Genesis 18:10-14; Joshua 2:1-21; 2 Samuel 12:1-25; Matthew 1:1-18
Summary: We tend to skip the list of names in the first verses of Matthew’s gospel, but each name is there for a reason, and it is to show the royal line of the Lord Jesus Christ and His right to the throne of David as King and Messiah.
Matthew wastes no time in establishing his case to prove that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Promised Messiah and the heir to David’s throne as the true king of Israel. His opening statement reads as follows: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham” (1:1). Jesus is the descendant of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and the example of total trust and faith in God. As the Son of David, Jesus is the heir to the royal title and privilege of being a king. He certainly would have been on the throne of Israel had the earthly kingdom been in existence. The Lord Jesus’ life and ministry would boldly proclaim this before His people and all those around the world who followed him.
- 2: Issac and Jacob – heirs of Abraham who had been promised to him by faith in the sunset of his life. These men were living proof of the power and promises of the LORD (Genesis 18:10-14).
- 3 – Judah is singled out because it is from his lineage that would see the establishment of the kingdom of God (Genesis 49:8-10). David was from the tribe of Judah.
VV.4, 5 – The family line continued as Salmon, a member of Joshua’s army, married the alleged harlot Rahab, whose life was spared in the siege of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-21, 5:21-25). Her faith and obedience brought about the birth of Boaz, who ended up marrying the Moabite woman Ruth, who had also demonstrated faith in God by remaining with her mother-in-law Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17). Ruth became the mother of Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of David the king.
- 6 – King David is described as being the father of Solomon, whose mother is referred to as “she who had been the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” The readers of this gospel knew that this was a reference to Bathsheba who had an affair with David. The entire story and its consequences can be found in 2 Samuel 12.
VV.7 -11: Here are the names of the kings of Judah, both good and evil:
1) Rehoboam – his arrogant declaration upon becoming the new king brought about the split of the kingdom into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 12:1-19; 2 Chronicles 10:1-19, 11:1-4).
2) Abijah – a wicked ruler (1 Kings 15:1-8). There is nothing noteworthy about either him or his time on the throne.
3) Asa – a godly king (1 Kings 15:9-24). He removed the pagan perversions from the kingdom of Judah and obeyed God. He ruled for 41 years.
4) Jehosophat – because of his father’s godly example, he also walked in the ways of the LORD. He made peace with the northern kingdom of Israel and continued purging the land of idolatry (2 Chronicles 20:31-21:16). He ruled for 25 years.
5) Joram was an example of rebellion against the ways of God and righteousness. He married a daughter of the wicked Israelite king Ahab. His time as king resulted in nothing good nor memorable about him (2 Chronicles 21:1-20). There was another bad king who was not listed in the lineage. His name was Ahaziah, a relation to the wicked kings of Israel (2 Kings 8:25-29, 9:27-29; 2 Chronicles 22:1-9). He was killed by Jehu in a purge against the worship of the pagan deity Ba’al.
6) The royal line picks up with the rule of Uzziah (2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26:3-13; Matthew 1:8-9). He was faithful to the LORD and ruled accordingly for over fifty years. His father Ahaziah has also walked in the ways of the LORD. However, late in his life, Uzziah allowed pride to bring him down, and he spent the remainder of his days as a leper.
7) Jotham (2 Kings 15:32-38) was like his father in that he, too, obeyed the commandments of the LORD. He strengthened the kingdom of Judah and brought the Temple back to its former glory. In turn, God honored him with both strength and prosperity.
8) Jotham’s heir, Ahaz, was another example of rebellion against both godly and parental standards. For 16 years, he followed the path of idolatry to the point of sacrificing his own children to the detestable pagan deity Moloch. He relied on political alliances rather than seeking the counsel of the LORD (2 Kings 16:1-4, 12-20; 2 Chronicles 28). It is Ahaz who heard the prophecy from Isaiah concerning the virgin birth of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14).
9) After Ahaz’ death came Hezekiah, who re-established the worship of the LORD to the nation. He totally trusted in the LORD for deliverance from the Assyrians (2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 29). After Hezekiah’s long rule came his son Manasseh (v.10), who became the supreme example of a rebel. He forsook the godly example of his father and led Judah into a state of gross idolatry and wickedness during his 55 years on the throne. Tradition states that it was Manasseh who put the prophet Isaiah to death by having him put into a hollow log and sawn in two. Only when he was in captivity did he seek the LORD and repent of his wickedness, but the damage had already been done. God promised that the nation would be punished and led into foreign captivity (2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33).
10) Despite the godly rule of Manasseh’s grandson Josiah (2 Kings 22:23-30; 2 Chronicles 34-36), the royal family and the nation of Judah inevitably fell into the hands of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The Jewish people would be in Babylon for seventy years, as declared by the prophet Jeremiah. The visible Davidic line had been dethroned, yet from David’s line would come the promised Messiah, found in the person of Jesus Christ.
11) vv. 12-15: The royal line continued during the time of the Babylonian exile and restoration of the land of Judah in 527 B.C. by the Persians. It was during this time when the prophet-statesman Daniel served as prime minister and advisor to Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and the Persian kings Cyrus and Darius.
12) vv. 16-17: Joseph is born and will become the foster father of the Lord Jesus. He is referred to as ‘the husband of Mary.” Mary was also from the lineage of David (Luke 3:23-38). This was done to show that Jesus’ true Father was God and, therefore, of Divine origin. Matthew had done a great deal of research to show to his audience that Jesus was not a mere teacher or traveling sage but was the true and living Hope, Promise, and Salvation to both His people, Israel, and the world. What a Mighty God we serve!