The best place to start is at the beginning, right? And the beginning for any person is their ancestry and birth story. This week, we’ll look at 10 prophecies about the birth and ancestry of Jesus. Did Jesus come through the ancestral line that was prophesied? Did his birth happen the way it was prophesied?
For each prophecy, I’ll include the Old Testament prophecy, then I’ll give the New Testament passage that shows that the prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. Each verse or passage will be linked to the chapter in which it appears in case you want to read more context for each pair. I will also add a bit of commentary with each one so you can more easily identify the prophecy given in the passage. Let’s get started!
1. Abraham
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
In Genesis 12:3, God made a covenant with Abraham that all peoples on earth would be blessed through him. Acts 3 confirms that God raised up his servant, Jesus, and sent him to bless the people. Note that Jesus is confirmed as Abraham’s descendant in the genealogy given in Matthew 1.
2. Isaac
But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
These verses indicate that Abraham’s offspring will be reckoned through Jesus. Just like Abraham was willing to sacrifice his one and only son, God did sacrifice his one and only son through Jesus’ death on the cross. It is through this that we are reckoned to God. Jesus came through the line of Isaac, as is indicated by the genealogy in Matthew 1.
3. Judah
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
1 This is 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,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, …
The scepter, a sign of authority and kingship, would not depart from Judah, one of the 12 sons of Israel (Jacob). Jesus came to be known as the King of the Jews, and he reigns forever with God in heaven. Jesus was from the line of Judah.
4. David
12 When your [David’s] days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.
16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.
32 He [Jesus] will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.
David, arguably the greatest of all of Israel’s kings, was assured in 2 Samuel 7 that his kingdom would be established forever. This was accomplished through the birth of Jesus. Matthew 1 again confirms that Jesus was descended from David.
5. Virgin birth
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. In Luke 1, we see that Mary conceived even though she was a virgin. Mary was the mother of Jesus.
6. Baby
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Many Israelites assumed that the Messiah would come as a conquering hero to save them from oppression. But the Scriptures tell us something different. The Messiah would come as a baby.
7. Firstborn
And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Jesus, the Messiah, was the firstborn. He was not only the firstborn of Mary and Joseph (his mother was a virgin, after all), he was the firstborn over all creation and the firstborn from among the dead.
8. Bethlehem
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Even though Joseph and Mary did not live in Bethlehem, they traveled there for a census, and that is where Jesus was born.
9. Immanuel
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Sometimes, we get lucky, and the Bible tells us that something took place to fulfill a specific prophecy. That’s what we have here in Matthew 1. We see that Jesus was called Immanuel, because he is God with us.
10. Egypt
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
When the Magi came to visit Jesus, they visited Herod to ask where the King of the Jews was born. Herod found that the Messiah was supposed to be born in Bethlehem, so he ordered all boys under the age of 2 to be killed. Joseph was warned in a dream to take Jesus and escape to Egypt. Joseph obeyed. This fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would be called out of Egypt.
Conclusion
The Old Testament clearly lays out God’s plan for the ancestral line through which Jesus would come and the way that he would be born. We see New Testament Scriptures that confirm each of these prophecies in the birth of Jesus. Amazing!
If your favorite prophecy about Jesus’ birth or ancestry wasn’t listed, share it in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
Come back next week to learn about prophecies related to Jesus’ life and ministry!
This wonderful lady put a LOT of time into this article. I HIGHLY recommend taking the time to read this one. You will feel refreshed and reassured. Perfect timing for this Advent Season! Thank you Karen!
Excellent. I’ve saved to share with others .