Finally! The true King has come! The One upon whom dawns the hope of the ages.

Christ is the true Descendant of Abraham who has brought blessings to all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:1-3). He accomplished this through His atoning work on the cross (Rom. 5:8-9). And by His blood, He has ransomed a people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9).

Christ is the true Son of David who sits upon an eternal throne (2 Sam. 7:12-17). Why? Because He humbled Himself by taking on human flesh and dying on the cross. Therefore, God the Father has exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, so that at His name every knee would bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:5-11). 

All of the names in Matthew's genealogy are like hyperlinks. When you click on one, a window pops up inviting us into the story of that particular person. We see who they were, when they lived, and how faithful (or not) they were to the Lord. But it's more than that. Each person in the genealogy had a role to play in the grand storyline of redemption. A story which begins with God creating the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1) and ends with God ushering in a new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21:1). And at the blazing center of this story is the Person and work of Jesus Christ. As one children's storybook Bible has put it, every story in the Bible whispers His name (1). As you continue reading God's Word this season and into 2024, here are a few questions you can ask yourself to see how Jesus is at the center of all of the Scriptures:

1. How does this person (e.g. Abraham) foreshadow or point forward to Christ? Do they point forward to Christ negatively (evil kings lead us to long for the good King) or positively (David saved God's people from their enemies, just as Christ has saved us from ours)?
2. How does this event foreshadow or point forward to the work of Christ? For example: Israel's exodus out of Egyptian slavery points to Christ likewise delivering us from slavery to sin.
3. How does this institution foreshadow or point forward to Christ? For example: God's presence mediated by the Temple prepares us for Jesus, the new Temple.

Merry Christmas, Five Points! Our King has come. And... He is coming again! Revelation 22:12-13

(1) Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007).

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the most famous woman in the Bible, yet there are many things that we do not know about her. The Bible does tell us of her sincere faith and trust in the Lord. This is especially evident in her response upon learning that she was chosen to be the earthly mother of Jesus. The angel, Gabriel, appeared with the message directly from God that she, a virgin engaged to be married to Joseph, would be “blessed among women.” She was going to give birth to a son, the son of God, and his name would be Jesus. Mary didn’t respond with concerns for herself or her reputation, but rather asked “how will this be since I am a virgin?” Mary kept her focus on the assurances she had about the God who chose her for this magnificent task and praised the Lord for her humble state as His servant and His mighty deeds, and His promises to our ancestors.

And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his
servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things
for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown
strength with his army; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty
from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he
has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to
Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:467-55 ESV)

Mary’s biblical story spans the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. She knew her Son was special from his divine conception. She watched him grow and live day-to-day life. She worried for him when he disappeared on their trip to Jerusalem for the Passover, only to be reminded by a twelve-year old Jesus that “he was about his Father’s business.” She called on her son, Jesus, to help with a miracle when there was not enough wine for a family wedding. But, realizing that His timing was from God the Father she simply instructed the servants to “do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Understanding that His identify would be revealed at the right time, she watched as his ministry, which would lead him to the cross, was unfolding. Mary was at the foot of the cross as Jesus died for the sins of all who would follow Him. Oh, how Mary showed her trust in God. And Jesus showed his love for his mother as he said to her and the disciple John that this is your son, and this is your mother. The last mention of Mary in the New Testament is in Acts 1:14 where she is meeting with the disciples and praying. In every scriptural glimpse of Mary’s life, we see her as a model for the Christian believer in trusting God, putting Him and His will before our earthly desires, obediently following Him through prayer and fellowship with believers, and in sharing Jesus with others.

As we celebrate Christmas and the next season that the Lord has for us, may we have hearts like Mary that would say “yes, Lord.” May we be obedient to God’s will for our lives. May we spend time in his Word, knowing His Word, and keeping it hidden in our heart.

Through this Advent season we have seen many individuals associated with the genealogy of Christ Jesus. We have read and studied the continuous protection of the line and lineage that led to the Messiah to come. This devotional today is a focus on the earthly adoptive father of Jesus, Joseph the husband of Mary (Matthew 1:19-25). We see the qualities of Joseph as it relates to his heart for the Lord in the fact that he displayed sacrificial love and lived with a desire to obey God. In his obedience to the Lord, he protected the validity of the virgin birth of Jesus. This places a huge importance on faith. This is knowing that
even though we may not humanly comprehend everything God is leading us to do, we must have the faith to trust God and know that He will make a way when we can’t fully comprehend how that way may exist. This is displayed through Joseph’s trust after the Angel of the Lord approached him, the actions that followed, and how we are pointed back to God even to this very day.

