MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/3/2026
7:51 AM
My
Worship Time
Focus: Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal
Lineage”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
“Luke
3:23-38”
Message of the verses: “23 When He began His ministry, Jesus
Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was commonly held, the son of
Joseph, the son of Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of
Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son
of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of
Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of
Joda,27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of
Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of
Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of
Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of
Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of
Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of
Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of
Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son
of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of
Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of
Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg,
the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad,
the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah,
the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,38
the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”
I will now begin to quote the
introduction to these verses from John MacArthur’s commentary.
“There is a rising interest today in
genealogy, as people attempt to trace their ancestry and uncover the famous and
infamous in their family tree. For most
it is purely recreation, a hobby motivated by simple curiosity. Some, however, do it out of a desire to bring
meaning to their disconnected lives and build their sense of self-esteem. It makes them feel better about themselves to
know that even if they are not significant, they are connected to someone who
was.
“In pursuit of their ancestors,
people pore over census, data, obituaries, and other historical records. Some even travel to the hometowns or
countries of their forefathers to do research, making the hometown or expensive
hobby for them. Others, such as Mormons,
have a religious motive for tracking their genealogies, spending vast sums of
money and time researching their ancestors so they can be baptized by proxy for
them. Tat is a prerequisite for the
spirits of the dead to enter the celestial kingdom, the highest level of heaven
in their cultic pseudo-theology.
“Genealogies were legitimately critical
to the people of Israel. First, ancestry
determined the original division of the land of Cannan among the twelve tribes
(cf. Num. 26:53-55). Second, ancestry
also established the right of inheritance to property formed the basis of the
principle of kinsman redemption. If a
poor man was forced to sell his property, one of his near relatives were to
purchase it *Lev. 25:25; cf. Ruth 4:1-6).
Fourth, ancestry played a role in taxation. Thus Joseph and Mary had to return to Joseph’s
ancestral city of Bethlehem to register for the census…Fifth, ancestry
determined one’s eligibility to serve as a priest (cf. Ezra 2:61-62). Last, and most important, any claim to be
king or Messiah would have to be backed up by the genealogical records.
“Genealogies play a significant role
in Scripture by rooting the biblical account in history. Because of their importance, the Jews kept
very careful genealogical records, which survived until the Romans sacked
Jerusalem and burned the temple in A.D. 70.
In fact, the genealogical are cords, which were still in existence when
they wrote. In addition to the official public records, many families
undoubtedly kept private genealogical records.
The Old Testament contains numerous genealogies (e.g., Gen. 4:5; 10; 11;
1 Chron 1-9). The New Testament also
alludes to the availability of genealogical records. For example, Anna is identified as a member
of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36), Barabas as a member of the tribe of Levi
(Acts 4:36 [cf. Luke 10:21]), and Paul as a member of the tribe of Benjamin
(Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5). Also as noted
above, Joseph knew that he had to go to Betelhem for the census ‘because he was
of the house and family of David’ (Luke 2:4).
Spiritual
Meaning for my life today: I really don’t know much about my
genealogy on either my mom or dad’s side, but I do know that I am a part of the
family of God because of being born-again on the 26th of January,
1974.
My Steps
of faith for Today: Continue to trust the Lord on what
He wants my wife to do regarding her treatment for her cancer.
5/3/2026
8:27 AM
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