Five Women In The Divine Lineage
Genealogies are
usually very boring. When reading our Bibles, many of us will often
skip the genealogical records of Jesus as listed in Matthew 1:1-17
and Luke 3:23-38.
In naming the forefathers of the King of Kings,
Matthew took great care to also include the names of five women:
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Tamar
Matthew 1:3
"Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar..."
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Her name means "a
palm tree."
She was a Canaanite
woman, and the wife of Judah's eldest son, Er (Genesis
38:1-30).
Her husband, Er,
was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD slew him.
According to the
law of Levirate Marriage (Deut 25:5-10), Onan, the second
son of Judah, had to marry Tamar, Er's widow.
But Onan knew that
the heir would not be his.
When he went in to
his brother's wife, he emitted on the ground, lest he should
give an heir to his brother.
What he did
displeased the LORD, therefore He killed him also.
Judah promised
Tamar that his third son, Shelah, would be her husband when
he grew up.
But when Shelah was
fully grown, Judah delayed the marriage.
Undaunted, the
widow Tamar disguised herself as a harlot.
She offered herself
to her father-in-law, Judah.
Twin sons, Perez
and Zerah, were born out of this union.
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Rahab
Matthew 1:5
"Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab..."
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Her name means
"spacious."
She was a pagan
woman living in Jericho (Joshua 2:1-24).
She hid the two
spies of Israel whom Joshua had sent to explore Jericho.
Her house was on
the city wall of Jericho.
Besides being a
harlot, she also manufactured and dyed linen.
She secretly housed
the two spies, and helped them by hiding them with the
stalks of flax on her roof.
She misled those
men sent by the king of Jericho on a false trail.
She let the two
spies down the outside wall by a scarlet rope through the
window of her house.
When the Israelites
captured Jericho, they spared the house with the scarlet
cord in the window. This scarlet cord was a sign that a
friend of God's people dwelt within.
Rahab and her
father's household were spared from being killed by the
Israelites. In due course, she and her family were
brought into the nation of Israel (Joshua 6:25).
Rahab was the wife
of Salmon. Their son Boaz married Ruth, and became the
father of Obed, the grandfather of Jesse, and the
great-grandfather of David.
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Ruth
Matthew 1:5
"Boaz begot Obed by Ruth..."
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Her name means
"friend."
She was a Moabitess
and a Gentile (Ruth 1 - 4).
She married one of
the two sons of Elimelech and Naomi.
Her father-in-law,
Elimelech, had migrated with his whole family to Moab to
escape a famine in the land of Israel.
When Elimelech and
both of his sons died, they left behind three widows: Naomi,
Ruth and Orpah.
When her
mother-in-law, Naomi, decided to return home to Bethlehem,
Ruth chose to accompany her all the way, saying (Ruth
1:16-17):
"Entreat me
not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me."
In Bethlehem, Ruth
was permitted to glean in the field of Boaz, a wealthy
kinsman of Elimelech.
At Naomi's
persuasion, Ruth asked for the protection of Boaz as her
next of kin. This was in accordance to the Hebraic law of
Levirate Marriage.
After a nearer
kinsman waived his rights to buy the family property and
provide Elimelech an heir, Boaz married Ruth.
Their son, Obed,
was considered as one of Naomi's family, according to the
Jewish customs.
Ruth, though a
Moabite, was richly rewarded by her firm decision: "Your
people shall be my people, and your God, my God."
She became an
ancestor of king David and King Jesus.
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Bathsheba
Matthew 1:6
"David the king begot
Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah."
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Her name means
"daughter of an oath."
She was the wife of
Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11).
One night in
Jerusalem while walking on the roof of his palace, David saw
Bathsheba bathing.
With his lusts
aroused, David committed adultery with her.
Out of this illicit
affair, Bathsheba conceived a child.
Upon discovering
her pregnancy, David immediately sent for Uriah, who was out
in battle with the Ammonites.
But Uriah refused
to go home and engage in sexual relations with his wife
while his companions were involved in battle.
When David's
attempt to deceive Uriah failed, he sent him back into
battle.
This time, David
gave orders that Uriah was to be placed at the frontlines of
the hottest battle, and also his fellow soldiers were to
retreat from him, so that he might be killed. As a result of
this murder plotted by David, Uriah died.
After a period of
mourning, Bathsheba became David's wife.
When Nathan the
prophet confronted David about his great sins, David
repented. But the child conceived in adultery died.
Nevertheless God
blessed David and Bathsheba with four more children, namely
Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon (1 Chronicles 3:5).
Note: Solomon was the
ancestor of Joseph (Matthew 1:7), the earthly father of
Jesus. Nathan, another son of David and Bathsheba, was the
ancestor of Virgin Mary (Luke 3:31), the mother of Jesus.
In the Luke
account, the phrase used in the genealogy of Christ was "the
son of." Jesus was known as the son of Joseph, the son of
Heli. In Jewish customs, the son-in-law is also called the
son. Thus, Luke traced Jesus' lineage from His mother, Mary.
In the Matthew
account, the word used was "begot." And Jacob begot Joseph.
This was obviously the lineage of Jesus from His earthly
father, Joseph.
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Mary
Matthew 1:16
"And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom
was born Jesus Who is called Christ."
