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Week 1 — Day 1
Heb. 1:1-2 God, having spoken of old in many portions…to the fathers in the prophets, has at the last of these days spoken to us in the Son…
Matt. 1:1 The book of the generation of 1Jesus 2Christ, the 3son of David, the 4son of Abraham:
11 The first name and the last name (Rev. 22:21) in the New Testament is Jesus, proving that Jesus Christ is the subject and content of the New Testament.…Christ, as the wonderful center of the entire Bible, is all-inclusive, having many aspects. The New Testament at its beginning presents four biographies to portray the four main aspects of this all-inclusive Christ. The Gospel of Matthew testifies that He is the King, the Christ of God prophesied in the Old Testament, who brings the kingdom of the heavens to the earth. The Gospel of Mark tells us that He is the Servant of God, laboring for God faithfully. Mark’s account is most simple, for a servant does not warrant a detailed record. The Gospel of Luke presents a full picture of Him as the only proper and normal man who ever lived on this earth; as such a man, He is the Savior of mankind. The Gospel of John unveils Him as the Son of God, the very God Himself, who is life to God’s people. Among the four Gospels, Matthew and Luke have a record of genealogy; Mark and John do not. To testify that Jesus is the King, the Christ of God prophesied in the Old Testament, Matthew needs to show us the antecedents and status of this King, to prove that He is the proper successor to the throne of David. To prove that Jesus is a proper and normal man, Luke needs to show the generations of this man, to attest that He is qualified to be the Savior of mankind. For the record of a servant, Mark does not need to tell us His origin. To unveil that Jesus is the very God, neither does John need to give us His human genealogy; rather, he declares that, as the Word of God, He is the very God in the beginning.
12 In the genealogy of Jesus given by Luke, which proves that He is a proper man, the title Christ is not mentioned (Luke 3:23-38). But in the genealogy of Christ given here by Matthew, which proves that He is the King, the Christ of God, the title Christ is emphasized repeatedly (vv. 1, 16-17).
13 Solomon is a type of Christ as the son of David, the One who inherits the throne and kingdom of David (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Luke 1:32-33). Solomon, as a type of Christ, did mainly two things: he built the temple of God in the kingdom (1 Kings 6:2) and spoke the word of wisdom (1 Kings 10:23-24; Matt. 12:42). Christ, in fulfilling this type, is now building the real temple of God, the church, in the kingdom of God and has spoken the word of wisdom.
14 Isaac is a type of Christ as the son of Abraham, the One who inherits the promise and blessing God gave to Abraham (Gen. 22:17-18; 14, Gal. 3:16). Isaac also, as a type of Christ, did mainly two things: he obeyed his father even unto death and was resurrected from death (Gen. 22:9-10; Heb. 11:19), and he took Rebekah, a Gentile woman, as his wife (Gen. 24:61-67). Christ, in fulfilling this type, was put to death and offered to God and was resurrected from death, and He is taking the church as His bride out of the Gentiles.
The Bible is God’s speaking.…In the…Old Testament, God spoke by the prophets, and in…the New Testament, He spoke in the Son (in the person of the Son, Heb. 1:1-2).
With every book of the Bible we need a general sketch. The general sketch of Matthew is: Christ is Jehovah God incarnated to be the King-Savior who came to establish the kingdom of the heavens (the heavenly rule) by saving His people from sin (of rebellion) through His death and resurrection. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 1, 4-5)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 1-5; Hymns: #190
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 1 — Day 2
Matt.1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers,
3 And Judah begot Pharez and Zarah of Tamar…
5 And Salmon begot Boaz of Rahab, and Boaz begot Obed of Ruth, and Obed begot Jesse,
6 And Jesse begot David the king. And David begot Solomon of her who had been the wife of Uriah.
11 And Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Salathiel, and Salathiel begot Zerubbabel.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Gal. 3:14 In order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Now we come to the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.…Jesus is the mingling of God with man.
The generation of Christ is composed of [first,]…the fathers…the forefathers, the great persons; [second,]…the kings, the royalty…[and, third,] the civilians (the captured ones and the recovered ones). [His] generation not only includes the high-ranking people, but also the civilians, the insignificant ones, like Mary and Joseph. The poor people, the little people, are also included in the generation of Christ.…This generation includes both the called ones, like Abraham, and the ones carried away to captivity.…This generation includes Jeconiah, a king who was dethroned and deported to Babylon as a captive. Have you ever been dethroned? Do not think you have not. In your Christian life you sometimes have been dethroned. Once you were a king, but you lost your kingship and became a backslider.
