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Matthew 1:2-3

We have seen that the apostle Matthew intended his gospel - his personal testimony to Jesus Christ -
primarily for a Jewish audience, especially those Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Written
some thirty years after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus back to heaven, Matthews purpose
was to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel - as well as the Savior of the whole world.

Matthew was introducing Jesus to some who might never have heard of Him, and so he begins with a
genealogy in the Jewish tradition - to establish the credentials of Jesus.

We learned last time that Matthews genealogy is not one of natural descent, but of legal descent - a record
of the royal line, the descendants of David who ruled over Judah, until the Babylonian conquest - and after
that, the prospective rulers, concluding with Joseph.

Jesus was not the natural son of Joseph, but through Josephs marriage to Mary, Jesus became Josephs
legal son - and therefore, the legitimate heir to the throne of David.

Matthew began his genealogy with Abraham. So lets begin with Abraham in the first verse, and continue
with the genealogy through David.

[Matthew 1:1-6]

Well be stopping at verse 3, this week. But I wanted to read through verse 6 so that we could make some
preliminary observations. As mentioned, this is a record of the royal line which began with David. But was
David Israels first king? No; who was that? Saul.

Saul had been a king after the peoples heart (1 Sam 12:12-13) - self-willed. That eventually resulted in his
demise (1 Sam 15:22-23). But David, the second king, was a man after Gods own heart (1 Sam 13:14) - he
desired to do the LORDs will. Here we see the pattern in Scripture of the first man, Adam, and the second
Man, the Lord from heaven (1 Cor15:47).

The kingdom was first united under David, with rest from all his enemies all around (2 Sam 7:1). So the
kingdom was established in David, on earth, under the LORDs authority.

But Matthew does not begin his genealogy with David, but further back, with Abraham. Why? Well,
certainly it is in part because Matthew wants to make a personal connection between his Jewish audience
and Jesus.

Abraham is regarded as the father of the nation, Israel. He is showing Jesus to be a son of Abraham, a
member of that nation, just like the Jews hearing this account; He is one of them.

But in addition to that, certain promises were made to Abraham that were known to pertain to Messiah, as
the Coming One who is the Seed of Abraham. And Matthew wants the minds of his Jewish audience to
go back to those famous promises - so that they can consider them now in light of his genealogy of Jesus.
So lets go back and look for ourselves, at some of those promises. Turn to Genesis chapter 12.

Following the Flood, the families of the earth united in their rebellion against the LORD. This threatened to
deprive individuals of their freedom to choose to believe in the LORD.
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To preserve that freedom, the LORD confused their language, giving the families different languages, so that
they could no longer understand each others speech. The LORD also scattered them abroad on the earth,
planting the families in various geographic locations, where they grew into the nations of the earth.

Since the nations had rejected the LORD at Babel - to worship the creation rather than the Creator - the LORD
allowed them their freedom, and set the nations aside for a time.

But meanwhile, the LORD chose one man, from whom He would make a nation for Himself. The LORD
called this man out of his idolatrous culture, to follow the LORD - based on some promises that the LORD
made to him. And who was this man? Abraham - or Abram, as he was known at that time.

[Genesis 12:1-3] So the LORDs call to Abram was for him to separate himself - from his culture, from his
kindred. Who was Abram separating himself to? To the LORD - a God who was unknown, to him, at this
time. And this unknown God offered to take Abram to some unknown land. If Abram was willing to do
that, the LORD promised to protect him, and provide for him - and make him a great nation.

That last part would have been very appealing to Abram - why? Because he was childless, and his wife
Sarai, was barren. If he was to be made a great nation, he would have to have lots of children - a great
blessing, in that day.

But what do you think Abram understood about that last part, in verse 3 - in you all the families of the
earth shall be blessed? Probably not much, at the time. Nonetheless, Abram made his decision to follow
the LORD - and as he did, the LORD revealed more and more to Abram.

Over time, Abram began to see that the LORD was trustworthy - He was true to His promises. And Abram
saw the wisdom of the LORDs plans and purposes.