When studying God’s Word we don’t have any words stated directly from the mouth of Joseph, but we have the actions of a believer that adopted the son of God as his own. I am consistently reminded how our actions as Christians can speak so much louder than our words. Mary and Joseph together, with God at the forefront of their family, loved, taught, and discipled Jesus to grow in great wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52). This is such a beautiful opportunity for us to see and learn from this example God has given us, of the importance we have on giving our families to Christ and seeking him daily as we disciple them for the
glory of the Lord. Also, for us to remember that when the Lord asks us to step out on faith and trust him; we do. These may be some of the loudest ‘words’ ever spoken for the Kingdom.

400 YEARS OF SILENCE 

Roughly 400 years of silence from the Lord. Had he abandoned His people; was He going to be faithful to His promises?

Waiting - The action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.

There were about 400 years between the prophecies of Malachi and the opening of the New Testament. These are called “silent years” because there were no inspired words from God during this time. But there were major changes that prepared the world for the arrival of Jesus. 400 years of waiting, wondering, doubting, and fearing. 400 years of questioning whether God would ever speak again. 400 years of worrying that God had abandoned Israel once and for all. 

When we come to the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, the writings and the voice of prophets cease to exist for this 400-year span. Not until the coming of Christ will they reappear again. But we know the promise of the One to come was waiting! In the first chapter of Matthew, we see the Genealogy of Jesus that leads us to His birth. 

When we look at the time between the Old and New Testaments, we can imagine facing hardship and strife. Their world was not easy and their troubles were many. They were waiting on a Savior, the one promised to bring them peace. But day after day, no one came.

We can look back and see how God waited until the timing was perfect to send His son, but they couldn’t see it. They just had to trust God’s word and His character and believe the Savior was coming.

No matter the troubles we face and the plans we have, we must trust that God is in control and His timing is perfect.

He is working for our good and for His glory!

After 70 years of Judah’s captivity, the nation of Babylon fell to the hands of the Persians. During the following years, a remnant from Judah were allowed to return to their homeland and began to rebuild the temple of God and the walls that surrounded the city of Jerusalem. We read about this remnant’s return in the book of Ezra-Nehemiah.

One of those who returned from exile was Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, grandson of Jechoniah. In Haggai’s prophecy to Judah, Zerubbabel is referred to as the governor of Judah (Hag. 1:1, 14). Even this title, shows how far the great kingdom of Judah had fallen – they no longer had a king, for they had no kingdom – the kingly line was reduced to a loose governing by the royal family.

However, Zerubbabel showed great faithfulness to the Lord, working to rebuild the temple along with the remnant of God’s people who returned with him and Joshua, the high priest. Through Haggai, God declared that His covenant faithfulness remained with His people whom He brought out of Egypt and that His Spirit was with them (Hag. 2:4-5). The Lord promised Zerubbabel that He would make him like a signet ring that He had chosen (Hag. 2:23). This overturns the word spoken to Jechoniah (Zerubbabel’s grandfather) who was as a signet ring that was torn off God’s right hand (Jer. 22:24). How incredible is this – the kingdom that had been torn away from Judah was now being restored. The Lord had brought restoration to His people who were in exile and reinstated His promise to David to establish a permanent kingly line through him.

Now, the restoration that Zerubbabel and the other exiles experienced in the days of Ezra-Nehemiah was but a shadow of the true restoration that will one day come – the day when our King Jesus will return to bring about the fullness of His Kingdom in the New Heavens and the New Earth. A greater peace is coming. A greater restoration is coming - inaugurated by the life, death, and resurrection of the True King from David’s line, Jesus Christ.

• Read Ezra 3:8-13. Why did some of the returning exiles weep over the rebuilding of the temple? How does God’s promise in Haggai 2:1-9 reassure those who mourned over the rebuilt temple?
• Why is it important to recognize that Judah’s restoration under Ezra, Nehemiah, & Zerubbabel was still just a shadow of the true restoration that was to come?

Jechoniah was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. He, just as his father before him (and his fathers before him), did evil in the eyes of the Lord (2 Kings 24:8-9), so much so that God declared that he would give Jechoniah into the hands of those who wanted to take his life. God went on to say this about him: write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah (Jeremiah 22:30). 

