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Most of us are familiar with the facts of the birth of Christ reported by Matthew and Luke. We sit in amazement to think that God put Himself into human form to save us. But what so excites me is that God knew from the beginning of time how He wanted Jesus to come, and that He began to carefully plan events to produce exactly the result He wanted.
We know the prophecies of Isaiah 7:10-14, where the name Immanuel is given, and Isaiah 9:7, where the birth of a child is promised, a child who would be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, etc. The place of His birth, we know, is given in Micah 5:2.
Those are the facts, but how did God move history to make it all happen? That is the story of His sovereignty. The first prophecy of the Messiah is given in Genesis 3:15. There God declared that He would put hostility between the serpent and the descendants of Eve and that her offspring would crush the serpent's head. If this prophecy is messianic, we see that the Messiah will be a male, because that offspring is called "he". More interesting, we note that this man will be born from a woman. No human father is mentioned. That may not be significant, but it is interesting.
Saying the Messiah will be a male descendant of Eve, however, is of little help in identifying Him. Every man in history fits that qualification. But God had more in mind. In Genesis 12:1-3, we note how He picked Abraham to be the father of the God-blessed family. Galatians 3:16 points out that God meant Abraham would be the father of Christ. But Abraham had children by three women. What would God do here?
Again, God was not caught off guard. In Genesis 21:12, God chose Isaac as the seed-bearer. The process continues through Isaac's two sons. In this instance (Genesis 25:23), God clearly showed His sovereign control by declaring that the younger son would be greater than his older brother. That younger son of Isaac was Jacob, who really made things complicated by having 12 sons.
But if God can choose between two, He can also choose out of 12--which he did in Genesis 49:8-10, through the blessing of Jacob. The old patriarch called his sons one by one so that he could give his final words to them. To Judah, his fourth son, Jacob gave the rule over his brothers, saying, "The scepter will not depart from Judah." This prophecy was confirmed in Zechariah 10:3-4. Clearly, God wanted someone from the tribe of Judah to be ruler over His people.
Before this promise could be fulfilled, however, sin brought in a terrible complication. Judah became involved with his daughter-in-law (Genesis 38:12-30), and an illegitimate son was born. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses had declared that no illegitimate child could be part of God's people through the 10th generation (Deuteronomy 23:2). That is why the first king of Israel, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.
David, the second king of Israel, was the first of Judah's line to hold the throne. He was the 11th generation, as Ruth 4:18-22 points out. From David until Jesus, the line of descent remains intact. Joseph, Jesus' "father", is a biological descendant of David. Matthew 1 shows that clearly.
But there was another wrinkle. Jehoiachin, a descendant of David and the second last king of Judah, was an evil man. Because of his sin, Jeremiah 22:28-30 declares that Jehoiachin would never have a descendant sit on David's throne. Joseph, Jesus' "father", falls under the curse of Jehoiachin. Any biological son of Joseph would be a biological descendant of Jehoiachin, and thus would be disqualified. (Jehoiachin is called Jeconiah in Matthew 1:11-12.) Joseph's son would have a legal right to David's throne, but not a biological one. Joseph would have to adopt a son, thus granting that son legal rights. And this Joseph did, claiming the Son of the virgin as his own. God's amazing plan worked out to the end.
Things did not always go smoothly in this long line. Satan tried to get his hand in repeatedly. Once Pharaoh tried to kill all the males in Israel. Another time, Queen Athaliah (II Kings 11:1) tried to wipe out the male line. Even through the Babylonian captivity, God kept the line alive--so that the promise made in the Garden of Eden could be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
What this sermon has always said to me is that God is sovereign, that He will do what He sets out to do. Through the years, I have drawn great encouragement from that. I hope you can too.
Jim Holm is senior pastor of Reedley (Calif.) MB Church. This article is reprinted, with permission, from The Christian Leader.
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