The History of Redemption Series Book Three –
The Unquenchable Lamp of the Covenant
The First Fourteen Generations in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ
“We become enthralled with God in this presentation as we are shown the power and love of God in fulfilling His ancient covenant promises to make a people for Himself and to restore His creation through the Messiah. Rev. Park is to be commended for pointing us first and foremost to ‘the One who is, the One who was, and the One who is coming’ (Rev 1:8).”
~Dr. Stephen Hague, Academic Dean of Faith Theological Seminary
BOOK SYNOPSIS
This book examines in detail the first fourteen generations of the genealogy of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 1:1‐17), revealing how God was at work in redemptive history to guide it toward its fulfillment. It provides explanation about the omitted generations in this genealogy and its significance to our life of faith.
Other key stories of the book include: The life and circumstances of the 12 judges of Israel, the dramatic story of David’s flight from King Saul and his ascension to the royal throne. And for the first time ever in the history of biblical research, King David’s sites of refuge systematically charted and presented in a map.
Why read it?
Understanding God’s Covenant ‐ the means to save mankind
– God is greater than “all” which includes the Sun and all the galaxies. More astonishing than the vastness of the universe is God’s great love for mankind. The human being is but a speck of dust drifting amidst this vast universe. God, who is greater than the entire universe, came to us and established a covenant with us in order to save us. The Proto‐Gospel given to Adam and Eve, the Noahic covenant, Abrahamic covenant, Sinaitic covenant, Davidic covenant and the new covenant of Jeremiah are all stepping stones linking us and all of history to Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind.
Understanding King David, the Lamp of the Covenant
– King David is a type of Jesus Christ. He was cited twice among the 42 generations in the genealogy and was recorded in both the first and second period, testifying to his significance. God promised King David and his descendants that the lamp will be forever unquenchable. By believing in Jesus, who came as the Son of David, today’s saints become the central figures of the lamp of the covenant that was given to David.Understanding ‘The Four Women’ listed in the genealogy of Jesus
– It is quite exceptional that the genealogy of Jesus includes four women. They were all women with amazing stories. They were all Gentile women unaccepted by the Jews.Why would God want to record their names in the genealogy? There is a special explanation for each woman mentioned!
Complete overview on the period of the Judges
– A Bible expert may be familiar with names like Deborah,Gideon and Samson, but not so much with the names like Shamgar, Jair and Tola. This book clearly organizes the 12 judges’ deeds and their evaluations.
Although this period is not included in the genealogy of Jesus, this period is important in understanding the genealogy and the covenants.
BOOK EXCERPT 1
God Who Upholds All
(1) God who governs the galaxy
Man on the earth is traveling through the universe along with the earth at a great speed of the earth’s rotation of about 0.46 km/ s (0.29 mi/ s, twice the speed of a passenger airplane), plus the speed of its revolution around the sun at about 30 km/ s (18.6 mi/ s, 3 times the speed of the fastest missile), plus the speed of the movement of our solar system around the galaxy at about 220 km/ s (136.7 mi/ s).
It is also known that the rotation of our galaxy around its center takes approximately 200 million years (1 cosmic year). The central hub of our rotating galaxy is an enormous black hole, an area of space with a gravitational field so intense that interstellar matters collapse together and are endlessly condensed. The black hole in our galaxy is approximately four million times larger than the sun and rotates at a speed close to the speed of light, causing space to rotate with it.
All of these phenomena are examples of how God “upholds all things by the Word of His power and preserves His creation” (Heb 1: 3). “Preserving” is God’s continuing work of maintaining all that He has created. Hence, the word uphold signifies the management of God’s creation in its preserved condition. If God takes away the Word of His power, the order of the entire universe will be destroyed in a moment (2 Pet 3: 10). From this we can witness the mercy and compassion of God, who is good to all. Isaac Newton described the force that pulls masses together as “universal gravitation.” The law of universal gravitation shows the power of God’s Word that upholds all bodies of the universe precisely in their orbits.
(2) The grand symphony of the stars in the universe
The report on the Cassini‐Huygens Mission put out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reveals the existence of sound waves collected from the planet Saturn and its vicinity. Sound waves are produced when an object rotates at a fast rate. Unimaginably deafening sounds must resound between the infinite number of stars that rotate and move about at the tip of God’s fingers. The sound, however, is not a thundering noise but a harmonious song in God’s ears (Job 38: 7). Thus, the universe is a symphony of billions of sounds and instruments of the Great Sovereign.
Because man can only hear sounds within a limited range, we cannot hear the great symphony of the universe now. However, we will be able to praise the Lord accompanied by this cosmic symphony in the heavenly world (Rev 4: 10– 11; 5: 11– 14; 14: 3).
