Press On Journal

This article looks at the genealogies of Jesus recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and provides insights into why these two lists of ancestors differs. Matthew and Luke had very different purposes in collating the genealogical history of Jesus. Matthew shows that Jesus has far greater honour and acclaim as Son of God than as son of David. Luke elaborates Jesus’ distinguished lineage: divine, royal, and priestly. The article ends with Paul’s use of genealogies to emphasize that we are all called to be adopted children of God: legally eligible to participate in our Father’s inheritance.

When you and I sit down to read the Bible we are, in a sense, eavesdropping. We are learning by listening in to what are ancient conversations: that is, God speaking to ancient people living in very different times and cultures. While God was speaking to them, He was also speaking for our benefit. We should still agree with Paul’s words to Timothy about the inspiration and profitability of Scripture. After all, God had the Bible compiled for us. We need to ask what God’s message is for me in what I am reading. We still learn what we need to do to be part of His plans and we still learn how He wants us to live in our world and society – if we listen with care, thought and prayer.

Psalm 23 is probably the best known of all the Psalms. It is simple, yet profound and beautiful. People know it. People quote it. But why did David write it? What were the circumstances that led him to these particular words? We can’t know the answer for certain, but it turns out that every stanza of the Psalm corresponds very closely with what happened as David had to flee from Jerusalem in the face of Absalom’s rebellion. Psalm 23 is also an example of prayer, with David meditating about God and praying to Him. This Psalm itself is worth praying frequently. There will come a day when each one of us faces our own valley of the shadow of death.

The conflict in Gaza is a tragedy. The war crimes perpetrated by both Hamas and the Israeli government are entirely alien to the character and values of the Lord God. There is no defence to be made of such crimes on the grounds of genealogy or biological descent. The children of God, the children of the promise, are determined by faith, not blood, and those who would live up to that calling have moral responsibility to reflect the character and values of God by showing love to all. We, as followers of Christ, have no business taking sides in this conflict. Even if these events are Signs of the Times, we should also recognise them as a tragedy. Our focus, then, should not be taking sides with the immoral, but being moved with compassion for the suffering that we see.

This article looks at some instances of women in Biblical genealogies, particularly noticing the difference between the egalitarian status of women in God’s plan and purpose in Genesis, and how women were actually regarded as subordinate to men in ANE culture. The place of a woman in patrilineal genealogies is usually in a supporting role that informs the status of the men with whom she is associated.

Time periods in prophecy are a bit of a nightmare for many Bible readers. But for some, understanding prophecy, including the time periods, is an important way of learning more about events leading up to the coming of Christ. So, as we witness the on-going events in the Middle East today, our understanding of the prophets’ message enables us to appreciate the fact that events leading to Israel’s redemption are actually in progress now. For us, these events are a matter of everyday news, but in the bigger picture they are a prelude to Christ’s return and the establishment of the kingdom that God has promised.

This article looks at the curious or strange parable in Luke 16 variously called the parable of the shrewd manager (NIV), or the dishonest manager (ESV), or the unjust steward (NKJV), or the prudent steward, giving us a clue to the fact that there are divergent views about the focus and meaning of the parable. When we put the two curious parables of Luke 16, and the intervening verses, together with the parable of the prodigal son in the preceding chapter, we see a consistent theme about the responsibility of disciples to be ‘sons of light’, using the time and resources with which we have been entrusted by God with integrity and honesty. In this, as in all things, Jesus is the ‘pattern for our duty, showing God in beauty.’

God requested Abraham to leave his country, his father’s house, and his family. This was not one request that was met overnight by Abraham in a state of total obedience. We see that in the course of a 50 year period that it was not actually Abraham himself who instigated the circumstances leading to the obedience of each request made in Mesopotamia, but rather the situations he found himself that were prompted by others.

Despite the paucity of references in the New Testament to the role of Israel in God’s purposes, we have argued that the trumpets in Revelation highlight the sequence of events which will lead up to the point at which those in Israel who are prepared to accept Christ as their Messiah will be saved.

Genealogies were not used in ANE in the same way we use ours today. This article outlines the theory and models of genealogies as used in the Hebrew bible, and explores their purpose: to record the blood relationships and lineage of the people of Israel among the peoples of the ANE; to emphasise their identity as people in covenant relationship to their God, Yahweh; to summarise covenant history; to identify relationships in order to authorise claims to lands and roles, such as priestly and royal ones, especially for those returning to the land after the exile.