This played out when God gave over Jechoniah and his brothers into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Daniel 1:2). King Nebuchadnezzar came to the city of Jerusalem and besieged it. He took Jechoniah captive to Babylon. Then Jechoniah spent the next twenty-nine years in prison there. Eventually, King Nebuchadnezzar spoke kindly to Jechoniah and gave him a seat of honor. Jechoniah would go on to put aside his prison clothes and eat regularly at the king’s table, as long as he lived (2 Kings 24:8-17, 25:27-30). 

God kept his promise, and Jechoniah was indeed the last of his line to sit on the throne of David and rule in Judah. The book of 2 Kings ends with Judah being taken captive to the pagan land of Babylon, as a result of persistent unfaithfulness to God. But God, who is faithful, made this promise in Jeremiah 23: You have scattered my flock and have driven them away…Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, THEN I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord. I will raise up for David a righteous Branch and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Consider a couple of things at the mention of Jechoniah, in the lineage from the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) to King Jesus. First, it is again another reminder that God is just – there is always a consequence for sin. Second, Jechoniah, who did evil in the eyes of the Lord, was later restored, by God’s mercy and grace, with a seat at the king’s table. God, by His own words in Jeremiah 23, and evidenced by Jechoniah’s restoration, was not done with his chosen people.  He would go on to gather them, and as promised, bring them back to be ‘fruitful and multiply,’ echoing and recalling the first command ever given to God’s people back in Genesis 1:28 (and repeated throughout the Scriptures ever since). He would go on to raise up that Righteous Branch for David, in the person of King Jesus. Praise God for his mercy and grace that one day, those throughout history, who also have done evil in the eyes of the Lord, will be restored and find a seat at The King’s table, through the forgiveness of their sins received through repentance and the sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God, the Branch, King Jesus himself (Revelation 19:9).

Years ago, as a little child, my brother and I went wandering through the attic, going through all the things that my parents had collected and stored over the years. We found hats and books, old builders magazines and box tops, and bottle caps, a wide variety of clothes and shoes. The list goes on. Then, we ran across an old chest. It wasn’t very large but to us it seemed massive. We wiped away the dust and cracked open the lid. As we slowly lifted the cover we found a wide variety of military items. For two young boys it was a treasure trove! We found old pictures of our dad in uniform, MRE’s (meals ready to eat), empty ammo boxes, and an old decorative bayonet. It was as if we discovered a new world that we had never known! We knew that our dad had served, but we were young and didn’t even really know what that meant. From there of course we had all sorts of questions. We learned about the Army and about other relatives that had served. It was an amazing find!

In 2 Kings 22, we see a similar story of young king, Josiah, with the help of the high priest Hilkiah, who comes across the Book of the Law as they are repairing the temple. The term “Book of the Law” is a phrase used to refer to the Pentateuch (GenesisDeuteronomy). As the King listened to the reading of this book, he was profoundly astonished at what it had to say and how far away from God the people of Israel had been led by former Kings. So, Josiah began to lead a massive reformation. Josiah used this turning point to lead the kingdom to repentance, and he ruled with righteousness and wisdom because he fully submitted himself to God. He abolished pagan worship and refurbished the temple of the Lord.

Just as in our day, Josiah and the kingdom of Judah had great need for repentance. Josiah's rule was a good rule, even following closer to God than his forefather David. However, as it does for all earthly kings, his reign would come to an end. As much reformation as Josiah was able to accomplish, the sin of the nation was still great and the wrath and justice of God was still poured out. This account further reveals the need Judah had for the Eternal King and his redeeming power to reign forevermore. It is only King Jesus who can avert the wrath of God kindled against the sin of mankind. He is the only one who will reign eternally, because HE is Emmanuel, God with us, God incarnate—the only one who could atone for the sins of the world.

This Advent season, let us set our eyes on Jesus, whose reign is eternal, good, holy, and pure. It is he alone who atoned for the sins of the world, and he alone we worship and adore. Let us see once again, through the lineage of Jesus, the need for repentance and God’s grace as we turn to him.

2 Kings 21:19-26 describes the brief reign of King Amos. Just two years to be exact. But in that short time he certainly created quite the reputation for himself: He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 21:20). He served the idols that his father served and worshiped them (2 Kings 21:21). He abandoned the Lord and did not walk in the way of the Lord (2 Kings 21:22)

And why was his reign so brief? Because he was assassinated by his own servants a mere two years into his reign (2 Kings 21:23). 

