From the Desk of Paul Chapman

The Genealogy Of Christ - Part 2
By PJ Chapman

In part one of our study we followed the genealogy (or seed-line) of Christ from Adam to Shem, the son of Noah. That section of Christ's genealogy is called the Universal Seed-line of Christ. We continue with what is called the National Seed-line of Christ, beginning with God's promise to Abraham.

God preserved the Seed-line through centuries of patriarchal fathers. Now, He not only had to preserve the Seed-line, but He would preserve a special nation for that Seed to come through.

The promise of a Savior was made once again, but this time to Abraham, still known as Abram at that time. God said to him, "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing…and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed"(Gen. 12:1ff). Then, in Genesis 22:18, based on Abraham's continued faithfulness, God reaffirmed the promise He made, "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." In writing to the churches of Galatia, the apostle Paul quotes this passage from Genesis. Jewish Christians had misunderstood what the Seed of Abraham was. They believed it referred to the Jewish people. Paul's effort was to convince them that the Gentiles were also to benefit from the Seed of Abraham. He argued, "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ"(Gal. 3:16).

A third affirmation of the promise was given to Isaac, the son of Abraham. God told Isaac, "Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you…in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed"(Gen. 26:3-4).

The third stop along the trail of Christ's lineage is Judah, the son of Jacob (Israel). This is important to note because it begins the Tribal Seed-line of Christ. God narrowed down His promise to one particular tribe, that being the tribe of Judah. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people"(Gen. 49:10). This meant that God would now have to preserve the tribe of Judah. This was done even during the troublesome time of Babylonian captivity.

The next stop along the genealogy trail is at Boaz and Ruth. They lived during the time of the Judges. This was a very turbulent period. As the book of Judges states, "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes"(Judges 21:25). So, once again, we see how God preserved the Seed of Christ through a time when most men were seeking evil. Ruth, however, was a breath of fresh air. She was a convert to Judaism who trusted God (Ruth 2:12). God will use anyone who will comply with His will, so He worked Ruth into the genealogy of Christ even though she was not an Israelite. Ruth was a Moabite.

God worked her into Christ's genealogy through her marriage to Boaz, who carried the Seed of Christ. A man with the character of Boaz was rare for that time. We see in the book of Ruth that he was a thoughtful, generous, and compassionate man. The Lord allowed Ruth to conceive and give birth to a son, and she named him Obed. He would become the grandfather of the great king David. Next time we will begin with David's place in the lineage of Christ

~ PJ Chapman