Matthew 1:1 reveals Jesus as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham—the promised King of Israel.
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.”
Matthew doesn’t begin his Gospel the way Luke does.
He doesn’t trace Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam.
He doesn’t begin with the first man — he begins with the first covenant people.
Why?
Because Matthew writes from a Jewish perspective, to a Jewish audience, with a Jewish purpose:
To present Jesus as Israel’s promised King and the fulfillment of the covenants made specifically to Abraham and David.
And that is why Matthew 1:1 says everything.
1. “Jesus Christ, the Son of David” — The King Who Was Promised
Matthew opens with David because the moment you say “Son of David,” every Jewish mind knows exactly what that means:
👑 King
👑 Throne
👑 Royal authority
👑 The Messiah who would rule Israel
“Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever… your throne shall be established forever.”
— 2 Samuel 7:16
Israel’s Messiah had to come through David — not through Adam, not through Noah, not through Moses — but through David’s royal line.
By leading with “Son of David,” Matthew signals:
This is HIM. The One Israel has waited for.
The rightful heir to the throne.
The promised King.
2. “The Son of Abraham” — The Covenant Rooted in Promise
Why Abraham?
Because the Kingdom story does not begin with Adam — it begins with Abraham.
Adam is the father of humanity (Acts 17:26).
Abraham is the father of the nation through which the King would come.
God’s covenant with Abraham set in motion the entire prophetic program:
“…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
— Genesis 12:3
Through Abraham came:
- A new race of people, created for God Himself
- The nation of Israel
- The covenant promises
- The land
- The hope of blessing
- The line through which Messiah would come
Everything related to the King and the Kingdom begins with Abraham, not Adam.
Adam concerns humanity. Abraham concerns Israel, the covenant people.
And Matthew is not writing a book about the origin of mankind — Matthew is writing the book about the origin of Israel’s King.
3. Matthew’s Opening Line Is a Declaration
Matthew 1:1 is not a genealogy introduction. It is a statement of identity, a theological declaration:
🔹 Jesus is the legal heir of David’s throne.
🔹 Jesus is the covenant Son promised through Abraham.
🔹 Jesus is the Messiah of Israel.
🔹 Jesus is the rightful King of the Kingdom.
This one verse anchors the entire Gospel of Matthew in the prophetic program — not mystery truth, not the Body of Christ, not the Church age — but the Jewish Kingdom promised for 2000 years.
4. Why It Matters
Because the moment Jesus is introduced as:
- Son of David → King
- Son of Abraham → Covenant fulfillment
…Matthew is making his case:
The long-promised King has come.
The Kingdom is at hand.
Israel’s Messiah has arrived.
This is not the gospel of grace revealed to Paul.
This is the Kingdom Gospel—“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Everything Matthew presents flows from this opening claim.
5. Devotional Reflection: The Faithfulness of God
What does Matthew 1:1 tell us today?
- That God finishes what He starts.
- That His promises stand.
- That centuries cannot weaken His covenants.
- That the King came exactly as foretold — through David, through Abraham, at the right time, in the right place, for the right purpose.
Matthew 1:1 is a reminder that the God who kept His promises to Abraham and David will keep His promises to us.
Jesus Christ is not only the Son of David and the Son of Abraham —He is the Savior who came to bring salvation to the world and reveal the gospel of grace through Paul.
But Matthew begins with Israel’s hope — the King and His Kingdom — and that hope will one day be fulfilled.
Because God cannot lie.
Because God keeps covenant.
Because the King is coming again.
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