): “The husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus…”

Note how Matthew carefully changes the pattern. He does not say “Joseph begat Jesus.” Instead:

“Mary, of whom was born Jesus…”

This affirms the virgin birth.

The verb “was born” is passive.

“Of whom” in Greek is feminine singular—refers only to Mary.

Jesus is not the biological son of Joseph, but He is the legal heir through him. He fulfills the legal line of David and the biological promise through Mary (cf. Luke’s genealogy).

1689 Confession, Chapter 8.2: Jesus is "very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator between God and man."

VI. Summary Statement (v. 17)

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations…”

Matthew summarizes with the structure of 14 generations in each segment. This is not an exhaustive list but a theologically shaped one. Some names are omitted, but the purpose is to show order, design, and fulfillment.

From promise (Abraham)

To kingdom (David)

To judgment (Exile)

To redemption (Christ)

VII. Theological Reflections

A. God is Sovereign Over History

Every name, every birth, every rise and fall—all orchestrated by God’s hand.

“Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

This is the providence of God as affirmed in the 1689 Confession, Chapter 5.

B. God Keeps His Promises

He promised a seed to Abraham. He promised a King to David. He preserved that promise through exile and silence.

“For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20).

C. God’s Grace Includes the Outcast

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba—all women, many Gentiles, all sinners. But God wove them into His redemptive plan.

“Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20).

VIII. Christ the Climax of Redemptive History

Why does Matthew labor to trace the lineage of Christ?

Because Jesus is not a myth. He is rooted in real history.

He is the promised King of the Jews, the true Son of David, the Seed of Abraham, the Messiah of Israel, and the Savior of the world.

This genealogy proves that Jesus is the rightful heir, the covenant fulfiller, and the Savior sent from heaven.

Born of a virgin.

Without sin.

God in the flesh.

As the 1689 Confession so beautifully says in Chapter 8.2:

“The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God… did, when the fulness of the time was come, take upon Him man's nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin…”

IX. Application

1. Worship Christ as the Promised King

This genealogy calls us to worship. Christ has come. God has kept His Word. He is worthy of all glory.

“Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus… both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

2. Trust the God Who Orchestrates History

You may not understand your own story—but God does. He is weaving something eternal through your life.

3. Rest in the Grace of God

This list of names shows us that God uses broken people for His glory. You’re not beyond His reach.

“He came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

4. Cling to the Fulfillment in Christ

Don’t look for another Messiah. Jesus is the One.

“This is my beloved Son… hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5).

Conclusion

Matthew 1:1–17 may look like a dry list of names, but it is in fact a divine tapestry. It is the unfolding of redemptive history. It declares that God keeps His promises, works through sinners, and rules sovereignly over time.

And it leads us to Jesus—the Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.

Is He your Savior today?