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The genealogy in Matthew begins with Abraham, but the genealogy in Luke goes back to Adam. Matthew does not cover Adam and his descendants, but Luke does. What is the meaning of this difference? Luke is a book of God’s salvation, whereas Matthew is a book of the kingdom. God’s salvation is for the created and fallen race represented by Adam, but the kingdom of the heavens is only for God’s chosen people, the called race represented by Abraham. Therefore, Matthew starts from Abraham, but Luke traces the genealogy back to Adam.
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. Man fell to such an extent that all mankind rebelled against God to the uttermost, and built the tower and city of Babel to express their rebellion (Gen. 11:1-9). So God gave up the created and fallen race, and He called one, Abraham, out of that race to be the father of another race. 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.
God’s kingdom is for this race. It could never be with the fallen race. Thus, Matthew, dealing with the kingdom of the heavens, begins with Abraham, Because the book of Luke concerns God’s salvation (and surely salvation must be for the fallen race), his genealogy goes back to Adam. After being saved in Luke, we are spontaneously transferred from the fallen race to the called race. We used to be descendants of Adam; now we are descendants of Abraham. Galatians 3:7 and 29 tell us that whoever believes in Jesus Christ is a son of Abraham. Whose son are you? Are you the son of Adam or the son of Abraham? We are the real Jews (Rom. 2:29). Our grandfather is Abraham. We are in the same category he is. If we were not descendants of Abraham, then we would have no share in the book of Matthew. We would not even have a share in the short book of Galatians, because Galatians was written to the descendants of Abraham. Only if we are descendants of Abraham do we have a share in Galatians. Praise the Lord that we are the sons of Abraham! “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29).
Abraham was called out by God. The Greek word for church, ecclesia, means “the called out ones.” Thus, we in the church are also the called out ones. Abraham was called out of Babel, the place of rebellion and idolatry, into the good land, which typifies Christ. We also were in Babel. We were fallen, we were rebellious, and we worshipped idols. Today the whole human race is in Babel. We used to be there, but one day God called us out and put us into Christ, the high land. We were called by God into “the fellowship [the participation] of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). “To those who are called,...Christ, [is] God’s power and God’s wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:24).
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. No fallen person can be justified by works in the sight of God (Rom. 3:20). Therefore, the called ones, having been called by God out of the fallen race, put no trust in their own effort; they trust in God’s work of grace. Abraham and all other believers are like this. “They who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Gal. 3:9). The blessing of God’s promise, “the promise of the Spirit” (Gal. 3:14), is for the believing ones. By faith we received the Spirit, which is the reality and realization of Christ (Gal. 3:2). Thus, both Abraham and we are associated with Christ and joined to Him by faith. It is by faith in God’s work of grace that God’s called people are justified by Him and participate in Christ, their eternal portion.
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. As the called one of God, not only was Abraham justified by faith, but he also lived by faith. As one called by God, he should no longer live and walk by himself, but live and walk 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.
If we compare Genesis 11:31 and 12:1 with Acts 7:2-3, we see that when God called Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, he was very weak. Abraham did not take the initiative to leave Babel; his father, Terah, did. This forced God to take away Abraham’s father. In Genesis 12:1 God called him again, telling him to leave not only his country and his kindred, but also his father’s house, which meant not to bring anyone with him. But once again Abraham, like us, was weak and he took Lot, his nephew (Gen. 12:5).
What is an Abraham? An Abraham is a person who has been called out, who no longer lives and walks by himself, and who forsakes and forgets everything he has by nature. This is exactly the message of the book of Galatians. 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 “no longer I who live, but Christ.” I, the natural I who came out of the fallen race, have been crucified and buried. Thus, it is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me. This is Abraham. If we are true Jews, the real descendants of Abraham, we must leave everything and live by faith. We must forget about all that we can do and repudiate all that we are and have by nature. This is not easy.
Christians appreciate Abraham very much. However, we should not esteem Abraham too highly. He was not that outstanding. He was called, but he did not dare to leave Babel; his father took him out. This forced God to remove his father. Then Abraham relied on his nephew, Lot. After this, he put his trust in his servant, Eliezer (Gen. 15:2-4). It seemed that God was saying, “Abraham, I don’t like to see your father with you, I don’t like to see your nephew with you, and I don’t like to see Eliezer with you. I want you to have no one to rely upon. You must rely on Me. Don’t depend upon anything else or anything you have by nature.” This is believing in God, walking in Him, and living by Him. It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me.
