Dynamic Studies in Matthew
Bringing God's Word to Life
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Read: Matthew 1:1-17
Summary: This passage provides us with the genealogy of Jesus Christ in great detail. It traces the ancestry of Yeshua HaMaschiach, the Jewish Messiah, from the first Jew (Abraham) to the Messiah Himself. As such, it includes human beings who in many cases made mistakes, but were still utilized as part of God’s plan. As such, in includes by inference more than we can incorporate into today’s study. We can, however, make note of a number of important points. These include:
1. The genealogy covers 42 generations (Matthew 1:17).
2. The number of these generations itself gives further credence to the supernatural design of the Scriptures as it is divisible by 7, a fact of significance as noted in the introduction.
A detailed examination of the genealogy in relationship to the Tanakh (Old Testament) reveals:
1. An ancient prophecy in Genesis 3:15 that seems to indicate that the Messiah would be born of a virgin.
2. A requirement that the Messiah not be born of the royal bloodline because of a curse upon it as we see in Jeremiah 22:10.
3. A repetition and further clarification of Genesis 3:15 in Isaiah 7:14 that the Messiah must be born of a virgin.
Taking this one step further, we must realize that the first coming of Jesus Christ was prophesized over 300 times in the Old Testament. All of these were fulfilled in Jesus. This is mathematically impossible to have occurred by chance (See Composite Probability in the Appendices of this book). A few of these include:
1. The Messiah would be born of a virgin as seen in Isaiah 7:14.
• This was fulfilled as we see in Matthew 1:18-25.
2. The Messiah would be born in the inconsequential town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
• Matthew 2:1-6 records the Messiah’s birth exactly where predicted.
3. The Messiah would be taken to Egypt (Hosea 11:1).
• This is recorded in Matthew 2:15.
4. The Messiah would heal the sick and yet be despised as we see in Isaiah 53.
• We see this fulfilled in Matthew 8.
5. The Messiah would be crucified, a method of execution unknown at the time it was predicted in Psalm 22:14-17.
• We see this method of execution in Matthew 27:31.
6. The Messiah would die for our sins as referenced in Isaiah 53.
• We see this happening and referenced in John 1:29 and John 11:49-52.
7. The Messiah would be raised from the dead as we see in Psalm 16:10.
• This is exactly what happened as we see in Matthew 28:1-10.
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About the Book
Welcome to what I hope you will find to be a most enjoyable and enlightening study. This is one of the four books of the Bible known as the gospels produced by four of the men who knew Jesus best.
As we consider how this book of the Bible fits into the whole of the New Testament and the Tanakh (the name used by Jews for the Old Testament, used here to emphasize the Jewishness of the Scriptures), we need to realize a number of things. We should stand in awe of this collection of 66 books, written over thousands of years by at least 40 different authors. Every detail of the text is there by design. It explains history before it happens, and comes to us from outside the dimension of time. It is, in short, the most amazing, most authenticated, and most accurate book available in the world.
Gordon Haresign, internationally known author, professor, speaker, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Scripture Union, speaking about the Dynamic Bible Studies series produced by Scheeren, has said, “These are among the finest, if not the finest, inductive Bible studies available today. I strongly endorse them.”
This sentiment was echoed by Dr. Dilo Paul, a materials scientist, who said, “I love these studies as they guide me through finding the answers to questions that arise during Bible study from the Bible itself.”
Dr. Richard Freeman, Vice President of Chosen People Ministries, said, “I have found Fred Scheeren’s Bible study material to be quite thorough as well as extremely insightful. I have used it as a resource myself in preparing Bible studies for group study and for my own personal study of the Bible. I recommend it highly to others.”
Steve White, Ph.D., author and International Director of 21C International, said, “Fred hits a great blend of commentary, historical context, and practical application. The study questions are clear, thought-provoking and relevant. I could easily recommend this for either individual or group study.”
Robert T. Mason, former executive at an international firm and in his second career as a pastor said, “Fred has done it again!! He has a great way of opening up and explaining the Word of God.”
About the Author
Fred Scheeren is a distinguished Certified Financial Planner® and Managing Director-Investments with a major investment firm. Using his award-winning analytical skills and overwhelming passion for biblical study, Scheeren has carved out a second vocation as a speaker and now an author. Over the past fifty years he has presented numerous Bible studies to groups of different sizes and denominations.