Why was God silent for 400 years?

In this opening study of Matthew, Dr. Toby Holt explains the roughly 400 silent years between the Old and New Testaments — and why Matthew begins his Gospel with a long family tree (Matthew 1:1-17).

After the prophet Malachi, God sent no new word for about four centuries. Dr. Holt describes this silence as the calm before the storm — the stage going dark before the spotlight falls on Christ. During those years, empires rose and fell, from the Greeks under Alexander the Great to the Romans. Then Matthew, a former tax collector, opens his Gospel by tracing Jesus’ family line back through David and Abraham, proving Jesus is the promised King. Dr. Holt notes that Matthew even includes four Gentile women, a hint that this Savior is for all the nations.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why was God silent for over 400 years? After Malachi, God had said all that was needed until the coming of Christ. Dr. Holt describes the silence as the hush before God’s greatest act.

2. What makes Matthew’s Gospel different? Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience and opens with Jesus’ royal family tree, showing He is the promised son of David and Abraham. It roots Jesus firmly in real history.

3. Why are there two different genealogies in Matthew and Luke? The two accounts likely trace different lines — one royal and legal, the other more personal — and both affirm Jesus’ place in the family of David. They complement rather than contradict.

“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.” — Matthew 1:17 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the Matthew Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.

What does the name “Emmanuel” mean?

“God with us.” In Matthew 1:18-25, an angel tells Joseph that Mary’s child will be Emmanuel — God come to dwell with His people. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains the comfort packed into that name.

Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit while only engaged to Joseph — a scandal in that culture. Joseph, a good man, planned to quietly end the engagement until an angel explained that the child was from God. The angel gave two names: “Jesus,” meaning the Lord saves, “for He will save His people from their sins”; and “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us.” Dr. Holt draws out the difference between a God who is merely for us from a distance and a God who comes to be with us — in the manger, and to the end of the age.

Questions this study answers:

1. What is the difference between God being “for” us and “with” us? A God who is only “for” us helps from a distance, but a God who is “with” us draws near and shares our life. Emmanuel means God came to be with His people.

2. What did the angel tell Joseph? The angel said Mary’s child was from the Holy Spirit and must be named Jesus, for He would save His people from their sins. The news turned a scandal into salvation.

3. What comfort does “God with us” give the hurting? It assures us we are never alone. The God who came as a baby promises to be with His people always, even in their deepest pain.

“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 1:23 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the Matthew Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.

Why was the sinless Jesus baptized?

In Matthew 3:13-17, Jesus comes to be baptized by John — even though He had no sin to wash away. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains what Jesus meant by “fulfilling all righteousness.”

John objected, knowing Jesus needed no repentance. But Jesus insisted, saying it was proper “to fulfill all righteousness.” Dr. Holt explains that our salvation needs both Christ’s death and His perfect life. Being forgiven makes us “not guilty,” but we also need righteousness to stand before God — and that righteousness is the obedient life of Christ, credited to us. As Jesus came up from the water, the Spirit descended like a dove and the Father spoke from heaven, a clear picture of the Trinity: three persons, one God.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why was Jesus baptized if He had no sin? Not to repent, but to “fulfill all righteousness” and identify with the people He came to save. His baptism marked the start of His public ministry.

2. What does “fulfill all righteousness” mean? It points to Christ’s perfect obedience, which is credited to believers. We are saved not only by His death for our sins but by His righteous life counted as ours.

3. How does the baptism show the Trinity? At the same moment, the Son was baptized, the Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven. Three distinct persons, one God, appear together.

“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” — Matthew 3:17 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This sermon is part of the Matthew Explained study from New Geneva Theological Seminary. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.