Bible Study on Matthew 2, verses 1 to 8, part 1, we have seen his star in the east

 

Matthew 2:1 ¶  Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2  Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7  Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

 

Notice the text says wise men, not the three wise men of Christian mythology. The wise men of the east are linked to magicians, sorcerers, astrologers, and the Chaldeans of Babylon.

 

Genesis 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

 

Exodus 7:11  Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

 

Daniel 2:1 ¶  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

 

This brings up an important point that even the wise men of the heathen will acknowledge Jesus. They too were looking for the Messiah to appear.

 

James 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

 

Philippians 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

One interesting side note is that famous authorities of Christian history like Augustine of Hippo and John Wycliffe, called the Morning Star of the Reformation, regarded the pagan writings of Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle as inspired by God when their writings confirmed Bible truths. The capacity of pagan wise men to see something that God has revealed goes along with the saying that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

Verse 2 refers to the King of the Jews. This title is used again.

 

Matthew 27:11  And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

 

Matthew 27:29  And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

 

Matthew 27:37  And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 

But this kingship was a reference to His spiritual authority and to Christ’s future reign for a thousand years as you can see He resisted being declared a political king during His time in human flesh.

 

John 6:15  When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

 

Everything in God’s plan of reconciling mankind to Himself had a time and a place. And much to their dismay over the next 2,000 years the Jews rejected His kingship for that of a human ruler.

 

John 19:15  But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

 

Matthew 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

 

But He will return to assume His rightful place as King over all the earth.

 

Revelation 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

 

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 

Here, the reference to the King of the Jews was a threat to Herod.

 

Verse 2 refers to his star in the east. Notice the immediate context of the heathen prophet, Balaam’s speech, in Numbers 24:17-19 and the prophetic relevance of it.

 

Numbers 24:17  I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18  And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

 

Balaam starts with a Star, upper case “s” [then] lays out a prophecy of King David to come.

 

2Samuel 8:2  And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.

 

What means all the children of Sheth in Numbers 24:17? Sheth is the exact same word in Hebrew for Seth, Adam and Eve’s son. Perhaps this was a variant spelling that the King James translators found in the rabbinical writings where this Sheth was referred to as everything from a local king of Moab to a city in Moab to be destroyed. However, this could be a prophecy also of Christ, whatever else it means. Note the Star with the uppercase ‘S’.  Notice a common theme of the following verses.

 

Genesis 49:10  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

 

Psalm 45:6 ¶  Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

 

Luke 1:78  Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

 

2Peter 1:19 ¶  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

 

Revelation 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

 

It is possible that prophetically all the children of Sheth represents the children of Seth, all the children of mankind who will oppose Christ at the end. Of course, this requires some conjecture and supposition although it does seem likely to be a veiled reference to the Messiah whether Balaam understood it or not. So, the verses above seem to be clear prophecies of Christ to come in both of His advents.

Bible Study on Genesis 28, verses 6 to 15, the ladder to Heaven

 

Genesis 28:6 ¶  When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7  And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram; 8  And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9  Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

Esau, like other men in this culture, gathered to himself several wives as the phrase took unto the wives he had indicates. Is Esau here, though, defying his parents or is he trying to please them by marrying a distant relative? Ishmael is his uncle (Isaac and Ishmael had the same father but not the same mother) so Mahalath is his cousin.

Genesis 28:10 ¶  And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11  And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13  And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

God’s choosing of Jacob to continue His ministry of reconciliation, of reconciling man to Himself, is confirmed here in this dream. The dream has special significance as prophecy. For Jesus Himself refers to its meaning.

John 1:51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Christ is the ladder from earth to heaven. He is the bridge between man and God. This is an important fact of human history, perhaps the most important fact after God’s existence. There is no other way to go from here to there except through Him.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

All other founders of religion, messiahs, or masters were either deluded or frauds or both.

John 10:8  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

Jehovah God reinforces the land grant given to Abraham and Isaac now to Jacob and to his posterity. All the families of the earth will be blessed through Jacob and his descendants. Indeed, the Saviour of the world will come through this line. The gospel will be preached around the entire earth. God’s reconciliation will circle the globe and the whole earth will hear about His forgiveness and His desire to have mankind restored to his relationship with God.

