OUR FATHER WHO GIVES HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER HIS SONS

The book Matthew chapter 4 captures the evens that followed after Jesus' baptism.

The Spirit of God compelled Jesus to go into the deserted places and He fasted for forty days and nights and reaching the end of this period, hunger encroached on Him. 

In this state of physical need, the kingdom of darkness perceived an opportunity to tempt the startling new person who had entered the domain and who had been declared to be the Son of God at John's baptism site. 

The temptation came in the form of a conditional propostion: "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread". Said another way, if Jesus' title was indeed the Son of God, in His state of hunger, He should be able to convert the stones lying around the wilderness to become bread so that he could have something to eat. 

Jesus was being tempted to try out His declared title for its power and as well, to satiate the intense hunger one would feel having not eaten anything for so long. Maybe more accurately, the temptation was using Jesus' desperate need for food as leverage to induce Him to flex His announced status. 

In response to this temptation, Jesus invoked the scriptural principle found in Deutronomy chapter 8 verse 3 which reads: "...man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

This principle instructs human beings that they were not designed to be merely consumers of what sustained their physical bodies but that they would also be sustained by the words that are spoken by God.

Human beings need food to eat but they also need to live by the instructions and guidance of God and what this temptation was doing was negate the spiritual dependence on God and magnify the physical dependence on food. To heed this temptation, Jesus would be acting under His own discretion in this life or death situation and this would have been contrary to the design of man.

To counter the temptation, the Lord Jesus held up the principle of living only by the word of God and deflected the temptation to jump the gun and marshall spiritual power to change the nature of material in the corporeal realm without the guidance of heaven.

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

The next temptation aimed at Jesus was that he was taken to the top of the temple in Jerusalem and was told that if He were the Son of God, He should be able to throw himself off the temple because the scriptures clearly said that the One who is designated as the Son of God would have angels watching over of Him and they would reach out their hands to prevent Him from striking His foot upon a stone.

The passage from which the reference was drawn is found in Psalm 91 verses 9 - 12:

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

    and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,

    no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

It is evident why Satan would be concerned about the arrival of a person with the title 'Son of God'. That person is the one who is foretold to have the power to trample the the great lion and the serpent as indicated in verse 13. Both these metaphors are linked to Satan. 

In Psalm 22 verse 13, a roaring lion is mentioned that is participating is the tormenting of a servant. The other link to Satan is the serpent that Adam and Eve encoutered in in the garden of Eden who, after derailing the human race, is cursed by God to crawl on his belly and lick the dust of the earth and that a seed of the woman would crush his head.

So Satan is interested in tempting Jesus to demonstrate His power if he was indeed the Son of God so that Satan would know for sure what he would be dealing with and the bait was that if he were to throw himself of the temple and be publicly seen to have invisible forces breaking his fall, He could gain fame and influence amoung the children of Israel immediately and the mission He was sent on could hit the ground running.

To counter this temptation, Jesus invoked another important principle in the scripture that prohibited the testing the Lord God to force His hand. To request assistance from God and then wait for His decision and live gratefully for whatever that decision ended up being, is the prescribed pattern. 

Conversly, to deliberately create an emergency situation so that God is compelled to intervene is prohibited by the principle established in Deutronomy chapter 6 verse 16 which says: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah." The reference to Massah points to an event that occured when the children of Israel were travelling away from Egypt through barren terrain and when they reached a place called Rephidim, the people were thirsty because there was no water and they angrily demanded that Moses provide water. They grumbled against Moses asking if Moses had brought them out to the desert to die of thirst.

In this crisis, Moses went before God and cried out to Him asking what was to be done with the people. He told God that the people were close to stoning him.

This was the test. The people were about to stone Moses and this deliberate intention to harm God's servant forced God to take an action to prevent an outcome that He did not want.

Jesus saw the parallels between the two situations. In Moses' case, the people were going to undertake the stoning of Moses forcing God to intervene and in Jesus' case, the temptation was to jump off the temple and force God to act. Jesus chose to invoked the scriptural prohibition of taking an action that would force God's hand.

