Matthew (Written)

Nifty cool bench, Wyoming Capitol.

Monday, 22 July 2024

Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. Matthew 1:15

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And Eliud begot Eleazar, and Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob” (CG).

The previous verse ended with, “and Achim begot Eliud.” The genealogy of Jesus continues next with, “And Eliud begot Eleazar.”

Eleazar means God Has Helped or Whom God Helps, coming from el, God, and azar, to help. Next it says, “and Eleazar begot Matthan.”

Matthan means Gift, coming from the verb nathan, to give. You may know someone named Nathan. Now you can explain his name to him and get him interested in reading the Bible. The genealogy now comes to the final name before the coming of Christ Jesus, saying, “and Matthan begot Jacob.”

The name Jacob comes from the Hebrew name Yaaqov. That is derived from aqev, the heel or hind part, which is derived from the verb aqav, to follow at the heel. Thus, the name means Heel Catcher. This, in turn, signifies Supplanter because when one grabs another’s heel, he will trip him up and take his place. The name also means Who Closely Follows After, He Who Sets Down His Heel, and so forth. It is a rich name with a variety of meanings.

Life application: There is a lot of coded information in this genealogy of Christ. A study by Dr. Ivan Panin recorded in the book Numerics in Scripture by Mark Vedder concerning this genealogy gives incredible mathematical patterns that seem impossible to be random. In fact, a definite wisdom and intelligence was used to make them.

Are these patterns the work of Matthew, or did Matthew simply copy these things down under the inspiration of the Spirit? The chances weigh heavily towards the latter. If Matthew had intentionally made this list with these patterns in mind, it would certainly have been recorded somewhere. However, it wasn’t until the 1800s that Dr. Panin discovered these patterns.

Take time to search the internet on his work.  You can also obtain a copy of the book by Mark Vedder online. It is a fascinating and incredible study that will leave you satisfied that you are on the right track when you are following Jesus. It is just one more of countless subtle proofs that God’s hand is clearly resting upon His sacred word.

Lord God, even with all of the proofs and evidences imaginable concerning the reliability of Your word, we still have to accept, by faith, that Jesus actually died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. We did not witness it, and so we must have faith that it is so. And we do. Nothing else makes sense in this tiring world without Jesus. But with Him, all is fresh, alive, and new. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wyoming Capitol.

Sunday, 21 July 2024

Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Matthew 1:14

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And Azor begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud” (CG).

The previous verse ended with, “and Eliakim begot Azor.” The genealogy of Jesus continues next with, “And Azor begot Zadok.”

Zadok means Righteous or Just, coming from the word tsadeq, to be just. After him, it says, “and Zadok begot Achim.”

Achim means Raised Up or Established, either coming from the Hebrew qum, to arise or stand, or kun, to establish. After him, the list continues with, “and Achim begot Eliud.”

Eliud means My God is Majestic or My God is Praise, coming from el, God, and either hod, majesty, or yada, to praise. The “i” is possessive and thus “My God.” These three men were honored to be in the line of David leading to Jesus, other than that, nothing is known of them from a historical perspective.

Life application: Sometimes, it is hard to discern exactly what root a name is derived from. This is true in the Hebrew Bible, and so how much more difficult is it when a name is transliterated from Hebrew into Greek. Assumptions must be made as to which root the name is derived from.

There are times when an analysis is surely correct, but unless it is absolutely certain, it is good to consider a variety of possibilities. Such studies can lead one into a marvelous tapestry of gleaning information about the Hebrew language, so don’t hesitate to try one.

The study of the Bible involves the study of many other things, such as the original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, also numbers, names, types of gemstones, metallurgy, and on and on. There are almost an endless number of avenues in which to study the Bible, so don’t get bogged down or in a rut in your daily reading!

Instead, look for new and exciting things to consider. What about trees? One can do an extensive study on the trees in the Bible, gleaning incredible insights into why God selected certain trees. Their wood, their sap, their leaves, and their fruit all can give us insights into what God is conveying to us.

Be ready to dive in! Pick a topic and go for it. You will be blessed each time you do.

Lord God, Your word is so deep, rich, and magnificent that we can study it all our lives and still find more that we can learn. There seems to be no end to the marvelous tapestry contained within the words, lines, and pages of Your precious word. Help us to study it and revel in it all the days of our lives. Amen.

Road outside Wyoming Capitol.

Saturday, 20 July 2024

Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Matthew 1:13

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And Zerubbabel begot Abiud, and Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor” (CG).

The previous verse ended with, “and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.” Matthew’s genealogy leading to Israel’s Messiah now continues with, “And Zerubbabel begot Abiud.”

