All in the Family

Matthew 1-2

The genealogy of Matthew 1 struck as I breezed through it again. Normally when I read through genealogies, I often do the speed reading thing where I skim to see if there is an interesting factoid, but don't really pay much attention. I got to wondering today, if I was missing something... If you've researched your own genealogy (or had a wonderful mother who did), you know there is a mix of good and bad within any family tree. What about the family tree of Jesus. The following is a terse summary of the people of the Matthew genealogy for whom I could find scriptural references:


Abraham - Told King Abimilech that Sarah was his sister, preferring that she be taken by the King rather than he be killed.

Isaac - The second-born son of Abraham

Jacob - With his mother's help, Jacob stole his twin brother Esau's birthright and blessing.

Judah - Judah was the fourth son of Jacob. Shortly after selling his brother Joseph into slavery, Judah moved to Adullam. His firstborn son Er married Tamar but died childless. His second son Onan refused to have a child by Tamar and died too. Judah refused to allow his third son to marry Tamar, but later mistook her for a prostitute and had sex with her. Twin sons were born, Perez and Zerah.

Perez - When Tamar was giving birth to Perez and Zerah, the midwife tied a scarlet string around the wrist of Zerah who had started out first, but Zerah pulled his hand back and Perez burst out.

Hezron
Ram
Amminadab 

Nahshon - The leader of the tribe of Judah during the time of the dedication of the ark of the covenant. He also led the tribe of Judah and the procession of the Isaelites as they left Sinai.

Salmon - Married Rahab the prostitute who hid the Israeli spies in Jericho

Boaz - An honorable man who looked after and later married Ruth

Obed 
Jesse

David - The second King of Israel, he was a man after God's own heart, but not without is failures. In the spring of the year, when kings are to be at war, David stayed home, had an affair with Bathsheba, then had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed to hide the sin.

Solomon - King of Israel, he was the wisest and richest man in the world, he presided over the building of the Temple of the Lord; yet he had 700 wives and 300 concubines that turned his heart away from the Lord.

Rehoboam - King of Israel (Judah), he abandoned the Law of the Lord. The beginning of his reign caused the Israelites to be split into northern and southern tribes. He reigned for 17 years over a people who did evil in the sight of the Lord. They constructed idols and Asherah poles, instituted temple prostitutes and allowed all of the temple gold to be stolen by the Egyptians.

Abijah - King of Israel (Judah), he went to war with Jeroboam and the northern kingdom and defeated an overwhelming force by trusting on the Lord

Asa - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. He removed the idols and altars to false gods and instituted religious reform. The Lord gave them peace in the land.

Jehoshaphat - King of Israel (Judah), he was a good king, he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He continued to take down the shrines and altars and banished the prostitutes. He made a truce with the northern tribes of Israel.

Jehoram - King of Israel (Judah), he followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.

Uzziah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar so he was struck with leprosy.

Jotham - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He learned from his father's mistakes and became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.

Ahaz - King of Israel (Judah), he did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. He made images for the worship of Baal, he sacrificed his own sons in the fire. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines. He shut the doors of the Lord’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods.

Hezekiah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He called on the Levites to purify the Temple and rededicated it to the Lord. He reinstated the Passover feast and the people worshipped the Lord. He sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful, even facing down King Sennacherib of Assyria by trusting on the Lord.

Manasseh - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. He even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God’s Temple. So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God! He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the Lord

Amon - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols his father had made, but unlike his father, he did not humble himself before the Lord. Instead, Amon sinned even more. Then Amon’s own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace.

Josiah - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He destroyed all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images. He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem. During his repair of the Temple of the Lord his God, his workers found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple! He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge.

Jehoiachin - King of Israel (Judah), he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured it, and he bound Jehoiakim in bronze chains and led him away to Babylon.

Shealtiel - Taken prisoner to Babylon.

Zerubbabel - Returned from exile with Ezra/Nehemiah as governor of Judah to rebuild Jerusalem. The Lord spoke through Haggai to him saying I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!

Abiud 
Eliakim 
Azor 
Zadok 
Akim 
Eliud 
Eleazar 
Matthan 
Jacob 
Mary