5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles:

16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,

And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death

Light has dawned.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Amen.

1

 OUR FATHER WHO INTRODUCED HIS SON AS HIS BELOVED SON IN WHOM HE WAS WELL PLEASED

The third chapter of the book of Matthew begins with an introduction of a man named John the Baptist who operated in the Judean wilderness preaching a message of imminient arrival of the kingdom of God and that repentance was to prepare for when the eternal kingdom touched down.

John's origin is described in the book of Luke chapter 1 verses 5 - 25. His father was a temple priest named Zechariah and one day, while conducting an incense burning ceremony in the temple, an angel named Gabriel appeared to him and told him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son who would be a delight to them and who would be great in the sight of the Lord.

Zechariah was skeptical at this news because his wide was barren and they were both advanced in years.

In response to Zechariah's incredulity, the angel struck him mute and he was unable to communicate except by gesticulation and writing. After Zechariah's service in the temple was complete, he returned home and his wife became pregnant as the angel has said and when the child was born, Zechariah's speech was restored.

Matthew's text picks up the narrative of John's life when he was an adult and preaching in the wilderness around Judea to the people who came out to hear him.

He lived an austere life of rough clothing and a crude diet of locusts and honey.

 His message to the people was that the arrival of the Kingdom of God was imminent and that they needed to prepare by repenting which was be signified by the confession of sins and being baptized in water.

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make His paths straight.’ ”

4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

John was a very zealous and uncompromising preacher and when members of the religious sects came out to hear him, he castigated them for being a contigent of vipers. He wondered out loud who had warned them to flee from the coming judgment and condemnation. Now they were out there with him, he instructed them to repent in a way that resulted in disearnable changes in their lives. He warned them to stop trusting in their claim of validation based on their descendancy from the patriarch Abraham because that privilege could be conferred on anyone and anything.

John warned that the hour of judgement was coming and anything in the established religious order that did not yield acceptable fruit would be cut down and burned.

John painted a picture of a exeedingly great baptizer to come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire instead of mere water like John did. John foretold the arrival of a  judge who would screen out the members of the religious order who were operating on the threshing floor on which the temple was built. The entire establishment was going to be subjected to scrutiny, verdicts and sentences.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

One day, as John was conducting this rite on the banks of the River Jordan, the Lord Jesus arrived that the location and asked John to baptize Him. John had recognized Jesus as the one for whom his whole ministry was set up point towards and he was rightly reluctant to fulfil Jesus' request because he knew that Jesus was the Son of God sent from heaven to take away the sins of the world and he felt that it was Jesus who should have baptized him and not the other way around.

Jesus gently assured John that it was appropriate for him to baptize Jesus in order that all the tally marks of righteousness could be filled in. 

John then agreed to baptize Jesus and when he had done this, Jesus emerged from the water with heaven opening above Him and the Spirit of God set down on Him. 

Against this backdrop, the voice of the Father spoke from heaven certifying the standing of the Lord Jesus as His beloved Son and certifying that He was approved of for having met the standard of God.

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Amen.

1

 OUR FATHER WHO CALLED HIS SON OUT OF EGYPT

The book of Matthew chapter 2 continues with the events surrounding the early life of the Lord Jesus.  

From prophetic writting of the Prophet Micah out of Micah chapter 5 verse 2, we read:

“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.”

From this scripture, it was generally known that Bethlehem would be the city from where the Messiah would emerge and so the town was always on the watch list for the appearance of any notable person but what was not clear was when this would happen and in what manner the Messiah would be revealed and so when Joseph and Mary entered Bethlehem during an ongoing census, their movements went unnoticed and Jesus was born in Bethlehem exactly where it was foretold but this world-changing event was not picked up by those who were watching for it. The other gospels record that some shepherds in the hills surrounding Bethlehem saw angels in the heavens singing in celebration of the birth of Jesus and they went into town to see for themselves the new child but other than this covert welcome to the world involving shepherds who occupied the lowest strata of society, the arrival of Jesus slipped under the radar.

