Promises Kept
From the exile to the Christ, that intervening 500 and some years, is incredibly chaotic. Little is known of the men listed in Jesus' genealogy between Jeconiah and Himself. But much is known of the history of those centuries. Somehow, through the chaos, not only would God preserve His people, but He would bring His Messiah in fulfillment of promises that grow more inconceivable as the generations pass. God laid out His plans in remarkable detail, but would anyone be listening? Would anyone be watching? His plans for Christ's second Advent are similarly revealed. Is anyone paying attention? From Matthew 1:12-25.
Introduction
These people, recorded in Jesus’ earthly genealogy, have so much to teach us. We’ve spent the last three weeks learning all kinds of lessons from their lives. Matthew begins his Gospel, his record of the life of Jesus, identifying Jesus as “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” These two men carry two overarching promises regarding the person and work of Christ: Abraham received the promise that all peoples would be blessed through him; David received the promise that one of his sons would reign forever on his throne.
We left off last week on the edge of the exile of Judah from their land because of their overwhelming sin. It seems bad, and its about to get worse. Can God fulfill these promises, in the face of such opposition, handicapped by such sinful, rebellious people? Of course He can! Let’s see how.
Jeconiah, End of the Kings (Jehoiachin)
Josiah loved the Lord and zealously worked to bring Judah back into obedience to the Lord. But somehow, his zeal didn’t transfer to any of his sons. They all did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Jeconiah, also known as Jehoiachin, would have been around 7 years old when his grandfather died—at the ripe young age of 39! His actual father, Jehoiakim, reigned for 11 years, then was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and taken away to prison where he died. Jeconiah was actually Jehoiakim’s son, but Matthew skips Jehoiakim and jumps from Josiah to Jeconiah. Jeconiah reigned for all of three months, before he too was summoned to Babylon and imprisoned.
Judah enjoyed 11 more years of existence, until Nebuchadnezzar, like God, had had enough of the rebellious kings of Judah. Through Jeremiah, the Lord promised that the nation would endure exile for 70 years, but then He would allow them to return to their own land.
As for Jeconiah, after 37 years in prison, he was released by Evil-Merodach and given an honored seat at the king’s table, where he was provided for until the day of his death. However, he was never able to return to the land of his birth.
God said this about him through Jeremiah (22:30, NIV84): “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.”
Jeconiah was the end of the line of kings. The promise to David, that he would always have a man to sit on his throne, was effectively broken.
Or so it seemed. God would have to do something else, to restore it. And He had announced over and over, in many different ways and many different times, that there would be a righteous king arise from the house of David to rule not just Israel, but the nations.
But how?
Isaiah 11:1-5 promises that God is not done with David, though He may be done with Jeconiah.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
From the stump of Jesse, from his roots, a Branch will arise and bear fruit. He will be filled with the Spirit of God and delight in the fear of the Lord. He will judge in righteousness and execute judgment with supernatural power! This Son of David would be no ordinary man. He would indeed surpass King David.
If none of Jeconiah’s sons would ever reign as king, how would God fulfill His promise to David?
Of all the names that follow, from Jeconiah to the Christ, we only have information about two of them: Zerubbabel and Joseph. I’ll jump to the first of these two:
Zerubbabel, the Transplant (Sheshbazzar)
Jeconiah had a son during the exile, Shealtiel. Shealtiel had a son during the 70 years of exile, Zerubbabel, who was also known as Sheshbazzar. Zerubbabel is called a prince of Judah and was appointed governor of the province of Judah, after the Persians overthrew the Babylonians and permitted exiled peoples to return to their homelands. Judah was not an independent country, but a province, so Zerubbabel is the closest to a son of Jeconiah regaining the throne of David.
If you know anything about the genealogies recorded in Matthew and Luke, you know that they are dramatically different. They are completely different from David to Shealtiel and again from Zerubbabel to Joseph. Why? There is no definitive answer, but there are possibilities. Some say the genealogy of Matthew is Joseph’s family line, while Luke’s is Mary’s. If that’s true or there’s some other explanation, it’s still odd that both genealogies share Shealtiel and Zerubbabel, but diverge both before and after. There are again several possible explanations. Perhaps adoption, as in the case of Esther and Mordecai, also of that same time period—there was war, and likely many orphaned children taken in by close family members. Perhaps the practice of a younger brother marrying the widow of an older brother who died childless, in order to raise up a son for the dead brother—we saw that in Judah’s life specifically.
