August 22, 2010 Promises To Trust

August 22
Promises to Trust
Read Matthew 1 - 2

Matt 2:22-23 Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

I CONCLUDE this reading with these verses because they summarize what Matthew is doing in these two chapters. His purpose is to be clear about God’s sovereign purpose to bring the Christ—the Messiah—from the Jews to the Jews.

He is writing to the Jews. He is a Jew, a former tax collector, and he wants his own people to know the truth. A major piece of evidence for the Christ is his genealogy—what is his family line? The Jews know the prophets say the Christ will come from the line of Abraham to Judah and David. Matthew clearly shows that truth.

He also clearly shows God’s involvement in the birth of Jesus. God is moving the government and world events to bring his Son into a place he prepared in eternity past for our eternity future.

Matthew is showing that God’s plan to send the Christ came true in Jesus’ lineage, birth and place of residence. This is foundational to Jewish thinking and helps prove the truth of the prophecies.

Because these prophecies have come true, we can use this to build our trust that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Messiah. And when we trust that truth, we are prepared to see God’s future prophecies of power and deliverance come true in our lives.