The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Those “Boring Begats”

Why did God bother to include all those boring begats in the Bible?

I had a fellow write me one time who asked, “Why did God bother to include all those boring begats in the Bible?” He was referring, of course, to the lengthy genealogies of Jesus that are recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. In Matthew’s version, the litany begins with the words, “Abraham begat Isaac…” (Matthew 1:2).

The begats are very important, and they are anything but boring, if they are studied carefully. Their importance lies in the fact that they substantiate that Jesus’ lineage fulfilled the prophecies that the Messiah would be descended from Abraham (Genesis 12:3) through Isaac (Genesis 17:21) and Jacob (Genesis 28:14), and that He would be from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8), the family of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), and the house of David (Jeremiah 23:5).

Two Lists Full of Gems

Matthew presents the royal genealogy through Joseph who was Jesus’ legal father. Luke traces Jesus’ blood line through Mary’s father, Eli.

The begats in these verses reveal that whereas Joseph was a descendant of David through Solomon, Mary was a descendant through David’s son Nathan. This is an important distinction because God had disinherited Solomon’s line through King Coniah, stating that none of Coniah’s descendants “will sit on the throne of David or rule again in Judah” (Jeremiah 22:24,28-30). This curse did not affect Jesus since He was not Joseph’s natural son and therefore did not literally descend from the cursed bloodline of Coniah (also know as Jeconiah — Matthew 1:11).

The begats are full of gems like this. Consider, for example, that Matthew mentions four women in the heritage of Jesus — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. All were Gentiles, and three of the four were either prostitutes or adulterers. In prompting Matthew to mention these three, it’s as if the Holy Spirit wanted to emphasize that the Messiah came to save sinners among both Jews and Gentiles.

A Profound Insight

In the 17th Century an English pastor by the name of Thomas Fuller wrote an insightful devotional based on observations that he made in the begats:

  1. Rehoboam begat Abijah; that is, a bad father begat a bad son.
  2. Abijah begat Asa; that is, a bad father, a good son.
  3. Asa begat Jehoshaphat; that is, a good father, a good son.
  4. Jehoshaphat begat Joram; that is, a good father, a bad son.

“I see, Lord, from this, that my father’s piety cannot be handed on; that is bad news for me. But I also see that actual impiety is not always hereditary; that is good news for my son.”

Remember, all of God’s Word is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” — and that includes the “boring begats”! (2 Timothy 3:16).

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

6 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • Oh! My gawd. Sorry, I never write "god" with a capital G any more simply because I loathe patriarchal religious so very much. How DARE you claim that "The begats are full of gems like this. Consider, for example, that Matthew mentions four women in the heritage of Jesus — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. All were Gentiles, and three of the four were either prostitutes or adulterers."

    Only write such trash if you can prove it. To give credence to such denigration of those who GIVE you LIFE is a sham, a lie, and a disgrace.

    It is only in the mind of a man–and most likely a male patriarchal cleric–who thought this one up.

    Shame, shame on you for posting it here. Again, no wonder so many people, both men AND women are turning away from your patriarchal religious CULTS!

    The horror that these beliefs have brought upon the Feminine is a disgrace that human kind will never forget.

  • These retards are idiots. The Conn Dynasty, the 666 lords from the garden the horn Gods are God. Jesus Christ was not of the lineage of the beast and blood of God from the garden, therefore since he is not of the seed of the horn Gods, he is not the son of God, he is of Adam of the dust of the earth. HAHA! N N U! The lineage of the seed of God was never thrown from heaven, it is still the center of the galaxy (OPH), bright as the sun, and in all things. The Catholocism group defamed, other religions, and stole, and mislead people into a mount of tomato crap holes. They have cut there own throat, and sunk. Not of Conn, the 666 of creation, not of GOD.

  • I would like to thank you for clearing up the wording begat for me I was a bit confussed when reading this in the bible, and was uncertain as to its meaning. As for the rest of you not sure where you are coming off from.
    I think that maybe some of you went off the deap end. Especially the one about the Conn Dynasty, the 666 lords from the garden the horn Gods are God? I was always told that the 666 is the mark of Satin does not have anything to do with God or Jesus!!!!

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