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2 Corinthians 1:2

Grace and Peace to You

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 10, 2023

Paul opens his second letter to the Corinthians by wishing the best for his readers. He sends, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This address appears often in Paul’s letters. It is his favorite wish for Christians. Hughes says, “It is impossible for us today to hear the word play here—Paul always replaced the Greek word for ‘Hello’ (charein) with the Christian term for ‘grace’ (charis). So when Paul’s readers expected ‘Hello,’ Paul wished them “Grace.”[1] I need grace. You need grace. We all need grace.

I’ve been watching way too much Fox News and am becoming familiar with the commercials they will run over and over. One of them has a celebrity telling those of us on social security to call a toll-free number to see if we qualify for a special benefit. Then he says, “you should get what you deserve.” I hate that phrase and am so glad that God doesn’t give me what I deserve. God is not a vindictive God who is out to get us. Back in Exodus 34:6-7, we read that God is, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” This is what God is like. He’s not a policeman hiding behind a billboard waiting to catch us speeding. He’s not a boss looking over our shoulder trying to get the most out of us he can. No, that God is gracious means he is favorably inclined toward us. That he wants to show favor to us. To do what is best for us. This is how God wants us to see Him. He has our best interest foremost in mind regardless of our circumstances in life. He may allow suffering and even Job-like trials in our life, but they are tests. Will we continue to see him as a kind and loving God even though we have hardships? I think this is what saving faith is. It’s not believing that God exists. Even the demons do that. It’s always trusting in his good intentions towards us even when it doesn’t look like it. I don’t think Jesus was meant to be a simple illustration showing us how to live. He’s much more than that, but through the Passion, we see the perfect example of holding on to one’s faith while suffering.

Understanding God as the God of Grace will lead us into green, peaceful pastures with still waters. One web article on grace says, “Grace always brings benefits, and one of these benefits is reflected in the word ‘peace’ which the Apostle always associates with God’s grace. In fact, the order is significant. First grace and then peace. Until we know and appropriate grace, we can’t experience peace.”[2] Once we accept God’s gracious gift of His son, Jesus, we can truly experience peace. The Bible is full of God’s promises regarding His graciousness to sinners. As we appropriate these promises “as they relate us to God’s love and care, we can experience the peace of eternal security, the peace of good conscience, the peace knowing god’s will, the peace of knowing that God will supply, and personal peace in many other practical ways.”

[1] Hughes, R. Kent. 2006. 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] https://bible.org/article/grace-and-peace

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To All The Saints!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 9, 2023

Paul along with Sosthenes has something to say to the saints living in Corinth. The message is going to contain some harsh charges, but that’s not the way it begins. He begins his letter to them by saying that they are “sanctified” and they are saints like all the rest of the believers in Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 1:2, the letter is addressed, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” The first question I have from this verse is “what does Paul mean when he calls the believers at Corinth ‘sanctified?’” Literally, the word means “set apart.” The way things were “sanctified” in the Old Testament was with blood. The Israelites in Egypt were set apart from the Egyptians by the blood of the Passover lamb applied to the lintels of their doors. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that almost everything is “set apart” (purified) with blood. It goes on to say, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” They would sprinkle blood on the tabernacle furniture, on the priestly garments, and even on people. One web blog says, “Nothing was considered sanctified until it had come in contact with the blood. This was a picture of the spiritual application of Christ’s blood for our salvation—we are ‘sprinkled with his blood’ (1 Peter 1:2).”[1]

The second issue is that Paul calls the Corinthians “Saints.” This is not quite the same thing as some people understand the title “saint.” I toured Father Flanagan’s house on the famous Boy’s Town Campus in Omaha and the tour guide told us that Father Flanagan has been recommended to the Papacy to be named a “saint.” The only thing they are missing is a testimony of him having performed a miracle. When they get that testimony, he might become a saint. Well, the lives of the Corinthian believers, were anything but “saintly” as you see when you read the rest of the letter. As for you and me, there is little hope of ever being called a saint. Yet, Paul says you are a saint if you believe in Jesus. Like the Israelite slaves in Egypt, the blood of Jesus, God’s Passover lamb, makes us “set apart” people. My family doesn’t like it when I call myself a saint.