Well, maybe not completely under the radar.  In the east, some Babylonian priests ( or Magi ) who seem to have had contact with the writings of the Prophet Daniel ( who lived in the city of Babylon during the time of the Babylonian captivity), picked up a signal in the spiritual realm that indicated that a highly significant person had arisen in the west and so they embarked on a journey to pay homage to the long awaited King of the Jews.

To their surprise, when they arrived in Jerusalem asking to be shown the Messiah of Israel so that they could worship him, no one, including King Herod and the religious scholars, had any idea that this had happened. 

The king and the religious establishment of Jerusalem were deeply troubled that the birth of the Messiah may have happened under their watch without their knowledge.

 Having ascertained that the home town of the Messiah was to be Bethlehem, King Herod secretly met with the Magi and told them to report back to him if they found the promised King in Bethlehem. 

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

After their audience with king Herod, the Magi left Jerusalem and traveled south towards Bethleham and the star that guided them from Babylon continued leading them and took them to the specific address where Jesus, about two years old by now, lived with his parents. Matthew describes them as being exeedingly joyful when they star they came to the house and found Mary and Jesus inside.

They fell down and worshipped him and they famously  presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and Myrrh. These gifts indicate that the prophetic information they were following was detailed and the young Child's status as King, Priest and Saviour of the world was represented in those gifts.

After their encounter with Jesus, the Magi were alerted in a dream not to report Jesus' whereabouts to Herod and so, instead of using the main travel route through Jerusalem to head back home, they took a back road out of Judea and evaded Herod and his network of informants.

King Herod, discovering that the wise men had outwitted him, became angry and decided to eliminate the possibility of a king rising to challenge him by killing all the boys in Bethlehem who were under two years old.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 

In the meantime, Joseph had a dream that warned him to take the child Jesus and Mary to Egypt and to remain there until he got clearance to return when the danger from Herod's intentions passed.

After the family had left, Herod sent a detachment of agents to Bethlehem on a mission to kill every young child in the town and this traumatic moment was captured in the prophetic passage of Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 16.

17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted,

Because they are no more.”

 While Herod was alive, Jesus' family stayed as refugees in Egypt but after Herod died, an angel brought a dream to Joseph with instructions to return home and so the child Jesus came back to Israel.  This was prophecied in the book of Hosea chapter 11 verse 1 which say, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son."

Because the new ruler of Judea was Herod's son, Archelaus, Joseph was concerned about living in his jurisdiction and so, by guidance of a dream, he avoided settling in Judea and instead, settled in the northern region of Galilee in the town of Nazareth and so Jesus was a Nazarene (and often referred to as Jesus of Nazareth )

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

The name "Nazareth",  has two connotations that could be associated with the utterances of the prophets (plural) which Matthew references.

The first is that word Nazareth shares the root consonants of the word "branch" and the term "branch" or "shoot" is used by phrophets to reference the expected Messiah e.g. Isaiah chapter 11 verse 1 which reads:  “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”

The other connotation was that it was something despised and looked down upon. The culture at the time of Jesus looked down upon the city of Nazareth and an example of this is marked when, in John chapter 1 verse 46, Nathanael when told that Jesus came from Nazareth, asks,  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”.

In the old testament, examples such as Isaiah chapter 53 verse 3, indicate that the coming Messiah would be despised and looked down upon.

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem”

Amen

1

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

Written by the Apostle Matthew who was among the 12 disciples whom the Lord Jesus called at the onset of His ministry, the book of Matthew is an account of the life of of Jesus from the point of view of a witness who was with Him during His Ministry up to His death on the cross and also from subsequent research into His ancestry, His birth and His early life.

The book of Matthew chapter 1 is a compilation of Jesus' geneology starting from Abraham the patriarch of the nation of Israel into which the Lord Jesus was ordained to arrive to bring salvation to the world.

This geneology is a like a chain-of-custody form that shows how Jesus' lineage passed down via the people who were prophetically marked as being the ones through whom the promised saviour of the world would come. With the Lord Jesus having this lineage, it makes Him the biological heir to the promises from God.

Matthew starts the geneology with an identification of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of David and as the Son of Abraham. These are the two most recognizable people from the scriptures to whom God gave the promises of the Saviour and His kingdom.