If we are real Jews, then we are real Abrahams. In order to be an Abraham, we must believe in the Lord. To believe in the Lord is to become associated with Him. Abraham was called out of the fallen race, and he became associated with the Lord. All the sons of Abraham must likewise be associated with Christ. “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed.” In other words, if we are the seed of Abraham, we belong to Christ and we are associated with Christ. If we would be associated with Christ, we must repudiate ourselves and take Christ as everything. This is believing in Christ, and this believing is righteousness in the eyes of God. Do not try to do anything. Simply believe in Christ.
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 real Abrahams, the real Galatians. As the sons of God, they trust in God and forget about themselves. These are the ones who make up the generation of Christ. We all must be Abrahams, those who forget their past, give up what they are and have, and put their trust in Christ, their good land. Today our walk and our living must be by faith in Christ. If so, then, as heirs of God’s promise, as those who inherit the promise of the Spirit, we shall participate in Christ as God’s blessing.
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). The Lord had given Isaac to Abraham; now Abraham had to give Isaac back to the Lord. The Lord had already charged him to cast out Ishmael (Gen. 21:10, 12); now He charged him to kill his son Isaac.
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. To walk in the presence of the Lord by faith means that we do not hold on to anything, not even to the things given by God. The best gifts, given by the Lord Himself, must be given back to Him. Do not keep anything as something to rely on; rely only and always on the Lord. Abraham did this. Eventually he lived and walked in the presence of God purely by faith.
Matthew 1:2 says, “Abraham begot Isaac.” What is the outstanding point here concerning Isaac? It is that Isaac was born by promise (Gal. 4:22-26, 28-31; Rom. 9:7-9). He was the only heir (Gen. 21:10, 12; 22:2a, 12b, 16-18), and he inherited the promise of Christ (Gen. 26:3-4).
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, God promised to give you a seed, an heir to inherit this good land. But look at yourself — 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. We must do something to help God fulfill His purpose. I have a maid named Hagar. She is quite good. Surely you could have a son by her” (Gen. 16:1-2). This is the natural concept, and it is quite tempting. Many times our natural concept has some proposal to get us out of the spirit. Often our natural concept says, “Here is a good source. Do it this way.” But such a proposal will surely keep us from God’s promise!
Abraham took Sarah’s proposal (Gen. 16:2-4), and the result was Ishmael (Gen. 16:15). This terrible Ishmael is still here today! Acting on Sarah’s proposal did not help God; rather, it frustrated Abraham from fulfilling God’s purpose. This is not a small matter.
The lesson we derive from this is that, as the called race, whatever we do on our own results in an Ishmael. Whatever we do on our own in the church life, even in the preaching of the gospel, will only produce an Ishmael. Do not produce Ishmaels! Terminate yourself! Did you not cross over that great river, the Euphrates? When you were called out of Babel, you crossed that great river and you were buried there. You were terminated there. Do not live by yourself or do anything by yourself. Instead, you should say, “Lord, I am nothing. Without You, I can do nothing. Lord, if You don’t do anything, then I won’t do anything. If You rest, I rest. Lord, I put my trust in You.” This is easy to say, but difficult to practice in our daily life.
Remember what an Abraham is: an Abraham is a called one who does nothing by himself. God had to wait until Abraham and Sarah were through (Gen. 17:17 see Rom. 4:19). He waited until their natural energy had died out, until they had come to realize it was impossible for them to bring forth a child.
Abraham wanted to keep Ishmael and rely on him, but God rejected Ishmael (Gen. 17:18-19). We also like to keep our own work and rely on it, but God does not accept it. Eventually, God asked Abraham to cast out Ishmael and his mother (Gen. 21:10-12). This was difficult for Abraham to do. But he had to learn the lesson of not living by himself, the lesson of giving up his own effort and not doing anything by himself. He had a son, but he had to give him up. This is the lesson of Abraham and the lesson in the book of Galatians.
Participating in Christ requires that we never rely on our own effort nor on anything we are able to do. Just as Ishmael was a frustration to Isaac’s inheriting of God’s promise, so our own effort or work will always frustrate our participation in Christ. We must forsake all that we are and all that we have in order to trust God’s promise. We must renounce everything of our natural life; otherwise we cannot enjoy Christ. After our natural strength has been exhausted, the promise of God comes. After Ishmael was cast out, Isaac had the full position to participate in the blessing of God’s promise. The termination of our natural effort, the forsaking of what we can do or have done, is “Isaac,” the inheriting of God’s promised blessing, which is Christ. We have been baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27, Gk.). Having been terminated in Christ, we are now His, and we have Him as our portion. Thus, we are Abraham’s seed, God’s called race, and heirs according to God’s promise (Gal. 3:29).
