A Family Tree

2 Samuel 7:8a,16 – Now then, tell my servant David, "This is what the Lord Almighty says … 'Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'" (NIV)

Have you ever wondered about family ancestry? Most people begin to research rather late in life, long after many family members and relatives are deceased. Since both my parents have passed away, I have begun to appreciate my family heritage. However, without any historical records, it is much more difficult to obtain reliable information.

The Scriptures trace the lineage of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, but many people find those passages uninteresting, with little or no meaning for Christians today. In today's Scripture, God made a covenant with David that his kingdom would be everlasting — a kingdom only God could accomplish! So the documentation of the genealogy of Jesus is very important, because it establishes the fact that Jesus was of the royal line of David and a legitimate heir to David's eternal throne. At the time of Christ's birth, Judea was no longer ruled by a king in David's line. But the wise men came asking, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2 NIV) In Matthew 27:11, we are told that when Pilate asked Jesus if He was king of the Jews, Jesus said that He was.

An amazing thing about the Old Testament is that, although it was completed some five hundred years before Jesus was born, it faithfully and single-mindedly chronicles the story of all Jesus' ancestors. It traces His lineage from Adam through Noah; through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Judah and Tamar; Rahab and Salmon; Ruth and Boaz; Jesse and David; Solomon and all the kings of Judah; and even through Shealtiel, governor of the restored Jerusalem. Only God could engineer such a story with prophecies that lead up to the birth of His Son, Jesus.

All of this tells us that we can be sure that God's Word is true and that it will never fail. Through the powerful witness of Scripture, we can be confident that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise and that our faith is rooted and grounded in truth.

Prayer: Lord, we thank You for the testimony of Your Word. Open our hearts and minds to Your truth that we may experience the fullness of your peace. Amen.

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