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 

As the listing begins, we see Abraham (who is a type and shadow of God the Father because he is described as the father of many nations and he is the one who offered his only son Isaac in the way the God the Father gave His only son as a sacrifice for the sins of men. 

Isaac, the second on the list is the son of Abraham ( with Sarah )who was a type and shadow of Jesus Christ because he was the long-awaited promised son who was offered as a sacrifice. This is parallel to Jesus who was promised, waited for and who, when He appeared, was sacrificed on the cross.

Third on the list was Jacob who was the second of the twin sons of Isaac. Jacob who is a type and shadow of a believer in Jesus Christ because he started off as a fugitive from his twin brother to escape the sentence death and as he fled,  he encountered God at a portal to heaven and ultimately lived by faith and worshipped God ( Hebrews C. 1  v. 21 ) which is parallel to the life pattern of a believer.

These three men were included in the promise of an eternal inheritance as established in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 verse 9.

Continuing down the geneology, we find Judah in the geneology and this placement confirmed the prophetic utterance that Jacob, as he was dying, spoke over him declaring that the scepter of the promised kingdom would not depart from his lineage.

3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.

Judah then had a son named Perez who had Hezron who had Ram who had Amminadab who had Nahshon who had Salmon who ( with Rahab the prostitute from Jericho ) had Boaz, who ( with Ruth ) had Obed who had Jesse who was the father of David the king whose throne was to be an eternal throne through one of his descendants as it was written in 2 Samuel chapter 7 verses 12 - 16.

12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

The throne of David the king was the throne that the Messiah would be established upon and this touchpoint is a pivotal nexus that the Messiah would have to descend from. 

From King David came King Solomon who then had a son named Rehoboam who had Abijah who had Asa who had Jehoshaphat who had Joram who had Uzziah who had Jotham who had Ahaz who had Hezekiah who had Manasseh who had Amon who had Josiah who had Jeconiah which was in the time that Israel was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and taken into captivity in Babylon. 

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. 8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. 9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. 11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

In Babylon, Jeconiah had a son named Shealtiel who then had Zerubbabel. Zeruabbabel's name means "Seed or offspring of Babylon". Zerubabel was labeled "God's signet ring" and he led the children of Israel back to Jerusalem and helped to rebuild the temple. 

The geneology of Jesus Christ was now back in the Israel when Zerubbabel had a son named Abiud who had Eliakim who had Azor who had Zadok who had Achim who had Eliud who had Eleazar who had Matthan who had Jacob who had Joseph the husband of Mary ( or perhaps the father of Mary ) who then conceived Jesus Chirst through the Holy Spirit.

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband (more likely the  father ) of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

1.  Abraham             Solomon                Shealtiel                           
2.  Isaac                    Rehoboam            Zerubbabel
3. Jacob                   Abija                      Abiud
4. Judah                   Asa                         Eliakim
5. Perez                    Jehosephat           Azor
6. Hezron                 Joram                     Zadok
7. Ram                      Izziah                     Achim
8. Amminadab        Jotham                  Eliud
9. Nahshon              Ahaz                       Eliazar
10. Salmon/Rahab   Hezekiah               Mattan
11. Boaz/Ruth           Mannaseh             Jacob
12. Obed                    Amon                     Joseph/Mary        Joseph
13. Jesse                  Josaiah                  Jesus Christ          Mary
14. David                  Jeconiah                                                 Jesus Christ

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

In this geneology, we see a numeric error where Mathew describes each period as having 14 generations yet the post-Babylonian exile branch only has 13 generations if the  Joseph mentioned there is the husband of Mary rather than her husband.

If we see Mary as taking a place as a generation with Joseph as her father, the branch of geneology then has 14 generations to match what Matthew said immediately after the geneological listing.

This notion is bolstered by the passage in Luke 3:23: "Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli". Joseph, in Matthew's geneology, is known to be the son of Jacob while in this passage, the Joseph in the context of being the supposed father of Jesus, was the son of Heli. In the geneology in Luke, Heli is written in as the father of Joseph. 