God promises protection, that He will stand by Jacob, and that His will, God’s will, will be accomplished.

Hebrews 13:5b  …for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Isaiah 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Bible Study on Matthew 1, verses 18 to 25, he called his name JESUS

 

Matthew 1:18 ¶  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

 

Here is an abbreviated account of the events surrounding Christ’s birth. You can review these events in Luke 1 and 2 and read over my comments on them including John the Baptist’s entry into the world.

Christ is the appearance of God; the angel of the Lord, His presence.

Isaiah 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Galatians 4:14  And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Who led the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Judges 2:1 ¶  And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

Here He is foretelling of His own coming to earth in the flesh.

Under the Law given to Moses Mary could have been killed but Joseph was a good man and must have loved her very much. He was rewarded by an explanation of events from an appearance of God, the preincarnate Christ who was also living in his betrothed’s womb.

Notice what the meaning of this conception is. It is not like the heathen gods who came down in the form of humans to mate with human woman carnally, as Zeus did with Leda disguised as a swan. Nor is it like the fallen sons of God in Genesis.

Genesis 6:2  That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

What happened between Mary and the Holy Spirit is something different.

Luke 1:35  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

 

Now see another mention of overshadow.

 

Acts 5:15  Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

It means, of course, to throw a shadow upon, and in no way suggests the sex act.

Jesus is named as such because He will save His people from their sins. Jesus is a Greek version of Hebrew names, most notably Joshua. Some say it means Saviour, deliverance, etc. This is evident in the verse.

In verses 22 and 23 the Holy Spirit has linked Jesus to verses in Isaiah showing that a verse in the Old Testament can have an immediate meaning and a prophetic meaning. Isaiah refers to an immediate event;

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.16  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

 

While the Holy Spirit applies this through Matthew to Jesus. The Hebrew Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14 means, according to Strong, “with us is God.”

 

Joseph did not have intimate relations with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. Jesus was her firstborn son, which tells us she would give birth to more sons. The Roman Catholic church says she remained a perpetual virgin. There is a huge problem with that interpretation.

 

The perpetual virginity of Mary is one of the four main dogmas regarding Mary of the Roman Catholic Church. It was first declared in a work called the Gospel of James supposedly written sometime in the second century by a half-brother of Christ from a previous marriage of Joseph. Sounds pretty modern doesn’t it? It is thought by some to have come from a group called the Encratites who regarded sex as the original sin. Although rejected by the pope in 405 and rejected by the Gelasian Decree in 500 it managed to creep into Roman Catholic Church doctrine so that it was confirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 and then again at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 and then the Lateran Synod of 649, Mary’s perpetual virginity that is.

 

But verse 25 shows us that Christ was Mary’s firstborn meaning she had other children.

 

Mark 6:3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

 

That some Catholic writers say they had to be cousins is an absurdity not worth arguing.

 

His name is JESUS and this is capitalized twice in this chapter, I believe, for emphasis. Jesus is the English transliteration of a Greek word and is the same name as the Hebrew Joshua.

Genesis 28, verses 1 to 5, Isaac sent away Jacob

 

Genesis 28:1 ¶  And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2  Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. 3  And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4  And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 5  And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

Amazingly, to us anyway, Isaac, knowing now of Jacob’s deception is not only tricking Esau out of his birthright as the eldest son and his blessing as a sign of his authority in the family, blesses him again. Perhaps he was relieved that Jacob would be going away. Is Esau a type of carnal Israel and Jacob a type of the true Christian church? Types are edifying but all break down at some point. In any event, Isaac commands Jacob to go to his Uncle Laban’s house and take a wife from his own people. Genetic deterioration would not have been significant in those early days of man’s history as it is now in our degenerated state. Marrying a cousin would not necessarily have been unhealthy but, even if it was, it was a practice not uncommon.

Isaac blesses Jacob in that he may be multiplied and a great many people will come from him. Remember the blessing Rebekah received?

Genesis 24:60  And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Isaac passed on the blessing given by God to Abraham regarding the land grant, and to his posterity. Clearly, Jacob did not physically receive this inheritance but it is for his posterity. Many prophecies in the Bible are for a future time, not the time in which they are given.