After captivity there was the recovery. Hence, we have another name, Zerubbabel, the name of recovery.…You were an Abraham, you became a Jeconiah, but today you are a Zerubbabel. We are all Zerubbabels. We are the called ones, the fallen ones, and the recovered ones.
According to Jewish custom, a writer of a genealogy would never include a female name; he would include only the names of males. But in this brief genealogy five women are mentioned: [Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, her who had been the wife of Uriah, and Mary].…Four of these five women were remarried, and one of the four was a harlot.…Why does this brief record mention all these women? It is because they are our representatives. Do not think you are…more pure than these women.…We are worse. But the worst ones are included in the generation of Christ! Praise the Lord! He is truly the Savior of sinners.…If we were to write a biography of Christ…we would hide all these impure grandmothers and give the names of the good grandmothers, such as Sarah and Rebekah. But the Holy Spirit did not mention…all the good ones; however, He purposely included these impure ones.…Besides the four remarried women, a virgin stands out: Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was good, pure, and clean. This indicates that everyone mentioned in this book of generation is a sinner except Jesus.
This book of generation says…that Christ is the son of David and the son of Abraham.…As the son of David, He is for the Jews; as the son of Abraham, He is for us all.…All nations are blessed in Abraham’s seed, which is Christ. This blessing is the participation in the Triune God. The blessing which God promised to Abraham was the Spirit (Gal. 3:14), and the Spirit is the ultimate realization of the Triune God. By Christ as the son of Abraham, we have the Spirit, and we share in the Triune God. Hallelujah! (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 6-11)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 6-11; Hymns: #191, #1113
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 1 — Day 3
Matt.1:1 The book of the generation of 1Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
Heb. 11:8 By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
11 The kingdom, of which Christ is the King, is composed of Abraham’s descendants, including both his descendants in the flesh and those in faith. Hence, the genealogy of Christ in Matthew begins with Abraham, the father of the called race, not with Adam, the father of the created race. God’s kingdom is not built with the created race of Adam but with the called race of Abraham, which includes both the real Israelites (Rom. 9:6-8) and the believers in Christ (Gal. 3:7, 9, 29).
In the first ten and a half chapters of Genesis God tried to work with the created race, but He did not get through. The created race failed Him.…Out of a place filled with rebellion and idolatry, a place where everyone was one with Satan, God called a man named Abraham (Gen. 12:1-2; Heb. 11:8). From the time God called him out of Babel (later Babylon) into Canaan, God gave up the adamic race and invested all His interest in this new race, with Abraham as its head. This is the called race, the transformed race. It is not a race according to nature, but a race according to faith.
Abraham, as a called one, was justified by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:2-3). The fallen ones depend on their work, but the called ones believe in God’s work, not in their own work.…They trust in God’s work of grace.
Hebrews 11:8 says that Abraham was called, and that he answered this call by faith.…Then, verse 9 says that he also lived in the good land by faith. For Abraham to live and walk by faith meant that he had to reject himself, to forget himself, to set himself aside, and to live by Someone else. Whatever he had by nature had to be set aside.
Galatians 3 says that we are the sons of Abraham and that we should live by faith, not by our works. Galatians 2:20 says that to live by faith means “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ.”…This is Abraham.
The fallen race always likes to do something, to work and to exert some effort. But God says, “Come out of that. You are the called race. Don’t try, don’t do, and don’t work any more! Forget your past. Forget what you are, what you can do, and what you have. Forget everything, and put your full trust in Me. I am your good land. Live in Me, and live by Me.”…These are the ones who make up the generation of Christ.
At a certain time the Lord asked Abraham to offer Isaac, the one God had given according to His promise, for a burnt offering (Gen. 22:1-2).…Are you able to do this? What a difficult lesson this is! Nevertheless, this is the way to experience Christ. Last month or last week you may have experienced Christ in a certain way, but today the Lord says, “Consecrate that experience. That was a real experience of Christ, but don’t keep it.” Again, the lesson is to never trust in what we have, not even in what God has given us. If God has given you something, it must be given back to Him. This is the daily walk by faith.…Do not keep anything as something to rely on; rely only and always on the Lord. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 13-17)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 13-18; Hymns: #1138
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 1 — Day 4
Matt. 1:2 Abraham begot 1Isaac, and Isaac begot 2Jacob, and Jacob begot 3Judah and his brothers.