So the change of the title of Joseph in Matthew's geneology from husband to father corrects the number of generations and also resolves the discrepancy of who Joseph's father was. Even though it is not frequent, it is very plausible that a man have the same name as his father-in-law especially if it is a commonly used name.

The change of the title of the Joseph in the geneology listing from father to husband in the text is likely an overreach by early scribes who, looking at the name Joseph being used in the same passage, presumed that it was the same person and altered the geneology to match the label given to the Joseph in the immediate context.

Continuing after the geneology, we reach the story of the birth of Jesus which, in speaking of Joseph, calls him Mary's husband as she was betrothed to him. It is probably from this text that translators took their cue to modify the geneology. 

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Mary, after she was betrothed to Joseph, encountered the angel Gabriel who informed her that she was chosen to carry the child Jesus and she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit with a seed that was not of the lineage of sinful men. 

When it became known to her family that Mary was pregnant, it became an explosive situation because she was not made pregnant by the man to whom she was betrothed, which, in the culture, would have been ruinous to Mary. 

Joseph, a fair and kind man, not wanting to destroy Mary, had decided to quiety release her without publically demanding justice but before he did so, an angel of the Lord visited him in a dream and instructed him to stick to the plan of marrying Mary because she had not betrayed him but rather was being used as an instrument by which a divine son, who would save His people from their sins, would be brought into the world.  

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew describes the whole circumstance of Mary being a virgin who would give birth to the one who would be called "God with us", as a fulfilment of the prophesy by the Prophet Isaiah in the book of Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14.  

A dimension to add to this prophecy  is that even though the means of the arrival of the Son of God was foretold and widely known including by the kingdom of darkness. As such, the events surrounding the arrival of Jesus would have to occur incognito so that they would not catch the attention of those who would oppose the appearance of a person who save mankind and who would judge the world.

24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Joseph, awoke from the dream and did as the angel he encountered instructed him and he remained commited to Mary and stayed separate from her until the child was born and Joseph named the child, Jesus 

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER WHO CANNOT BE MOCKED

The book of Galatians chapter 6 concludes Paul's letter saying this:

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 

The apostle Paul gives an instruction to the Galatians on how to respond to a fellow brother or sister who was entrapped in a sinful addiction.  He tells them that those who walk in the Spirit should restore the person gently but he warns those who undertake this work to be careful lest they get tempted to pursue the sin themselves.

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

Paul also advises them to be careful with pride that would cause them to think too highly of themselves. The prescription for this propensity is to humbly carry one another´s burdens and also to examine continuosly their own actions to calibrate their headings so that if they are on a true course, they can be satisfied in their own conduct without measuring themselves against the actions of other people. 

The Galatians are advised to be self-supporting but allows that if anyone receives a blessing from a teacher who instructs them in the ways of the word of God, they should share all good things that their instructor.

In this context, Paul states two axioms: God cannot be mocked and  A man reaps what he sows.

By first saying that God cannot be mocked, Paul is saying that the axiom that follows cannot be circumvented in any way. 

If we sow to the satisfaction of the flesh, we will reap what the corruption of the flesh has accrued to itself which is destruction.

If, on the other hand, we sow to please the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of life, we will reap eternal life. As such, as a farmer patiently waiting for what he has sown to mature into a harvest, sowing into the Spirit will yield an eternal harvest if we do not give up. Paul counsels us to use every occasion we have to do good to other people especially fellow believers.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Seeming to take over the writing of the letter to the Galatians from an assisting scribe, Paul marvels at how large his own alphabetical characters were as he points out that he was writting in his own hand. The anachronistic phrase in verse 11 seems to indicate that a transition in who was writing  had taken place.

11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

The Apostle Paul, now with the pen in his hand, recapitulates the indictment on those who were bringing the false doctrine of mandatory circumcision for believers noting that they were doing so in an attempt to impress the religious establishment of the time and be able to boast to others that they had brought righteousness to the gentiles. As well, they wanted to avoid being persecuted by the authorities by being able to claim that they were propagating the same religious pratices as the estabishment was.

12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. 

