Matthew 1:6-17 "Jesus' Genealogy Part 3: The Kingly Line"

Good morning CCLC! Turn in your Bibles to Matt 1. Last week we looked at the Patriarchs and the Women in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1. I love the richness of the OT and I hope you are getting a lot out of seeing the human side of Jesus' Family Tree. Today, we are going to finish looking at Jesus' ancestors....mostly at the kings of Judah from David until Judah was carried away to Babylon in captivity. Please stand with me as we read Matt 1:6-17. Let's Pray! So, we come to the line of the Kings. 1. Prior to the kings, Israel was a Theocracy, ruled by God, and each of the Tribes of Israel dwelt in their own apportioned land. When other nations oppressed Israel, God raised up Judges to lead His people in victory. He did this for about 450 years, according to Act 13:20. But, the Israelites rejected God and cried out for a king to be like the pagan nations around them. 2. God warned the people through the prophet and judge, Samuel, that an earthly king would take their sons for the army, people to be his servants, and he would he would tax them, and when they cried out to the Lord, He would not answer them. Yet, despite these warnings, the Israelites responded in 1 Sam 8:19-20 "No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." Israel rejected God and became a monarchy... ruled by man. 3. So, the Lord appointed Saul, and gave the people exactly what they wanted. "There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish... a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. [wealth] 2 And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people." 1 Sam 9:1-2 4. Saul is what many people of the world want with a king...tall, handsome and from a powerful and wealthy family. Outward appearance. 5. Saul did ok his first 2 years until he unlawfully offered a burnt offering, and Samuel said, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But not your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart..." 1 Sam 13:1 6. And, we know that man to be David. Verse 6: David is the first king we see in Jesus' lineage. 1. Notice only David is listed as a king in this genealogy. There are many kings listed, but all are absent of their title. Why? The main reason is because of the messianic link from David to Jesus. 2. Matthew wrote to the Jews to prove that Jesus is the King and the Messiah. In verse 1, Matthew draws attention to the Davidic Covenant...even listing David first prior to Abraham. 3. Paul, speaking on David said this in Acts 13:22 "...He [God] raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.' 23 From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior-Jesus-..." 4. The promise mentioned in this scripture is key to why David was so special...because the Christ/ the Messiah would come from his seed. David received this promise in 2 Sam 7:12-13 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come 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 forever." 5. The title "Son of David" became a messianic title spoken specifically to Jesus or about Jesus. 6. Matt 9:27 After the Sermon on the Mount, near Capernaum, two blind men followed Jesus "crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" 7. Matt 12:23 After Jesus healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind and mute, multitudes were amazed by Jesus and asked, "Could this be the Son of David?" 8. Matt 15:22 a woman of Canaan addressed Jesus "Have mercy on me O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed!" 9. Matt 20:30 Just prior to the Triumphal Entry, two blind men cried out "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" 10. Matt 21:9 At the Triumphal Entry, a great multitude cried out to Jesus saying "Hosanna to the Son of David!" 11. Matt 21:15 After the 2nd Temple Cleansing, Jesus healed the blind and lame, and the multitude cried out "Hosanna to the Son of David!" 12. Matt 22:42 Jesus asked the Pharisees "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" And the Pharisees responded, "The Son of David." 13. David was a good king, but the best thing produced from his life was his descendent...Jesus, the Messiah. 14. On the human side, David was arguably the greatest king, to ever rule over Israel. For several reasons... 15. David subdued the surrounding nations. 2 Sam 8 & 10 and David was only 1 of 3 kings to rule over all of Israel before Israel divided. 16. He received a promise from God that his son, Solomon, would build the Temple, and David, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, set the blueprints for the Temple, and spoke to the people who gave a vast amount of wealth toward the Temple construction. 17. He authored the majority of the Psalms (75 of the 150 Psalms are attributed to David). 18. Probably his greatest accomplishment was David was "a man after God's own heart." And, considering all the fallout we discussed last week after David sinned with Bathsheba, it's amazing that God felt this way about David. But, listen to why God felt this way... 19. David had absolute faith in God. Even a young boy he stood before the giant Goliath, and slew him. He said to king Saul, "Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." 1 Sam 17:37 20. David was repentant: While he was guilty of terrible sins and transgressions, he was repentant. You see this in the scriptures through his actions, and you hear this in his heart through the Psalms. 21. Ps 51 specifically was written by David as a prayer of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba. 22. Verses 10-11 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." 23. David was Thankful: In the Psalms and through the ups and downs in his life, David wrote of His thankfulness towards the Lord. 24. Ps 26:6-7 "...I will go about Your altar, O Lord, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works." 25. David loved Scripture and did follow after foreign Gods: Often in the Psalms, David wrote about how he loved God's law...He loved God's word...He meditated on it often. In 1 KI 11:38 it was said of David that he walked in God's ways, did what was right in God's sight, and kept God's statutes and commandments. 26. David made some horrible mistakes in life, that led to trials the rest of his days, but God still held him in high regard. You may never make the mistakes David made in life, but will God regard you as He regarded David? He was a man after God's own heart because he had absolute faith in God, He was repentant when he sinned, he was thankful, he loved Scripture, and he did not fall into idolatry. Is this our heart as well? 27. We can learn from David that, having a pure heart towards God goes a long way in life and into eternity. The next king in Jesus' legal lineage is Solomon. King Solomon the wise...the final king of a united Israel. 1. Solomon was the 2nd son of David and Bathsheba... their 1st son, conceived in sin, was struck by the Lord and became ill and died on the 7th day. 2. 1 Ch 3 tells us David had over 10 wives plus concubines and over 20 children, 4 from Bathsheba. Another of their sons was Nathan whose Mary's lineage traces through. 3. Solomon was known for his tremendous wisdom: 4. Wisdom was a gift given to Solomon when he was young, a major high point in his reign. In 1 Ki 3 the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" Solomon answered "...I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" And God was very pleased with this request, so God granted him a wise and understanding heart, and topped it off with riches and honor. 5. He wrote much of the book of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and the Ecclesiastes... 6. 1 Ki 4:32 tells us "He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five." 7. He was known for his amazing wisdom in judgments over the people. 1 Ki 3 tells us of the dispute between two harlots over who was the true mother of a child. So, they came before Solomon and Solomon said to divide the child and give half to each woman. One woman had compassion and relinquished her rights so the child would not die. The other woman wanted the child divided. Solomon responded, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother." "And all Israel...feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice." 8. In 1 KI 10, the Queen of Sheba (likely Ethiopia or Yemen) heard of Solomon's fame and traveled 1,200 miles to test Solomon with hard questions. In answering all of her questions with ease, he brought glory to God and she said, "Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard...Blessed be the LORD your God..." And, she blessed Solomon with gold, precious stones, and spices. More spices than anyone had ever given Solomon. 9. When we are tested by unbelievers, let the wisdom of the Lord also shine through us, that we too may be a testimony and bring glory to His name. 10. Solomon was an amazing builder: 11. He took the blueprints David left for him, and built what was called, "Solomon's Temple" which was dedicated in 959 B.C....ultimately destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587/586 BC ...372 years later. 12. 1 Ki 7 tells us he spent 13 years building his own house and he built many other amazing structures: the House of the Forest of Lebanon, the Hall of Pillars, a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, a house for Pharaoh's daughter. 1 Ki 9 tells us he built numerous cities, the wall of Jerusalem, and fleets of ships. 13. Solomon ruled mostly well and mostly in peace. 14. 1 Ki 4:32 "...he had dominion over all the region ... and he had peace on every side all around him. 25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon." 15. And, while from an earthly perspective Solomon ruled well, we see from a spiritual perspective he had many shortcomings...In 1 Ki 11 we see the Lord raised up adversaries against Solomon...no doubt in judgment for Solomon sinning against the Lord. 16. For all his accomplishments, Solomon made some critical errors in his heart. 17. In Deut 17:14-17, about 400 years prior to the kings of Israel, God instructed that when they come into the land and possess it, God would appoint a king and listen to these parameters, "16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself." 18. Solomon was guilty of all of these violations against God's law. 19. Solomon multiplied horses. 1 Ki 4 :26 tells us "Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen." Multiplying horses was a heart issue because this indicated the king did not trust in the Lord as his defense, he trusted in his army, and in doubt he may look to other nations, such as Egypt, for protection. 20. How often do we trust in our abilities, our bank accounts, our friends or family or whatever else of this world? Lord, forgive us, and help us to look to you in all things to be our defense. 21. Solomon multiplied wives. 1 Ki 11 tells us "...King Solomon loved many foreign women...-from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David." 