Eventually, the LORD revealed to Abram that he was to bring forth, not just a great nation, but the Messiah,
the Christ - the Savior of the world. In the NT, Paul tells us that God preached the gospel to Abram
beforehand (Gal 3:8) - before Christ ever came. The Christ who would be born of the nation that came
from Abrams body.

The Christ would be the Seed of Abram. And Abram believed in the LORD, for His Christ; and it was
accounted to Abram for righteousness (Gen 15:4-6, 21:12).

Still the LORD waited, to send the son He promised. He waited until both Abrams and Sarais body were
well past their reproductive years - for this was to be the son given by the LORD; a reflection of the Son of
God, the Seed Christ, who would be given by the power of Gods might.

And finally, the promised son was given - to Abraham and Sarah, whose changed names reflected the
LORDs doing, and their submission to Him. The LORD told Abraham to name this son Isaac - what does it
mean? Laughter - now reflecting the joy of having this son - and the fact that nothing is too wonderful for
the LORD (Gen 18:14).

But when that son had reached his prime, at about 30 years of age, the LORD tested Abraham, telling him to
offer up Isaac as a burnt offering. The LORD absolutely knew what was in Abrahams heart, that he would
obey; and Abraham absolutely trusted in the LORD, to do what was asked.
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How could Abraham have trusted the LORD with this? Because he knew that Isaac was the son the LORD
promised him; the son through whom would come the great nation; the son through whom would come the
Seed, Christ.

Abraham knew that the LORD was not a man, that He should lie, nor the son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num 23:19).

The author to the Hebrews says that by faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. Abraham
concluded that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead (Heb 11:17a, 19a). In other words,
Abraham expected that if he was to offer Isaac up as a burnt offering, the LORD would resurrect Isaac!

Of course, the LORD had an Angel stop Abraham from offering his son, sparing him - and a ram was offered
in his stead. This completed the picture that the LORD desired to be seen - a foreshadowing of Gods
offering of His own Son, who could not be spared - but would be offered up in the stead of sinful man.

And the LORD blessed Abraham for his obedience. Turn to Genesis chapter 22.

[Genesis 22:15-18] So the blessing reflects a further multiplication of the descendants - the seed - of
Abraham. The stars of the heaven point to the regenerate nation of Israel (Dan 12:3); the sand on the
seashore, the Gentile nations. The idea is that Abraham will be the father of many nations (Gen 17:4) -
spiritual seed, through Abrahams Seed, Christ.

In verse 17, the word descendants is the same as in v. 18 - seed - and it can be either singular or plural,
just like in English.

The second occurrence in verse 17 refers to the singular Seed of Abraham, the Christ - He shall possess the
gate of His enemies, which is to say He will have the rule over them.

When will this be true? When will Christs enemies be made His footstool (Ps 110:1)? When He returns to
the earth, at His Second Coming - as King of kings, and Lord of lords, to rule and reign, over the earthly
realm.

Notice how verse 18 reflects the original promise made to Abram: In you all the families of the earth will
be blessed (Gen 12:3).

Now we can see that this promise will be realized to Abraham through Abrahams Seed, Christ - when
Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth, for His thousand-year reign. That will be a time of
unprecedented blessing upon the earth - because the reign of Christ will be one of perfect peace and
righteousness.

These promises made to Abraham were well known and very precious to the Jews, because when the Seed
of Abraham, their Messiah comes to reign over the earth, Israel will be reigning with Him as the head
nation (Deut 28:1, 13). Israel will no longer be oppressed by her enemies; she will teach the other nations
about the LORD (Is 2:2-3).

So by going back to Abraham, Matthew has brought into the genealogy the promises made to Abraham
concerning His Seed Christ as the King - in the Kingdom Age.
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Now, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the fathers of the nation, Israel - and all appear in the genealogy of
Jesus, showing Him to be a true son of Israel. But He came from one particular son, of Jacob; which one?
Judah - who appears next, in the genealogy.

Matthew actually writes, Judah and his brothers, as a way of mentioning the twelve tribes of the nation
Israel, while singling out the particular tribe of the son who was an ancestor of Jesus - Judah. So what
would Judah bring to mind, for Matthews Jewish audience?