What is Isaac? Isaac is the issue of the life and walk by faith. This is Christ. Isaac was a full type of Christ inheriting all the riches of the Father. We all must experience Christ in such a way; not by our doing, striving, or endeavoring, but simply by trusting in Him. Our trust in Him will issue in Isaac. Only Isaac is the real element of the generation of Christ. Not all the children of Abraham of the flesh are the children of God; only in Isaac will God have His children (Rom. 9:7-8). Therefore, God considered Isaac as Abraham’s only son (Gen. 21:10, 12; 22:2a, 12b, 16-18), the only one to inherit the promise concerning Christ (Gen. 26:3-4).
Although we are the race of Abraham today, are we walking in the way of Ishmael, or are we living in the way of Isaac? The way of Ishmael is to fulfill God’s purpose by our own energy and work. The way of Isaac is to put ourselves into God, trusting Him to do everything to fulfill His purpose for us. What a great difference between these two ways! Ishmael has nothing to do with Christ. Whatever we do, whatever we try to accomplish, has nothing to do with Christ. We must have Isaac. If we would have Isaac, we must cast out Ishmael, stop our work, and place ourselves into the very working of God. If we let Him fulfill His promise for us, then we shall have Isaac.
Verse 2 also says, “Isaac begot Jacob.” Isaac and Ishmael were brothers by the same father, but by different mothers. Jacob and Esau were more intimate; they were twins. Jacob means a superseder. He supersedes others, puts them under him, and climbs above them. When he 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! Wait for me. Let me go first!” Jacob was a real heel-holder. The meaning of the name Jacob is the heel-holder, the supplanter. Beat others down. Put them under your feet by any deceitful means. That is Jacob.
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 to be number one. Even before the twins were born, God had told the mother that the younger would be the first, and the elder would be second. It is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Mal. 1:2-3; Rom. 9:13).
Unfortunately, Jacob did not realize this. If he had, he never would have tried to do anything. Rather, he would have said to Esau, “If you want to go out first, just go out. No matter how much you try to be first, I will still be first. You can never beat me because God elected me.” Jacob, however, did not know this. Even when he had grown up, he still did not realize it. Therefore, he was constantly supplanting. Wherever he went, he supplanted. He supplanted his brother (Gen. 25:29-33; 27:18-38), and he supplanted his uncle (Gen. 30:37—31:1). He schemed and he stole from his uncle, Laban. Yet, all his labor was in vain. God could say, “Stupid Jacob. You don’t need to do that. I will give you more than what you have gained.” But Jacob kept striving. Although he was a descendant of Abraham, according to his striving and his nature, he was altogether a descendant of the Devil. Do you see this? Positionally speaking, Jacob was a descendant of Abraham, but dispositionally speaking, he was a child of the Devil.
What did Jacob need? He needed God’s dealing. Hence, God raised up his brother, Esau, and then his uncle, Laban, to deal with him. God even raised up four wives plus twelve male helpers and a female helper. There was a great deal of suffering in the life of Jacob, but this suffering came from his striving, not from God’s election. The more Jacob strove, the more he suffered. We may laugh at Jacob, but we are exactly the same as he. The more we try to do something, the more problems we have.
In Christ, we need, firstly, the life of Abraham. We need to forget what we are, live by Christ, and trust in Him. Secondly, in Christ we have no need of Ishmael, our doing; we need Isaac, His doing. Thirdly, we do not need Jacob, but Israel. We do not need the natural Jacob, but the transformed Israel, the prince of God.
Do you realize that it is absolutely not up to you? When you hear this, you may say, “If it is not up to me, but completely up to God, then I’ll stop my seeking.” Good. If you can stop your seeking, I encourage you to do it. Tell the whole universe that you have heard that it is up to Him, and that you have stopped your seeking. If you can stop it, it should be stopped. But, I assure you, the more you stop, the better. The more you stop, the more He will stand up. Try it. Tell the Lord, “Lord, I stop my seeking!” The Lord would say, “That’s wonderful! Your stopping opens the door for Me to do something. I will burn you. You may stop your seeking, but I will burn you!”
We all have been elected. In a sense, we are caught. What can we do? We can never get away. This is absolutely due to the Lord’s mercy. We did not choose this way. I certainly did not choose it, but here I am. What can I do? What can I say? Because God has chosen us, we can never get away.
If we read Romans 9, we shall discover that it is up to Him, not us. He was and still is the source. Praise Him that His mercy has come to us! No one can reject His mercy. We may reject His doing, but we can never reject His mercy (Exo. 33:19; Rom. 9:15). What a mercy that we have been selected to be associated with Christ and to participate in Him as God’s eternal blessing! In one sense we are Abraham, in another sense we are Isaac, and in still another sense, we are Jacob. Later, in a fourth sense, we shall be Israel. Thus, we have Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The genealogy of Christ is a matter of the birthright, and the birthright is mainly the association with Christ and the participation in Christ. 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). Thus, he lost it and was not able to get it back, even when he regretted and wept for it (Gen. 27:34-38; Heb. 12:16-17). 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).