Regarding the infiltrators boasting of their subversion of the gospel, Paul declares that he would only boast in the cross of Christ which was the instrument which the Lord Jesus  made available to us by which the things of this world are made dead to us and we are made dead to the world. With the cross as the pivot on which human beings are freed from slavery under the kingdom of darkness, all other religious practices became meaningless and the only things that were left with meaning were under the realm of the new creation.

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 

Paul concludes his letter to the Galatians by blessing those who remain in faith and inhabit the new creation. 

He asked the Galatians not to trouble him anymore with their challenges to his apostleship and his doctrine because the persecution for his work for Jesus had left their marks on him that validated his ministry.

16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALLOCATED FREEDOM TO US WHO BELIEVE

The book of Galatians chapter 5 (NIV) says this:

1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

The Apostle Paul tells us that it is for freedom that we are released from captivity and as such, we must guard against the possibility of being re-captured and placed under a yoke of the slavery of the law.

Paul strongly puts to the Galatians that if any of them undertook to attain righteousness by fulfilling one law, that person would be obligated to fulfill the entirety of the law and the work of Christ would then be of no value to them for they would have taken the tack of gaining righteousness by works in the flesh rather than gaining righteouness by faith in Christ Jesus. Paul labeled this abandonment of faith in Christ to grapple for righteousness by works, a "fall from grace".

It is through the Spirit that we hope for righteousness by having faith in the efficacy of the work that the Lord Jesus did for us by dying on our behalf on the cross. As such, the only thing that is measured regarding righteousness is faith and how it expresses itself through love in the life of the believer.

2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

The Galatians surprised Paul because from his point of view, they had started their christian walk well but in the interim period, some influencers were able to capture their ear and pursuade them to engage in faithless practices. Paul tells us that being able to be pursuaded into leaving the faith of the gospel of Christ cannot have come from Christ who was the one who had called them.

Using the metaphor of a small amount of yeast in a lump of dough, Paul writes to them that there must have been a small incursion of the false doctrine at first but then it ultimately propagated through the whole assembly of the believers at Galatia the way yeast propagates throughout the lump of dough. 

Nonetheless, Paul was sure that the Galatians would return to the truth and the ones who were bringing in the confusion of doctrine would be penalized for their infiltration.

By way of argument, Paul demonstrates to the Galatians that his persecution was proof of fact that  the truth he brought to them was contrary to the law. If Paul was indeed teaching the law, he would have been welcomed by the established religious authorities but instead, they persecuted him because he was teaching that righteousness could only be gained by faith. Paul insisted in his argument that if it was appropriate to teach that righteousness could be obtained by the law, that meant that the cross of Christ (which was the central offence against the administrators of the law), was obsolete. 

Paul then comments strongly about those who were attempting to pursuade the Galatians to undergo circumcision to gain righteousness. He writes that he wished that those promoting circumsion would castrate themselves instead of merely following the prescription of the law.

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. 11 Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

The apostle Paul, addressing the believers in Galatia as his brothers and sisters, tells them that they were called into faith to be free but he reminds them not to use their freedom to give leeway for their fleshly nature to express itself but rather to use their freedom to humbly be of service to one another because what replaced the law of Moses was the law of love which is is a direct expression of God because the scripture elsewhere ( 1 John chapter 4 v. 8 ) says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Paul warns the Galatians that if, instead of love, they participate in infighting and exploitation, they would be on a path of being destroyed by each other.

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Paul now pin-points the singular way that they can avoid seeking after the gratifications of the flesh and that is to walk by the Spirit. The Spirit and the flesh are diametrically opposed to one another and as such, following the Spirit of God constrains us in what is allowable to do and by following the Spirit, we are not under the law but under the coverage of the Spirit and heeding to the law of love.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Paul lists the symptoms of both walking by the Spirit and walking in the flesh:

          FLESH                                    SPIRIT

•  Sexual Immorality                    Love
•  Impurity & Debauchery            Joy
•  Idolatry & witchcraft                 Peace
•  Hatred                                     Forbearance
•  Discord                                    Kindness
•  Envy                                        Goodness
•  Temper trantrums                    Faithfulness
•  Selfish ambition                       Gentleness
•  Dissensions                             Self-control
•  Factions
•  Drunkeness
•  Orgy attendance
•  Conceit 

Paul explains that there are no laws against the practice of walking by the Spirit but the practices of the flesh can result in being excluded from the inheritance of the kingdom of God.          

