This time of year more than ever we find ourselves thinking about the birth of our Savior. But, when you think about the nativity and consider Mary's virgin birth do you ever ask yourself, "Why a virgin birth?" One answer, of course, is to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "Behold the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This however is circular logic, it happened because it needed to happen. Yes it does fulfill prophesy, but why did the birth need to be of a virgin in the first place?
God announced very early that His plan for redemption involved the Messiah being born of the tribe of Judah, and specifically from the line of David. The succession of subsequent kings proved to be, with only a few exceptions, a pretty dismal. As the succeeding kings of Judah went from bad to worse, we eventually encounter Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin). This guy was so bad that God pronounces a" blood curse" :"Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."(Jeremiah 22:30)
This curse creates a rather huge paradox: the Messiah had to come from the royal line, yet now there was a "blood curse" on that very blood line! (I always visualize Satan having a party on that day. But then I imagine God turning to His angels, saying," Watch this one!")
The answer comes from the differing genealogies of Jesus Christ recorded in the gospels. Matthew, as a Levi, focuses his gospel on the Messiahship of Jesus and presents Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Knowing this, we see how Matthew traces the legal line from Abraham (as any Jew would) through David, then through Solomon (the royal line) to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus.
On the other hand, Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus and presents Him as the Son of Man. Luke traces the blood line from Adam (the first Man) through to David-- and his genealogy from Abraham through David is identical to Matthew's. But then after David, Luke departs from the path taken by Matthew and traces the family tree through another son of David (the second surviving son of Bathsheba), Nathan, down through Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Now I have to tell you this so this will all make sense. During the time of Christ, your inheritance was passed father to son. Mothers and daughters were excluded from inheritances but, there was an exception to the law which permitted inheritance through the daughter if no sons were available and she married within her tribe.
The daughters of Zelophehad had petitioned Moses for this special exception, which was granted when they entered the land under Joshua.
C.I. Scofield was the first who noted that the claims of Christ rely upon this peculiar exception granted to the family of Zelophehad. Heli, Mary's father, had no sons, and Mary married within the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, of the house and lineage of David and carrying legal title to the line, but without the blood curse of Jeconiah. Every detail of the entire Bible has a direct link to Jesus Christ. "The volume of the book is written of me." (Psalm 40:7)
This was no afterthought, when God is involved there are no such things as luck or coincidence.. It was first announced in the Garden of Eden when God declared war on Satan: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."(Genesis 3:15)
The "Seed of the Woman" is a prophetic title of the Messiah. This biological contradiction is the first hint from the early chapters of Genesis of the virgin birth.
John also presents a genealogy, of sorts, of the Pre-Existent One in the first three verses of his gospel. Micah also highlights this:"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."(Micah 5:2)
God does not give us prophecy for no reason. God moves with a purpose. Keep this in mind as you celebrate the birth of our Lord this Christmas. God knows every detail of your life, and has designed you to be the amazing, wonderful, and loved child of God that you are.
Connie and I would like to send out our prayers and best wishes to you and yours this Christmas season. God bless!
God announced very early that His plan for redemption involved the Messiah being born of the tribe of Judah, and specifically from the line of David. The succession of subsequent kings proved to be, with only a few exceptions, a pretty dismal. As the succeeding kings of Judah went from bad to worse, we eventually encounter Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin). This guy was so bad that God pronounces a" blood curse" :"Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."(Jeremiah 22:30)
This curse creates a rather huge paradox: the Messiah had to come from the royal line, yet now there was a "blood curse" on that very blood line! (I always visualize Satan having a party on that day. But then I imagine God turning to His angels, saying," Watch this one!")
The answer comes from the differing genealogies of Jesus Christ recorded in the gospels. Matthew, as a Levi, focuses his gospel on the Messiahship of Jesus and presents Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Knowing this, we see how Matthew traces the legal line from Abraham (as any Jew would) through David, then through Solomon (the royal line) to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus.
On the other hand, Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus and presents Him as the Son of Man. Luke traces the blood line from Adam (the first Man) through to David-- and his genealogy from Abraham through David is identical to Matthew's. But then after David, Luke departs from the path taken by Matthew and traces the family tree through another son of David (the second surviving son of Bathsheba), Nathan, down through Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Now I have to tell you this so this will all make sense. During the time of Christ, your inheritance was passed father to son. Mothers and daughters were excluded from inheritances but, there was an exception to the law which permitted inheritance through the daughter if no sons were available and she married within her tribe.
The daughters of Zelophehad had petitioned Moses for this special exception, which was granted when they entered the land under Joshua.
C.I. Scofield was the first who noted that the claims of Christ rely upon this peculiar exception granted to the family of Zelophehad. Heli, Mary's father, had no sons, and Mary married within the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, of the house and lineage of David and carrying legal title to the line, but without the blood curse of Jeconiah. Every detail of the entire Bible has a direct link to Jesus Christ. "The volume of the book is written of me." (Psalm 40:7)
This was no afterthought, when God is involved there are no such things as luck or coincidence.. It was first announced in the Garden of Eden when God declared war on Satan: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."(Genesis 3:15)
The "Seed of the Woman" is a prophetic title of the Messiah. This biological contradiction is the first hint from the early chapters of Genesis of the virgin birth.
John also presents a genealogy, of sorts, of the Pre-Existent One in the first three verses of his gospel. Micah also highlights this:"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."(Micah 5:2)
God does not give us prophecy for no reason. God moves with a purpose. Keep this in mind as you celebrate the birth of our Lord this Christmas. God knows every detail of your life, and has designed you to be the amazing, wonderful, and loved child of God that you are.
Connie and I would like to send out our prayers and best wishes to you and yours this Christmas season. God bless!
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