The psalmist describes this symphony of the universe in Psalm 19: 2, “Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” The verb pours forth in this verse is in Hebrew and it means “to pour,” “to gush forth,” “to spring up,” or “to bubble up.” This signifies that all things in the heavens and on earth will praise God’s providence of creation during the day and will continue to pour forth His glory from day to day. Thus, in awe we must praise God that the divine order of the universe remains even when a day passes and another day comes. This divine order is according to the arrangement that God established during the creation (Gen 1:14) and according to the promise of preservation that God made with Noah and his family (Gen 8: 20– 22; 9: 11). This is what God called “My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night” through Jeremiah (Jer 33: 20).
(3) The perfect order and harmony of the universe
The entire universe is not in chaos, but is a world of complete order and perfect harmony under one God. This is so because the vast universe was created on the basis of perfect and precise design, and all things were arranged accurately in their own place according to the divine administration of God’s providence for salvation (Ps 103: 19; Prov 3: 19; Jer 10: 12).
It can be said that such orderly movement and beautiful harmony is a testimony to God’s greatness, faithfulness, and goodness for the salvation of fallen mankind. The alternation of night and day, the change of seasons, and the wondrous changes in the world of creation are proof that God’s mercy for the salvation of this world continues (Gen 8: 22; Deut 4: 19; Ps 136:5,9).
In Psalm 19: 1, the psalmist confessed, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands,” and praise for the works of God’s hands has been sung without ceasing ever since the time of creation. God’s divinity is undeniably revealed as long as we are willing to witness it by opening our eyes and our ears to God’s providence of creation found in the “day” that consists of night and day (Rom 1: 20).
BOOK EXCERPT 2
The History of Redemption and the Covenant
A covenant is a promise that God made especially with mankind because of His love for them (Lev 26: 9).
Accordingly, mankind can become united with God and have a personal relationship with God through His covenant. The key point and purpose of the covenant that God established with mankind is for Him to make them His own people. Mankind can become His people through the covenant just as God declares in Jeremiah 31: 33 and Ezekiel 36: 28, “I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Gen 17: 7; Exod 6: 7; 19:5– 6; Lev 26: 11– 12; Deut 29: 13; 2 Kgs 11: 17; 2 Chr 23: 16; Ezek 37: 27; 2 Cor 6: 16).
The word covenant is defined as “an agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.” A covenant is usually ratified when it is beneficial to both parties. However, God’s covenant is a pronouncement of God’s unilateral grace. This promise of God is unchangeable (Heb 6: 17) and faithful (Rom 3: 3; 1 Cor 1: 9; 10: 13; 2 Cor 1: 18; 1 Thes 5: 24; 2 Thes 3: 3; 2 Tim 2: 13; Titus 1: 9; 3: 8; Heb 11: 11; 1 Pet 4: 19; 1 Jn 1: 9). When His people keep the covenant, God will surely fulfill that covenant and respond with lovingkindness and truth (Ps 103: 17– 18).
Psalm 25: 10 All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.
ACCOLADES
Dr. Stephen Hague
Academic Dean of Faith Theological SeminaryWe become enthralled with God in this presentation in no small part because we are shown the power and love of God in fulfilling His ancient covenant promises to make a people for Himself and to restore His creation through the Messiah.
Dr. Yeong‐Su Ye
President of the International Christian Academy
President of the International Council of Churches and Ministries
Former President of Hanshin University Graduate SchoolThe author proclaims that the genealogy of Jesus Christ is part of God’s work of Salvation in which God, the creator “who so loved the world” sent His only son, Jesus Christ, so that the people of the world may “believe in him and they will gain everlasting life.” Not only does the author clearly reveal the lives of Joseph’s 41 ancestors shown in Matthew 1, and Mary’s 77 ancestors in Luke 3, but he also compares their ancestries to prove God’s perfectly calculated redemptive administration.
Bishop Kwang‐Young Jang
Former President of the Bishops Association of the Methodist Church in KoreaRev. Abraham Park makes it easy for the reader to understand theological themes or biblical contents as he explains them with simplicity in the view of the history of redemption. The fascinating thing is that as you read this book, you are able to experience all of the characters and events of the history of redemption as if you were seeing the magnificent panoply from one choice vantage point.
Dr. Ki‐Ho Sung
Former President of Sungkyul UniversityThis book’s well‐organized genealogical summaries, be it the ascending genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew concerning Jesus’ father Joseph or the descending genealogy concerning Mary’s family that reaches all the way up to God, clearly show Jesus Christ as the descendant of Abraham and David.