Hebrews 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Always keep in mind how God’s plan of reconciling mankind to Himself is playing out in this history.

Bible Study on Matthew 1, verses 1 to 17, part 4, Jesus' authority established

 

While Paul warns against being bogged down by genealogies…

 

1Timothy 1:4  Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

 

Titus 3:9  But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

 

…we must understand that genealogies were not, in the ancient world, a hobby or a diversion but were designed to establish a pedigree, an authority. As such they might serve different purposes. The Holy Spirit is giving us something here to point out Jesus as fully man and fully God, the Son of man and the Son of God. Read both Genealogies.

 

Luke 3:23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24  Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,

25  Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26  Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27  Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28  Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29  Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30  Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31  Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32  Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33  Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34  Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,

35  Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36  Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37  Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38  Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

 

Verse 16 makes several very important statements.

 

16  And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

 

First, Joseph was the husband of Mary but not the Father of Jesus. We have this verse in Luke.

 

Luke 2:33  And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

 

Mary would confront Jesus when His hanging back at the temple to talk with the doctors of the Law.

 

Luke 2:48  And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

 

And He would reply;

 

Luke 2:49  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s (that’s uppercase F for God) business?

 

It is very clear the Holy Spirit does not say Joseph is Jesus’ father and Jesus makes it clear who His Father is.

 

Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and said so.

 

John 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

A Psalm for Sunday, Psalm 63, thou art my God, early will I seek thee

 

Psalm 63:1 ¶  «A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.» O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

 

Commentators are not sure if this Psalm is about when David was fleeing Saul or during the rebellion of his son, Absalom. Whatever the case, I am inclined to believe this was referring to a time he was fleeing Saul for see this cross-reference during his ordeal with King Saul.

 

1Samuel 22:5  And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

 

David expressed a similar sentiment previously.

 

 

Psalm 42:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.» As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

 

For verse 2 David wants to see God’s power and glory in life events just as he has seen him in the sanctuary or as we might see God’s power and glory in His Bible we would long to see it in the events of our lives.

 

Psalm 27:4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

 

Psalm 105:4  Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

 

2Corinthians 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

 

Psalm 63:3 ¶  Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4  Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6  When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

 

David longs to see God’s power and glory because to experience God’s mercy is the best thing in life, particularly in David’s violent life. God’s care, His lovingkindness is mentioned many times previously in the Psalms and it is linked to God’s tender mercies.

 

Psalm 51:1  «To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.» Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

 

God’s mercy, kind and gentle, is better than life and food to David. It encourages David to praise God with joyful lips and to reflect on God in the night when so many of us have anxiety and worry about things we can do nothing about. We would be better thinking about and praying to God, particularly in those times.

 

Isaiah 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

Psalm 63:7 ¶  Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8  My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. 9  But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10  They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. 11  But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

 

The shadow of thy wings is an interesting phrase. Notice its usage four more times in the Psalms.

 

Psalm 17:8 ¶  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

 

Psalm 36:7  How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

 

Psalm 57:1  «To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.» Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

 

Psalm 91:4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

 

Notice how God’s deliverance is likened to being carried on eagles’ wings elsewhere;

 

Exodus 19:4  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

 

Isaiah 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

Revelation 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

 

This is metaphorical language and in no way suggests that God has wings. We have seen what God looks like in the form of Jesus Christ. God the Father is a being of Spirit and no man has seen Him at any time except through seeing Christ.

 

John 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

 

John 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

 

God’s protection and shelter is something that David rejoices in and the innermost part of David’s being, the seat of his will and self-identity or his soul, is focused on God.

 

Then David prophecies the fate of his enemies who seek to destroy him. He knows by whose hand this will be accomplished and he clings closely to God. We should do this when we are oppressed by those who hate us.

 

The lower parts of the earth is clearly more than a reference to the grave.

 

Isaiah 44:23  Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

 

Ephesians 4:9  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

 

Without going off on a long side trip Paradise was alongside of Hell with a great impassable gulf between the two until Christ preached to them after his Crucifixion and Paradise ascended to Heaven. Even the Greeks in the concept of Hades knew that the lower parts of the earth were not just a place of punishment but of reward. They did not know Christ however, or what he would do. See my comments on Luke 16:19-31.

Bible Study on Matthew 1, verses 1 to 17, part 3, the genealogy of Jesus, cont.

