The Virgin Birth

*I first heard of the following theory from Wikus Van Der Hoven, a friend from York Baptist Church. This post is an attempt to expand on the theory. Of course, any mistakes are my own.*

The virgin birth (more precisely, the virgin conception) is a miracle in itself. But there is more to it than that.

The House of David

"David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel." - 1 Chronicles 3:4b-5 (NIV)

"Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Jehoram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, Amon his son, Josiah his son. The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth. The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah." - 1 Chronicles 3:10-16 (NIV)

Joseph's Lineage (His Side of the Family)

According to 1 Chronicles 3 and Matthew 1, Joseph was the son of Jacob, the son of Matthan, the son of Eleazar... the son of Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin), the son of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah... the son of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the son of David.

Mary's Lineage (Her Side of the Family)

According to 1 Chronicles 3 and Luke 3, Mary was the daughter of Heli (Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli), the son of Matthat, the son of Levi... the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David.

The Curse

"Therefore, this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I have pronounced against them, because they have not listened." - Jeremiah 36:30-31 (NIV)

Both Joseph and Mary were from the house of David. Joseph was from the line of Solomon son of David (and subsequently Jehoiakim) and Mary was from the line of Nathan son of David. However, Jesus could not come from the line of Jehoiakim because of the curse on Jehoiakim. Therefore, Jesus had to come in another way.

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way
He will make a way

The Conception

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon 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.

- Luke 1:30-35 (NIV)

The Configuration

Joseph in the Old Testament

And suddenly you begin to see that this [Genesis 39] is not merely a morality play, again it's part of a deeply Christological reading of the whole Bible. It's bringing you to Jesus, how God in His own purposes, through the foibles and weaknesses and through the strengths and faithfulness of individual believers across redemptive history, has - in the fullness of time - brought forth His Son, the Redeemer, through Whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

And there is no text in Genesis 39 that says, "Now listen, pay attention folks, this is heading to the great Christological centre." It's not saying that. It's the narrative that conveys it, the narrative of Genesis 39 in the context of the book of Genesis, Genesis in the context of the Pentateuch, the Pentateuch in the context of the whole Bible, do you see?

- D. A. Carson, The Living Word 2008

In Genesis (the first book of the Old Testament), a certain Joseph son of Jacob resisted a certain kind of sexual temptation. This was part of God's sovereign plan to rescue the Israelites and ultimately save the world, by first humbling and then exalting Joseph to be in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Joseph in the New Testament

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." - Matthew 1:24-25 (NIV)

In Matthew (the first book of the New Testament), another Joseph son of Jacob resisted another kind of sexual temptation. Again, this was part of God's sovereign plan to rescue the Israelites and ultimately save the world, by ensuring that the curse on Jehoiakim would not fall on Jesus.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)