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Matthew Chapter 1
Commentary by Matthew Henry
This evangelist (Matthew the Apostle)
begins with the account of Christ's parentage and birth, the
ancestors from whom he descended, and the manner of his
entry into the world, to make it appear that he was indeed
the Messiah promised, for it was foretold that he should be
the son of David, and should be born of a virgin; and that
he was so is here plainly shown; for here is, I. His
pedigree from Abraham in forty-two generations, three
fourteens, Verses 1-17. II. An account of the circumstances
of his birth, so far as was requisite to show that he was
born of a virgin, Verses 18-25. Thus methodically is the
life of our blessed Savior written, as lives should be
written, for the clearer proposing of the example of them.
Matthew 1:1-17
–– 1. “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the
son of David, the son of Abraham:” 2. “Abraham was the
father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the
father of Judah and his brothers.” 3. “Judah was the father
of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and
Hezron the father of Ram.” 4. “Ram was the father of
Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the
father of Salmon.” 5. “Salmon was the father of Boaz by
Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the
father of Jesse.” 6. “Jesse was the father of David the
king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had
been the wife of Uriah.” 7. “Solomon was the father of
Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the
father of Asa.” 8. “Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of
Uzziah.” 9. “Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the
father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.” 10.
“Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of
Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah.” 11. “Josiah became the
father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the
deportation to Babylon.” 12. “After the deportation to
Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.” 13. “Zerubbabel was the
father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim
the father of Azor.” 14. “Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.”
15. “Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of
Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob.” 16. “Jacob was
the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was
born, who is called the Messiah.” 17. “So all the
generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations;
from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen
generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the
Messiah, fourteen generations.”
Concerning this genealogy of our
Savior, observe, I. The title of it. It is the book (or the
account, as the Hebrew word “sepher,” a book, sometimes
signifies) of the generation of Jesus Christ, of his
ancestors according to the flesh; or, It is the narrative of
his birth. It is “Biblos Geneseos” — a book of Genesis. The
Old Testament begins with the book of the generation of the
world, and it is its glory that it does so; but the glory of
the New Testament herein excels, that it begins with the
book of the generation of him that made the world. As God,
his outgoings were of old, from everlasting (Micah 5:2), and
none can declare that generation; but, as man, he was sent
forth in the fullness of time, born of a woman, and it is
that generation which is here declared. II. The principal
intention of it. It is not an endless or needless genealogy;
it is not a vain-glorious one, as those of great men
commonly are. Stemmata, quid faciunt?—Of what avail are
ancient pedigrees? It is like a pedigree given in evidence,
to prove a title, and make out a claim; the design is to
prove that our Lord Jesus is the son of David, and the son
of Abraham, and therefore of that nation and family out of
which the Messiah was to arise. Abraham and David were, in
their day, the great trustees of the promise relating to the
Messiah. The promise of the blessing was made to Abraham and
his seed, of the dominion to David and his seed; and they
who would have an interest in Christ, as the son of Abraham,
in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed,
must be faithful, loyal subjects to him as the son of David,
by whom all the families of the earth are to be ruled. It
was promised to Abraham that Christ should descend from him
(Genesis 12:3; 22:18), and to David that he should descend
from him (2 Samuel 7:12; Psalm 89:3, etc.; 132:11); and
therefore, unless it can be proved that Jesus is a son of
David, and a son of Abraham, we cannot admit him to be the
Messiah. Now this is here proved from the authentic records
of the heralds’ offices. The Jews were very exact in
preserving their pedigrees, and there was a providence in
it, for the clearing up of the descent of the Messiah from
the fathers; and since his coming that nation is so
dispersed and confounded that it is a question whether any
person in the world can legally prove himself to be a son of
Abraham; however, it is certain that none can prove himself
to either a son of Aaron or a son of David, so that the
priestly and kingly office must either be given up, as lost
for ever, or be lodged in the hands of our Lord Jesus.
