Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba
This year, one of my gifts to Jesus is to read the whole New Testament. I have read it many times before, but this time I wanted to take my time reading it and really study out some things. This is my second time reading through the NT this year and it is absolutely amazing all of the new things that God has showed me! I can't tell you how many times I have stopped and said, "I never noticed that before!" or, "I love that verse!"
Well, this morning, I was reading in the book of Matthew. In fact, I was in the very first chapter where it traces the geneology of Jesus from Abraham. I don't know about you, but sometimes (okay...maybe a lot of times) I just skim through the geneolgies and don't really pay attention to who begat who and so forth. But this time, three names stuck out in particular to me. These names can be found in verses 5-6....
"And Salmon begat Bo-oz of Rachab; and Bo-oz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;"
Do you know what names I am thinking of that stuck out to me? It's the names of the three women. Normally, you just see the names of the fathers that begat the sons, but every once in a while God shares the name of the mother. When I saw that Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba were mentioned, it made me stop and think about these three ladies.
Besides Mary (mentioned at the very end of the geneology) these are the only ladies mentioned in this geneology. Why were these ladies mentioned, but none of the other mothers were?
I mean, Rahab was a harlot. She spent a majority of her life living for her flesh in a wicked community. What can we possibly learn from her? But wait! Wasn't she the lady who saved the two spies from being killed in Joshua 2? And wasn't she also the lady who saved her family from being destroyed when the walls fell down? All she was required to do was to put the scarlet rope out her window when she saw Israel coming. But you know what? She didn't wait to do what she was commanded to do. She didn't want to take a chance on her family being killed, so she immediately hung that line out the window and bound it so it wouldn't fall (Joshua 2:21). She was looking for the day when God would save her family from the wicked place they were living in. She had the faith that God would save her and her family, just like the spies said they would. And because of her faith and obedience, God allowed her to be in the lineage of Jesus Christ. God took her past, forgave her, and used her to do a mighty thing.
What about Ruth? She lived in the land of Moab and married a man of Israel. When this man died, she followed her mother-in-law back to Bethelehem. Ruth was the one who said the famous words, "...for wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:" In her new "home" she would be known as Ruth the Moabitess, and as the girl who didn't fit in. (even her own kinsmen didn't want her because she was from Moab in Ruth 4). But she overcame it all and God brought a special man into her life to take care of her and to love her. God used Ruth in a mighty way and she would have the honor of being in the lineage of Jesus Christ. In fact, Ruth was the great-grandmother of David, the King. I wonder if David would go to great-grandma Ruth's house and sit on her lap and listen to her tell stories of when she met Boaz? How cool would that be!
And last, but not least, there is Bathsheba. Y'all know her background story with David. When we hear the name of Bathsheba, we automatically think of the great sin that David committed. But even though her past was scarred and her life seemingly ruined, God was still able to use her. She probably felt alone, used, and broken, but God used her to be the mother of the wisest king in the Bible, King Solomon!
God saw fit to name each of these women in the geneology of Jesus. All three of them had pasts that they werne't proud of or that were shameful, but God forgave them and used them to do amazing things! Like Rahab, you might have something in your life that you know you should get rid of. Now is the time! Don't wait any longer. Just like Rahab bound the scarlet rope in her window, you need to bind God's Word in your heart and save yourself from the destruction of sin. Like Ruth, you need to follow the right in your life. As a Christian, you won't always fit in, but don't give up. It's ok to be different! You need to leave the life that you were living, and follow God because He has something much better to offer. And, also like Ruth, wait paitently for your Boaz. God has a special plan, but we need to be willing to be patient. And like Bathsheba, some things may come into your life that you might not want, but give God your future and let Him lead and do things that you could never even imagine.
These ladies had some pasts that they weren't proud of. They even had a future that didn't look so bright. But when they gave their lives to God, He used each of them for His purpose. Imagine if Rahab hadn't put that rope out the window, if Ruth hadn't followed Naomi, or if Bathsheba had given up on God? But they didn't....they willingly let God use them for something greater. What a testimony!