This listing does not match that of 1 Chronicles 3, which says –

“The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam, Hananiah, Shelomith their sister, ²⁰ and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed—five in all.” 1 Chronicles 3:19, 20

From this list, it is believed by some that Abiud is the same as Hananiah in that genealogy. John Gill thinks he is the same as Mushullam. Either way, the reason for the variance in names is that someone “…might have two names; nor is this unlikely, since it was usual, especially about the time of the Babylonish captivity, for men to have more names than one, as may be observed in Daniel and others, Daniel 1:7 where they went by one, and in Judea by another” Gill.

The list continues with “and Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.”

Neither name is listed in 1 Chronicles. None of the names from this point on are recorded in Old Testament Scripture because of the dating of 2 Chronicles which ends prior to the intertestamental period.

Of this record, Bengel says –

“Hiller explains in his Syntagmata, pp. 361, sqq., where he shows, that the Jews acknowledged the genealogy in the said passage of Chronicles to be that of the Messiah: nor, indeed, was it necessary that any other genealogy should have been carried further down there than that of the Messiah. There can, therefore, be no doubt but that the passage in question was particularly well known to the Jews; and there was, consequently, the less need that St Matthew should repeat it in extenso. In this generation, then, concludes the scripture of the Old Testament. The remainder of the genealogy was supplied by St Matthew from trustworthy documents of a later date, and, no doubt, of a public character.”

Life application: The genealogical records in the Old Testament were meticulously maintained, but they didn’t account for differences in names at the time when two names were used. They simply listed a name and continued on. As such, a lot of research is often needed to know who is being referred to. At times, speculation must be made.

An example of one person with two names is found in the sons of Saul –

Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal.” 1 Chronicles 9:39

The son named Esh-Baal is the same as Ishbosheth recorded in 2 Samuel 2:8. Likewise, the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth of 2 Samuel 4:4, is called Merib-baal in 1 Chronicles 8:34. These things can be deduced from the surrounding text within the narratives at times, but the point is that people being given two names is not unusual, nor is it something that is always noted.

As noted above, Daniel and the three men noted with him in Daniel 1:7 were given new names when they were exiled to Babylon. If their names were recorded, normally only one would be maintained in a particular genealogy. This makes things both difficult and, at times, completely unsure. However, in the Bible, there is enough information for us to be certain that Jesus is the Messiah. Even with a difficult genealogy to consider, innumerable other clues point both to the timing of His coming and the role He would fulfill.

Let us be confident that we have a sound and reliable record of what God intends for us, even if we do not have all the answers to various genealogical difficulties at this time.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your word which gives us great insights into what You have done and continue to do in the stream of history to bring us back to Yourself. Above all, thank You for Jesus who is so prominently on display in the pages of the Bible. We have every assurance that we are following You properly when we choose to follow Jesus. Amen.

Pointy top of the Wyoming Capitol.

Friday, 19 July 2024

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Matthew 1:12

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible”on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And after the Babylon deportation, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel” (CG).

The previous verse noted that Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers upon the Babylon deportation. Matthew now continues the narrative, saying, “And after the Babylon deportation, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel.”

The name Shealtiel means I Have Asked God, I Have Asked of God, or something similar. These words appear to cause a problem with the words of Jeremiah 22 –

“As I live,” says the Lord, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; ²⁵ and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. ²⁶ So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. ²⁷ But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return.
²⁸ Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol—
A vessel in which is no pleasure?
Why are they cast out, he and his descendants,
And cast into a land which they do not know?
²⁹ O earth, earth, earth,
Hear the word of the Lord!
³⁰ Thus says the Lord:
‘Write this man down as childless,
A man who shall not prosper in his days;
For none of his descendants shall prosper,
Sitting on the throne of David,
And ruling anymore in Judah.’” Jeremiah 22:24-30

In those words, Jeconiah (there called Coniah) is told that he would lose his right to the throne of David. This is seen in the terminology where he is equated to a signet ring, the sign of royal authority. From there, it then says, “Write this man down as childless.”

As it says this, the question then arises as to how can it now say in Matthew that Jeconiah begot Shealtiel? The answer is in the verse itself. Saying that none of his descendants (literally: man) shall prosper presupposes that he has descendants. However, those coming from him would not sit on the throne of David. The signet had been removed and none of his sons would rule in Judah.

This is confirmed by 1 Chronicles 3:17, 18 where the sons of Jeconiah are named. However, upon his removal, 2 Kings 24 says, “Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.” With this understood, Matthew continues with the words, “and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.”