All believers are “set apart” and are “saints.” The two words are related. The Handbook for Bible Translators says, “So, the basic meaning of these two words is that Christians belong to God. It follows from this that Christians must live good lives, but it is the idea of belonging to God, not that of sinlessness, that is important here. There is no suggestion here or anywhere in the New Testament that special individuals may have the title ‘saint.’ ‘Saints’ in the New Testament are always a community of Christians; in translation ‘saints’ may sometimes be rendered ‘the people of God.’ There is a slight difference in meaning, though, between saints and sanctified. Called to be saints, like ‘called … to be an apostle’ (Today’s English Version) in verse 1, refers to a single past event. The tense of the word translated sanctified, on the other hand, expresses the idea of a past event whose consequences stretch into the present time.”[2] Notice that the sanctification that Paul is talking about is that which we have “in Christ Jesus.” The Handbook goes on to suggest, “Paul probably means that a Christian’s new life depends closely and entirely on Christ.”

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/sanctified.html

[2] Ellingworth, Paul, Howard Hatton, and Paul Ellingworth. 1995. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

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Romans 1:2-3

It’s Not About Me!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 8, 2023

Jesus made it a point to show how the Old Testament was talking about His coming into the world. He once told the Pharisees that they search the scriptures thinking to find eternal life, and the scriptures are the very thing that talks about Him. Yet, the religious leaders will not come to Jesus for life. He told his disciples that the Law, the prophets, and even the writings all talked about Him. He told those who professed belief in Moses that Moses was writing about Him. At His resurrection appearances, he told the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and then the whole group, how the whole Old Testament was about Himself. Paul continued this teaching also. At the beginning of the book of Romans (Romans 1:2-3) he explains how he was “set apart for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son, was descended from David according to the flesh.”

Hughes says, “His (Paul’s) task was not to proclaim a theological novelty. The gospel was in the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul longed to announce, ‘that Christ died for our sins according to the [Old Testament] Scriptures’ (1 Corinthians 15:3). So much of the Messiah was revealed in the Old Testament. Who would Jesus’ mother be? A virgin. Of what house was he to be? Of David. Where would he be born? Bethlehem. What name would he be given? Immanuel. What death would be his? The cross—piercing the body without breaking his bones. Where? At Jerusalem, outside the city. Paul’s task was rooted as far back as the Garden of Eden, the patriarchs, and the prophets.”[1] Briscoe agrees and adds, “There was always criticism of Paul’s message, particularly from his fellow Jews, who, as a result of the Dispersion, were scattered all over the regions in which he traveled. Many of them accused Paul of manufacturing his own message, but he was at great pains to show his critics that, far from being a new fad, his message was the one which God had ‘promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures’ (v. 2). Using the only Bible available in those days, the Old Testament, Paul delighted to do what his Master had done with the troubled disciples of Emmaus: ‘beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself’ (Luke 24:27). The fact that Paul was able to show his critics that the gospel he preached was the fulfillment of what the prophets had predicted went a long way toward establishing the credibility of both messenger and message.”[2]

Most preaching and teaching on the Bible today is done in a way to exhort us to be better people. We should be like David in his devotion to God but not in his adultery and murder. We should be like the children in the fiery furnace and stand strong. With this being the normal approach to the scriptures, it is natural to understand the Bible as “a well-meaning series of morality tales, or an anthology of philosophical musings, or an archaic rulebook that ought to remain confined to hotel-room drawers. Indeed, increasing numbers of people today believe that Scripture is downright dangerous, a tool to oppress the weak and prevent the gullible from being true to themselves.  Churchgoer or not, if you resonate even slightly with any of these sentiments, I have some great news for you.” That’s not what the Bible is about. “The Bible has one ultimate plan, one ultimate plot, one ultimate champion, one ultimate King.” The story that Paul is proclaiming as Good News, is the story of Jesus. “If we ever hope to properly handle the stories in the Bible, we must first grasp the story of the Bible. And that story, the one that traverses its way from Genesis to Revelation, though recorded for you, is not finally about you.”[3] It’s all about the Savior of the world.

