₦airaland Forum

I shall be back to complete Matthew chpater 1, verse 18-25 tomorrow. Thank you all.

Verse 13 – 17: Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David [are] fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon [are] fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ [are] fourteen generations.

Here the genealogy says that "Jacob begot Joseph," but Luke 3:23 says, "Joseph, the son of Heli." Luke's record was "according to law" (a literal translation of "so it was thought" in Luke 3:23), indicating that Joseph was not actually the son of Heli but was reckoned his son according to the law. Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli, Mary's father. This may be a case according to Num. 27:1-8 and 36:1-12, in which a regulation was made by God that if any parents had only daughters as heirs, the inheritance would go to the daughters, who would then have to marry a man of their own tribe in order to keep their inheritance within that tribe. Even such a regulation in the Old Testament is related to the genealogy of Christ, showing that all Scripture is a record of Christ.

At this point the record of this genealogy does not say, "Joseph begot Jesus," which is similar to what is said of all the foregoing persons; it says, "Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus." Jesus was born of Mary, and not of Joseph, since it was prophesied that Christ would be the seed of the woman and would be born of a virgin (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14). Christ could not have been born of Joseph because Joseph was a man and a descendant of Jeconiah, none of whose descendants could inherit the throne of David (Jer. 22:28-30). However, Mary was a virgin and a descendant of David (Luke 1:27, 31-32); as such, she was the right person of whom Christ should be born. The marriage of Joseph and Mary brought Joseph into relationship with Christ and united into one the two lines of Christ's genealogy for the bringing in of Christ, as shown in the chart on the following page.

When we combine the account in Matthew and Luke together, the chart shows that the generation of Jesus Christ begins from God and continues until it reaches Jesus. It proceeds from God to Adam, from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, and on to David. After David it divides into two lines, the first running from Nathan to Mary and the second from Solomon to Joseph. Eventually, these two lines are brought together by the marriage of Mary and Joseph, to bring in Jesus Christ. In this way Christ was apparently a descendant of Jeconiah, who seemed to be in the line of the royal family; actually, He was not a descendant of Jeconiah, Joseph's forefather, but a descendant of David, Mary's forefather, so that He could qualify to inherit the throne of David.

This genealogy first mentions four women who were either remarried or sinful. In addition, here it mentions a chaste virgin. This indicates that all the persons named in this genealogy were born in sin, except Christ, who was born in holiness. Abraham, David, and Mary were the three persons crucial to the bringing in of Christ. Abraham (a type and of the age of the fathers/patriarch and of the called race) represents a life by faith; David (a type of man of the king’s age and chosen race and also a repented man), a life under the dealing of the cross; and Mary (a type of man of the ordinary race but pure and holy), a life of absolute surrender to the Lord. It was through these three kinds of lives and people that Christ was brought forth into humanity and manifestation. Also, Christ will be brought into manifestation to the world of ours today through the people of this kind of lives and generations to come. Christ is emphasized here to prove that Jesus is the very Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament.

Verse 8-12: Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.

The genealogy here records that "Joram begot Uzziah." However, 1 Chron. 3:11-12 says, "Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah" (who is Uzziah — 2 Kings 15:1, 13). Three generations — Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah — were omitted. This must have been because of the evil marriage of Joram and the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, which corrupted Joram's descendants (2 Chron. 21:5-6; 22:1-4). In accordance with Exo. 20:5, three generations of Joram's descendants were cut off from the genealogy of Christ.

The genealogy here records that "Josiah begot Jeconiah." However, 1 Chron. 3:15-16 says, "The sons of Josiah ... the second Jehoiakim ... and the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son." One generation — Jehoiakim — was omitted from the genealogy of Christ. This must have been because he was made king by Pharaoh of Egypt and collected taxes for Pharaoh (2 Kings 23:34-35).