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS US

Having examined the book of Hebrews, which is a distilate and summary of the redemption story from its old testament roots, we now look into chapter 4 of the  book of Galatians which is known to have been written by Paul and whose content is structured very similarly to the content in the book of Hebrews in the sense that a complex theological matter is being exposited and references are being drawn from the old testament.

In this case, the apostle Paul is addressing the question of the adoption of the believer from orphanhood to sonship.

Paul asserts that an immature believer is like a child in his father´s house who is a ward of the servants who care from him. As a son, he is the heir to all things but until the time of his maturity, he is under the rulership of guardians until the point that his father deems him to be grown enough to be entrusted with the authority of the household.

Through the life of Jesus on earth as a man who suffered and died for us, fallen men were redeemed so that they would be able to move from infancy under the law of external governance to the status of sons who are able to receive the Spirit of God's son in our hearts where we call on the Father as ¨ABBA, Father¨ or as ¨Papa¨ in the same way that a son would call his father.

As a son of God having been taken out of slavery, we are made heirs with Christ.

1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

The Apostle Paul, having explained how privileged we are to have been taken from abject slavery and lifted into the realm of God as sons, is flabberghasted that the Galatians would gravitate back to the same old feeble forces of legal works such as keeping special days and seasons as a means of attaining righteousness.

This retrogression by the Galatians was so contrary to the message of the gospel that Paul became highly concerned for them and feared that all the efforts of bringing them along in the exploration of the incredible gift of salvation had added up to nothing. Paul adjures them for reaching the state of knowing God and thus escaping the bonds slavery and then suddenly, being ensnared by the systems of enslavement and reverting to the practices of enslavement. 

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

The Apostle Paul reminds the Galatians how graciously they accepted him and the hospitality they showed him when he was sick. Even in illness, they respected him and treated him with honor. Paul commented on the fact that their honor for him seemed to have dried up and he wondered if perhaps it was because he was telling them the truth that they were not willing to hear.

Paul brings up the emergence of a group of influencers who had come into their circles and were leading them away from the original teaching of the gospel that Paul had brought to them. As a result of the drifting away of the Galatians into the orbits of the influencers who wished to harness them for their own causes, Paul describes his experience of going into labour pains again as if to give birth to them into a state of maturity that comes from having Christ formed in them.

12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you. 19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! 

Paul, perplexed by the Galatians reversion to the law, begins an excavation of the history of the patriarchs because he percieves that even though they seem to want to revert to the strictures of the law, they may not be aware of what the law actually says.

 21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?

The Aposle Paul brings out two figures from the scriptures: One was Hagar who was a slave woman in Abraham's household and the other was Sarah, Abraham's wife who was a free woman.

Hagar bore a son of the flesh when Abraham and Sarah felt that the promise that God made to them that He was going to give them a son was lingering too long and engaged the slave woman to carry a child ( Ishmael ) for them.

Sarah, on the other hand, late in her life, conceive a son in faith and this was the son ( Isaac ) that God had promised them. 

Paul explains that, figuratively,  Ishmael represents Mount Sinai which is from where the law was dispensed and this corresponds to the earthly Jerusalem which is from where the law was administrated over the civilization it governed.

Isaac, on the other hand, represents the promise of grace that was dispensed from the heavenly Jerusalem which is free and that heavenly Jerusalem is "our mother" ( as Paul puts it ) which means that we who are saved are birthed into the civilization of freedom which is governed by grace under the law of love. The metaphore invoked by Paul ( Isaiah 54 v 1 ) of the barren woman points to Sarah but also to the new Jerusalem that had remained childless until the era of grace  was inaugurated and children born of the Spirit and into freedom came forth.

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.

24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,

    you who never bore a child;

shout for joy and cry aloud,

    you who were never in labor;

because more are the children of the desolate woman

    than of her who has a husband.”