[1] Hughes, R. Kent. 1991. Romans: Righteousness from Heaven. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] Briscoe, D. Stuart, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1982. Romans. Vol. 29. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

[3] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bible-about-jesus/

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Acts 1:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:13

Filled with the Spirit!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 7, 2023

Jesus wanted His disciples to stay in Jerusalem to await a significant event. Something extraordinary was going to happen to them, which the Father had promised, and Jesus explained it to them by comparing it to John’s baptism with water. Just as John baptized with water, Jesus promised they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:4-5 says it clearly, “And while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” There has been no end to the controversy over baptism among Christians since the very early church. They argue about who should be baptized, how they should be baptized, and when they should be baptized. These arguments and denominational distinctions refer only to water baptism. Yet any understanding of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit must relate to water baptism because John’s water baptism is mentioned in this verse as a picture of the baptism that the Father promised in the Holy Spirit.

In water baptism, we are immersed in water. Not all practice baptism by immersion but even sprinkling and pouring picture us in water one way or another. It appears that the baptism of the Holy Spirit has to do not with us being in it but with it being in us. 1 Corinthians 12:13 is an essential verse for understanding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It says, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

In Acts 2:4, we see that the preaching on the day of Pentecost came about because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples in the Upper Room. It says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” My take on the “tongues” issue is that it refers specifically to other natural languages. Since the crowds were from all over the world and spoke different languages, the disciples were miraculously enabled to communicate the message of Jesus to everyone there. Acts chapter two says that those in the crowd were surprised that they all heard the news in their own language. This purposely reverses the dispersal of the nations at the tower of Babel in Genesis. There they were scattered; here, they are brought together into one body. Paul makes it clear that the baptism of the Holy Spirit breaks down all barriers between people by race, culture, or social status. One website says, “The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation.”[1] The Holy Spirit enables all believers to share their experiences and tell others about Jesus. I think this is what Jesus means when he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they “have been clothed with power from on high.” Larkin concludes his comments on this passage well, “Jesus promises that in a little while God will supply the church with all the resources it needs for fulfilling its missionary mandate. Lloyd Ogilvie observes, ‘We have been instructed in the things Jesus did, but know too little of what He continues to do today as indwelling Spirit and engendering power.’ Christians who have not done so need to appropriate the power that is already theirs, all because Jesus’ promise was fulfilled at Pentecost.”[2]

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-baptism.html

[2] Larkin, William J., Jr. 1995. Acts. Vol. 5. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Westmont, IL: IVP Academic.

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John 1:3, Genesis 1:1

Lord, Open Our Eyes!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 6, 2023

The first chapter of the Gospel of John is a lot like the first Chapter of Genesis. You could comment on just about every word. Genesis begins, “In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” It’s well said to be a figure of speech called a “merism.” It means he not only created the heavens and the earth but he also created everything in between. It’s like Jesus saying that he is the “alpha and the omega.” He’s not just the first letter of the alphabet and the last letter. He’s also everything in between. I wonder if John was trying to clarify this for us when he speaks of “The Word – Jesus” as being the creator of it all. John 1:3 says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Jesus was the direct agent of God’s creation as recorded in Genesis 1:1. This settles one of the most important questions ever asked. It was first asked by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the man who bequeathed us calculus and the binary system which is at the heart of our modern computers. From our study of the planets or the atoms, we try to see what caused them. We see that they exist, but we want to know where they came from. And secondly, why is it the way it is?

