The Family Line of Jesus

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:1-17, Jeremiah 33:19-26, Galatians 3:27-29

When we are walking through hard circumstances, it can often be our default to conclude that God has left us. We may have originally believed God’s promise to always be with us, yet when surrounded by darkness, it’s easy to feel like we’ve been abandoned. In these painful times, maybe you’ve heard someone offer encouragement in this platitude: “Don’t doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.” This is solid, wise advice…and it’s also easier said than done.

In today’s reading in Jeremiah, the surrounding nations were saying the Lord chose Israel and Judah and then abandoned them. These nations were sneering and saying that they were no longer worthy to be counted as a nation. Would they ever be saved? Had God forgotten about them? Throughout the Old Testament, it seemed even Israel and Judah doubted God would fulfill His promises. But the Lord said that He would no more reject His people than He would change His laws that govern the night and day, earth and sky (Jeremiah 33:25–36).

In the book of Jeremiah we see no specific mention of the Messiah’s name, but rest assured, the hope of Jesus is there.

God was unfolding His perfect plan—the hope and future for His people even when it couldn’t be seen. While the people of Judah felt fearful and hopeless, God was preparing for the hope of the world Himself all along. He did not leave His people. He was faithful to His promise and would ensure it was carried through. And as we walk through challenges and hardships, we know that God’s sovereign, good plan will prevail. He has not left us.

His faithfulness is evident as we read Matthew 1. It’s easy to breeze over these names and continue with your daily reading, but I encourage you to stop and take in this truth. Each and every soul carved into the genealogy of Jesus was an ordinary person, used by a mighty God for His good plan. While the people of Judah lamented in the book of Jeremiah, the seed of the Messiah was being carried down through ordinary people also searching for hope. They couldn’t see it, but hope was there. Rather than looking at these verses as merely a list of names, search instead for the character of God woven throughout. It is evidence that He is faithful and will always be faithful.

This Advent season, if you are walking through darkness, hold on to the hope that God is faithful in keeping His promise to you. He will never leave you. Even when you don’t see it, He is working all things out for the good.

Written by Sarah Wood