Wednesday, January 28, 2015
TEXT: MATTHEW 1:1-7
Key Verse: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).
It has continued to baffle secular scholars that the divinely inspired Holy Bible with 66 books and over 40 writers in different far-flung ages and places spanning centuries and several kilometers between them have seen reprints many times over without a doctrinal revision warranted by errors or new findings about its claims.
There cannot be such a shortcoming because the Bible comes from the One Who says in Isaiah 34:16 “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them”.
So, we find in the opening verses of the gospel of Matthew a sweeping survey of several generations from the time of Abraham, the patriarch to the time of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a mighty genealogical tree that mentions illustrious men and women of faith: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Ruth, Jesse, Solomon, Josiah, Hezekiah, Joseph, Mary etc. The list is long.
Although it was an impressible family tree, it is more inspiring to discover that each stage of the growth of the tree was building up to the revelation of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. All the components of the tree played their parts faithfully and in absolute obedience to the path directed by God. God who planted it caused it to grow to maturity and fruition as Matthew showed it.
The importance of reliable record-keeping is here underscored. It is also further proof of the stunning unity and veracity of Scripture. Old Testament Bible characters got a mention in the New Testament as evidence that they are linked by the common denominator, faith, just as we who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour are part of the Lord’s family tree. “So then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Galatians 3:9).
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: ROMANS 4 - 6
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The Lord knoweth them that are His.
Higher Everyday for Youths - Link: http://highereveryday.dclmhq.org/
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