“Many earlier thinkers had asked why our universe is the way it is, but Leibniz went a step further, wondering why there is a universe at all. The question is a challenging one because it seems perfectly possible that there might have been nothing whatsoever – no Earth, no stars, no galaxies, no universe. Leibniz even thought that nothing would have been ‘simpler and easier’. If nothing whatsoever had existed then no explanation would have been needed – not that there would have been anyone around to ask for an explanation, of course, but that’s a different matter.”[1] You see, we are around! We are a curious lot and want desperately to know about the cause of all the “effects” that happen around us. Things don’t just happen. John is telling us.

James Boice said, “We know the force of this verse from things in our own experience. When we see a leaf blowing down the street, we do not attribute the powers of self-motivation to the leaf. We assume that a power equal to the effect is behind the leaf and has put it in motion. We call that power wind. When we examine a watch of fine Swiss workmanship, we do not assume that the steel and glass and small bearings possess the ability to organize themselves into a watch. We posit the existence of a watchmaker. So, it should be in the realm of nature. Jesus intended that we should recognize God’s existence and power through nature.”[2] There is nothing more powerful in our lives than sitting quietly by the ocean and gazing in awe at what Jesus created. Seeing God in nature has pulled many people out of deep depression, calmed many fears, and encouraged them in times of trouble. Jesus is God’s demonstration of His love for me. He filled the world with color and gives me eyes. He fills the world with music and gives me ears. One web blogger observed, “The mountains stand strong and powerful, the sun rises no matter how dark the night, the waves gently lap the rocky coast, God’s voice is found in creation, we simply need to train our eyes to see Him.”[3]

[1] https://theconversation.com/answering-the-biggest-question-of-all-why-is-there-something-rather-than-nothing-65865

[2] Boice, James Montgomery. 2005. The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

[3] https://bloggersforthekingdom.com/seeing-god-through-nature/

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Luke 1:5-7

Upright and Blameless

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 5, 2023

In Luke 1:5-7 we are introduced to the parents of John the Baptist, “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.” Abijah or (Abijam) was the son of Solomon by his Ammonite wife, Naamah. Abijah is in the line of David’s descendants to reign over Israel. Zechariah’s wife was a direct descendant of Aaron. He was a prominent and well-respected member of the Jewish race except they had no children. Herod was the last Idumean. The Idumeans were descents of Edom, a perennial enemy of Israel. Edomites were the offspring of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. Although Herod was an Idumean by birth, he appears to have been a Jew by religion. He is most famous for all his building projects, especially the Temple in Jerusalem. Edwards says, “The ruins of Herod’s buildings are still today more impressive than anything, ancient or modern, that visitors to Israel are likely to see. Nevertheless, despite his influence on the history, politics, and architecture of the first century, Herod lacked greatness of character and spirit and as a consequence did not change history. Herod sought in vain to immortalize himself and his reign, but at his death in 4 BC, an angel announces the dawn of a new kingdom that will have no end.”[1]

The Messiah was to establish an endless kingdom. The coming of this Messiah was to be prefixed with the coming of a messenger like Elijah who would proclaim the coming of the deliverer. Luke introduces us to a priest named “Zechariah.” The name means, “The Lord has remembered.” There were others with the same name in the Old Testament, but this time the name was to prove dramatically prophetic. But Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless. It’s interesting that in the prescientific age it is boldly pronounced to be Elizabeth’s fault. The text says she was “barren.” There was no greater disgrace for women in Israel. In Luke 1:24 she even refers to her situation as a disgrace or “reproach.” Sarah was barren. God sent her Isaac. Rachel was barren. God sent her Joseph and Benjamin. Hannah was barren. God sent her Samuel. God had a plan for each of these semi-miraculous births. Marshall observes, “A late rabbinic comment observes that whenever Scripture says that someone had no child, later one was born to her. So here the implied parallelism with Abraham and Sarah and other Old Testament couples prepares the reader for the possibility of a miracle.”[2] God opened the womb of Elizabeth in her old age and gave her a son that was to play an important role in the coming of the deliverer of all mankind. Notice too, that these semi-miraculous births were to set the stage for the truly miraculous birth of the Messiah. I believe that the original readers of Luke’s Gospel were well aware of the Old Testament stories of God opening the wombs of barren women. They know what is about to happen. A child is about to be born to this godly couple. The beauty of this couple is that in the face of their major life disappointment they continued to serve God and worship Him.

Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are at the heart of the bridge between the past and the present. Our pain may not be the absence of a child, but there is a myriad of things that can bring disappointment in life. Yet one thing neither Zechariah nor Elizabeth succumbed to was bitterness, even though Elizabeth felt “disgrace.” Bock suggested, “Maybe that is one reason God called them upright and blameless. But good people need to learn to rely even more on God. Sometimes the answer to their disappointment is not clear. Whether it be the loss of a child to premature death, a financial collapse, dealing with a child who falls into calamity or serious sin, or an unfortunate accident, the hard times are not always self-explanatory. God never guarantees that life will come without pain and disappointment. The central issue is how we handle it. Bitterness will yield the fruit of anger and frustration, sapping the joy from life. Trust and dependence will cause us to find fulfillment in ways we would not even have considered otherwise.”[3]

[1] Edwards, James R. 2015. The Gospel according to Luke. Edited by D. A. Carson. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.

[2] Marshall, I. Howard. 1978. The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Exeter: Paternoster Press.

[3] Bock, Darrell L. 1996. Luke. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

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Mark 1:2-3, Various

It is written!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 4, 2023

When someone says, “It is written” you can bet it’s something they believe to be absolutely reliable. Mark begins his Gospel by quoting from the Book of Isaiah. Mark 1:2-3 says, “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” When Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness to turn stones into bread, He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Then Satan, attempting a new angle with Jesus, quotes from Psalm 91 and says, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands, they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Satan quoted Psalm 91 correctly, but he misapplied it to Jesus in a way that was a misuse of the passage. Satan was “twisting” what the scriptures meant to fit his agenda and Jesus countered with another quote from Deuteronomy, “Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, you shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”

Many people have a problem with the Bible. It’s been banned in some countries and efforts to do so in some states have been proposed. While it is not technically “banned”, it is not a welcomed addition to many public schools and other institutions in the United States and other western countries. But what’s even more concerning is that more and more professing Christians don’t read the bible. Many don’t even know how to read it and use it as Satan did to promote their personal agenda. They rip verses out of context to make them say what they want them to say. The right understanding of any passage, as Jesus explains, cannot contradict any other passage in the bible. We must always ask, “what does the rest of the Bible say about this interpretation?” This makes the Old Testament quote that begins his Gospel so important.

The coming Messiah, as described in the Old Testament, would have a forerunner who would be sent to prepare the way for Jesus. Mark says that “what is written” about the forerunner comes from a passage in Isaiah. It might be worth noting that some of the ancient manuscripts of the book of Mark attribute the quote to “the prophets” rather than a specific prophet. One commentator says that the quote in Mark 1:2-3 is “…identified as coming from the prophet Isaiah, although it is actually a tapestry of three OT passages. The reference to the sending of the messenger in v. 2 follows the first half of both Exodus 23:20 and Malachi 3:1, although there is no exact counterpart in the OT to the latter half of v. 2 (who will prepare your way). The greater part of the tapestry comes in v. 3, which reproduces Isaiah 40:3 nearly exactly. Isaiah 40:3 is quoted by all four Gospels with reference to John the Baptizer as the forerunner of Jesus (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 1:76; John 1:23). The Isaiah quotation in v. 3 was deemed the defining element of the tapestry of quotations. Thus, the whole is attributed to Isaiah, who was considered the greatest of the prophets.” Quoting with the authoritative preface of “It is written” has the effect of linking the life and ministry of Jesus to the Old Testament. “Jesus is not an afterthought of God, as though an earlier plan of salvation had gone awry. Rather, Jesus stands in continuity with the work of God in Israel, the fulfiller of the law and the prophets. The introductory tapestry of Old Testament quotations not only links the person and ministry of Jesus inseparably with the preceding revelation of God in the Old Testament, but it makes the person and ministry of Jesus nonunderstandable apart from it. From a Christian theological perspective, this unites the New Testament uniquely and inseparably to the Old Testament. The gospel is understandable only as the completion of something that God began in the history of Israel. This excludes the possibility of Christians either dismissing or diminishing the importance of the Old Testament, or of attempting to ‘purge’ the gospel of its Jewish origins and context.”[1]