Now throughout this series we have been talking about how all the people in Jesus's genealogy point toward or foreshadow the coming of Christ, the true King, in one way or another. How in the world does such a wicked king like Amos point to Christ though? Well, that becomes clearer by comparing and contrasting them. Here are a few:

• Comparisons
  • Amos was a king / Jesus is the King
  • Amos was put to death / Jesus was put to death
• Contrasts
  • Amos was a wicked king who disobeyed the Lord / Jesus is the true King who was always obedient to His Father
  • Amos was justly put to death for crimes committed / Jesus was wrongly accused
  • Amos' death led to the death of his servants / Jesus' death leads to eternal life for His servants (whom He also gladly calls friends; John 15:13)
  • Amos was buried in a tomb and remains there to this day (2 Kings 21:26) / Jesus was buried, but was resurrected and is alive forevermore (Rev. 1:17-18)

When seen within the storyline of Scripture, a wicked king like Amos makes us long even more for the true King to come. And He has. 

As we continue through the conveyor belt of kings in Jesus’ genealogy, we come across Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh. We read about him in 2 Kings 21:1-18. He was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He rebuilt the idolatrous places of worship that his father Hezekiah had torn down. He even built alters for other gods in the house of the Lord, and strayed so far that he sacrificed his own son on one of these alters in worship of another god.

The worst indictment against Manasseh is that he led the entire nation of Judah to commit these evil practices. Not only did he have great sin, but he led others into sin, invoking Judah to live worse than the surrounding nations who did not have YHWH as their Lord. Because of his actions, God determined to forsake Judah and give them over to the hands of their enemies.

When we read about Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33:10-17, we get a more hopeful glimpse into the life of this evil king. Manasseh fell into the hands of the king of Assyria and cried out to the Lord in his distress, humbling himself before the God of his fathers. After this, Manasseh did make small steps toward repentance and reform in Judah, but he was unable to undo all the consequences of the sin he led Judah to commit.  

Just like Manasseh, we too find ourselves overcome by the weight of our sin apart from Christ. Even our worldly grief is not enough to undo the consequences of our sin – we need a greater Savior. This reminds me of the words from Augustus Toplady’s classic hymn, “Rock of Ages.” Verses 2 and 3 state – “Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law’s demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow. All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless look to Thee for grace. Foul, I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Savior, or I die.”

Our tears could forever flow in sorrow over sin, but without truly clinging to Christ, we are lost. As we see the sinfulness of Manasseh and his attempts at making amends for his actions, let us be reminded of our own sinfulness and our great need to turn to a Mighty Savior, King Jesus – the Only Spotless One.

• Why is it important that we see these two perspectives of Manasseh – one in 2 Kings and one in 2 Chronicles?
• What is the difference between worldly grief and godly repentance? What should ongoing repentance look like in the Christian life?

During this Advent season, we can see how God is working everything for the good of those that love Him. However, we also see the contrast of those that do not seek Him and the devastation and negative impacts of those that are out of the will of God as we continue to pursue the lineage and line that leads to Christ. Today’s devotional will focus on Hezekiah, a Godly king, who pursued God and did what was faithful before the Lord (2 Chronicles 31:20). An amazing aspect of Hezekiah is that he followed his father Ahaz who was a wicked king who dishonored God, the very opposite of Hezekiah. He was able to break generational bondage that his father, Ahaz, had created through his wickedness. (2 Kings 18:2-7) He sought his Heavenly Father to reverse the wickedness of his earthly father. King Hezekiah took the opportunity that God had allowed him to have in time to point people that he led to the true King.

Hezekiah displays the importance of putting Christ first in everything that we do as His followers. This led to Hezekiah's success in his undertakings as a King, but more importantly as a child of God (2 Kings 18:6-7). When faced with hardship, much like we all face, he focused on God. This is true for us today, because it is not if, but when, due to the fallen world we live in. When dealing with adversity Hezekiah faced from the Assyrians, he sought the Lord in prayer and Jerusalem was spared (2 Kings 19:19). We see God move continuously in Hezekiah’s life even when he falls ill and God extends his life fifteen years (2 Kings 20:1-7). This continues to display the importance of the power of prayer. Through Hezekiah’s life we can see that he was not perfect; just as no one among us is perfect, but it does point to the perfect God. Let us remember that nothing is
impossible with God, and that Hezekiah prayed, and God answered.