Paul explains to the Galatians that they were children of the promise by the faith in Christ that they had walked in and as such, even as Ismael persecuted Isaac, the children of the flesh persecute the children born of the power of the Spirit until the slave and her son were turned away from the household.

Those who are saved by grace and are children of free woman should therefore eschew the influence of the children of the bond woman who were never going to share in the inheritance that was for the free woman's son.

In other words, having gained the promise of salvation through grace, the Galatians must expell the law as a means of attaining righteousness from their midst so that they can remain free.

28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Amen.

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 OUR FATHER WHO WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US

The writer concludes the book of Hebrews in chapter 13 with some exortations to continue cultivating brotherly love among themselves. We are reminded to care for all people including those unknown to us for in some cases, some of the guests encountered were actually angels disguised as human beings. We are also reminded to remember fellow believers who were imprisoned and subject to persecutions. This is necessary to do for the Christians who still dwell on the earth.

1 Let brothely love continue. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. 3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.

Our writer touches on the sanctity of marriage and warns that defilement of the marriage bed by fornication or adultery would be subject to judgement. 

4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

Next, believers are cautioned on their attitude towards material things. To counter the inclination towards covetousness (envy ), we should sustain contentment knowing that the Lord Himself promised that He would never abandon us to our own devices but rather that he would  provide what we need for our lives.

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said,

                             “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”     

                            6 So we may boldly say:

“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?”

7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.

We are also reminded to be cognisant of those who spoke the word of God to us and whose faith we follow as we reflect on the outcome of their lives.

The writer reminds of the privileged position that believers in Christ have whereby they have access to an altar that those who served the earthy tabernacle had no right to eat from. Whereas the bodies of the sacrificed animals whose blood was presented at the tabernacle were burned outside the camp, the Lord Jesus the Christ, in order to sanctify His people, suffered outside the camp so to speak when he was taken outside the walls of Jerusalem.

We too must be prepared to suffer the ignominy that Christ suffered and so must step outside of the temporal civilization in which we are ensconced so that we can live in the eternal civilization of the kingdom of God. The appropriate response to the sacrifice of Christ is the continous grateful praise of His name and on top of this, do good and share what we have with each other for these two things are loved by God.

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

We are also called to be submissive to those who have been given charge over us for  they are answerable for our lives. If we conduct ourselves properly under them, their responsibility is joyful but if we cause them endless grief, we would lose the benefit of their guidance.

17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Asking the recipients of the letter to pray for them so that their company would be able to reunite with them, the writer of Hebrews gives a benediction of completion so that they would be able to fulfill the will of God in their lives and causing thme to yield fruit that is pleasing to Him through the Lord Jesus who is glorified forever.

Timothy, the protoge of Paul the apostle, is mentioned in the epilogue of the letter as having been released from prison and this strongly suggests that the letter to the Hebrews was written by Paul himself and only a few  artifacts in this book suggest that it could be another person. 

Naming Timothy as  'our brother' here rather than a 'son' as Paul does in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 2 does give us a reason to believe that the writer of Hebrews is a protoge of Paul's, but to counter this point, the change of Timothy's title could have come about as Timothy matured and suffered alongside Paul so that Paul evolved to view Timothy as a brother in Christ rather than a son.

Another artifact in this letter to the Hebrews that suggests that Paul did not write it is that the letter is written in the voice of a plural pronoun "we" or "us" and in "Pray for us" and "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." Heb 2 v1.

Paul, writting to Timothy, uses "I" as the pronoun for example, out of of 2 Tim 1 v 6, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

This stylistic change suggests that the book of Hebrews was written by a person other than Paul but this too can be attributed to a change in attitude that Paul may have undergone in relating to his fellow believers.

Based on the theologiocal depth of the book of Hebrews and the deep understanding of the old covenant, I am inclined to believe that it was Paul who wrote the book when I consider the writer's mention of Timothy and based on the scholarly treatment of the gospel's foundations in the old testament.

20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

22 And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words. 23 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly.

24 Greet all those who rule over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

25 Grace be with you all. Amen.

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