Pointing Us Closer...

I remember sitting in Gaby’s home in Binyamina, Israel reading the TORAH together. I had been studying Hebrew that morning at Gan Shmuel Kibbutz located in the Hafia district of Israel, east of Hadera. We began reciting the alphabet and working on pronunciations of names in order to provide me with an understanding of the language and complete my homework assignment.

Gaby opened up a parashah or a passage in Bereshit which ended up being Genesis 5. It was most appropriate that she took me to the book of Genesis because the very word Bereshit simply means “in the beginning” or “at the start” or “at the head of (all things)." Frankly, this was where I was…”the beginning” of many Hebrew lessons.

As we continued studying, I remembered one of the most important lessons came from the first Hebrew letter “b” or “Bet” from the word Bereshit. The letter Bet means “house.” Interestingly enough this particular word is composed of three Vavs, which adds up to 18, the numerical value for chai, or life. That is what He taught me that particular day while sitting in the house…God is life.

My friend, I was receiving more than a school lesson that afternoon. God was teaching me a spiritual lesson. Here, I sat at the feet of my Jewish mother at home being taught something divine or should I say rather being educated about someone Divine?

Suddenly, she took the Yad and began pointing me to these words, “This is the written account of Adam's line.” (A yad is often shaped like a long rod, with a small hand and an index finger pointing from it. It is used to point to the text while reading a portion of the Torah. It can be made of any number of materials, though silver is most common. The key is that “it points” us to truth.)

Well, I was lost in pronunciations and couldn’t for the life of me understand why all these names and records mattered. That’s when Gaby pointed to the book of Exodus of Parashat Shemot and we began reading about Moses’ genealogy.

Now, this is very significant as well – both in Hebrew and in my education. Shemot simply means “names.” Yet all these names conglomerate into a story in which God delivers Israel out of Egypt or Mitzarim into a land of promise. Basically, He was transitioning the people from something “OLD” to something “NEW” thus freeing them from their bondage so they could live in a place of freedom. He was doing the same in me, too!

As we continued to trace the names and patterns a story began to unfold, as well as a lineage. The Hebrew names had precious meaning. It was as though Gaby had handed me cliff notes to the Bible, life and a look into HISTORY (past, present and future).

It was an incredible time of learning as Gaby sat down at the table with me writing the names out in both English and Hebrew. What seemed so difficult at first resulted in complete joy.

Matthew is doing the same thing here that my Jewish mom did there. He is introducing men and women to five new characters whose names have incredible meaning – past, present and future. He is teaching the reader that there is an amazing story yet to be told that will POINT us straight to the Messiah! (He is very similar to the Yad.)

Matthew transitions readers from the Old Testament to the NEW expounding upon a genealogy that will lead precisely to the ONE who liberated, liberates and is liberating us from bondage so that we too can live in a place of freedom! You see, often it is easy to get lost or caught up in all the semantics. When we can’t for the life of one another understand the meaning to our uncertainties or life events – that’s when we learn that God has a unique purpose and plan in it all. He is pointing us somewhere…to the Messiah.

So let’s go back and trace where we have been in chapter one of Matthew. We will do exactly what Gaby taught me to do that day. I think that you will be enlightened and intrigued! It will escort us right to the Messiah and Messianic story.

Jesus – Yeshua is the Hebrew name for Jesus which means “Salvation.”

Christ - Ha-Mashiach is the Hebrew name for the Messiah literally meaning “the anointed.”

David - 'beloved' or possibly 'chieftain'

Abraham – “Father or leader of many”

Isaac – “He will laugh”

Jacob – “He who supplants”

Judah – “The praised one” or “exalt”

Perez – “Breach, Breaker or Breakthrough”

Zerah – “dawning”

Tamar – “palm tree”

Hezron – “Enclosed”

Ram – “High or Exalted”

Amminadab – “My people are noble”

Nahson – “that foretells; that conjectures”

Salmon – “Peaceable, Perfect and He that rewards”


I've often thought about WHY Matthew included so many names. There are many biblical examples when a “good name” referred to a person’s reputation, his character or integrity - such as Moses. Their names defined who they were, what they were like as an individual or often what they had accomplished and done.

In Jewish history, the Israelites required signs in order to believe. Some of these signs were observed and seen in the people’s names. Often times these signs were limited to certain time frames when God was introducing something to human history. This didn’t happen on a constant basis. Instead, they were messages sent to the people in order to believe God’s message or person. Matthew is penning these genealogical names in order to point “us” or rather introduce someone or something to human history – the long awaited Messiah.

Again, there is little written about Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahson and Salmon. Yet, as we dig deeper much can be recorded and observed about their lives throughout the meaning of their names. Here’s the portrait Matthew is painting:

Jesus our Salvation - Anointed as the Beloved - Our Chieftain - Father and Leader of many – Our laughter - He who supplants (succeeds) - The Praised One – Exalted – The One who breaches going before us breaking through – One dawned with branches from a palm tree - Enclosed to man, High and Exalted – A Messiah to a people that are Noble or chosen (Israel) – A Messiah that foretells; that conjecture – Peace, Perfection and especially One that REWARDS!

Now if that isn't God introducing something to human history...I am not sure what is! He is still speaking to HIS people and the message is Jesus the Messiah!!!