Matthew 1 - Birth of Jesus the Messiah

The beginning of the salvation plan that has been prophesied throughout the Old Testament, the New Testament begins with the story of the birth of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. The long records of genealogy indicates the fulfillment of the prophecy below.

Genesis 12:3 “3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”” ;

Genesis 22:18 “18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”” ;

Psalm 132:11 “11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.” ;

Isaiah 11:1 “1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” ;

The history of Abraham & David shows that God’s faithfulness is not affected by others nor by the falling of short of mankind. It’s not to say that God does not hate sin, but the key is that God holds on to His promise. God knows all the good and bad, the ugly and the messiness of people and He’s working from time to time to help us.

Joseph and Mary were engaged but after she was found to be pregnant, her reputation was gone, and this is not a small matter from the social & culture background for them. Joseph wanted to cut all ties with Mary quietly as he was a righteous man, he did not want Mary to be shamed publicly. Then the Lord intervened and spoke to Joseph thru a dream which he amazingly follow the direction of the dream to take Mary under his care & provided for her. It is natural to receive instructions from God thru dreams in the ancient near east background for God often spoke to people thru dreams & visions, even to those who do not know Him.

I’m touched by the attentiveness and care to the details by God, our Heavenly Father of how He intervened in this matter because He did not just leave Mary by herself, letting her bear the whole pregnancy of our Saviour alone but He cared about her well being and He provided for her thru Joseph. It’s a wonderful cooperation between God and people. God knows what we need beforehand & He already prepared it even when haven’t ask yet. The world asked for deliverance and He provided a Savior which leads to reconciliation with our Father, our God, our Creator and a way back to that intimate relationship where Adam & Eve once used to enjoy with God. Thru our Lord Jesus Christ, we can now have a one to one relationship, intimately with our Father in Heaven which fulfills a longing in our core being for connection.

I used to seek so many idols & religions before I was saved, from buddhism to taoism, hinduism to meditation, new age, tarots, fortune telling, but God did not forsake me, when I was that messy, He came and rescue me. He never disqualified me just because of my background and what I did in the past that sinned against Him. Instead, He invited me gently, lovingly and persistently in ways that He knew that I would understand to His salvation. He is a good good Father. Let us give thanks to God for His love & provision, continue to trust in Him & follow Him.