Zerubbabel means Seed of Babylon (from zara, seed) or Pressed Out of Babylon (from zur, to press). It is Zerubbabel who returned to Judah after the Babylonian exile as first noted in Ezra 3:2, where it says –

“Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.”

Of Zerubbabel, the book of Haggai says –

“‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:23

Zerubbabel being like a signet then signifies the reestablishment of the line leading to the Messiah, the King of Israel. Even though he himself did not reign as king, the royal line is maintained through him from David until the coming of Jesus.

Life application: It is good to read various translations of the Bible. This can help get us “unfixed” from what may be mistranslated in some translations at any given point in the Bible. For example, as seen above, the NKJV Jeremiah 22:30 says

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.’”

If that was correct, then there would be a problem because Zerubbabel descended from Coniah (Jeconiah). However, a literal translation of the verse says –

“Thus said Yehovah, ‘Write the man [ish], the this, childless. Man [gever] not prospers in his days. For not prospers from his seed man [ish], sitting upon throne David and ruling again in Judah.’”

The literal translation opens the possibility for a later generation to reassume the signet, continuing on until the time of Jesus. When doing a thorough study of genealogies or technical issues, it is especially important to check things out. If you are not well versed in how to check the original languages, once you have found a possible disparity, then you can go to someone who may be able to identify which translation is correct.

Be sure to not get captivated by a single translation. They are man’s rendering of God’s word. Translators will hopefully do their best to be accurate, but translational mistakes, even in good translations, can be as common as stones in a riverbed.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful word. It tells us of Jesus. Help us to be responsible as we read, contemplate, and study it. May we handle it carefully and attentively all our days. To Your glory. Amen.

Wyoming Capitol.

Thursday, 18 July 2024

Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. Matthew 1:11

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers upon the Babylon deportation” (CG).

The previous verse ended with the words, “and Amon begot Josiah.” The listing now continues with, “And Josiah begot Jeconiah.”

The record now skips once again. In 2 Kings 23, while referring to Josiah, it says –

“Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.
³¹ Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ³² And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. ³³ Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. ³⁴ Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there.” 2 Kings 23:30-34

After that, in 2 Kings 24, it then reads –

“Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ⁶ So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.” 2 Kings 24:5, 6

It is this person, Jehoiachin, also known as Jeconiah, that was carried to Babylon as is recorded in 2 Kings 24:8-12. Jeconiah is also known elsewhere as Coniah. His name, when recorded as Jehoiachin, means Yah Establishes. With that noted, Matthew next says, “and his brothers.”

A great fuss is made about this because nothing is said of him having brothers. But this dismisses two points. The first is that just because no brothers are recorded, it would be an argument from silence to say he had none. But more, the term “brothers” is used throughout Scripture to indicate many things that extend well beyond actual brothers, even to speaking of all of the people of a tribe or the nation of Israel.

Understanding this, there was an exile. At that time, Jeconiah was a part of it, along with others within the land. These things occurred, according to Matthew “upon the Babylon deportation.”

Like the noting of David, the king in verse 6, this is now the second key in Matthew’s chronology of the genealogy of Jesus. As it says in verse 17 –

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.”

Matthew is forming a narrative based on key events to reveal necessary information for us to contemplate.

Life application: The result of Israel’s continued disobedience, culminating in the wickedness of Manasseh, was for the nation to receive the promised punishment of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. For example –

“I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it.
³³ I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.
³⁴ Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
³⁵ As long as it lies desolate it shall rest—
for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.” Leviticus 26:32-35

Israel failed to pay heed and the people were sent into exile after much famine, sword, and plague. Likewise, the world has the warning that it too will be judged for its wickedness. The book of Revelation is written. Nothing will change what is coming. Thus, like Israel’s woes, the calamities that lie ahead are a global self-inflicted wound.

What man needs, first and foremost, is reconciliation with God. Without that, there is no hope for the human soul. But once one comes to Him through His offering of Jesus, reconciliation is made. This doesn’t mean an easy walk without troubles will be the result. But it does mean that when this walk is over, He promises us an eternity of life in His presence.

Be sure to accept the gospel and receive God’s restoration for your soul. After that, be sure to tell others about it as well. Bad times lay ahead for humanity. Do what you can now to help people avoid what is coming.

Lord God Almighty, despite our walking away from You and living lives in a manner which is at enmity with You, You were willing to send Jesus to bring us back to Yourself. What manner of love is this! Thank You for making the first move in our reconciliation. Now, all You ask us to do is believe. Soften our hearts, O God. Help us to reach out in faith and be saved! Amen.