"Generation after generation, all types of people were used to move the plan of God forward despite their inadequacies. God keeps to his covenantal promises and is faithful to fulfill them. That’s why Jesus came. He came as the Good Shepherd, King of Kings, Lamb of God – to show a new way to dwell with God. Rather than performing deeds and upholding laws, through faith, sinners are turned into saints."
Introduction
The greatest story ever to be told, and still being told, is the story of the Bible. The Bible is made up of two canons that ultimately point to Christ. The book of Chronicles and the book of Matthew are two books from each testament that shed light on the grand storyline of Jesus. Chronicles is a story in search of an ending, whereas Matthew is the missing piece to the ending. Together, these two books connect beautifully to depict a Davidic King, a New Kingdom, and a representation of redemptive history.
Chronicles
The book of Chronicles, in traditional Jewish order, is the last book in the Old Testament because it summarizes the first 39 books of the Bible. Chronicles repeats Samuel and Kings, but also incorporates new details that are not seen in any other book. It was produced after the exile during a time that were not-so-good, for a lack of better words. The first word is Adam and the last paragraph is about the return of Israel. In between, there are stories of obedient kings and stories of unfaithful ones. Most importantly, the focus of this book is on David who is the image of a messianic king that will come to establish a better kingdom through his redemptive plan for his people.
The Davidic King to Come
The first book of Chronicles focuses on King David - a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He was in a place of authority to lead Israel and called to embody the reign of God over his people. The genealogies seen within the first 9 chapters of this book point to a God that keeps his covenantal promises. Ever since the fall in the third chapter of Genesis, God has promised to send a seed to crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). But, before the fall, there was a man – this man’s name was Adam. The chronicler reveals the line of David and the priesthood of Aaron, starting with Adam. Through this line, God gives a blessing to his people to make their name great (Genesis 12:2- 2 3). David calls on the nations to worship God and make his name known to all (1 Chronicles 16). This same call is later given by a Davidic King that “prefigures aspects of the coming king who will be like [him], but will surpass [him]”.
Anticipation for Restoration
The hope of future restoration is revealed in the second book of Chronicles. The chronicler writes about the obedient kings that are faithful to God and the kings that are unfaithful. The end of the book concludes with the Cyrus King of Persia where the nations will eventually assume a role that’ll be vital to accomplishing God’s plans and promises. Cyrus praises God and worships Him saying, “the Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up” (2 Chronicles 36:23). Ironically, the Persian king praised God when the Israel herself did not. There was a “prophetic vision about God’s eternal king and God’s eternal kingdom” that will arrive in Jerusalem.
Redemptive History in the Old Testament
The Gospel in the story of Chronicles is a story of despair and a story of hope. First and second Chronicles show that God still had a plan for his people and Jerusalem despite disobedience and deficiencies. The conclusion of the Hebrew bible starts with a long list of genealogies and ends with the postexilic return of His people, moving through the redemptive history of God’s plan. David had plans to build a temple for God, but the Lord had plans to “build a lineage for David” that would lead to the anticipation of the reign and work of King Solomon, in second Chronicles, then to the coming of Jesus Christ which would be the king over all. The God of Israel desired for his kings to rule differently from those of other nations, which only could be fulfilled through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Matthew
The New Testament cannot be separated from the Old Testament. Chronicles provided a vision for God and his people. God promised that he would save his people and would send a king to be triumphal over the serpent. In the book of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, this expectant seed came, lived, died, rose, and ascended. Jesus Christ, as the son of David, fulfilled the covenantal promises of the Old Testament and made a new promise that included a kingdom where he would reign over all.
The Davidic King has Come
The beginning of Matthew reads, “the book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). The New Testament starts with genealogies, pointing to Jesus Christ as the son of David “[signaling] that he is telling a story that has its roots in a garden and a long trajectory of growth from the soil of the Hebrew Scriptures”. David had a special place in God’s overall place of redemption, but he was not the perfect fit for the role. Jesus was sent as the Davidic King to shepherd his people and lead them to salvation.
Establishment of a New Kingdom
The Son of Man came into the world as a baby, but to rule as the king of kings and lord of lords. Similar to David being promised an unending dynasty, God promised that Jesus would run the worldwide kingdom forever. Jesus expressed this hope of a new Eden that will redeem all things and be a place where him and his people will drink of the “fruit of the vine” (Matthew 26:29), while sitting on his glorious throne judging the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28). This is the promise that is looked upon with great anticipation from the saints. Jesus has come to save sinners and Jesus will come again to establish his new kingdom for complete renewal in his name.
Redemptive History in the New Testament
Matthew is a “story of redemptive history [with] both despair and hope”. The book begins with a list of individuals that fell short and were not the promised messiah. Yet, Matthew also focuses on Jesus as the son of David, who came to establish a new kingdom with a new covenant. This is the message of hope. The messianic line is rooted in God’ purpose for his creation to be fruitful and multiply, spreading the glory of Him over the world. God’s Son fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament by destroying sin once and for all – promising humanity that He will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those who are marked by sin. Jesus’ blood poured out on the cross became the mediator for the new covenant to accept salvation as a free gift through faith. More supreme than David, Jesus, perfect in all his ways, paid the price that no one could pay, so that all could have the opportunity for restored fellowship with the Father.
Connecting Chronicles and Matthew
Chronicles and Matthew have several underlying themes and messages that draw upon each other. First, “the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew functions as a structural echo of the opening of Chronicles”. Chronicles genealogy starts with Adam and ends with the “son of David”. Matthew starts with Jesus, as the “son of David” – fulfilling the promise of Chronicles. Both give the reader a “canon-conscious summary of the entire Hebrew Bible” to better understand the Jesus, as the promised One to victor over the enemy. Second, similar to the first point, Chronicles lasers in on David as a king that accomplished much for the kingdom of God, but also fell short in being considered the Savior. Jesus, in Matthew, came as the messianic Davidic King that would reign over all. Jesus entered into this kingly role by the resurrection, which occurred in Matthew 28, making him supreme over all things: everything on earth and in the heavenly places (Colossians 1:16). Thirdly, and lastly, the chronicler provided a vision for an eternal king and kingdom that would be given from God. Jesus, as the fulfillment of that vision, sovereignly entered this world, as recalled in Matthew, to claim his kingdom evermore.
Conclusion
Matthew completes the missing piece to Chronicles by revealing the royal lineage of Jesus that began with Adam, continued with David and Solomon, then was accomplished through the Son of Man. Generation after generation, all types of people were used to move the plan of God forward despite their inadequacies. God keeps to his covenantal promises and is faithful to fulfill them. That’s why Jesus came. He came as the Good Shepherd, King of Kings, Lamb of God – to show a new way to dwell with God. Rather than performing deeds and upholding laws, through faith, sinners are turned into saints. The Way, the Truth, the Life is the royalty that was promised since the beginning and will rule for the rest of time. The hope of those who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior is in this unending promise.
Comentários