When Judah fell to Nebuchadnezzar and the people of the land were taken into exile in Babylon, the focus of God’s word also seemed to take a turn, as if He were turning a page to begin a new chapter.
The scriptural account of the many kings in the line of David, the focus so much of God’s biblical attention up to this point, was suddenly over. Instead, the Lord’s word would now be centered on prophecy about future kingdoms – the eternal throne of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the Gentile leaders of the world empires who will rule until Messiah begins His reign. There are also accounts of the many adventures of the prophets God chose to deliver these important messages, with many interesting adventures along the way.
Not all of this prophecy was new. The prophet Isaiah had as much, or more, to say about the coming messianic kingdom as he did about the contemporary kings he served. The prophet Jeremiah also had much to say about the future of Israel and the kingdom of God. His immediate task of giving final warnings to the kings and people of Judah was now complete, and he was taken into Egypt, where he presumably lived out his days in peace. But God would add much more to our understanding of the coming kingdom of heaven through the new prophets called out by Him and taken into exile in Babylon, especially Ezekiel and Daniel.
Instead of a string of kings, the messianic line of David was now preserved the form of a series governors and others, who would hold the genealogy in place until Jesus Christ was born to take His rightful place on the throne in David’s line.
Matthew’s genealogy from chapter one continues:
12 After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Matthew 1:12 (NLT)
Aside from the two listed here, there would be no significant biblical mention of the remaining twelve line holders. Instead, God’s attention will now be focused on the two “major” prophets of the exile, Ezekiel and Daniel. These two prophets will be joined by other “minor” prophets and other interesting biblical characters who will play important roles through the remainder of the Old Testament. They will all be part of the remaining meditations in this series on the genealogy of Jesus. May the Lord help us, through the Holy Spirit, to learn from their inspired words, and impact our faith journeys to strengthen our own spiritual walk each day.
Prophecy will give us great insight into the workings of God’s kingdom. We will take a peek behind the heavenly curtain to see a number of things that are not a part of our everyday human experience or consciousness. Spiritual things that are there around us, but impossible to see and often difficult to even comprehend. Just as with the book of Revelation that these prophecies feed into, we may not understand for certain everything about them, but we will be blessed, strengthened, and matured each time we delve into and seek to experience them.
We start up the remainder of this journey with the call of Ezekiel, a priest who had been taken into exile in Babylon, and found himself living among many fellow Judeans along a canal of the Kebar River, a tributary of the Euphrates River, deep in the heart of what is now known as the country of Iraq. They were tasked with hard work in a foreign land, but the Lord blessed and protected them, and encouraged them to go on with the routines of their lives: marrying, having families, building homes, for the benefit of themselves and for the land which would hold them for seventy years.
The prophet Ezekiel begins his account:
1 On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. 2 This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity. 3 (The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.) Ezekiel 1:1-3 (NLT)
God was turning the page to begin a new chapter. He took hold of this new prophet, Ezekiel, calling him out to a new mission, and much of the Lord and his heavenly realm would be revealed to the exiles, and to us, through him.
Reflection
Where or when has God helped you to “turn a page” to begin a new direction in your life?
Despite the many difficulties and challenges, was it a blessing?
Where do I need to turn a page today, as God leads?
If life is like a book, we have been given many chapters. Each one is full of many gifts, challenges, joys, and heartaches. But God is always there with us, to love and protect us, and will never leave nor abandon us.
Lord, thank you for the many chapters and seasons of life that You have given me to experience. Help me to trust and honor You as I seek to follow Your will. Use me and my remaining story to help build out the coming kingdom of heaven, to Your glory. Draw many others closer to You through me. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Have a blessed day in the Lord’s hand today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 