The Lineage of Jesus

Heart Prep

God, show me how You used specific women in the Bible, and how You want to use me.

Matthew 1:16 “Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary,
by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.”

Jesus’ birth was a big deal. He was reported to be The Messiah, whose genealogy would have to be traced all the way back to King David. The Jewish people kept careful records of their genealogies; in fact a large part of the first few books of the Bible are filled with them. And Matthew starts off his story of Jesus by sharing his lineage. Some very unlikely people are included in this list: women. In that day and time, women didn’t make the history books. Men thought of them as property. But, not God. He made sure women were included in Jesus’ lineage.  And not just any women, but women with sinful backgrounds.

Tamar: (Genesis 38:6-30) After her first and second husbands were killed, she seduced her father-in-law and tricked him into getting her pregnant.

Rahab: (Joshua 2:1-3; Hebrews 11:31) Rahab was a harlot, a prostitute, who helped save the Israelite spies and thus ensured the defeat of Jericho. Her life was changed by her encounter with God and the miracles he performed, and she married a man of Israel.

Ruth: (Ruth 1-4) This woman was from the wicked country of Moab. She married a man from Israel, who was living in her country, and after he died she left her family, her country, and her gods to accompany her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem in Israel. She chose to follow the true God, and He changed her life. She married a mighty man of Bethlehem, and was the great-grandmother of King David.

Bathsheba: (1 Kings 1:11-31) She was a married woman who enticed and slept with King David, who then had her husband killed. She and David later had a son, Solomon, who then had a son, who had a son, etc. 

These women are included in Jesus’ lineage to let us all in on a little secret. We are never too far gone to be used by God: every person makes mistakes! These women would never have believed they would be in the lineage of the Savior of the World. But God used them.

Life Application

What is God saying to me through this? 

Have I ever felt like I messed up too much for God to love me or use me?

Challenge: Go back and read these ladies’ individual stories. God used them despite their mistakes.