Rom. 9:7-8 …“In Isaac shall your seed be called,” that is, it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are accounted as the seed.
Rom. 9:13 As it is written, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”
16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Heb. 12:15-16 Looking carefully…lest there be any…profane person like Esau, who for one meal gave up his own birthright.
21 Abraham begot eight sons (Gen. 16:15; 21:2-3; 25:2). Among those eight, only Isaac is counted as the promised seed (Rom. 9:7-8). Hence, Christ is his descendant to fulfill God’s promise given to Abraham and to him (Gen. 22:18; 26:4).
22 Isaac begot twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:21-26), but only Jacob was chosen by God (Rom. 9:10-13). Hence, Christ is his descendant to fulfill God’s promise given to Abraham, to Isaac, and to him (Gen. 22:18; 26:4; 28:14).
23 The birthright of the promised seed consists of the double portion of the land, the priesthood, and the kingship. Reuben, as the firstborn son of Jacob, should have inherited the birthright. But because of his defilement he lost the birthright (Gen. 49:3-4; 1 Chron. 5:1-2). The double portion of the land went to Joseph through his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim (Josh. 16—17); the priesthood went to Levi (Deut. 33:8-10); and the kingship was given to Judah (Gen. 49:10; 1 Chron. 5:2). Hence, Christ, the King of God’s kingdom, is a descendant of Judah (Heb. 7:14); as such, He inherits the kingdom.
God had promised Abraham a son. Sarah, wanting to help God fulfill His promise, made a proposal to Abraham. Sarah seemed to say, “Look, Abraham…you are nearly ninety years of age! And look at me — I’m too old! It is impossible for me to bring forth a child.…I have a maid named Hagar.…Surely you could have a son by her” (Gen. 16:1-2).…Many times our natural concept has some proposal to get us out of the spirit.…Abraham took Sarah’s proposal (Gen. 16:2-4), and the result was Ishmael (Gen. 16:15).…Participating in Christ requires that we never rely on our own effort nor on anything we are able to do.…The termination of our natural effort…is “Isaac,” the inheriting of God’s promised blessing, which is Christ.
Verse 2 also says, “Isaac begot Jacob.”…When [Jacob] and his older brother Esau were coming out of the womb, Jacob held Esau’s heel. Jacob seemed to be saying, “Esau, don’t go yet!…Let me go first!” Jacob was a real heel-holder. The meaning of the name Jacob is the heel-holder, the supplanter.…Because God had already chosen Jacob, all his endeavors were in vain. Jacob needed a vision. He did not need to supplant others, because God had chosen him.… What did Jacob need? He needed God’s dealing.…There was a great deal of suffering in the life of Jacob, but this suffering came from his striving, not from God’s election.…[According to] Romans 9,…it is up to Him, not us.…What a mercy that we have been selected to be associated with Christ and to participate in Him as God’s eternal blessing!
Jacob’s supplanting was not justified, but his seeking after the birthright surely was honored by God. Esau despised the birthright and sold it cheaply (Gen. 25:29-34).… He had lost the blessing of participating in Christ. This should be a warning to us. Jacob respected and sought the birthright, and he obtained it. He inherited God’s promised blessing, the blessing of Christ (Gen. 28:4, 14). (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 18-23)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 18-23; Hymns: #26
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 1 — Day 5
1 Cor. 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus…
Matt. 1:3 And Judah begot Pharez and Zarah of Tamar…
5 And Salmon begot Boaz of Rahab, and Boaz begot Obed of Ruth, and Obed begot Jesse,
6 And Jesse begot David the king. And David begot Solomon of her who had been the wife of Uriah.
Ruth 1:16 But Ruth said,…Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you dwell, I will dwell; and your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.
The genealogy of Christ…includes all kinds of people.… From the lives of all these persons, we can discover certain principles which govern our association with Christ.