Whatever the exact reason, there are two interesting passages in Scripture regarding Jeconiah and Zerubbabel, and perhaps therein likes the solution to God’s “broken” promise to David.
We mentioned God’s promise to Jeconiah, that he would never have a son to sit on David’s throne. There’s more that God says about Jeconiah in that passage. In Jeremiah 22:24, God says, “ ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the LORD, ‘even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.’ ”
More than 70 years later, through the prophet Haggai, God says, “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. 23 ‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (Haggai 2:21-23, NIV84).
A signet ring was the symbol of a ruler used to seal and affirm documents as being the ruler’s own words and intention. Jeconiah lost the privilege and position of being God’s representative, and God gave that position and place to Zerubbabel. Either God repented of cutting Jeconiah’s line off, or else He grafted in a secondary line to replace Jeconiah’s descendants but still keep the tie to David. Though Zerubbabel never attained to the position of king, his line apparently was chosen as the new royal line.
Intervening Centuries
Zerubbabel, Joshua the High Priest and the returning Jews rebuilt God’s temple, though it was a much more modest affair than Solomon’s—with some prodding from Haggai and Zechariah. Nehemiah came later to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Esther and Purim happens in this period. Malachi spoke the last Word from God until the time of John the Baptist.
Until we reach Joseph, the rest of these people in Jesus’ genealogy passed their days in obscurity. But it’s not as if nothing was happening around them, though. The 500 and some years between Cyrus the Persian permitting the Jews to return home and the arrival of the Messiah were filled with drama for the Jews.
The Scriptures actually contain an outline of this inter-Testamental period in four of Daniel’s prophesies (Daniel 2, 7, 8, 10-12). The Persians would defeat the Babylonians. Then the Greeks would conquer the Persians. As soon as Alexander the Great had accomplished that feat, he would die and his empire would be divided among his four top generals. The Ptolmeys in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria would fight back and forth across the Mediterranean coast, including what would be called Judea, the Jewish homeland. One of the Seleucid kings, Antiochus IV Epiphanes would become a model for the Anti-Christ, who is yet to come. Even the Maccabean revolt is briefly mentioned in these prophesies (Daniel 11:14). Eventually Rome would rise to take control of the region, including the Jews. A final, monstrous kingdom would arise, tied somehow back to Rome, and it would be overthrown by the Lord, by “one like a son of man,” the Messiah Himself.
All of this is recorded in Daniel, looking ahead into the future. Most of it is also recorded in our history books, looking backward, filling in the details of names and dates and places. That final kingdom and its overthrow by Messiah have yet to come about.
Not only that, but Daniel was given a timetable for the Advent of the Messiah, which means “Anointed One”:
“Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” (Daniel 9:24-26, NIV84)
From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, there would be two sets of “sevens” (a period of seven years): seven “sevens” or 49 years, and 62 “sevens” or 434 years. There would then be one final “seven.” It’s this 70th “seven” that is tied to that final kingdom and the coming of Messiah to establish His eternal kingdom. But the first two sets of “sevens,” 69 in total, seem to have a gap between the first set of seven “sevens” and the second set of 62 “sevens,” just as there has clearly been a gap between those first 69 “sevens” and the final “seven” that has yet to begin.
In Daniel 9:25, Daniel is told that a total of 69 “sevens” will pass from “the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes.” Right there, anyone with an interest in seeing the Messiah come would know about when to start looking. Does it speak of His birth? Or of His coming into public view? The prophecy is not precise.
What is even more interesting—and distressing—is that after the 7 and then the 62, or 69, “sevens” are complete, “the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26, NIV84). So apparently, after the 69 “sevens,” the Messiah will come and then be cut off, with apparently nothing to show for it, and then Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed. That is pretty specific!