Well, when Jacob was close to death, the LORD gave him prophecies concerning his sons. We find them in
Genesis chapter 49.

These prophecies draw on personal aspects of the sons of Jacob, which are then seen to have a near-
fulfillment in the tribes which come from them. But in addition, the prophecies can also be seen to reflect
the history of the nation Israel, from its inception as a nation, to the last days - when Christ returns to set up
His kingdom on the earth.

Were just going to consider part of the prophecy for Judah.

[Genesis 49:8-10] The first part of the prophecy plays off of Judahs name, which means praise. Judah
was certainly not a praiseworthy son of Jacob, initially - he was the one who suggested selling Joseph to the
slave traders. And Judah made some poor decisions regarding women, as we shall see shortly.

But later, Judah became a changed man - so much so that his actions reflected the Coming Christ as mans
Substitute, and as mans Advocate. The prophecy reflects this overcoming victory that was accomplished in
Judahs life.

That victory would be manifested in Judahs primacy as a tribe - and not just over enemies. Judah had
attained the victory in ruling over himself in his own heart, personally; similarly, the tribe of Judah would
attain the rule over the other tribes of Israel.

Judah is described as a lion. The lion is the king of the jungle; here is the idea of ruling. First the lion is a
whelp, a cub. Does a cub rule? No. This represents the time when Judah was part of the family of Jacob,
in Egypt. Joseph had the rule over the family, then.

The next part describes a lion with its victory over its prey - the tribe of Judah leading the conquest in the
land of Canaan. Then the lion is reclined; at rest. This is the beginning of the monarchy under David, with
rest from his enemies all around.

But the monarchy went from recline, into decline, didnt it? - as the kingdom became divided, due to the
nation following after idols. Not one prophet seemed able to arouse the nation from its complacency - and
first Israel to the north and later Judah to the south were carried away into captivity.

It would seem that the monarchy was over. But the prophecy to Judah continues - the scepter shall not
depart from Judah. The nation was now subject to Gentile dominion - the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the
Medes, the Persians, the Greeks, and in Matthews day, the Romans.

But the royal rule was being retained, for Judah. The LORD was holding it, in His divine purposes - for the
most illustrious member of that tribe, who was to come.
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Our translations name Him as Shiloh in verse 10. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT, has
Shiloh as meaning He to whom they belong (also Eze 21:27).

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, until He comes to whom the scepter rightfully belongs - and who
would that be? The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5) - the Messiah - Jesus - and in His Second Coming,
to Him shall be the obedience of the people. The prophecy to Judah concludes with the next two verses,
which speak of the authority and reign of Christ upon His return as King (v. 11-12).

[Return to Matthew 1]

So as we consider matters from the Scripture, and how a Jewish audience would receive this genealogy, we
can see that Matthew is first showing Jesus to be the heir to the throne of David - an earthy throne - from
which He will rule and reign over the earth, during the Kingdom Age - over both Jews and Gentiles.
Matthew is intent on showing that Jesus is Messiah the King - not just of Israel, but of all nations.

One reason we had read through verse 6 is to pick up on a unique feature of Matthews genealogy - which
is that he mentions women in it. Theyre not actually in the genealogical line, which is shown through the
male descendants; theyre women associated with certain members in the line.

How many women does Matthew mention? Not four; but five, for near the end of the genealogy, Mary is
mentioned, too. The first four are grouped early in the genealogy - up to and including David, the king.
Who are they? Tamar (v. 3), Rahab (v. 5), Ruth (v. 5) and - her of Uriah (v. 6), which is how Matthew is
referring to Bathsheba.

Four women. In Scripture, four is the number for the earth. These four women relate to the establishment
of the throne, on earth - through David, the king.

Then, with Mary near the end, we have a total of five women - the number for grace, in Scripture. Through
Mary will come the One who will establish His reign on earth in grace - as the Shepherd King (Rev 7:15-
17).

Now, we can clearly understand Marys mention, in the genealogy, being the mother of Jesus. But what
about the other four women? If Matthew wanted to impress his Jewish audience with illustrious ancestors
of Jesus, wouldnt he have chosen someone like Sarah? Or Rebekah? Instead, Matthew chooses some
curious - and colorful - women in the line.

