About God

The Choice Of The Seed

The Importance Of The Seed

Now having explained the purpose of God in outline, we have seen that before Jesus came the whole purpose was bound up in him and waiting for him. So we next look in a bit more detail at how the choice of the seed unfolded, who should he descend from, after all there were a myriad possible permutations and it was not to be left to chance.

[Attachment 4 - Highlights in the genealogy of the seed - Chart 02. Please contact us for charts and attachments]] We have selected these highlights because they are absolutely vital in understanding the new testament and in having an intelligent Christian belief.

The promise made at the beginning of the seed was not vague, it was clear as far as it went, and the subsequent announcements are like it, clear and yet the whole is only partially and gradually revealed. Throughout it is the same message, expanded maybe, but contradicted never.

Abraham

A particular man Abraham and the Jewish nation which should descend from him, we find is selected to keep these great truths, while the world went its own way and sunk in the darkest idolatry.

That such a temporary receptacle for true religion was absolutely necessary appears, not only from the fact that man universally was so prone to apostacy but that even the chosen nation itself, in spite of all its peculiar safeguards relapsed again and again into idolatry.

It is made plain that the promised seed would descend from the man Abraham, in a startling series of promises that God himself made.

God promised that:

- He would make of Abraham a great nation, that is the Jews.
- His seed would possess the land of Canaan
- His seed would be multiplied exceedingly
- Abraham would possess the land of Canaan together with his seed.

So Abraham died expecting that eventually he would receive this inheritance - we have already seen from the handout that it will be by resurrection. Additionally God promised that he would make Abraham the father of many nations, for he was to be the ancestor of the Arabs as well as the Jews. From his children one was selected as the seed - this was Isaac, from whom the Jews were to come.

Now the word seed is a collective noun like, eg offspring or sheep. The same word is used for both one and for many.

The promises also indicate an especial seed, such as Isaac, or one to come who would possess the gate of HIS enemies, and in whom all nations of the earth would be blessed.

The especial reference then is to Jesus Christ, and this is not speculation it is carefully explained in the New Testament, that this is so.

Gal 3:16

David

The Jewish nation multiplied, all as foretold and promised to Abraham. They had a king over them called David, and the choice of the seed is indicated by a covenant made by God to David

God promised David that his throne would be established for ever and that there would always be one of his descendants to sit on it. One of these descendants would reign for ever on David's throne.

The New Testament Application

So all the Jews knew that this promised deliverer, when he came would be a son of David, and born of the kingly line. When Jesus asked the Jews of the day whose son this promised King and deliverer should be, they immediately answered the Son of David (Mt 22:42).

So this is why the New Testament starts with this long list of names, it establishes the pedigree of Jesus of Nazareth, that he was the one that had featured especially in these promises to Abraham and David.

He was heir to the throne of David, and so the angel sent to tell Mary that she was chosen to bear the son of God, says that Jesus would be great, the son of the highest, and the Lord God would give unto him the throne of his father David. He has to rule over Israel, and indeed not just Israel, but his dominion will be to the ends of the earth. Then all nations will be blessed in the seed of Abraham. This is the kingdom of God, there will be a resurrection, and Abraham will be raised from the dead to inherit the land that he was promised.