Christ is here first called the son of David, because under
that title he was commonly spoken of, and expected, among
the Jews. They who owned him to be the Christ, called him
the son of David, chapter 15:22; 20:31; 21:15. Thus,
therefore, the evangelist undertakes to make out, that he is
not only a son of David, but that son of David on whose
shoulders the government was to be; not only a son of
Abraham, but that son of Abraham who was to be the father of
many nations. In calling Christ the son of David, and the
son of Abraham, he shows that God is faithful to his
promise, and will make good every word that he has spoken;
and this. 1. Though the performance be long deferred. When
God promised Abraham a son, who should be the great blessing
of the world, perhaps he expected it should be his immediate
son; but it proved to be one at the distance of forty-two
generations, and about 2000 years: so long before can God
foretell what shall be done, and so long after, sometimes,
does God fulfill what has been promised. Note: Delays of
promised mercies, though they exercise our patience, do not
weaken God’s promise. 2. Though it begin to be despaired of.
This son of David, and son of Abraham, who was to be the
glory of his Father’s house, was born when the seed of
Abraham was a despised people, recently become tributary to
the Roman yoke, and when the house of David was buried in
obscurity; for Christ was to be a root out of a dry ground.
Note, God’s time for the performance of his promises is when
it labors under the greatest improbabilities. III. The
particular series of it, drawn in the direct line from
Abraham downward, according to the genealogies recorded in
the beginning of the books of Chronicles (as far as those
go), and which here we see the use of. Some particulars we
may observe in the genealogy. 1. Among the ancestors of
Christ who had brethren, generally he descended from a
younger brother; such Abraham himself was, and Jacob, and
Judah, and David, and Nathan, and Rhesa; to show that the
pre-eminence of Christ came not, as that of earthly princes,
from the primogeniture of his ancestors, but from the will
of God, who, according to the method of his providence,
exalts them of low degree, and puts more abundant honor upon
that part which lacked. 2. Among the sons of Jacob, besides
Judah, from whom Shiloh came, notice is here taken of his
brethren: Judas and his brethren. No mention is made of
Ishmael the son of Abraham, or of Esau the son of Isaac,
because they were shut out of the church; whereas all the
children of Jacob were taken in, and, though not fathers of
Christ, were yet patriarchs of the church (Acts 7:8), and
therefore are mentioned in the genealogy, for the
encouragement of the twelve tribes that were scattered
abroad, intimating to them that they have an interest in
Christ, and stand in relation to him as well as Judah. 3.
Phares and Zara, the twin-sons of Judah, are likewise both
named, though Phares only was Christ’s ancestor, for the
same reason that the brethren of Judah are taken notice of;
and some think because the birth of Phares and Zara had
something of an allegory in it. Zara put out his hand first,
as the first-born, but, drawing it in, Phares got the
birth-right. The Jewish church, like Zara, reached first at
the birthright, but through unbelief, withdrawing the hand,
the Gentile church, like Phares, broke forth and went away
with the birthright; and thus blindness is in part happened
unto Israel, till the fulness of the Gentiles become in, and
then Zara shall be born— all Israel shall be saved, Romans
11:25, 26. 4. There are four women, and but four, named in
this genealogy; two of them were originally strangers to the
commonwealth of Israel, Rachab a Canaanitess, and a harlot
besides, and Ruth the Moabitess; for in Jesus Christ there
is neither Greek, nor Jew; those that are strangers and
foreigners are welcome, in Christ, to the citizenship of the
saints. The other two were adulteresses, Tamar and
Bathsheba; which was a further mark of humiliation put upon
our Lord Jesus, that not only he descended from such, but
that is decent from them is particularly remarked in his
genealogy, and no veil drawn over it. He took upon him the
likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3), and takes even great
sinners, upon their repentance, into the nearest relation to
himself. Note, We ought not to upbraid people with the
scandals of their ancestors; it is what they cannot help,
and has been the lot of the best, even of our Master
himself. David’s begetting Solomon of her that had been the
wife of Urias is taken notice of (says Dr. Whitby) to show
that the crime of David, being repented to, was so far from
hindering the promise made to him, that it pleased God by
this very woman to fulfill it. 5. Though divers kings are
here named, yet none is expressly called a king but David
(verse 6), David the king; because with him the covenant of
royalty was made, and to him the promise of the kingdom of
the Messiah was given, who is therefore said to inherit the
throne of his father David, Luke 1:32. 6. In the pedigree of
the kings of Judah, between Joram and Ozias (verse 8), there
are three left out, namely, Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah; and
therefore when it is said, Joram begat Ozias, it is meant,
according to the usage of the Hebrew tongue, that Ozias was
lineally descended from him, as it is said to Hezekiah that
the sons which he should beget should be carried to Babylon,
whereas they were removed several generations from him. It
was not through mistake or forgetfulness that these three
were omitted, but, probably, they were omitted in the
genealogical tables that the evangelist consulted, which yet
were admitted as authentic. Some give this reason for it:—It
being Matthew’s design, for the sake of memory, to reduce
the number of Christ’s ancestors to three fourteens, it was
requisite that in this period three should be left out, and
none more fit than they who were the immediate progeny of
cursed Athaliah, who introduced the idolatry of Ahab into
the house of David, for which this brand is set upon the
family and the iniquity thus visited to the third and fourth
generation. Two of these three were apostates; and such God
commonly sets a mark of his displeasure upon in this world:
they all three had their heads brought to the grave with
blood. 7. Some observe what a mixture there was of good and
bad in the succession of these kings; as for instance
(verses 7, 8), wicked Roboam begat wicked Abia; wicked Abia
begat good Asa; good Asa begat good Josaphat; good Josaphat
begat wicked Joram. Grace does not run in the blood, neither
does reigning sin. God’s grace is his own, and he gives or
withholds it as he pleases. 8. The captivity of Babylon is
mentioned as a remarkable period in this line, verses 11,
12. All things considered, it was a wonder that the Jews
were not lost in that captivity, as other nations have been;
but this intimates the reason why the streams of that people
were kept to run pure through that dead sea, because from
them, as concerning the flesh, Christ was to come. Destroy
it not, for a blessing is in it, even that blessing of
blessings, Christ himself, Isaiah 65:8, 9. It was with an
eye to him that they were restored, and the desolations of
the sanctuary were looked upon with favour for the Lord’s
sake, Daniel 9:17. 9. Josias is said to beget Jechonias and
his brethren (verse 11); by Jechonias here is meant
Jehoiakim, who was the first-born of Josias; but, when it is
said (verse 12) that Jechonias begat Salathiel, that Jechonias
was the son of that Jehoiakim who was carried into Babylon,
and there begat Salathiel (as Dr. Whitby shows), and, when
Jechonias is said to have been written childless (Jeremiah
22:30), it is explained thus: No man of his seed shall
prosper. Salathiel is here said to beget Zorobabel, whereas
Salathiel begat Pedaiah, and he begat Zorobabel (1
Chronicles 3:19): but, as before, the grandson is often
called the son; Pedaiah, it is likely, died in his father’s
lifetime, and so his son Zorobabel was called the son of
Salathiel. 10. The line is brought down, not to Mary the
mother of our Lord, but to Joseph the husband of Mary (verse
16); for the Jews always reckoned their genealogies by the
males: yet Mary was of the same tribe and family with
Joseph, so that, both by his mother and by his supposed
father, he was of the house of David; yet his interest in
that dignity is derived by Joseph, to whom really according
to the flesh he had no relation, to show that the kingdom of
the Messiah is not founded in a natural descent from David.
11. The centre in whom all these lines meet is Jesus, who is
called Christ, verse 16. This is he that was so importunately
desired, so impatiently expected, and to whom the patriarchs
had an eye when they were so desirous of children, that they
might have the honor of coming into the sacred line. Blessed
be God, we are not now in such a dark and cloudy state of
expectation as they were then in, but see clearly what these
prophets and kings saw as through a glass darkly. And we may
have, if it be not our own fault, a greater honor than that
of which they were so ambitious: for they who do the will of
God are in a more honorable relation to Christ than those
who were akin to him according to the flesh, chapter 12:50.
Jesus is called Christ, that is, the Anointed, the same with
the Hebrew name Messiah. He is called Messiah the Prince
(Daniel 9:25), and often God’s Anointed (Psalm 2:2). Under
this character he was expected: Art thou the Christ —the
anointed one? David, the king, was anointed (1 Samuel
16:13); so was Aaron, the priest (Leviticus 8:12), and Elisha, the prophet (1 Kings 19:16), and Isaiah, the prophet
(Isaiah 61:1). Christ, being appointed to, and qualified
for, all these offices, is therefore called the
Anointed—anointed with the oil of gladness above his
fellows; and from this name of his, which is as ointment
poured forth, all his followers are called Christians, for
they also have received the anointing. Lastly. The general
summary of all this genealogy we have, verse 17, where it is
summed up in three fourteens, signalized by remarkable
periods. In the first fourteen, we have the family of David
rising, and looking forth as the morning; in the second, we
have it flourishing in its meridian luster; in the third, we
have it declining and growing less and less, dwindling into
the family of a poor carpenter, and then Christ shines forth
out of it, the glory of his people Israel.
Matthew
1:18-25 –– 18. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as
follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,
before they came together she was found to be with child by
the Holy Spirit.” 19. “And Joseph her husband, being a
righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to
send her away secretly.” 20. “But when he had considered
this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived
in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” 21. “She will bear a Son;
and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His
people from their sins.” 22. “Now all this took place to
fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:”
23. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a
Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated
means, ‘God with us.’” 24. “And Joseph awoke from his sleep
and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took
Mary as his wife,” 25. “but kept her a virgin until she gave
birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”
The mystery of Christ’s incarnation
is to be adored, not pried into. If we know not the way of
the Spirit in the formation of common persons, nor how the
bones are formed in the womb of any one that is with child
(Ecclesiastes 11:5), much less do we know how the blessed
Jesus was formed in the womb of the blessed virgin. When
David admires how he himself was made in secret, and
curiously wrought (Psalm 139:13–16), perhaps he speaks in
the spirit of Christ’s incarnation. Some circumstances
attending the birth of Christ we find here which are not in
Luke, though it is more largely recorded here. Here we have:
I. Mary’s espousal to Joseph. Mary, the mother of our Lord,
was espoused to Joseph, not completely married, but
contracted; a purpose of marriage solemnly declared in words
de futuro—that regarding the future, and a promise of it
made if God permit. We read of a man who has betrothed a
wife and has not taken her, Deuteronomy 20:7. Christ was
born of a virgin, but a betrothed virgin, 1. To put respect
upon the marriage state, and to recommend it as honorable
among all, against that doctrine of devils which forbids to
marry, and places perfection in the single state. Who more
highly favored than Mary was in her espousals? 2. To save
the credit of the blessed virgin, which otherwise would have
been exposed. It was fit that her conception should be
protected by a marriage, and so justified in the eye of the
world. One of the ancients says, It was better it should be
asked, Is not this the son of a carpenter? than, Is not this
the son of a harlot? 3. That the blessed virgin might have
one to be the guide of her youth, the companion of her
solitude and travels, a partner in her cares, and a help
meet for her. Some think that Joseph was now a widower, and
that those who are called the brethren of Christ (chapter
13:55), were Joseph’s children by a former wife. This is the
conjecture of many of the ancients. Joseph was just man, she
a virtuous woman. Those who are believers should not be
unequally yoked with unbelievers: but let those who are
religious choose to marry with those who are so, as they
expect the comfort of the relation, and God’s blessing upon
them in it. We may also learn, from this example, that it is
good to enter into the married state with deliberation, and
not hastily—to preface the nuptials with a contract. It is
better to take time to consider before than to find time to
repent after. II. Her pregnancy of the promised seed; before
they came together, she was found with child, which really
was of the Holy Ghost. The marriage was deferred so long
after the contract that she appeared to be with child before
the time came for the solemnizing of the marriage, though
she was contracted before she conceived. Probably, it was
after her return from her cousin Elizabeth, with whom she
continued three months (Luke 1:56), that she was perceived
by Joseph to be with child, and did not herself deny it.
Note, Those in whom Christ is formed will show it: it will
be found to be a work of God which he will own. Now we may
well imagine, what a perplexity this might justly occasion
to the blessed virgin. She herself knew the divine original
of this conception; but how could she prove it? She would be
dealt with as a harlot. Note, After great and high
advancements, lest we should be puffed up with them, we must
expect something or other to humble us, some reproach, as a
thorn in the flesh, nay, as a sword in the bones. Never was
any daughter of Eve so dignified as the Virgin Mary was, and
yet in danger of falling under the imputation of one of the
worse crimes; yet we do not find that she tormented herself
about it; but, being conscious of her own innocence, she
kept her mind calm and easy, and committed her cause to him
that judges righteously. Note, those who take care to keep a
good conscience may cheerfully trust God with the keeping of
their good names, and have reason to hope that he will clear
up, not only their integrity, but their honor, as the sun at
noon day. III. Joseph’s perplexity, and his care what to do
in this case. We may well imagine what a great trouble and
disappointment it was to him to find one he had such an
opinion of, and value for, come under the suspicion of such
a heinous crime. Is this Mary? He began to think, "How may
we be deceived in those we think best of! How may we be
disappointed in what we expect most from!’’ He is loath to
believe so ill a thing of one whom he believed to be so good
a woman; and yet the matter, as it is too bad to be excused,
is also too plain to be denied. What a struggle does this
occasion in his breast between that jealousy which is the
rage of man, and is cruel as the grave, on the one hand, and
that affection which he has for Mary on the other! Observe,
1. The extremity which he studied to avoid. He was not
willing to make her a public example. He might have done so;
for, by the law, a betrothed virgin, if she played the
harlot, was to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 22:23, 24.
But he was not willing to take the advantage of the law
against her; if she be guilty, yet it is not known, nor
shall it be known from him. How different was the spirit
which Joseph displayed from that of Judah, who in a similar
case hastily passed that severe sentence, Bring her forth
and let her be burnt! Genesis 38:24. How good it is to think
on things, as Joseph did here! Were there more of
deliberation in our censures and judgments, there would be
more of mercy and moderation in them. Bringing her to
punishment is here called making her a public example; which
shows what is the end to be aimed at in punishment—the
giving of warning to others: it is in terrorem—that all
about may hear and fear. Smite the scorner, and the simple
will beware. Some persons of a rigorous temper would blame
Joseph for his clemency: but it is here spoken of to his
praise; because he was a just man, therefore he was not
willing to expose her. He was a religious, good man; and
therefore inclined to be merciful as God is, and to forgive
as one that was forgiven. In the case of the betrothed
damsel, if she were defiled in the field, the law charitably
supposed that she cried out (Deuteronomy 22:26), and she was
not to be punished. Some charitable construction or other
Joseph will put upon this matter; and herein he is a just
man, tender of the good name of one who never before had
done anything to blemish it. Note, It becomes us, in many
cases, to be gentle towards those that come under suspicion
of having offended, to hope the best concerning them, and
make the best of that which at first appears bad, in hopes
that it may prove better. Summum just summa injuria—The
rigor of the law is (sometimes) the height of injustice.
That court of conscience which moderates the rigor of the
law we call a court of equity. Those who are found faulty
were perhaps overtaken in the fault, and are therefore to be
restored with the spirit of meekness; and threatening, even
when just, must be moderated. 2. The expedient he found out
for avoiding this extremity. He was minded to put her away
privily, that is, to give a bill of divorce into her hand
before two witnesses, and so to hush up the matter among
themselves. Being a just man, that is, a strict observer of
the law, he would not proceed to marry her, but resolved to
put her away; and yet, in tenderness for her, determined to
do it as privately as possible. Note, The necessary censures
of those who have offended ought to be managed without
noise. The words of the wise are heard in quiet. Christ
himself shall not strive nor cry. Christian love and
Christian prudence will hide a multitude of sins, and great
ones, as far as may be done without having fellowship with
them. IV. Joseph’s discharge from this perplexity by an
express sent from heaven, verses 20, 21. While he thought on
these things and knew not what to determine, God graciously
directed him what to do, and made him easy. Note, Those who
would have direction from God must think on things
themselves, and consult with themselves. It is the
thoughtful, not the unthinking, whom God will guide. When he
was at a loss, and had carried the matter as far as he could
in his own thoughts, then God came in with advice. Note,
God’s time to come in with instruction to his people is when
they are nonplussed and at a stand. God’s comforts most
delight the soul in the multitude of its perplexed thoughts.
The message was sent to Joseph by an angel of the Lord,
probably the same angel that brought Mary the tidings of the
conception—the angel Gabriel. Now the intercourse with
heaven, by angels, with which the patriarchs had been
dignified, but which had been long disused, begins to be
revived; for, when the First-begotten is to be brought into
the world, the angels are ordered to attend his motions. How
far God may now, in an invisible way, make use of the
ministration of angels, for extricating his people out of
their straits, we cannot say; but this we are sure of, they
are all ministering spirits for their good. This angel
appeared to Joseph in a dream when he was asleep, as God
sometimes spoke unto the fathers. When we are most quiet and
composed we are in the best frame to receive the notices of
the divine will. The Spirit moves on the calm waters. This
dream, no doubt, carried its own evidence along with it that
it was of God, and not the production of a vain fancy. Now,
1. Joseph is here directed to proceed in his intended
marriage. The angel calls him, Joseph, thou son of David; he
puts him in mind of his relation to David, that he might be
prepared to receive this surprising intelligence of his
relation to the Messiah, who, every one knew, was to be a
descendant from David. Sometimes, when great honors devolve
upon those who have small estates, they care not for
accepting them, but are willing to drop them; it was
therefore requisite to put this poor carpenter in mind of
his high birth: "Value thyself. Joseph, thou art that son of
David through whom the line of the Messiah is to be drawn.’’
We may thus say to every true believer, "Fear not, thou son
of Abraham, thou child of God; forget not the dignity of thy
birth, thy new birth.’’ Fear not to take Mary for thy wife;
so it may be read. Joseph, suspecting she was with child by
whoredom, was afraid of taking her, lest he should bring
upon himself either guilt or reproach. No, says God, Fear
not; the matter is not so. Perhaps Mary had told him that
she was with child by the Holy Ghost, and he might have
heard what Elizabeth said to her (Luke 1:43), when she
called her the mother of her Lord; and, if so, he was afraid
of presumption in marrying one so much above him. But, from
whatever cause his fears arose, they were all silenced with
this word, Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife. Note,
It is a great mercy to be delivered from our fears, and to
have our doubts resolved, so as to proceed in our affairs
with satisfaction. 2. He is here informed concerning that
holy thing with which his espoused wife was now pregnant.
That which is conceived in her is of a divine original. He
is so far from being in danger of sharing in an impurity by
marrying her, that he will thereby share in the highest
dignity he is capable of. Two things he is told, (1.) That
she had conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost; not by the
power of nature. The Holy Spirit, who produced the world,
now produced the Savior of the world, and prepared him a
body, as was promised him, when he said, Lo, I come, Hebrews
10:5. Hence he is said to be made of a woman (Galatians
4:4), and yet to be that second Adam that is the Lord from
heaven, 1 Corinthians 15:47. He is the Son of God, and yet
so far partakes of the substance of his mother as to be
called the fruit of her womb, Luke 1:42. It was requisite
that is conception should be otherwise than by ordinary
generation, that so, so though he partook of the human
nature, yet he might escape the corruption and pollution of
it, and not be conceived and shaped in iniquity. Histories
tell us of some who vainly pretended to have conceived by a
divine power, as the mother of Alexander; but none ever
really did so, except the mother of our Lord. His name in
this, as in other things, is Wonderful. We do not read that
the virgin Mary did herself proclaim the honor done to her;
but she hid it in her heart, and therefore God sent an angel
to attest it. Those who seek not their own glory shall have
the honor that comes from God; it is reserved for the
humble. (2.) That she should bring forth the Savior of the
world (verse 21). She shall bring forth a Son; what he shall be
is intimated, [1.] In the name that should be given to her
Son: Thou shalt call his name Jesus, a Savior. Jesus is the
same name with Joshua, the termination only being changed,
for the sake of conforming it to the Greek. Joshua is called
Jesus (Acts 7:45; Hebrews 4:8), from the Seventy. There were
two of that name under the Old Testament, who were both
illustrious types of Christ, Joshua who was Israel’s captain
at their first settlement in Canaan, and Joshua who was
their high priest at their second settlement after the
captivity, Zechariah 6:11, 12. Christ is our Joshua; both
the Captain of our salvation, and the High Priest of our
profession, and, in both, our Savior— a Joshua who comes in
the stead of Moses, and does that for us which the law could
not do, in that it was weak. Joshua had been called Hosea,
but Moses prefixed the first syllable of the name Jehovah,
and so made it Jehoshua (Numbers 13:16), to intimate that
the Messiah, who was to bear that name, should be Jehovah;
he is therefore able to save to the uttermost, neither is
there salvation in any other. [2.] In the reason of that
name: For he shall save his people from their sins; not the
nation of the Jews only (he came to his own, and they
received him not), but all who were given him by the
Father’s choice, and all who had given themselves to him by
their own. He is a king who protects his subjects, and, as
the judges of Israel of old, works salvation for them. Note,
those whom Christ saves he saves from their sins; from the
guilt of sin by the merit of his death, from the dominion of
sin by the Spirit of his grace. In saving them from sin, he
saves them from wrath and the curse, and all misery here and
hereafter. Christ came to save his people, not in their
sins, but from their sins; to purchase for them, not a
liberty to sin, but a liberty from sins, to redeem them from
all iniquity (Titus 2:14); and so to redeem them from among
men (Revelation 14:4) to himself, who is separate from
sinners. So that those who leave their sins, and give up
themselves to Christ as his people, are interested in the
Savior, and the great salvation which he has wrought out,
Romans 11:26. V. The fulfilling of the scripture in all
this. This evangelist, writing among the Jews, more
frequently observes this than any other of the evangelists.
Here the Old Testament prophecies had their accomplishment
in our Lord Jesus, by which it appears that this was he that
should come, and we are to look for no other; for this was
he to whom all the prophets bore witness. Now the scripture
that was fulfilled in the birth of Christ was that promise
of a sign which God gave to king Ahaz (Isaiah 7:14), Behold
a virgin shall conceive; where the prophet, encouraging the
people of God to hope for the promised deliverance from
Sennacherib’s invasion, directs them to look forward to the
Messiah, who was to come of the people of the Jews, and the
house of David; whence it was easy to infer, that though
that people and that house were afflicted, yet neither the
one nor the other could be abandoned to ruin, so long as God
had such an honor, such a blessing, in reserve for them. The
deliverances which God wrought for the Old-Testament church
were types and figures of the great salvation by Christ;
and, if God will do the greater, he will not fail to do the
less. The prophecy here quoted is justly ushered in with a
Behold, which commands both attention and admiration; for we
have here the mystery of godliness, which is, without
controversy, great, that God was manifested in the flesh. 1.
The sign given is that the Messiah shall be born of a
virgin. A virgin shall conceive, and, by her, he shall be
manifested in the flesh. The word “Almah” signifies a virgin
in the strictest sense, such as Mary professes herself to be
(Luke 1:34), I know not a man; nor had it been any such
wonderful sign as it was intended for, if it had been
otherwise. It was intimated from the beginning that the
Messiah should be born of a virgin, when it was said that he
should be the seed of the woman; so the seed of the woman as
not to be the seed of any man. Christ was born of a virgin
not only because his birth was to be supernatural, and
altogether extraordinary, but because it was to be spotless,
and pure, and without any stain of sin. Christ would be
born, not of an empress or queen, for he appeared not in
outward pomp or splendor, but of a virgin, to teach us
spiritual purity, to die to all the delights of sense, and
so to keep ourselves unspotted from the world and the flesh
that we may be presented chaste virgins to Christ. 2. The
truth proved by this sign is, that he is the Son of God, and
the Mediator between God and man: for they shall call his
name Immanuel; that is, he shall be Immanuel; and when it is
said, He shall be called, it is meant, he shall be, the Lord
our righteousness. Immanuel signifies God with us; a
mysterious name, but very precious; God incarnate among us,
and so God reconcilable to us, at peace with us, and taking
us into covenant and communion with himself. The people of
the Jews had God with them, in types and shadows, dwelling
between the cherubim; but never so as when the Word was made
flesh —that was the blessed Shechinah. What a happy step is
hereby taken toward the settling of a peace and
correspondence between God and man, that the two natures are
thus brought together in the person of the Mediator! by this
he became an unexceptionable referee, a days-man, fit to lay
his hand upon them both, since he partakes of the nature of
both. Behold, in this, the deepest mystery, and the richest
mercy, that ever was. By the light of nature, we see God as
a God above us; by the light of the law, we see him as a God
against us; but by the light of the gospel, we see him as
Immanuel, God with us, in our own nature, and (which is
more) in our interest. Herein the Redeemer commended his
love. With Christ’s name, Immanuel, we may compare the name
given to the gospel church (Ezekiel 48:35). Jehovah Shammah—The
Lord is there; the Lord of hosts is with us. Nor is it
improper to say that the prophecy which foretold that he
should be called Immanuel was fulfilled, in the design and
intention of it, when he was called Jesus; for if he had not
been Immanuel— God with us, he could not have been Jesus—a
Savior; and herein consists the salvation he wrought out, in
the bringing of God and man together; this was what he
designed, to bring God to be with us, which is our great
happiness, and to bring us to be with God, which is our
great duty. VI. Joseph’s obedience to the divine precept
(verse 24). Being raised from sleep by the impression which
the dream made upon him, he did as the angel of the Lord had
bidden him, though it was contrary to his former sentiments
and intentions; he took unto him his wife; he did is
speedily, without delay, and cheerfully, without dispute; he
was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. Extraordinary
direction like this we are not now to expect; but God has
still ways of making known his mind in doubtful cases, by
hints of providence, debates of conscience, and advice of
faithful friends; by each of these, applying the general
rules of the written word, we should, therefore, in all the
steps of our life, particularly the great turns of it, such
as this of Joseph’s, take direction from God, and we shall
find it safe and comfortable to do as he bids us. VII. The
accomplishment of the divine promise (verse 25). She brought
forth her first-born son. The circumstances of it are more
largely related, Luke 2:1, etc. Note, That which is
conceived of the Holy Ghost never proves abortive, but will
certainly be brought forth in its season. What is of the
will of the flesh, and of the will of man, often miscarries;
but, if Christ be formed in the soul, God himself has begun
the good work which he will perform; what is conceived in
grace will no doubt be brought forth in glory. It is here
further observed, 1. That Joseph, though he solemnized the
marriage with Mary, his espoused wife, kept at a distance
from her while she was with child of this Holy thing; he
knew her not till she had brought him forth. Much has been
said concerning the perpetual virginity of our Lord: Jerome
was very angry with Helvidius for denying it. It is certain
that it cannot be proved from scripture. Dr. Whitby inclines
to think that when it is said, Joseph knew her not till she
had brought forth her first-born, it is intimated that,
afterwards, the reason ceasing, he lived with her, according
to the law, Exodus 21:10. 2. That Christ was the first-born;
and so he might be called though his mother had not any
other children after him, according to the language of
scripture. Nor is it without a mystery that Christ is called
her first-born, for he is the first-born of every creature,
that is, the Heir of all things; and he is the first-born
among many brethren, that in all things he may have the
pre-eminence. 3. That Joseph called his name Jesus,
according to the direction given him. God having appointed
him to be the Savior, which was intimated in his giving him
the name Jesus, we must accept of him to be our Savior, and,
in concurrence with that appointment, we must call him
Jesus, our Savior.
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