If anyone knew Daniel’s prophecies, just as Daniel knew of Jeremiah’s prophecy about the 70 years of exile, then they should have been counting down. Zerubbabel fathers Abiud, Abiud fathers Eliakim. Somewhere in there Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther do their thing; without knowing the dates these men lived and died, we can only guess where they fit into the broader events of this intervening period. Eliakim fathers Azor, Azor fathers Zadok, Zadok fathers Akim. The Greeks come like a storm, split, and battle back and forth across the Promised Land. Akim fathers Eliud, Eliud fathers Eleazar. The Maccabean revolt happens somewhere in here. Eleazar fathers Matthan, Matthan fathers Jacob; Herod the Great ends up on the throne of Judea with Roman help.
Time’s almost up! Someone should be watching for the coming of the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ. Jacob fathers Joseph, “the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Matthew 1:16, NIV84). By Matthew’s accounting, there are 14 generations from the exile to the Messiah, or Christ (Matthew 1:17).
Promises
Long ago, the Jews were promised that a seed of Abraham would become a blessing to all the nations. If anyone understood prophecy and Hebrew grammar like the Apostle Paul, they would know that it was not a people that would bless all nations, but an individual (Galatians 3:8-16). Were they looking for the One through whom God would bless all peoples?
Long ago, a promise was made to the Jewish King David, that he would have a son reign upon his throne forever and ever. None of the kings to follow David reigned forever. None of the Maccabean kings were from the line of David and none reigned forever. None of the Herodian kings were from the line of David and none reigned forever.
But a promise was made and reiterated and expanded upon, from Old Testament prophet to Old Testament prophet.
Daniel told them when to watch for the Anointed One. Micah told them where He would be born, in Bethlehem—and that He was no mere mortal: His origins were from ancient times (Micah 5:2)! Isaiah told them where the Anointed One would spend most of His days, and the hope He would bring.
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:1-7, NIV84)
Was anyone looking for this child born to be an eternal king, “mighty God” and “everlasting Father”? A God-Man? Anyone with eyes to see and a brain to think should have been able to recognize the time was ripe!
Joseph, Messiah Arrives (Matthew 1:18-25)
We don’t know a lot about Joseph. He was a carpenter. He lived in Nazareth, though he was of the line and house of King David. He had betrothed Mary to be his wife. He was a righteous and God-fearing man.
As the days neared for their wedding, it was discovered that Mary was pregnant. The Law required that a woman pledged to be married and discovered to have committed adultery was to be put to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). If Joseph exposed her, she would be liable to death, not just ridicule, though the Jews may not have held so closely to the Law at that time. He would still have to break the engagement with what amounted to divorce.
But when an angel came and explained what was going on, Joseph submitted himself, just as Mary had, to the plan of God. This Child was no ordinary child; He was conceived from the Holy Spirit. He was the Son of God.
How many dreams do you have where an angel tells you to do something that seems so far from right, that seems so fantastic as to be unbelievable? Yet Joseph feared God and did what he was told.
The angel told him to name the son Jesus, which is a form of Joshua and means the Lord saves. Only the angel said the baby would save his people from their sins! If anyone was watching, if Joseph himself was watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah, did he recognize what he was being asked to do? Was he thrown off by this “saving from sins”? Wasn’t the Messiah coming to reign on the throne of David and bless all the nations? What better blessing could the people ask than for a righteous king who judges justly?
If anyone was watching and waiting, there was reason to look for a savior from sin, but as much as the Old Testament talks about that, most Jews were just looking for a king to free them from the oppression of foreigners and maybe let them rule over all their enemies.
Did Joseph recognize that God was fulfilling Isaiah 7:14 in causing Mary, a virgin, to be with child, a child who will be called “Immanuel,” which means “God with us”? A child...who is God...dwelling among us….
What we do know is that when Joseph awoke, he did exactly what was asked of him. He took Mary home as his wife, probably ahead of schedule and without the usual wedding fanfare, covering for her mysterious pregnancy.
Matthew skips over the trip to Bethlehem and the birth in apparent obscurity, only to tell us that when Jesus was born, Joseph named him according to instruction.
This was the fulfillment. This was the Anointed One, arriving on time, as God had foretold. This was the Son of David, who would reign on David’s throne. This was the seed of Abraham, through whom all peoples of the earth would be blessed.
