Welcome to the homestretch of the Three Year Bible Book Club!
Jesus has come! Rejoice!
Some of you may be new to the club, and I encourage you to jump right in and start reading. Our pace is slower and deeper than a typical one year reading program. Each day I (or my two helpers, Becky and Katrina) will lead you through a background of the passage, reflection, application, and prayer. Don't get bogged down in reading the blog, just enjoy reading the Bible! There will be a link to a bookmark posted on the left side of this page that gives you a schedule of the readings.
Blessings!
LINK: Matthew 1
BACKGROUND
Matthew was a Jewish tax collector, and he wrote this gospel for a Jewish audience that awaited the Messiah who was to be the "son of David, the son of Abraham." That is why this genealogy is the first thing you read in the book of Matthew.
This genealogy reviews so many of the people we have read about in the last two years! See how many names are familiar to you. One example is Ruth, Our family read the book of Ruth yesterday for our Jesse Tree devotional, and we reviewed that Ruth, a Gentile, was the great grandmother of King David and King David was Jesus' grandfather times 28 greats!
Here are the names in the genealogy. How many do you remember? Try to find them in the Old Testament:
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Judah
Perez (by Tamar)
Hezron
Ram (Aram)
Admin (Luke 3)
Amminadab
Nahshon
Salmon
Boaz (by Rahab)
Obed (by Ruth)
Jesse
David
Solomon (by Bathsheba)
Rehoboam
Abijah
Asa
Jehoshaphat
Joram (Jehoram)
Uzziah
Jotham (Joatham)
Ahaz
Hezekiah
Manasseh
Amon (Amos)
Josiah
Jeconiah (Jehoiachin)
DEPORTATION TO BABYLON
Shealtiel (Salathiel)
Zerubbabel
Abihud (Abioud)
Eliakim
Azor
Zadok
Achim
Eliud
Elazar
Matthan
Jacob
Joseph (husband of Mary)
JESUS!
Bask in praise today as you start you new year off with Jesus. Pray that you have an adventure of a lifetime!
