"Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah." Matthew 1:5-6
Every time I read the names in this section of the geneaology of Jesus, I am just amazed by the people and events God included in the ancestral line of Jesus. Rahab was a harlot. Ruth was not born a Jew, but grew up worshipping false gods. David committed adultery with Bathsheba (Solomon's mother) and killed her husband to cover his sin. Yet God used them all to bring His Son into the world. Why? Ultimately the answer lies in God's great grace, and the power of God's forgiveness based on their repentance.
Rahab's redemption began with fear of the God of the Israelites. She heard stories of the mighty wonders He had done for His children, and decided she'd rather be on this God's side and risk punishment or death from her government than be against this all-powerful God and be crushed anyways. Her fear led to faith, and her faith led to action- hiding the Israelite spies and sending them safely away. So great was her faith in the power of this God, that she risked everything to serve Him, and consequently her life was saved, she became part of the line of Jesus, and she is even mentioned in Hebrews 11- the hall of faith heroes.
Ruth's story of change begins with unusual circumstances. Elimilech and his family left their home in Bethlehem to travel to Moab, a city outside of God's promise land. Jewish law stated that this was not allowed unless buying and selling food became impossible. Nevertheless, Elimilech disobeyed God and moved there, taking his wife Naomi and two sons Mahlon and Chilion. While there, his two sons married Moabities (Ruth and Orpah), which was also against Hebrew law. Yet when Elimilech, Mahlon, and Chilion all died in Moab and Naomi left to return to Bethlehem, Ruth (although no longer bound by law to Naomi, and having received Naomi's blessing to remarry and stay in Moab) chose to go with Naomi so she could provide for her. "Your people will be my people," she declared, "and your God my God." We all know the rest of the story of how, in providing for Naomi, she meets Boaz, a relative in line to marry her and buy the family land. Ruth's choice of loyalty to Naomi and decision to leave her people and gods to serve Naomi and follow the God of Israel, although seeming to mean sacrifice for her, resulted in great blessing, and the placement of her into the line of Jesus.
David was called a man after God's own heart. But this certainly doesn't mean he never messed up. The most embarrassing sin that he wished to cover up was the one God chose to expose and use to bring Himself glory. David fell in love with a woman named Bathsheba while watching her bathe from his rooftop. Although he was warned that she was married, he sent and had her brought to his home where he lay with her. After discvering she was pregnant by him, he devised a plan to get rid of her husband so he could marry her and cover up the fact that he had gotten her pregnant when they weren't married. But God wasn't fooled. He sent the prophet Nathan to David to confront him of his sin in front of a whole courtyard of people. But rather than wallow in guilt, David was repentant and had godly sorrow over his sin, and thus we now have Psalm 51, the most beautiful prayer of repentance recorded in the Bible. The child Bathsheba bore did not live, but God sent her another child through David- Solomon, who became a part of the line of Jesus.
With all three of these people we see a life of sin, running away from God, but then we see a change- a turn towards following Him and away from sin. We see God's grace and powerful forgiveness in these lives as he redeems stories that would be hopeless without Him, and turns them into masterpieces from which he can showcase His glory.
But what if Rahab had feared the people of her city more than she feared God? What if Ruth had stayed inside her comfort zone with people and gods she knew? What if David had denied his sin or not taken it seriously that he had offended the God of the universe? Would God have been able to use their story for his glory?
Am I doing the same? Am I hindering God's work through my life by living in fear of others, staying inside my comfort zone, or not taking sin seriously? If so, what am I going to do about it? By God's grace, may MY response be the same as Rahab, Ruth and David- repentance and surrender to the God who can give any story true meaning and purpose, and a beautiful ending!
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