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MATTHEW 1 (ESV)

Introduction

Matthew’s purpose is to show that God has kept his ancient promises to Israel through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. The long-expected reign of heaven is now coming to earth, bringing the Jewish story to its climax. Matthew begins by highlighting that Jesus was the son of David, Israel’s most famous king, and the son of Abraham, Israel’s founding patriarch. Jesus is the true Israelite and God’s promised Messiah.

The Messiah is shown as reliving the story of Israel—going down into the Jordan River, facing temptation in the wilderness, gathering twelve disciples as twelve new tribes, ascending a mountain to deliver a new Torah, etc. The author highlights the idea of Jesus as a new Moses by collecting his teachings into five long speeches. These are marked off by some variation of the phrase “When Jesus had finished saying these things”. Just as the Torah had five books, Matthew presents five major sections.

The book concludes by telling how Jesus brought about the great new act of redemption for his people. As in the story of Israel’s Exodus, a Passover meal is celebrated and then deliverance comes. Jesus gives his life for the sake of the world and is then raised from the dead. At the beginning of the book, Jesus is given the name Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” At the end, Jesus sends his followers into the world with the promise that surely I am with you always.

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1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…..

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

REFLECTION

• Matthew invites us to look beyond the scenes of history’s most crucial birth. What he shows us is that Jesus had His origins in God’s eternal plan, and that the Babe of Bethlehem embodies that plan’s fulfillment. Jesus’ genealogy established His descent from Abraham and David. His virgin birth fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy.
• Joseph is a righteous man, faithful to God’s law (v19). Even though he may think Mary had treated him badly, he determined to treat her well. He feared that Mary would be subject to a public disgrace, and perhaps even stoning for immoral sexual activity.  God directed Joseph through an angel in a dream.  He obeyed and took Mary home as his wife.
• The angel quoted Isaiah 7:14 to tell Joseph “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (v23). Joseph accepted the message of the angel that Mary (a virgin) was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. And Christians throughout the ages have accepted this message too. The name “Immanuel” is God announcing to the world that the Child conceived by the Holy Spirit is Himself God: God, come to be “with us”. The name “Jesus” means “deliverer” or “saviour”. It expresses the purpose of His coming. God became one of us in order to “save His people from their sin”.
• At what point in your life have you most felt Jesus’ presence? How have you experienced Jesus as “Immanuel” in your life lately?

Prayer & Journaling:

On your spiritual journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

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Genesis 50 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹ Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. ² And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. ³ Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptian swept for him seventy days.

⁴ And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, ⁵ ‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’”⁶ And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” ⁷ So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, ⁸ as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. ⁹ And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. ¹⁰ When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he made a mourning for his father seven days. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. ¹² Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, ¹³ for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. ¹⁴ After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

God’s Good Purposes

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” ¹⁶ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ¹⁷ ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ²¹ So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

REFLECTION

Read the passage slowly and pay special attention to a word or phrase that touches my heart.  Search for how forgiveness is illustrated in the text.

Joseph received permission from Pharaoh to bury Jacob in Canaan as he had requested. He then assured his brothers of his favor in spite of how they had treated him and testified that God would fulfill His promises.

Joseph’s response to his fearful brothers reveals his attitudes toward God and them (vv. 18-21; cf. 27:41). He humbled himself under God’s authority. He regarded God as sovereign over him and the One who had providentially guided all the events of his life. He knew that God’s purposes for him, his family, and all people were good. Consequently he behaved with tender compassion toward his brothers.

Think about what it feels like to be the forgiver, as well as what it feels like to be the forgiven.  How is this expression of love meaningful to you?  Briefly note your thoughts.

Read the text one more time, then stop and listen for what God is inviting you to do or to become this week.  Perhaps His invitation will have to do with a new perspective on who you are in His eyes, or maybe you sense an action He is calling you to take.  After prayer, write down what you feel invited to do. And plan to do it.

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Genesis 49 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jacob Blesses His Sons

¹ Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.

² “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel your father.

³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, and the firstfruits of my strength,
preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
⁴ Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
because you went up to your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

⁸ “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
⁹ Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
¹¹ Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine
and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
¹² His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.

²² “Joseph is a fruitful bough,
a fruitful bough by a spring;
his branches run over the wall.
²³ The archers bitterly attacked him,
shot at him, and harassed him severely,
²⁴ yet his bow remained unmoved;
his arms were made agile
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
(from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
²⁵ by the God of your father who will help you,
by the Almighty who will bless you
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that crouches beneath,
blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
²⁶ The blessings of your father
are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents,
up to the bounties of the everlasting hills.
May they be on the head of Joseph,
and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

²⁷ “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
in the morning devouring the prey
and at evening dividing the spoil.”

²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.

REFLECTION

Read this passage slowly.  If possible, read the whole chapter once.

Jacob, enabled by God, looks ahead and in his blessing makes oft-obscure predictions about the future of each family group, based in part on the character each of his sons (v28).

What is more important to us, however, is a phrase found in the blessing given Joseph. The phrase is, “by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you, … The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, …” (vv25-26).

The deep faith in God that Joseph displayed blessed his sons, and remained a vital influence even on distant generations. If we want to be a blessing to our children’s children, there is no surer way than for us to live as close to God as Joseph did. When we are faithful and obedient, our “blessings are greater”.

What blessings have you received from your parents?  What has that impacted you?

How is the interaction you have with your children or someone very close to you?  Does that show that you are passing blessing or curse to them?

Ask God to help you be a blessing transmitter.  Is there anyone you can bless?  How could you bless him/her today?