Jeconiah was not reckoned a king in the genealogy, because he was born during the captivity and was a captive (2 Chron. 36:9-10— Jehoiachin is Jeconiah). According to the prophecy in Jer. 22:28-30, none of Jeconiah's descendants would inherit the throne of David. If Christ had been a direct descendant of Jeconiah, He would not have been entitled to the throne of David. Although Jer. 22:28-30 says that all the descendants of Jeconiah are excluded from the throne of David, Jer. 23:5 says that God would raise up a Shoot to David, a King who would reign and prosper. This Shoot is Christ. This prophecy confirms that Christ would be the descendant of David, although not a direct descendant of Jeconiah, and would inherit the throne of David. In this genealogy there is no mention of the brothers of any kings. However, here the brothers of Jeconiah are mentioned, proving that Jeconiah was not reckoned a king in this genealogy of Christ.

Even those who were carried away as captives to Babylon were included in this sacred record of Christ's genealogy because they had an indirect relationship with Christ through Mary, the wife of one of their descendants and the mother of Jesus."Jeconiah begot Salathiel, and Salathiel begot Zerubbabel." Compare this record with 1 Chron. 3:17-19, which says, "The sons of Jeconiah ... Salathiel ... and Pedaiah ... and the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel," showing that Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah, Salathiel's brother. Zerubbabel was not Salathiel's son but was his nephew, and he became his heir. Perhaps this was a case in accordance with Deut. 25:5-6. Even that word in Deuteronomy is related to the genealogy of Christ.

Zerubbabel was one of the leaders who returned to Jerusalem from the captivity in Babylon (Ezra 5:1-2). He was also a leader in the rebuilding of God's temple (Zech. 4:7-10). The Old Testament predicted that Christ, as a descendant of David, would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:4-6). Without the return from captivity, it would not have been possible for Christ to be born in Bethlehem. God's command that the captives return was not only for the rebuilding of the temple of God but also to prepare for Christ to be born in Bethlehem. Christ needed some people to be in the proper place to bring Him to earth the first time. Similarly, for His second coming Christ needs some of His people to return from their captivity to the proper church and Christ life to be manifested here on earth.

Verse 7: Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.

Beginning with Rehoboam, the kingdom of David was divided (1 Kings 11:9-12; 12:1-17). Of the twelve tribes, one was kept for David's sake (1 Kings 11:13), that is, for Christ. Christ needed the kingdom that belonged to the house of David, because He had to be born as an heir to David's throne, otherwise He cannot be the Messiah.

After being divided, the kingdom of David was in two parts. The northern part was called the kingdom of Israel (a universal name) and was composed of ten tribes of Israel; the southern part was called the kingdom of Judah (a local name) and was composed of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Although the kingdom of Israel was more universal than that of Judah, not one of the names of the kings of Israel was included in the genealogy of Christ except for King David.

Matthew Chapter 1 (cont’d)and Chapter by Chapter studies will start Monday, March 19, 2012. Everyone is expected/encouraged to from Matthew chapter two (2) and submit his/her studies here for general discussion. You can read instructions on this for weekly activities above. Thank you all.

Verse 6: and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her [who had been the wife] of Uriah.

The whole of the genealogy of Jesus is divided into three (3) categories of people as we see in Matthew 1: 17: the age of the fathers or patriarchs, the king and the ordinary people or civilians. David was the eighth son of his father, he was chosen and anointed by God (1 Sam. 16:10-13). He was a man after the heart of God (1 Sam. 13:14) and brought in God's kingdom for Christ. David was the last of the generations of the fathers. He was also the first of the generations of the kings. He was the conclusion of one age and the beginning of the next. He became the landmark of two ages because he brought in the kingdom of God and was closely associated with Christ. Christ is the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and the Omega, the author and the finisher of our faith. If Christ doesn’t prove all of these, he cannot be the king and the Messiah but we can see he proved all of this to be the Messiah. In this genealogy, only David is called "the king" because it was through him that the kingdom with the kingship was brought in by Christ.