 

Mention spelling in Early Modern English and the Holy Spirit. Numbers. Salathiel’s mention presents a problem for many. The differences between the genealogies have been handled very well by many commentators. I’m going to quote one directly.

 

One of the charges of contradiction brought by skeptics against the Bible is the surface appearance of contradiction between Matthew’s genealogical list (1:1-17) and the one provided by Luke (3:23-38). As is always the case, the charge of contradiction is premature and reflects an immature appraisal of the extant evidence. In every case of alleged contradiction, further investigation has yielded additional evidence that exonerates the Bible and further verifies its inerrancy. The alleged discrepancies pertaining to Matthew and Luke’s genealogies were explained and answered long ago (e.g., Haley, 1977, pp. 325-326; McGarvey, 1910, pp. 344-346; McGarvey, 1974, pp. 51-55; cf. Lyons, 2003).

When one places the two genealogical lists side by side, several factors become immediately apparent that combine to dispel the appearance of conflict.

First, Matthew reported the lineage of Christ only back to Abraham; Luke traced it all the way back to Adam. Second, Matthew used the expression “begat;” Luke used the expression “son of,” which results in his list being a complete reversal of Matthew’s. Third, the two genealogical lines parallel each other from Abraham to David. Fourth, beginning with David, Matthew traced the paternal line of descent through Solomon; Luke traced the maternal line through Solomon’s brother, Nathan.

A fifth factor that must be recognized is that the two lines (paternal and maternal) link together in the intermarriage of Shealtiel and Zerubbabel. But the linkage separates again in the two sons of Zerubbabel—Rhesa and Abiud. Sixth, the two lines come together once again for a final time in the marriage of Joseph and Mary. Joseph was the end of the paternal line, while Mary was the last of the maternal line as the daughter of Heli.

The reason Joseph is said to be the “son” of Heli (Mary’s father) brings forth a seventh consideration: the Jewish use of “son.” Hebrews used the word in at least five distinct senses: (1) in the sense used today of a one-generation offspring; (2) in the sense of a descendant, whether a grandson or a more remote descendant many generations previous, e.g., Matthew 1:1; 21:9; 22:42 (“begat” had this same flexibility in application); (3) as a son-in-law (the Jews had no word to express this concept and so just used “son”—e.g., 1 Samuel 24:16; 26:17); (4) in accordance with the Levirate marriage law (Deuteronomy 25:5-10; cf. Matthew 22:24-26), a deceased man would have a son through a surrogate father who legally married the deceased man’s widow (e.g., Ruth 2:20; 3:9,12; 4:3-5); and (5) in the sense of a step-son who took on the legal status of his step-father—the relationship sustained by Jesus to Joseph (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Luke 3:23; 4:22; John 6:42).

Notice carefully that Joseph was a direct-line, blood descendant of David and, therefore, of David’s throne. Here is the precise purpose of Matthew’s genealogy: it demonstrated Jesus’ legal right to inherit the throne of David—a necessary prerequisite to authenticating His Messianic claim. However, an equally critical credential was His blood/physical descent from David—a point that could not be established through Joseph since “after His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18, emp. added). This feature of Christ’s Messiahship was established through His mother Mary, who was also a blood descendant of David (Luke 1:30-32). Both the blood of David and the throne of David were necessary variables to qualify and authenticate Jesus as the Messiah.

Once again, the Bible’s intricate complexities shine forth to dispel the critic’s accusations, while simultaneously demonstrating its own infallible representations. The more one delves into its intricacies and plummets its intriguing depths, the more one is driven to the inescapable conclusion that the Bible is, indeed, the Book of books—the inspired Word of God.

REFERENCES

Haley, John W. (1977), Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker).

Lyons, Eric (2003), The Anvil Rings (Montgomery, AL: Apologetics Press).

McGarvey, J.W. (1910), Biblical Criticism (Cincinnati, OH: Standard).

McGarvey, J.W. (1974 reprint), Evidences of Christianity (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).[1]

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[1] Dave Miller, PhD, “The Genealogies of Matthew and Luke,” Apologetics Press, https://apologeticspress.org/the-genealogies-of-matthew-and-luke-932/ (December 31, 2002).