The Passage I'm going to be referring to can be found in Luke 3:23-38. I haven't copied it out here because it would probably be unhelpful.Jesus' Genealogy is full of grace. It shows forth God's faithfulness, his promises and how he has fulfilled them. I used to find it extremely boring to read through lists of names like these, but there s so much that can be learnt here.
Before we come to the promises though, there's something I want to discuss. This Genealogy, and the one in Matthew 1 are both of Jesus. Yet they are very different. Some have suggested that this is just because in those times people sometimes had more than one name. That's definitely possible, and the genealogies do meet up and match each other eventually.
Another suggestion that I have looked into a little is that the Genealogy is actually from Mary's line. Matthew was establishing to the Jews that Jesus was a descendant of David and the fulfilment of God's promises, and by legality that had to be through the Male line. Luke isn't writing to the Jews, so he establishes it through Mary's line.
"...the son of Zerubbabel"
In the book of Haggai, God promised Zerubbabel a number of things, and there are links to his promise of the Messiah coming from Zerubbabel's line. The promise isn't explicit, but it is there, and God kept it. Either way, Zerubbabel was faithful to God and God honoured him by making him part of Jesus' family line.
2 Samuel 7:11b-16 is a double promise for David. First it points to Solomon, who would build God's temple. Secondly it points to Jesus, who was the promised king. Jesus came and he reigns eternally, therefore David's line is established forever. God Keeps his promises!
This isn't a promise as such, but it is God's grace and plan in action. Who was Boaz Married to? Ruth. A Moabite. She left her people and went home with Naomi, accepting God as her God. As a result fo her faithfulness God, God was faithful to her, not only allowing her to be accepted into Israel but also to be in the Messiah's line. God always planned to save the Gentiles if they would put their faith in him. His mercy and grace is free to us all. Trust him, Repent and Believe. He saves!
God also fulfilled his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He promised Abraham Land, Offspring and Blessing. He fulfilled that with Israel, taking them to the promised land, making them plentiful and blessing them with his law. He also fulfilled it in Jesus, making both Gentiles and Jews who put their faith in him part of his family, who have an eternal home in heaven. Through Jesus all nations are blessed. God never forgets his promises, he even remembered those he made to Abraham thousands of years before Jesus' birth. God has a plan, he does that plan, and we can trust him to do it fully. (See Genesis 12:1-3)
Firstly Shem: Noah mentions in Genesis 9:26-27 that Shem worshipped God. God honoured that and Jesus came from his line. Noah also trusted God and built the ark even though he only had God's word to go on. In fact the Ark is a foreshadow of Jesus - he saves and protects us from God's wrath. God keeps his promises. He preserved Noah from his wrath on sin, and he saves us also through faith in Jesus, his son.
God gave Adam and Eve children even though they had rejected God. He gave them the promise of salvation even when pronouncing his just judgement on them in genesis three, saying in Genesis 3:15
"And I will put enmity between you [the snake] and the woman,Even in just judgement, God is merciful. He provided a way to be saved, as was always his plan. Jesus is that salvation. He defeats Satan. What's more he is...
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
"the son of God."
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