Promises Kept

Introduction:

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on PBS

Genealogies are boring if they are not ours

They also are boring if we just have a list of names with no stories behind them

Every genealogy in the Bible is there for a purpose.

Matthew gives us a few reasons for including this genealogy like he does

1. Jesus is the Promised Blessing of Abraham (v.1)

Matthew wants to point out that Jesus is the blessing for the whole world that God had promised.

Genesis 22:14-18 “14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” 15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.””

2. Jesus is the Promised King from David’s Line (v.1)

Matthew also brings out the fact that the Messiah was to come from David’s lineage

2 Samuel 7:12-13 “12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

3. Jesus is the Promise of a New Life (vv.2-16)

Genealogies recorded male names, but this one is unique

It includes the names of 5 women

There are a lot of interesting stories of names throughout this genealogy, but we want to focus tonight on the names of these five women that are recorded for us

5 Key Women:

Tamar - played the harlot to make her father-in-law sleep with her to have children since he did not keep his promise of giving his youngest son to her in leverate marriage

Rahab - Jericho prostitute who hid the spies and became the great-grandmother of David

Ruth - a pagan Moabitess that was married into and grafted into the family of Israel and became the grandmother of David

Bathsheba - wife of Uriah and mother of Solomon, son of David

Mary - assumed to be unchaste and the mother of Jesus