First we have Tamar (v. 3). She was not the wife of Judah; she was the widow of his sons - two of them! -
and she deceived Judah into having sexual relations with her, in order to bear children.

Then theres Rahab (v. 5) - she was a harlot, in the Canaanite city of Jericho. Also in verse 5, we find Ruth.
She was not a disreputable woman, but her people were - the Moabites, who came into being through an act
of incest. And the Moabites were the ancient enemies of Israel.

Then finally, we have her of Uriah (v. 6) - and we wonder why doesnt Matthew name Bathsheba. We
might think this has something to do with the fact that she and King David engaged in adultery, while her
husband was off fighting Davids war.

Certainly these are women who would not tend to be considered respectable, in Jewish religious circles!
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But then again, neither would Matthew, would he? - the tax collector, who had been quite accustomed to
associating with unrespectable sinners. And Matthew discovered that, unlike the religious establishment,
Jesus seemed well at ease, with sinners and tax collectors - He even ate and drank with them. After all,
Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance (Mt 9:13).

Its likely that Matthew chose to include these four women for that very reason - to show that Jesus came to
identify Himself with sinners - whether they are men or women; Jews or Gentiles. Or - kings.

But I think that Matthew had a further reason for his selection of these four women. Taken together, their
personal stories can be seen to be types - types of the regenerate, believing nations in the Kingdom Age,
whether of Israel or of the Gentile nations.

Now you remember that a type is a picture - more specifically, a prophetic foreshadowing of a future
reality; for example, Joseph is a type of Christ as the Suffering Savior. There are many types in the OT,
which foreshadow things to come. These four women portray the repentant peoples who will enter the
Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, for His thousand-year reign on earth.

Now, just so that we can get our bearings - by that time, when Jesus comes to set up His kingdom - where is
the church? The church, the Body of Christ, will have been caught up to be with the Lord, seven years
before this kingdom on earth will be established.

The church is part of the Kingdom of God, in heaven. Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20); the New
Jerusalem will be our home (Rev 21:2).

So why would we care about the Kingdom of God, on earth? Because we will be administering over the
kingdom on earth, from the heavenlies, with our Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:2; Rev 3:21, 5:10). Anything
we can learn about the earthly kingdom can serve as an orientation program for us - for ruling and reigning!

So lets begin by looking this week at the first woman that Matthew mentions - Tamar. Turn to Genesis
chapter 38. I hope youve had a chance to read it this week. Im going to give an overview of the story,
before we plunge into a particular section of interest.

This took place in the land of Canaan. The twelve sons of Jacob were adults. For Judah, it was the time in
his life before he was following the LORD. Judah married a Canaanite woman and she bore three sons to
him. When the first son, Er, came of age, Judah took a wife for him; thats Tamar. Now, some think that
Tamar was a Canaanite, but the account never indicates that she was; and her name is a Hebrew name.

It is written that Er was wicked, and was judged by the LORD; he died, without having any children by
Tamar. Judah then had his second son, Onan, marry Tamar, according to the custom of the Levirate
marriage - which was to raise up an heir to the first son, if he had died.

Onan didnt like that, because it meant that he would lose part of an inheritance that he could possess for
himself. So he took measures to ensure that Tamar didnt conceive, and was judged by the LORD for that,
and he died.

The third son, Shelah, wasnt of age to marry yet, and so Judah sent Tamar back to her fathers house,
telling her to remain a widow, until Shelah was grown. But there was deception on Judahs part in this,
because he was beginning to fear that Tamar was somehow cursed, and that his last son would die, too.
Shelah grew up, but Tamar was never summoned.
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So Judahs deceptive action effectively condemned Tamar to limbo - she wasnt free to marry anyone else,
but she wasnt permitted to marry Shelah, either. This brought on Tamar the dishonor of a childless
existence, an accursed life for a woman of that day - and with no remedy in sight. In her desperation,
Tamar came up with a rather unconventional plan of her own - to overcome her barren existence.

