Matthews 1:12-17
After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
This excerpt of genealogy describes what happens after the Jews from the kingdom of Judah were captured. The captivity was the darkest time during Jewish history. The Jews back then had two questions in mind. First, why did this happen to them? Were they the chosen people of God? Didn't God's temple demonstrate His presence among them? Why were we captured and how could God allow such a thing to happen to them? The author of Books of Kings tried to address this question - No matter how great a king was, when the author wrote about him he'd always include the sins that he committed. Even though the Jews are God's chosen people, because of the sins committed by the king or the people, God had to punish them and that's why they were captured and their nation was shattered.
Actually, when we compare the King David recorded in the book of Chronicles and King David in the book of Kings, we'd see two different portrayals of the same person. The Israelites had the second question - Is there still any hope for us? Book of Chronicles answered this question, as the author's answer was "yes, there's still hope!" When the Book of Chronicles talked about the kings, especially King David and Solomon, the depictions pointed them towards the coming Messiah savior, as all people were expecting the perfect king to come. Chronicles answered this question - Yes, the hope for Israel lies in the coming Messiah. The hope for Israel was more than the revival of the nation, but it's in Jesus Christ!
Similarly, the hope for human beings today doesn't lie in the change of our circumstance, but in Jesus Christ. The genealogy of Jesus proved that He is the Messiah whom God had promised since the Old Testament time. When we encounter any hardship, we might ask God why bad things happen to us. It's all because of our sin and our disobedience against God! We need God to enlighten us and help us to acknowledge our weaknesses, and we ask the precious blood of Jesus to come and cleanse us. When we are weak or in hardship, perhaps we'd ask the same question like the Israelites did - Is there still hope? God is answering you "yes", because your hope doesn't lie in the change of circumstance, but rather in the authority to be victorious through Christ. Hallelujah!
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, I thank you and I praise you because in Christ we have the authority to be victorious. I especially for brothers and sisters who are going through tough times - may your spirit comfort them and enlighten them. Save us from sin and give us the authority and strength to overcome any difficulty. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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