Don’t DVR Matthew

[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

Don’t DVR Matthew by Mark Robinson

Read: Matthew 1:1-17

Watching TV on a DVR has conditioned me to bypass anything I see as “filler” to get to the main course.  Sadly, too often I take this attitude with me when I read my Bible . . . a book that has NO FILLER.  All of the Bible is inspired by God, therefore, I should not fast forward through any of it.  Yet, too often I come to certain sections of God’s word and want to double tap the right facing arrows, speeding up progress until the “main story” resumes.  One such section of Scripture we are tempted to fast forward through is found in Matthew 1:1-17.  I hope when you read this section earlier, you did not fast forward your way through this list.  If you did, you would have missed some very interesting and spiritually important facts:

▪Jesus is a direct descendant of Abraham.  This means that Jesus would be the One through whom all the people of the earth would be blessed according to God’s promise (Genesis 12:1-3)

▪Jesus is a descendant of David, thus having a royal lineage.  This also makes possible God’s promise to David of his descendants sitting on Israel’s throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16)

▪5 women’s names appear in this genealogy (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba, and Mary). These women remind us of God’s love of both men and women and His intention to use both extensively in His plans.

If you DVR your way through Matthew 1, you will miss some very important stuff.  This Christmas, as you read the Christmas story, read all of it . . . and be blessed.

Questions

• Do you like to fast forward through commercials or parts of a show that you don’t find personally interesting?

• What stands out to you most about the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1?

Advent Prayer

• Knowing that God makes good on His promises to His people, think of a promise that God has made to you (as His follower) and pray, thanking Him for His provision in your life.