22. God does not want a divided heart. You cannot love God and serve idols. God wants not just part of us but all of us. If you are married, being faithful some of the time, or part of the time doesn't work for the true marriage relationship. God wants your total commitment. 23. Solomon greatly multiplied silver and gold for himself. Based on the gold he received each year, plus assets, his net worth today would have been in the high billions to low trillions. 1 KI 10 supplies details of his wealth and in verse 23 "...King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom." 24. Great wealth often leads the heart from the Lord, to to lust for material things. This is evident in the case of Solomon. 25. The word "vanity" appears 38x in the Bible, 36x in the book of Ecclesiastes...which Solomon wrote. 26. Vanity is defined as "vapor", "fleeting", or "worthless." 27. With all his wealth, Solomon had access to any pleasure his heart desired, and here is what he wrote about pleasure/ hedonism in Ecc 2:10-11 "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun." 28. And, about wealth specifically, Solomon wrote in Ecc 5:10 "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity." 29. From Solomon we can learn that all the wisdom and wealth and pleasure in the world does not satisfy. If you allow you heart to drift towards the world and away from God, vanity will be the outcome. Solomon, for all his strengths and accomplishments, did not end his life well. The Lord was angry with Solomon because he fell into idolatry, and his heart drifted from God. 30. Let it be said of us what Paul exclaimed in his final writings, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Tim 4:7 continue to verse 7 From vss 7-11, we see many of the kings of Judah. There are several kings who are not listed, as we discussed last week Matthew was likely writing as more of a poetic device listing 14 generations, as the name David in Hebrew numerically was the number 14. So, intertwined in this genealogy are many ways Matthew is drawing attention to David. Verse 1, he lists David first, verse 6 David is given the title of king, and 14 generations listed 3x shouting out David, David, David. Like David and Solomon, there is much we can learn from these king, but unfortunately we will not have time to go into great detail. I would encourage you to read more about the kings in 1 and 2 Chronicles which tells us of the lives of the kings of Judah, and 1 and 2 Kings teaches us about the kings of Judah and Israel. 1. When you read about the lives of the good kings of Judah, their lives are often summarized by a statement like they "did what was right in the sight of the LORD." And, the evil kings it was said of them they "did evil in the sight of the LORD." The good kings were honored in their burial, being buried in the "tombs of the kings" and the wicked kings were buried elsewhere. 2. The wicked kings were wicked for various reasons, some that are listed in Chronicles and Kings are: 3. "they shed innocent blood, murder, idolatry, making alliances with worldly kings for protection instead of trusting God, and they burned their children in the fire in worship of Molech." 4. Overall, there are 19 generations of kings in Jesus' line. 5. 10 were Good or mostly good, 8 were Evil or mostly evil. 6. 1 who was very evil, but ended good. 7. The Good or mostly good listed here (not exhaustive): David, Solomon, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah. 8. The Bad or mostly bad listed here: Rehoboam, Abijah, Joram, Ahaz, Amon, and Jechoniah. 9. Manasseh is the one who started as one of the most evil, but repented and ended well. 10. As you read through their lives, some were good all of their days; some were good, but also made some compromises that tarnished their reputation; some started well and finished very poorly; 1 started poorly, but ended well; and some were rotten all of their lives. 11. They were people, just like you and I, and we too have a story that is mostly good, or mostly evil, or some combination of great moments and some compromising moments. 12. And, yet despite us, God called us and wants us to be part of His family. It's amazing to me how blemished Jesus' lineage is...just as amazing is is to me that God chooses us as blemished as we are. 13. I really encourage you to read about these kings, there is so much rich history, especially as you see what major world event were occuring alongside the kings, like when Josiah died in 609 B.C., this was just prior to the Battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C., and when the Neo-Babylonian Empire dealt a final blow to the Assyrian Empire and in this same year they became the new world power and invaded Judah. Lot's of rich history. With our remaining time, I want to say something about Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Amon. Father, son, and grandson. 1. Hezekiah is regarded as one of the best kings in Judah's history. 2. At his coronation, it is recorded "And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done." 2 Ch 29:2. 3. His walk with God was summarized: "He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6 For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. 7 The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went." 2 Ki 18:4-7. Hezekiah reigned 29 years. 4. At his death, no king has so high of praise as Hezekiah "Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered." 2 Ch 31:20-21. "So Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death." 