The Ancestors of Jesus the Messiah
1This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of Davida and of Abraham:
2Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
3Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Ram.b
4Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
5Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
6Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).
7Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asa.c
8Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.d
Jehoram was the fathere of Uzziah.
9Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
10Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amon.f
Amon was the father of Josiah.
11Josiah was the father of Jehoiaching and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
12After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
13Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
14Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud.
15Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
16Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
17All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
If you are truly new to the Bible, you have probably just read a lot of meaning less gobble-dee-gook. The first time through the Bible, if you don’t have any guidance etc, you will find these very boring. Don’t feel bad, that is only natural.
I hope I can inspire you to make Bible study a life-long journey by explaining what I see when I read this. First, I’ll tell you what I can remember about the people in the list. I hope this is helpful.
*Abraham was the father of the Israelite nation, because he had *faith.
*Isaac his only son by Sarah – (Abraham had an illegitimate child)
*Jacob was a scheming, trickster of a twin.
*Judah sold Joseph into slavery but later showed maturity and faith.
*Rahab was a Gentile prostitute! She helped some Israelite spies.
*Boaz was Rahab’s son who married a Gentile name Ruth, who was has an entire Old Testament book named after her.
*Jesse was the father of David who thought so little of his youngest son he didn’t even bring him home when the prophet Samuel told him to get his family together.
*David – Too much to say. Great lover of God & and great sinner!
*Solomon – wisest man to ever live. Son of David and Bathsheba who came together through adultery and murder. Solomon himself left his lust lead him away from God even though he was so blessed.
*Rehoboam – Son of the wisest man ever – absolute fool who divided the kingdom David and Solomon created.
*Ahaz – my memory tells me this is one of the worst kings in the entire Bible.
*Josiah became king at age 8, was a great follower of God.
But what does it all mean to me?
God chose a melting pot of messed up humans to bring Jesus to us. True, Joseph was not Jesus’ real father, but God chose Joseph to raise his child. Joseph had an ancestory that went from unimagineable wealth to complete poverty because of sin. There are more ups and downs in that past than on any roller coaster. But it didn’t matter. God chose Joseph for a great mission.
God has chosen me and you too. Our past only matters in that God uses it to prepare us for whatever mission is in our future. There is no “train wreck” of a life that God will not use if we admit where we’ve been and accept His choice for our future.
God, you know all of my past. You know I’ve lived a roller-coaster. You know my life can still be a roller-coaster. Whatever You choose for me, I trust You to get through the valleys and over the mountains. It is really only Your choice and Your way that matters. Use my good, bad and ugly for Your glory Lord.