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This Greek
name of hers was derived from the Hebraic name "Miryam,"
which means "bitterness or rebellion."
Unlike
Miriam who rebelled against the godly leadership of her own
brother Moses, Mary was a rebel with a good cause. The Baby
she bore is the Messiah Who came to fulfill the New
Covenant. His teachings were against many religious leaders
of those days.
She became
the first believer in Him as the Christ Who came to save His
people! She was the first "Protestant." She was not bitter,
but she lived a life of many sufferings. Against many
difficulties and hardships, her life
was an enduring example for faith, love, hope, devotion and
trust in God.
She was a peasant
girl living in Nazareth, a city of Galilee (Luke 1:26-27).
She was the highly
favored one, blessed among women (Luke 1:28).
She was from the
tribe of Judah, in the same lineage of David (Luke 1:32).
She was pledged to
be married to Joseph.
But before they
came together, she was found to be with a Child through the
Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her
husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her
to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
He thought that she had committed adultery with another man.
But an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the
name Jesus, because He will save His people from their
sins." (Matthew 1:18-21)
She was carrying
and conceiving God in her human womb.
In giving birth to
Jesus Christ, she gave birth not only to the Son of Man, but
also the Son of God!
Under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she said, "Henceforth all
generations will call me blessed" (Luke 1:48).
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God still uses
ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary plans and purposes.
Four of these five women would not have the required qualifications
if they were selected based on righteousness, holiness and purity.
Worst still, they were pagan. Two of them were Canaanites, one was a
Moabite and another was a Hittite. Four of them were Gentiles. They
would have been disqualified from the high calling of God!
But the grace and mercy of God broke all barriers,
extending forgiveness to all peoples and nationalities, even if they
had committed great sins in their past. In fact, one of them made it
to the list of the heroes and heroines of our Christian faith in
Hebrews 11:31:
By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with
those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with
peace.
Rahab was justified
by her faith. Though she was from a pagan culture where harlotry and
idolatry were acceptable, she recognized Jehovah as the one true
God. Her insights of God were recorded in Joshua 2:9-11:
"I know that
the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of
you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are
melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried
up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt,
and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites
east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard
of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because
of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on
the earth below."
Without a shadow of
a doubt, she believed in the true God Who created the heaven and the
earth! James commended her as an example of one who had been
justified by works (James 2:25):
"In the same
way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous
for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent
them off in a different direction?"
Though her past was
filled with sins, she was declared righteous in the sight of God
based on her faith and works. James did not give approval to Rahab's
former life but he commended on her living faith!
The scarlet cord,
dangling outside Rahab's window, was the sign of salvation and
safety. The two spies of Israel had used the cord to escape to
safety. It was also through the same scarlet cord that Rahab and her
family escaped their death! Though her sins were scarlet and crimson
red, God had washed all of them white as snow! This is the wonder of
God's great love!
This scarlet cord
was a type of the blood of Christ! Jesus came to die for sinners.
Our LORD had shown great mercy and grace to harlots and women caught
in adultery.
In Matthew
21:28-32, Jesus told this parable, "A man had two sons, and he
came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He
answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and
went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered
and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the
will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to
them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots
enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the
way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax
collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you
did not afterward relent and believe him."
The tax collectors and harlots are entering the
kingdom of God before the self-righteous and religious groups of
scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees.
God is still seeking the lost and saving the sinners!
True revivals begin with the genuine change of hearts. The obedience
of a sinner is better than the disobedience of a saint. The works of
a sinner done in faith to God are better than the lip services of a
saint. The spiritual repentance of a sinner is better than the
spiritual pride of a saint! God looks beyond the outside. He looks
deep into the hearts. He cannot be fooled by human flattery and
facade.
Beyond the layers
of sins and paganism, God saw the hope and the light. He allowed His
Only Begotten Son to be birthed forth through these earthly vessels.
That's why Jesus was never ashamed to be in the midst of harlots and
sinners. He sat down and ate at the same table with them. He was
comfortable with them as He comforted them with the Good News. He
knew His own genealogy. He also knew God's plans!
Now it
happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold,
many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and
His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His
disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and
sinners?" When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who
are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not
sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but
sinners, to repentance." (Matthew 9:10-13)
God desires mercy
and not sacrifice! Below is the gospel account about a woman caught
in the very act of adultery:
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a
woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the
midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in
adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us
that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
This they said, testing Him, that they might have
something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and
wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised
Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among
you, let him throw a stone at her first."
And again He stooped down and wrote on the
ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their
conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest
even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman
standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one
but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those
accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No
one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you;
go and sin no more." (John 8:3-11)
Have you ever wondered what Jesus wrote
on the ground that convicted these persistent accusers? It is
possible that Jesus simply wrote the name of David, and then the
name of Bathsheba. Putting these two names together would pierce
their hearts! If God could forgive David and Bathsheba, who were
they not to forgive this woman caught in adultery? That day, the
court was dismissed quietly without any trial. O sinners, go and sin
no more!
Below is a favourite gospel chorus about
broken lives:
Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion, He understood
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
But He made something beautiful out of my life
Please read a related article:
Loose Shoes
Source:
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Written On:
12 January 2005