[1] Edwards, James R. 2002. The Gospel according to Mark. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

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Matthew 1:2-17, Genesis 5

A Deathless Life!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 3, 2023

I’ve memorized genealogy lists in the Bible, not all of them, but those that traced the line to Jesus. The problem is, I can never remember them. You have to rehearse them at least once a week to maintain the list of names in your mind. It seems that after about a week they get lost in the deep recesses of my mind where I can’t find them anymore. The genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew is one of those lists I’ve tried to memorize. There are three sections in this genealogy: The first one is from Abraham to David. Then comes from David to the deportation to Babylon. The final one is from the Deportation to the birth of Jesus. Matthew 1:2-17 gives us the entire list. Instead of quoting it here in its entirety, which I can’t do anyway, (you can look it up), I’d like to point out a couple of interesting things regarding those on the list.

First of all, look at the women that are here. In the Old Testament Genealogies, especially those in Genesis, there are no women in those genealogies. But here we have Tamar who played the prostitute to get pregnant by her father-in-law Judah. Then we have Rahab the mother of Boaz who was the prostitute of Jericho. Then there is the mother of Obed, Ruth. She was a Moabitess, the product of incest between Lot and one of his two daughters. Then we have the mother of Solomon, Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah who had an affair with King David. The text says that David saw her bathing, sent for her, and “took her.” Does that mean he raped her? There is some debate regarding this issue. If David could murder, surely rape wasn’t something beyond him. There is another woman that is not named in the genealogy that should be mentioned. That was the mother of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. Her name was Naamah. She is not named but she was an Ammonite. Therefore, she was the descendant of the other daughter of Lot and therefore is the product of incest as well. My point is that we have a rape victim and two products of incest in the genealogy of Christ. Many of those who oppose abortion will make an exception for those conceived by rape or incest. The baby in the womb is guilty of neither of these offenses. If it’s life at conception, let’s protect it. We never know how God will use him/her to bless the world.

The genealogy in the fifth chapter of Genesis is widely noted for ending with “and he died.” They lived long lives, but the end was just the same except for Enoch who “was taken” by God. But, it’s a constant refrain in the book documenting God’s words to Adam that death would now be a part of the human experience. Chapter five of Genesis is often referred to as the “obituary chapter.” But the genealogy of Matthew does not mention death. It’s only “he begat.” It is through Adam’s line we inherited death. It’s through Christ’s line we can inherit eternal life through faith. Our Daily Bread commented on this passage by saying: You’ve probably heard the familiar story of the man whose name was printed in the obituary column of a daily paper by mistake. Greatly disturbed, he went to the newspaper office and exclaimed, “This is terrible! Your error will cause me no end of embarrassment and may even mean a loss of business. How could you do such a thing?” The editor expressed regrets, but the man remained angry and unreasonable. Finally, the editor said in disgust, “Cheer up, fellow, I’ll put your name in the birth column tomorrow and give you a fresh start!” That’s what happens when we find new life in Christ. Salvation changes our heritage from a living death to deathless life.

 

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