October 11 Daily Devotional

The Family of Jesus

Charles and Norma Ellis

Bible Reading:

Matthew 1:1-17

¹The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
²Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
³And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
⁴And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
⁵And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
⁶And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
⁷And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
⁸And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
⁹And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
¹⁰And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
¹¹And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
¹²And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
¹³And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
¹⁴And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
¹⁵And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
¹⁶And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
¹⁷So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Devotional:

The Old Testament opens with the creation of the first man, Adam. The New Testament opens with the incarnation of the second Adam, God's Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In Adam all died. All those in Christ are made alive.

Why this genealogy? What is God teaching us by beginning the New Testament with a family tree which we have difficulty in reading, and especially aloud? God is teaching us at least three things in this chapter. It is very important for us to understand what they are.

First, He is teaching us that Jesus is a real human being. God is rooting Jesus firmly in space-time. He is completely eliminating the possibility of our being swept away into some extra-historical view of our Saviour. Jesus is truly man just as certainly as He is truly God.

Second, God is pointing out in a striking fashion that His normal way of working is within the framework of the family. The family is His point of reference. The family is the backbone of society. As we review the lives of some of the persons in this family tree we are aghast at God's grace in including them in the genealogy of His Son! But there they are! The family is the normal channel through which God works.

And third, God is showing us how He miraculously preserved the line of promise all the way from creation. The barrenness of Sarah, the captivity of the Jews, the machinations of Haman— nothing hindered His purpose to send His Son. Christ's genealogy is a reminder of this!

We thank You, God, for all Your Word, even for the 'begats.'

We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."

Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.

Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.