2 Ch 32:33 5. Accolades: 6. "He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made..." 7. Cleansed the Temple 8. Restored Temple Worship 9. Kept the Passover 10. Many Religious Reforms 11. Built Hezekiah's tunnel when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came into Judah for war. 12. Prayed w/ the Prophet Isaiah and the Lord sent an angel who killed 185k Assyrian warriors in one night. 13. At the end of his life he did have a prideful moment showing off his wealth, treasures, armory, etc. to messengers of Babylon which was not yet a world power, but would ultimately destroy Judah, but overall he was very good. 14. So, what happened to his son Manasseh? 1. Manasseh became one of the most depraved kings of Judah. 2. Despite having such a godly father, Hezekiah, Manasseh sinned personally and led the nation of Judah into sin. Hezekiah fathered Manasseh in his later years and died early in Manasseh's life...Manasseh was only 12 years old when he became king, and he reigned 55 years.. 3. "So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel." 2 Ch 33:9. 4. Rebuilt high places Hezekiah, his father, broke down 5. Raised altars for the Baals and made wooden images 6. Worshiped all the host of heaven and served them 7. Built altars in the house of the LORD 8. Caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom 9. Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another. 10. And, tradition has it that Manasseh had his father's friend, the prophet Isaiah sawed in two with a wooden saw. 11. The Turning Point in Manasseh's life:2 Ch 33: 10-13 "And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. 11 Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God." 12. Built a wall outside the City of David 13. Put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah 14. Took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD and all the altars...and cast them out of the city. 15. Repaired the altar of the LORD...sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it. 16. Commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 17. Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the LORD their God. 18. Death: "So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza." 2 Ki 21:18. Notice, he was not honored to be buried in the tombs of the kings. 19. Application: The life of Manasseh may speaks to the testimony of a father who is godly, and has a prodigal son. Manasseh was a prodigal, but God got a hold of his heart and he repented in the end. I like to think that the foundation Hezekiah laid eventually paid off in Manasseh's life. 20. Pro 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." 21. Certainly, this was true for Hezekiah and his son Manasseh. 22. Now, we know Manasseh repented, and seems to have had an honest conversion personally. But, his son, Amon, was only evil, idolatrous, unrepentant, and would not humble himself as Manasseh did...it was said of Amon that he "trespassed more and more" in his short 2 year reign. The foundation Manasseh laid in Amon's life was terrible, and Amon was evil and unrepentant. 23. "Manasseh is a tragic figure in Scripture. Although he repented of his sin, he was unable to undo the damage he had done to the nation or to his own son who followed him. Manasseh demonstrates that, while any sin may be forgiven when we repent, forgiveness does not necessarily remove the natural consequences that flow from disobedience." -GotQuestions.org continue to verse 11 Jeconiah (same as Coniah and Jehoiachin) 1. Vs 11- Includes Jeconiah in the lineage. Jeremiah prophesied Jer 22:30 regarding Jeconiah, "Thus says the Lord: 'Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.' " 2. Jeconiah had children, but none sat on the throne. Instead the throne was given to his uncle. 3. Jeconiah was a descendent of Solomon (the royal line) that led to Joseph (vs 16), Jesus' earthly father, but not by blood line. 4. Had Jesus been a physical descendant of Jeconiah, he could not occupy the throne because of the prophecy of Jeremiah and "...Scripture cannot be broken..." Jn 10:35 5. However, Jesus is of the blood line through Mary, and Mary is not a descendant of Solomon, but of another son of David, Nathan. 1. In verses 11-12, this was the time Israel was taken into captivity in Babylon. Notice Zerubbabel in verse 12, this is the same Zerubbabel who returned to Israel from the captivity. He is mentioned in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai as the Governor of Judah. 2. After Zerubabbel, we enter into the 400 silent years and the ancestors of Jesus' lineage are obscure until Joseph and Mary. 3. We will talk in depth next week about Joseph, and last week we spoke in depth about Mary. Matthew concludes this genealogy in verse 17 Verse 17:Outline of the Genealogy: 1. 3 historical divisions: 2. "Abraham to David" (vs 2-5): Foundation of Israel as a nation, coming into the land, and leading up to David. 3. "David until the captivity in Babylon" which happened after Josiah (vs 6-10): The time of the kings. 4. "...the captivity in Babylon until the Christ"- Jeconiah to Jesus (vs 11-16). The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the "Son of David" our Messiah, our Savior. Fully God and Fully Man...in this lineage we truly see the humanity of Christ. A lineage full of people, some good, some evil, some saved, some unsaved... all kinds of people. The lineage of Jesus is such a great representation of the world...a world full of people whom God loves and sent His Son to die for. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." Jn 3:16-17 This week, go in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and be loving towards people, all kinds of people. Let God use you for His glory this week. Let's Pray!