"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1).

These opening words of the New Testament identify this "book of the generation [literally `genesis'] of Jesus Christ" as telling of the wonderful fulfillment of the promise to both Abraham and David of a very special Son.

To Abraham, God had promised: "Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: . . . in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Genesis 22:16,18). This prophecy was directed immediately through Isaac, but focused finally on Jesus Christ, Abraham's greater Son. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ" (Galatians 3:16).

Similarly, a unique promise was made to David concerning his own special Son. "I will set up thy seed after thee, . . . I will be His Father, and He shall be my Son. . . . And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee" (II Samuel 7:12,14,16). Once again, this promise applied in a precursive sense to Solomon, but ultimately to the greater Son of David, "made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, . . . by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4). He was greater than Abraham, greater than David, and even "better than the angels. . . . For unto which of the angels said He at any time, . . . I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?" (Hebrews 1:4-5).

In the fullest sense, this Son was the fulfillment of the primeval promise of the coming seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). He is the virgin's Son (Isaiah 7:14), the Son given (Isaiah 9:6), "the last Adam. . . . the Lord from heaven" (I Corinthians 15:45,47). HMM