Abraham and Sarah had no children. And God promised that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed Genesis 12:1-3. From this promise came Israel and 2000 years later Jesus Christ.
God is not a liar. To help Abraham and us believe in a God we have not
seen, God first gives a promise and then He swears by Himself that He will keep
His promise. When we are discouraged we are to remember God’s promise. That
hope in the midst of difficulty is based on God’s character. And HOPE is an anchor to our
soul!
The basis for our hope is found in the way God has kept His promises in the past. In the Garden of Eden
after Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit-sin entered Paradise. The Old
Testament is the unfolding of God’s plan - The promise in its form was this:
“I will put
enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall
bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 God’s
plan to rescue the human race:
- The Deliverer will battle with Satan and Satan will strike a blow against Him but will not defeat Him. He will crush Satan and his power. The Deliverer, when He comes, will be born of a woman.
- Genesis 9:26. Noah has three sons, but the Deliverer must come from one of them.
- Genesis 12:2-3. Abraham obeyed and ended up in the Promised Land.
- Genesis 22:18. The promise will come through Isaac-not through Ishmael.
- Genesis 28:14. Isaac had two sons-Jacob and Esau. By custom, Esau should have received the promise as the first-born. But he sold that right to Jacob. God repeats to Jacob the promise previously made to his father and grandfather.
- Genesis 49:10. Jacob had 12 sons. When Jacob came to his fourth son Judah, he uttered one of the most amazing prophecies. With eyes of faith Jacob saw the tribe of Judah would take leadership in Israel. The people of Judah would be lion-like in courage and strength. Their tribe would lead the way; the other 11 tribes would follow.
Outline of Jacob’s prophecy
concerning Judah in Genesis 49:8-12 Judah will
be the dominant tribe in Israel. 8
Judah will be lion-like in courage and strength. 9
The Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. 10
Messiah’s coming brings peace and joy. 11-12
Judah will be lion-like in courage and strength. 9
The Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. 10
Messiah’s coming brings peace and joy. 11-12
Israel’s earliest leaders came from other tribes:
Moses
from Levi
Joshua from Ephraim
Gideon from Manasseh
Samson from Dan
Samuel from Ephraim
Saul from Benjamin
Joshua from Ephraim
Gideon from Manasseh
Samson from Dan
Samuel from Ephraim
Saul from Benjamin
After
Saul was rejected, God chose a man from the tribe of Judah to be king.
God chooses the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd boy named David. God made a promise to David: II Samuel 7:11-16. This
promise states not only will the Deliverer come from the line of David; He will
also rule over David’s kingdom and will reign upon David’s throne. More than
that, David’s house and kingdom and throne will last forever.
Then in the days of King Ahaz God specifies how the Deliverer will enter
the world: “… the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” Isaiah
7:14. The Messiah is the One sent by The Father. Jesus is fully God (born of a
virgin) and fully man (thus born of a woman).
The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are
small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be
ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times” Micah 5:2. The phrase from ancient times means from
days of eternity. Genesis 49:10 speaks of a ruler who comes from Judah and adds to
the fact that The Messiah’s origins are from days of eternity. This helps explain
how the Messiah can reign on David’s throne forever. Since His origins are from
eternity, He will have an eternal reign.
The prophecies taken together, reads as:
- He will be a Jew.
- He will come from the tribe of Judah.
- He will be a descendant of David.
- He will be born in Bethlehem.
- He will be born of a virgin.
His name is Jesus Christ. Matthew’s Genealogy, starts with Abraham and
ends with Jesus Christ. God’s promises span the generations-through time. What
starts with Abraham ends with the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The list, includes
Abraham who lied about his wife, Isaac who lied about Rebecca, Jacob who was a
cheater, Judah who slept with his daughter-in-law (thinking she was a shrine
prostitute), David who committed adultery and murder), Solomon who had hundreds
of wives.
There is Tamar who slept with Judah, Rahab the harlot, Ruth who was a Moabite,
and Bathsheba who committed adultery with David. All four are in the line that
leads to Jesus Christ!
We learn that God keeps His promise no matter what. He uses imperfect,
unqualified people because He does not see the imperfection. He qualifies the
unqualified.
In the end the only name in the genealogy that matters is Jesus.
Everything that happened before was meant to lead to Him. God orchestrated
centuries of history in order to bring His Son to the world at just the right
moment. Not one minute early and not a second late. This is God’s faithfulness....
To be in trouble and to be in the midst of it, that is when God sends
His help and proves to be our refuge and our strength. No matter what we face,
no matter what comes our way, always remember that nothing is wasted with God.
Every little bend in the road of life has a Divine purpose. Suffering teaches
much.
My deepest convictions have always been forged out of times of
difficulty. It is in suffering that the grace of God is more found. At moments of trouble it is then when I
can’t feel His presence and I do not hear His voice then I am in a terrible
state of soul and mind. It is at those precise moments that He is closest to me.
God never abandons. His presence is even stronger in the darkest moments of my
life. In my pain, in my agony, He is right here with me. The closest I could
get to Him is in suffering. The closest He comes to me is when I face trials. When
there is no consolation the suffering seems forever but every second of it is
worth this life. That is why the Saints loved it. They knew what we do not
understand. The things learned in the darkness have been forever engraved on my
soul. Suffering is detrimental to the goodness of the soul. I find and I
believe it is in the crucial moments of darkness that we come to understand and
recognize the reverence in which we must come to God with and only then will we
know what a Sovereign God we serve. I have what I have because God has willed it
for me. I was born into my family because that was God’s will for me. And my
problems however they may be they are apportioned to me by the hand of The Almighty,
loving God. I am everything by the sovereign grace of God. I am nothing without
HIM.
Never give up. Wait on the Lord. Those who Hope in Him will not be put
to shame.
Hope means - Things won’t always be the way they
are now. All Hope and light shines from the Manger, lighting up a
darkened world.
My Christmas Wish. Part 1
My Christmas Wish. Part 2
My Christmas Wish. Part 1
My Christmas Wish. Part 2
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