[First,] we shall consider…Tamar. Tamar conceived through committing incest with her father-in-law (Gen. 38:6-27).…The fault was…on the side of her father-in-law, Judah, who admitted that she was more righteous than he (Gen. 38:26).…Although Tamar may be held responsible to a certain extent, she was righteous, and she had a heart for the birthright.…The significance…today is that if we care for Christ and are seeking Him, any way we can truly gain Him is the right way. [Following this, is Tamar’s] son, Pharez (v. 3). Tamar conceived twins (Gen. 38:27-30). At the time of delivery, one boy, Zarah, tried to come out first, but he did not succeed.…Pharez preceded him to be the firstborn. Thus, the first became the last, and the last became the first.…Pharez inherited the birthright.…This proves that it is not up to man’s endeavoring; it is up to God’s choice.
We proceed to Rahab (v. 5). Rahab was a harlot in Jericho (Josh. 2:1), [yet]…she became a grandmother of Christ. How could [this be?]…To answer this question, we need to find the principles. The entire population of Jericho was destroyed except Rahab, her family, and her possessions. She was saved because she turned to God and God’s people (Josh. 6:22-23, 25; Heb. 11:31).
[Next is] Boaz…a type of Christ, and Ruth is a type of the church.…Boaz redeemed Ruth; he also redeemed the birthright for her.…Boaz redeemed his kinsman’s inheritance and married the man’s widow (Ruth 4:1-17); hence, he became a notable forefather [and]…great associate of Christ. As a brother and a Boaz, you should [daily] take care of others’ birthright [enjoyment] of Christ, not only your own.
We come now to Ruth (1:5).…Ruth belonged to the tribe of Moab (Ruth 1:4).…The Moabites were forbidden to enter the congregation of the Lord, even to the tenth generation [Deut. 23:3]. [But] Ruth…was seeking God and God’s people (Ruth 1:15-17; 2:11-12). This reveals a most prevailing principle: no matter who we are or what our background is, as long as we have a heart which seeks after God and God’s people, we are in a position to be accepted into the birthright of Christ.
We continue with Jesse (vv. 5-6).…Jesse is a person who brings forth Christ, who branches out Christ by being rooted in Christ [see Isa. 11:1, 10].…Christ is our source, and Christ is also our issue.…[We move on to] David…the eighth son of his father.…In the Bible the number eight signifies resurrection, a new start.…David was the last of the generations of the fathers, [and] also the first of the generations of the kings. [To]…have the rich enjoyment of Christ,…often [requires us]…to be the end of one situation and the beginning of another situation.
After David committed murder and adultery, he…repented.…David repented and God forgave.…Altogether we have three items here: transgression, repentance, and forgiveness. If we put all three together, the result is Solomon.…The church is always built up by this kind of person, Solomon, the issue of man’s transgression and repentance plus God’s forgiveness. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 27-36)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 27-38; Hymns: #1205
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 1 — Day 6
Matt. 1:6 …And David begot 1Solomon…
12 And after the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Salathiel, and Salathiel begot 1Zerubbabel.
16-17 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Thus all the generations from Abraham until David are fourteen generations, and from David until the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon until the Christ, fourteen generations.
61 The genealogy in Matthew says that David begot Solomon, but the genealogy in Luke says that Nathan was the son of David (Luke 3:31). First Chronicles 3:5 tells us that Nathan and Solomon were two different persons. Luke’s record is the genealogy of David’s son Nathan, who was Mary’s forefather, whereas Matthew’s record is the genealogy of David’s son Solomon, who was Joseph’s forefather. One genealogy is the line of Mary, the line of the wife; the other is the line of Joseph, the line of the husband. Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David. Under God’s sovereignty they were joined together by marriage, so that through Mary, Joseph was indirectly associated with Christ. Christ can be counted as a descendant of David through either Solomon or Nathan. Hence, He has two genealogies.
Strictly, Solomon was not a direct forefather of Christ. His relationship with Christ was indirect, through the marriage of Joseph, his descendant, to Mary, of whom Christ was born (v. 16). The Old Testament did not say that Christ would be Solomon’s descendant, but it prophesied repeatedly that Christ would be a descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:13-14; Jer. 23:5).
121 Zerubbabel was one of the leaders who returned to Jerusalem from the captivity in Babylon (Ezra 5:1-2). He was also a leader in the rebuilding of God’s temple (Zech. 4:7-10). The Old Testament predicted that Christ, as a descendant of David, would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:4-6). Without the return from captivity, it would not have been possible for Christ to be born in Bethlehem.…Christ needed some people to be in the proper place to bring Him to earth the first time. Similarly, for His second coming Christ needs some of His people to return from their captivity to the proper church life.
