Welcome to a daily reflection on God’s word

Upon opening the New Testament, we see that the book Matthew begins like this:

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Matthew 1:1-2 (ESV)

Thus begins a list of 42 names ending with the name of the Savior, Jesus Christ. This list, referred to as the genealogy of Jesus Christ, is often greeted by the reader with a quick scan, a brief look at some of the unfamiliar names, and a skip ahead to the next section of Matthew’s gospel.

Not so fast! While the first reading may not be the best time to delve into the list, there are many benefits to going back and understanding the rich stories behind each person there, as recorded in the Old Testament.

May the Holy Spirit be with each one of us to teach us and encourage us through His word as we go through the genealogy. May He build up our faith and grant us a joyful life as we delve into the heritage of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, today.

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Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked (NASB) taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org”

Scripture quotations marked (TLV) taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999,2000,2002,2003,2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

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