Verse 2 also says, “Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.” Jacob’s first son was Reuben. Reuben should have had the first son’s portion, which was the birthright. The birthright included three elements: the double portion of the land, the priesthood, and the kingship. Although Reuben was the first son, he lost his birthright because of his defilement (Gen. 49:3-4; 1 Chron. 5:1-2). Then the double portion of the land went to Joseph. This must have been due to his purity (Gen. 39:7-20). He was the son closest to his father and the one most after his father’s heart (Gen. 37:2-3, 12-17). Each of Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, received a portion of the land (Joshua 16 and 17). Thus through his two sons he inherited two portions of the good land.
The priesthood portion of the birthright went to Levi (Deut. 33:8-10). Levi was very much after God’s heart. In order to fulfill God’s desire, Levi forgot his parents, his brothers, and his children and only took care of God’s desire. Thus, he received the priesthood portion of the birthright.
The kingship, another portion of the birthright, was given to Judah (Gen. 49:10; 1 Chron. 5:2). If we read Genesis, we find the reason for this. When Joseph was suffering under the conspiracy of his brothers, Judah took care of him (Gen. 37:26). He also took care of Benjamin in time of suffering (Gen. 43:8-9; 44:14-34). Because of this, I believe, the kingship went to Judah.
Today we are the “church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23). Our birthright is also composed of these three elements: the double portion of Christ, the priesthood, and the kingship. We are in Christ, and we can enjoy Him in double portion. We are also priests and kings of God. However, many Christians have lost their birthright. They have been saved and can never be lost, but they have lost their extra portion of Christ. If we would enjoy the extra portion of Christ, we must keep our birthright.
All Christians have been reborn as priests (Rev. 1:6). But today many have lost their priesthood. Because they have lost their praying position, it is hard for them to pray. If we would keep our priesthood, we must be like the Levites, and forget our father, our brothers, and our children and take care of God’s interest. God’s desire, not our families, must be first. If God’s desire has first place in our hearts, then we shall be close to Him and keep the priesthood.
All Christians are also reborn as kings (Rev. 5:10), but many have lost their kingship. When the Lord Jesus returns, the overcoming saints will be with Him to be priests of God and co-kings of Christ (Rev. 20:4-6). At the same time, they will enjoy the inheritance of this earth (Rev. 2:26).
Hebrews 12:16-17 warns us not to lose our birthright as Esau did. “For one meal” Esau “gave up his birthright.” Later, he regretted that he had sold it so cheaply, but he was not able to get it back. We all need to be on the alert. We have the position to possess the birthright and we have it already, but maintaining it depends on whether or not we keep ourselves from being profane or becoming defiled. We have seen that Esau lost his birthright because he was profane and that Reuben lost his birthright because of his defilement. But Joseph inherited the double portion of land because of his purity; Levi obtained the priesthood because of his absolute separation unto the Lord; and Judah received the kingship because of his care for his suffering brothers. We need to keep ourselves pure for the extra portion of the enjoyment of Christ; we need to separate ourselves absolutely to the Lord with a heart caring for the Lord’s desire above all things; we need to care lovingly for our suffering brothers. If we are like this, we shall surely keep our birthright. The extra portion of the enjoyment of Christ, the priesthood, and the kingship will be ours. Even today we can enjoy Christ in a double measure. We can pray, we can rule, and we can reign. Then, when the Lord Jesus returns, we shall be with Him enjoying the inheritance of this earth. We shall be priests contacting God continually and kings reigning over the people.
Because Judah gained the kingship portion of the birthright, he brought forth the kingly Christ (Gen. 49:10), Christ the Victor (Rev. 5:5; Gen. 49:8-9). “It is clearly evident that our Lord has risen out of Judah” (Heb. 7:14).
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah are all associates of Christ. If we have the life of these four generations — Abraham’s faith, Isaac’s inheritance, Jacob’s dealings, and Judah’s care of love — then we are the associates of Christ in His generation.
When this genealogy mentions Isaac and Jacob, it does not say “and his brother”; only when it mentions Judah does it say “and his brothers.” Both Isaac’s brother Ishmael and Jacob’s brother Esau were rejected by God. But all eleven brothers of Judah were chosen; not one of them was rejected by God. Judah and his eleven brothers became the fathers of the twelve tribes which formed the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people for Christ. Hence, all Judah’s brothers were related to Christ. For this reason, the genealogy of Christ also includes them.