Well, this morning, I was reading in the book of Matthew. In fact, I was in the very first chapter where it traces the geneology of Jesus from Abraham. I don't know about you, but sometimes (okay...maybe a lot of times) I just skim through the geneolgies and don't really pay attention to who begat who and so forth. But this time, three names stuck out in particular to me. These names can be found in verses 5-6....
"And Salmon begat Bo-oz of Rachab; and Bo-oz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;"
Do you know what names I am thinking of that stuck out to me? It's the names of the three women. Normally, you just see the names of the fathers that begat the sons, but every once in a while God shares the name of the mother. When I saw that Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba were mentioned, it made me stop and think about these three ladies.
Besides Mary (mentioned at the very end of the geneology) these are the only ladies mentioned in this geneology. Why were these ladies mentioned, but none of the other mothers were?
I mean, Rahab was a harlot. She spent a majority of her life living for her flesh in a wicked community. What can we possibly learn from her? But wait! Wasn't she the lady who saved the two spies from being killed in Joshua 2? And wasn't she also the lady who saved her family from being destroyed when the walls fell down? All she was required to do was to put the scarlet rope out her window when she saw Israel coming. But you know what? She didn't wait to do what she was commanded to do. She didn't want to take a chance on her family being killed, so she immediately hung that line out the window and bound it so it wouldn't fall (Joshua 2:21). She was looking for the day when God would save her family from the wicked place they were living in. She had the faith that God would save her and her family, just like the spies said they would. And because of her faith and obedience, God allowed her to be in the lineage of Jesus Christ. God took her past, forgave her, and used her to do a mighty thing.
What about Ruth? She lived in the land of Moab and married a man of Israel. When this man died, she followed her mother-in-law back to Bethelehem. Ruth was the one who said the famous words, "...for wither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:" In her new "home" she would be known as Ruth the Moabitess, and as the girl who didn't fit in. (even her own kinsmen didn't want her because she was from Moab in Ruth 4). But she overcame it all and God brought a special man into her life to take care of her and to love her. God used Ruth in a mighty way and she would have the honor of being in the lineage of Jesus Christ. In fact, Ruth was the great-grandmother of David, the King. I wonder if David would go to great-grandma Ruth's house and sit on her lap and listen to her tell stories of when she met Boaz? How cool would that be!
And last, but not least, there is Bathsheba. Y'all know her background story with David. When we hear the name of Bathsheba, we automatically think of the great sin that David committed. But even though her past was scarred and her life seemingly ruined, God was still able to use her. She probably felt alone, used, and broken, but God used her to be the mother of the wisest king in the Bible, King Solomon!
God saw fit to name each of these women in the geneology of Jesus. All three of them had pasts that they werne't proud of or that were shameful, but God forgave them and used them to do amazing things! Like Rahab, you might have something in your life that you know you should get rid of. Now is the time! Don't wait any longer. Just like Rahab bound the scarlet rope in her window, you need to bind God's Word in your heart and save yourself from the destruction of sin. Like Ruth, you need to follow the right in your life. As a Christian, you won't always fit in, but don't give up. It's ok to be different! You need to leave the life that you were living, and follow God because He has something much better to offer. And, also like Ruth, wait paitently for your Boaz. God has a special plan, but we need to be willing to be patient. And like Bathsheba, some things may come into your life that you might not want, but give God your future and let Him lead and do things that you could never even imagine.
These ladies had some pasts that they weren't proud of. They even had a future that didn't look so bright. But when they gave their lives to God, He used each of them for His purpose. Imagine if Rahab hadn't put that rope out the window, if Ruth hadn't followed Naomi, or if Bathsheba had given up on God? But they didn't....they willingly let God use them for something greater. What a testimony!
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