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"Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is over all, God blessed for ever,
Amen."
We return to the opening chapter of Matthew's Gospel and observe the place in the
unfolding purpose that this Emmanuel doctrine there holds. The chapter falls into two
sections:
The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ. A genealogy commencing with Abraham
and ending with Joseph, a descendant of David, the husband of Mary (1-17).
The birth of the Saviour and the prophetic fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, that His
name should be Emmanuel, God with us (18-25).
There is a reason why the N.T. opens as it does, but an acquaintance with the order of
the books of the O.T. is necessary to appreciate the way in which the twofold theme of
Matt. 1: 1-25 corresponds both with the genealogy and with the utter need expressed in
the closing book of the Hebrew canon.
The reader is aware that, while the English Version of the O.T. contains exactly the
same number of books as the Hebrew canon, the grouping in each case, is not the same.
In both, the five books of the law are found occupying the opening section of the
Scriptures, but with the commencement of the next section, "The Prophets", a change
takes place. While the books of Samuel and of Kings find their place among "The
Prophets", the books of Chronicles are placed at the extreme end of the third section,
which is headed by the Psalms. Thus, where the A.V. of the O.T. concludes with the
twelve minor prophets, Hosea to Malachi, the Hebrew canon concludes with the two
books of The Chronicles. Thus, upon the last page of his Scriptures, the Hebrew reader
sees the dreadful words, "No remedy" (II Chron. 36: 16). But the reader of the N.T. is
blessedly aware that the very next page contains the record of the coming into this world
of God's one great remedy, the gift of His Son to be our Saviour. Let us see how the
record of the first chapter of Matthew follows on from the closing books of the Old
Testament.
Without the preparation of mind afforded by the above introductory notes, most
readers, if asked where they would turn in the O.T. for the complete genealogy of Adam
onward, would naturally refer to the book of Genesis. This of course is right, but no
complete, unbroken, genealogy, commencing from Adam and ending with the days of
Saul king of Israel, is to be found except in the opening chapters of the book of
Chronicles. Thus in the opening verse we read "Adam, Sheth, Enosh", and in
I Chron. 9: 1 is found the summary:
"So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies, and behold they were written in the book
of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their
transgression."
It was because of these transgressions that the words "no remedy" were written in the
closing chapter: