The Birth of Jesus Christ

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-23

The young child Jesus is the center of interest throughout the chapter. Every time the Child and His mother are mentioned together, the Child is given the first place. After Christ is introduced as the “Ruler,” Herod is no longer given his title of king; the rightful “King of the Jews” has come!

The young Child was also the object of Satan’s interest. The Apocalypse draws the curtain aside and shows that the devil was the real instigator of Herod’s attempt to slay the young Child. The “dragon” stood ready to devour the Child “as soon as it was born” (Revelation 12:4). Satan has set out from the beginning to oppose and frustrate God’s purpose in Christ. God originally revealed that the coming Deliverer would be the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). The devil therefore set out to defile and destroy the woman’s seed. Satan used Eve’s firstborn to murder her second son, but God answered with Seth (Genesis 4:1-8, 25). The devil then masterminded an assault on the “daughters of men” to corrupt their seed (Genesis 6:1-2; Jude 6), but God answered with the flood. God later revealed that the Deliverer would be of Abraham’s seed. The serpent attempted to defile this seed by the devices of the flesh, (Genesis 16:1-4), but God answered with Isaac. The Pharaohs were Satan’s next unwitting tools to attack the seed of Abraham, but God answered with Moses (Exodus 1-14). God had also implied that the Deliverer would be of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), and later, when one of that kingly tribe came to the fore, the devil used envious Saul to make several attempts on young David’s life—but “God did not deliver him into his hand” (1 Samuel 23:14). It was then made known that the Deliverer would be of the seed of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Of his many sons, David chose Solomon (1 Kings 1:17). Satan attacked through Adonijah but to no avail (1 Kings 1). The devil made another assault on David’s seed 150 years later through Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1), but God preserved the babe Joash (2 Kings 11:2-3; 12:1). Like so many before him, Herod acted the part of the serpent’s seed but Mary’s Child was destined for God’s throne (Revelation 12:5).

Despite all of the devil’s attempts, the King was born!

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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