When David committed murder and adultery, he was rebuked by the prophet Nathan, whom God had sent purposely to condemn him and his act (2 Sam. 12:1-12). When David was condemned, he repented. Psalm 51 is the record of his repentance. He repented and God forgave him (2 Sam. 12:13). Then he begot Solomon (2 Sam. 12:24). Hence, Solomon is the issue of man's transgression and repentance plus God's forgiveness. The genealogy in Matthew says that David begot Solomon, but the genealogy in Luke says that Nathan was the son of David (Luke 3:31). First Chronicles 3:5 tells us that Nathan and Solomon were two different persons. Luke's record is the genealogy of David's son Nathan, who was Mary's forefather, whereas Matthew's record is the genealogy of David's son Solomon, who was Joseph's forefather. One genealogy is the line of Mary, the line of the wife; the other is the line of Joseph, the line of the husband. Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David. Under God's sovereignty they were joined together by marriage, so that through Mary, Joseph was indirectly associated with Christ. Christ can be counted as a descendant of David through either Solomon or Nathan. Hence, He has two genealogies.

Strictly, Solomon was not a direct forefather of Christ. His relationship with Christ was indirect, through the marriage of Joseph, his descendant, to Mary, of whom Christ was born (v. 16). The Old Testament did not say that Christ would be Solomon's descendant, but it prophesied repeatedly that Christ would be a descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:13-14; Jer. 23:5). Although Christ was not a direct descendant of Solomon, the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ as a descendant of David were nevertheless fulfilled.

Uriah was a Hittite, a heathen, and his wife was Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11:3). David murdered him and took Bathsheba. Hence, she was remarried as a result of murder and adultery (2 Sam. 11:26-27). David, a man after the heart of God, did right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of his life, except for this one evil (1 Kings 15:5). This genealogy does not say "of Bathsheba" but "of her who had been the wife of Uriah," to emphasize this great sin of David's, thus showing that Christ as the kingly Savior is related not only to the heathen but also to sinners. There is something a man will do and he will be remembered for such thing in his generation and the ones to come, good or evil. Nether the less, Christ is still associated with such kind of people and such people are permitted in the family of Christ and generate Christ to the world if we will come to Christ in repentance and obedience.

Good work piece.

Very simple. First, the Holy Spirit is the teacher. We have the place of spiritual gifts like teachers in the church fellowship also but to confirm the truth for yourself, you have to study by yourself. It is the truth you learn by yourself that matters in life. There is nothing like borrowing spiritual experience in the kingdom of God. That why Paul said to Timothy, "Study to show yourself approved unto God". That is why the small church in Acts will still go home and study "to find out whether what Paul was teaching is right or wrong, imagine that. And they were called normal for doing that.

Imagine people confirming what Paul wrote before they swallow Paul's teaching. Today, many of us are not like that, we just quote Paul and swallow his teachings without understand or studying to digest what he saying. Let's return to the root.

I have considered all suggestions by many of our Christian brothers and sisters. Hence, I come up with these option and will also give my reasons. I hope we allow this option to stay so we can start to dig deep in the word of God.

1. I consider doing chapter by chapter studies as the best that will fit into everyone's style of bible study. Hence we should go for chapter by chapter on a weekly basis, beginning from Monday, March 19, 2012.

2. Topical studies will not be okay for us here due to the fact that it does not make our study unique or different from the usual thing or thread going on on Nairaland. Many of the threads on Nairaland are in the form of topics and usually end up with argument that is most time unresolved. I am very sure we don't want that to happen in our study.

3. With this Chapter by Chapter style of bible study, everyone is expected to participate by doing his or her personal chapter study. It encourages individual or everyone of us to do personal study on a private level. Everyone will be fully involved other than just being spoon fed, we want everyone to grow in the word of God. By this method of study, we will ensure everyone is doing his or her study.

4. We shall do just one chapter per week beginning on the above date. This will enable us have time to look at each chapter in a deeper study.

5. Every Monday of every week shall be our bible study day. What I mean is, every Monday shall be everyone's chapter study posting day while the rest days of the week shall be used or open for discussions, questions, answers, sharing of revelations on the current chapter we are studying, life application of the current chapter we are studying etc.

6. We shall begin or continue with Matthew chapter 2 on the above date but in the meanwhile, I shall finish the chapter one of the book of Matthew that I already started before next Monday 19, 2012 when Matthew chapter 2 shall begin.