Do you know how He blesses all the peoples? By making a way for our sins to be forgiven, for us to be changed and gain victory over sin. That’s where “being cut off and having nothing” comes in. He did not ascend to the throne of David at that advent. Instead, He grew up and performed miracles and taught the truth about God, mostly in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, the region of Galilee. Then, with the seven “sevens” and the 62 “sevens” of Daniel completed, Jesus was crucified in payment for our sins, He was buried, but on the third day He rose again from the dead. He did not take the throne of Israel at that time, but ascended into Heaven, to take His seat at the right hand of God the Father, until the appointed time of His return. Until the final “seven” is completed and He overthrows the Antichrist and reigns on David’s throne forever, exalting Israel above all nations.
For all intents and purpose, “he was cut off and had nothing.” Within forty years of His ascension into Heaven, Jerusalem would be destroyed along with the temple, exactly as foretold. As counter-intuitive as God’s plans seem, every promise is fulfilled, exactly as stated.
The Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12)
What makes God’s promises hard to anticipate and watch for isn’t their apparent vagueness, but our refusal to believe that God can bring about what He has described.
There were many people waiting in general hope, longing for deliverance from earthly enemies. But there were few who believed God’s promises and knew what to watch for.
Herod the King was not looking for the coming of the Anointed One. The Jewish priests and religious leaders, who should most understand the testimony of God written in their Scriptures, they knew the prophecies, but they weren’t keeping watch for the Anointed One.
Matthew chapter 2 tells us about the wise men from the east. Foreigners! They were scholars and students of all wisdom. Perhaps even Daniel’s records. They knew! They were on the lookout! They saw the star of the Anointed One! They even understood that He deserved worship, as one divine. So they showed up unexpected in Jerusalem, asking where to find the newborn King of the Jews because they were here to worship Him!
Foreigners knew better than God’s own people! They believed God’s Word; they saw the signs; they recognized God in human form and came to worship Him.
Simeon (Luke 2:22-35)
It’s not as if no Jews were watching. There was at least one man who was waiting, who knew the Anointed One was coming any day now. He’s not described as an expert in the Law or a religious leader, but he knew his God and believed His Word.
Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary had to take him to the Temple for Mary’s ritual cleansing.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:25-32, NIV84)
Simeon loved God and worshiped God and did what God asked. God loved him and told him by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah with his own eyes before he died. The day that Joseph and Mary brought their newborn baby to the Temple, the Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go there too. Simeon recognized that this baby was the Lord’s Christ. And he understood what that meant, because he delighted in the Lord, in His Word and in His ways. Jesus was God’s means of blessing all peoples with salvation, opening the eyes even of the Gentiles and bringing surpassing honor to the people of Israel.
Conclusion
The “good news of great joy that will be for all the people,” that “in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11, NIV84)—this great news has been proclaimed for 2,000 years. There are many who believe in spite of the impossible nature of these promises and their fulfillment.
Jesus is the blessing that is available to all peoples. He is also the King who will reign on David’s throne forever and ever. Anyone who is willing, can clearly see that Jesus alone perfectly fulfills the promises, the impossible parameters that God set so as to reveal His Anointed One. Those who see, understand that He is worthy of all glory and honor and worship. He is King, though now seemingly “cut off.” As He fulfilled prophecies that seemed impossible to fulfill, He will complete all the remaining prophecies that to us seem impossible to fulfill.
Are you ready for His return? Are you watching for His next advent?
He comes to bring blessing to all peoples, but not all people will be blessed. Those who recognize Him as God and King, who bow the knee and seek to know and serve Him, they will be blessed. Those who disregard Him or disbelieve Him, they will bow the knee, but they will be cast into “the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42).
Do you recognize whose birth we celebrate at Christmas? If so, then you have cause for great joy; give Him the worship, honor and obedience He deserves. If not, today is the day to accept Jesus as Lord and Christ, as Savior and King. He came to be “cut off” for your sins and mine; in His name you can receive forgiveness. But He has risen from the dead and waits in Heaven until the time set by His Father!
Now, He calls us to repent and believe in Him as Lord: You and I need to turn away from our own wisdom and ways of living, and we need to turn to Him in humility and submission and learn to live in His ways. Are you willing to believe Him?
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21, NIV84)
Read His Word, the Bible; believe it and do what it says. Join us each Sunday morning and Wednesday evening to learn more about who He is and how to walk in His ways. Call me, text me, email me, talk to me any time; ask questions, talk about what you’re learning through God’s Word. Let’s keep growing, together.