Judah had become a widow, and Tamar, learning where he was, disguised herself behind a veil and sat in an
open place - posing as a public woman. Judah unwittingly solicited her, and they had sexual relations -
Judah never realizing that it was Tamar. From this union, Tamar conceived in her womb.

When Judah heard that his daughter-in-law was pregnant, he vowed to put her to death, to defend the
family honor. But when Tamar produced proof that she was with child by Judah, Judah came to terms with
the fact that he had greatly wronged her - and that Tamar did only what was necessary, to secure her own
future, in the family - and to bring forth life, as she always desired.

In her own unique way, Tamar had arranged a customary Levirate union, with Judah - one which he
intended to deny her. And the LORD vindicated Tamar in the matter, allowing her the privilege of joining
into the very line of Christ. Tamar had the victory of life, in the end.

Well now look a little more closely at the time when Tamar gave birth.

[Gen 38:27-30] Perez, Tamars firstborn, was an ancestor in the royal line - of which Jesus is the heir, by
legal descent.

Tamar is a type of the nation Israel. Lets consider the story from her perspective. You can see on your
chart that her Hebrew name means palm tree, which is a symbol of the nation Israel, and of victory.

Her first two marriages can be seen to reflect Israel in her unbelief, apart from her covenant relationship
with the LORD - Jehovah is dead to her, leaving her without protection, without power.

After her encounter with Judah, Tamar conceives twins in her womb. Here is the woman, Israel, bearing the
male Child who was to rule all nations (Rev 12:1-5); the Son, born of a woman (Gal 4:4) - the nation Israel.
The twins reflect Christ is His two comings to the earth - as the Redeemer; and as the Conquering King.

At birth, a hand emerges first; and the midwife binds it with a scarlet cord. The Hebrew word for scarlet
refers to the dye derived from an insect which is brilliant crimson; its the color of blood. This dye is used
in elements of the ceremonial Law to reflect redemption; cleansing from sin, through the blood of Christ.

But the hand with the scarlet cord is then withdrawn. Here is the redemption in Christ Jesus, which was
offered first to the nation Israel; but because of their unbelief, the offer is withdrawn. The nation had to be
set aside for a time, because of her unbelief (Rm 11:15).

Meanwhile, after the hand of the one son is withdrawn, the other son is born - first. This indicates that the
twins must have both been in the birth canal at the same time.

Not surprisingly, when this son moved past the other one, he caused a breach in Tamars body - a tear in the
flesh. As he broke forth out of the breach, he startled the midwife, and she blamed the breach on him.
Perez means breach.
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We can see in this a foreshadowing of Christ in His first coming, to the earth - the One who stood in the
breach between God and man. And what caused that breach? Sin. But Jesus took the blame for sin upon
Himself, on the cross - shedding His blood - in order to reconcile man to God (2 Cor 5:21, Col 1:20).

But lets consider this in terms of Tamar. This is the firstborn son to her - picturing Christ crucified for sin.
Perez had to be born first, to Tamar, before the other son could be born, to her.

To this day, the Redeemer-Christ has not yet been born to the nation, Israel - for they have been unwilling to
recognize their need, to be delivered from sin.

But His people shall be willing, in the day of His power (Ps 110:3) - when Christ returns at His Second
Coming to the earth, to set up His kingdom. And then they will receive Him both as their Redeemer and
King.

And thats what is seen in the second son - Zerah, whose name means sunrise. Malachi prophesied of the
return of Christ, calling Him the Sun [s-u-n] of Righteousness, with healing in His wings (Mal 4:2) -
Sunrise.

Israel will be healed of their sin-sickness - through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. That will be the
dawn of a new day for Israel - the LORD will have His regenerate nation - and Israel will have her victory, in
the end.

But Israel wont be the only regenerate nation, during the thousand year reign of Christ, on earth. And next
time, well see that the three other women in the genealogy who are related to the establishment of Davids
throne give us further insights into Israel and the Gentile nations, in the Kingdom Age.

Reading: Mt 1:1-17, Joshua 2, 6; Ruth 1-4; 2 Sam 7:1-16, 11, 12:1-24.