7. For those that wanted the Old testament. As we study the New Testament, we shall always make references to the Old as we study the new.

Thank you all.

Lol

^^^
Thanks, am taking time to digest people's suggestions and see what's best for all of us. I will come up with a compilation of what we can do soon using everyone's idea or suggestion. Everybody is going to be involved. Thanks

lol

Yes, i will forgive.

Snowwy: I thought that all that is currently ongoing on Nairaland Religion section is already topical studies.
The difference in this new idea I assume is that everyone will be entitled to the interpretation he/she gets by the Spirit and no one tries to force his or her views down the throat of the other. Also name-callings will be banned.
Anything besides this will be of no difference to what is currently obtained. MHO.

Though many people support topical but yours is a very deep thought of my thought. We have always been having topical studies on Nairaland already which have always resulted to arguments and in most cases, not concluding on such topic. My thought also is that, there is message is every VERSES of the bible. When we dig deep on every verse or every chapter of the bible, we will cross reference where applicable and this will make a deeper study. I chose verse by verse or chapter by chapter because for me I can dig messages or revelation of each verse or chapter. I think we should consider what Snowwy and I are saying plus the fact we have seen topical studies always leading to argument in the past. Verse by Verse studies or Chapter by chapter will make us (each student) share their understand of such verse or chapter. We still leave room for more suggestions anyway. Thank you all.

^^^
I need such material also. Pls send to my email: goshen360@yahoo.co.uk. Thanks

Christianity is INSIDE Out but religion is OUTSIDE in. I hope most women emulate your kind. If it doesn't happen from your inside, it can't happen outside. God bless you.

Topical studies is getting more vote. More suggestions please.

Ok, If the Poll isn't working. Please kindly state here by comment how you wish the bible studies is done, topical studies, chapter by chapter, verse by verse or book by book. Thanks for all your comments. Your suggestions will help.

^^^
Many people are suggesting we do it topical studies and I have created a Poll to that effect. If we end up doing it topical, we might touch the person of Moses some day. Stay blessed.

Ok, I created a poll for us to vote weather we should do topical studies, chapter by chapter, verse by verse or book by book. Thanks.

So far, many people are voting for topical studies. Let's wait to see more people contribute and that will help our decision. Shalom!

Good advice.

Hmmmm, Seun, I can see you viewing this thread. You no wan talk abi? People no go fit go church today and pray for you o. But am enjoying it on my android phone anyway. I tried to post a video from my fone, OGA, IT'S NOT WORKING. CAN'T SEE MY NUMBER OF POST, AND LOT OF THINGS MISSING, I KNOW YOU CAN IMPROVE ON THIS BUT I SUGGEST YOU IMPROVE IT ON THE PREVIOUS OUTLOOK SINCE MANY PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE MANY THINGS ON THIS VERSION. S'O GBO ABI O DAHUN.

freecocoa: I dey wonder who give Seun this kind advice?I swear I'm vexing,see how seun just spoil person morning,SEUN dem send you?*more than angry face*

Heavy lol

Well, for me on my phone and desktop, it's okay. I seems to love this better than the old version. People should just look arround the page,you will definitely find the button you are looking for and as some posters said,they can improve on it. But for sake of others,the fonts can be increased a little bit.

Will worship Him

Some people in the church will not understand simple truth and revelation because they have refused to open their bible and learn the truth for themselves.

This is the truth: Can God ask for your son or daughter in sacrifice? YES, because He had done it in the past.
Will God ask your son or daughter in sacrifice today? NO because God had already done it.

People should just leave the scripture in context as it is pleassssssse. Lord!

By being a "Living Epistle". Meaning your life, talk, actions should tell people you are a Christian, it should speak Christ because Christians are named after Christ.

Thank God the truth is spreading. if only many folks will confront their pastors same way, with time the truth will prevail. Many folks sit in the church displeased but cannot talk due to fear of "touch not mine anointed". The scam and falsehood of tithe is coming down gradually.

@ Poster,

Good work bro.