The generation of Christ begins from God and continues until it reaches Jesus [see chart in RcV, p. 11].
[Matthew 1:17] mentions three groups of fourteen generations. The number fourteen is composed of ten plus four. Four signifies the creatures [Rev. 4:6,]…and the number ten denotes fullness [Matt. 25:1]. Thus, the… number fourteen signifies the creatures in full.
Three times of fourteen generations indicates that the Triune God mingles Himself with the creatures in full.… The Triune God has been traveling…through many…generations to Mary and Joseph. Finally, Jesus came…forth as the mingling of divinity with humanity.
Three times fourteen is forty-two. Forty is the number of trials, temptations, and sufferings (Heb. 3:9; Matt. 4:2; 1 Kings 19:8). Christ is the forty-second generation. Forty-two signifies rest and satisfaction after trials.…Without Christ, there are just forty-one generations; there is no goal, no consummation, and no conclusion.…Christ is the goal, the consummation, the conclusion, the completion, and the perfection of all the generations, fulfilling their prophecies, solving their problems, and meeting their needs.…He is everything to us. Hallelujah, Christ has come! (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 45-46, 48-49, 51)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 39-51; Hymns: #510
Enlightenment and inspiration:
WEek 1 — Prophecy
I. The King’s antecedents and status (1:1—2:23)
А. His genealogy and office — called Christ (1:1-17)
The Bible is God’s speaking. In the Old Testament, God spoke by the prophets, and in the New Testament, He spoke in the Son, in the person of the Son (Heb. 1:1-2). With this wonderful person there are many aspects. Matthew testifies that He is the King. Mark tells us that He is the Servant of God. Luke presents Him as the only proper and normal man to be the Savior of mankind, and John unveils Him as the Son of God, the very God Himself, who is life to God’s people.
Among the four Gospels only two, Matthew and Luke, have genealogies. Matthew tells us that Jesus is the proper descendant of the royal family, that He is the legal heir of the royal throne. Luke presents Jesus as a proper, normal man, which also requires a genealogy.
When we come to the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew we need to realize who Jesus is. This genealogy calls Him the son of David and the son of Abraham. Jesus is the mingling of God with man, the mingling of divinity with humanity. This is the generation of Jesus. In this generation we have the mingling of the divine Being with so many human beings.
The kingdom, of which Christ is the King, is composed of Abraham’s descendants, including both his descendants in the flesh and those in faith. Hence, the genealogy of Christ in Matthew begins with Abraham, the father of the called race, not with Adam, the father of the created race. The genealogy of Christ includes all kinds of people: good ones, bad ones, called ones, fallen ones, and recovered ones. From the lives of all these persons, we can discover certain principles that govern our association with Christ. No matter what we are or where we came from, we can be included in the generation of Christ if we fulfill the principles.
In Christ we need, first, the life of Abraham. We need to forget what we are, live by Christ, and trust in Him. Second, in Christ, we have no need of Ishmael, our doing; we need Isaac, His doing. Further, we do not need the supplanting, striving, natural Jacob, but the transformed Israel, realizing that it is absolutely due to the Lord’s mercy that we have been selected to be associated with Christ. We continue with Boaz. He redeemed Ruth as well as the birthright for her. Daily, we should take care of others’ birthright and enjoyment of Christ, not only our own. Next is Ruth. As Ruth, if we have a heart that seeks after God and God’s people, then we are in a position to be accepted into the birthright of Christ. Following Ruth, through Jesse we see that Christ must be our source and our issue. Proceeding to Jesse’s son, David, we see that living in resurrection will often require us to be the end of one situation and the beginning of another. Finally, Solomon was the issue of man’s transgression and repentance plus God’s forgiveness. The church is always built up by this kind of person.
All the generations were directed toward Christ and brought forth Christ. Christ is the forty-second generation. Forty-two signifies rest and satisfaction after trials. Without Christ, there are just forty-one generations; there is no goal, no consummation, and no conclusion. Christ is the goal, the consummation, the conclusion, the completion, and the perfection of all the generations, fulfilling their prophecies, solving their problems, and meeting their needs. He is everything to us. Hallelujah, Christ has come!
Composition for prophecy with main point and sub-points:
