Matthew 1:1 NIV
1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
The message noted that God uses unusual, unlikely, and imperfect people. When you review the genealogy of Christ, there are some surprises.
V3: Tamar engaged in deliberate sin to disguise herself as a prostitute and have sex and bear a child by her father-in-law.
V5: Rahab was not of the Israelite tribe, and she was a prostitute. But she helped the Israelite spies escape from Jericho.
This is not a family line you would boast about. But it shows that God can use those with “junk” and failure in their past. God is in the business of redemption and restoration.
We have an advocate with the father, and he restores us to a right relationship.
V5: Ruth, the Moabite, follows Naomi back to Israel. She marries Boaz and is part of the ancestry of Christ. Moabites were dark, descendants of Lots daughters. There line was started by incestuous relationship.
V6: The wife of Uriah – Bathsheba. David took another man’s wife in adultery, then killed her husband. The first child died but she gave birth to Solomon who is in the ancestry line.
V16: Mary was a teenage mother.
Even in the apostles it is clear that God uses unlikely people to do His work. God redeems human weaknesses which He then uses for His Glory. How many of us need to move beyond the failures of our past to allow God to use us now for His purposes.
We are mindful too that today is the first Sunday of Advent – the week of Hope.
This video song speaks to both the message of God’s work in us and our hope for the future:
Fear is Not My Future.
A Verse for Today: This video song speaks to both the message of God’s work in us and our hope for the future:
Fear is Not My Future.
Matthew 1:1 NIV
1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Lord, I am thankful that You use unlikely people. I am especially thankful that you redeem our past and give us a new future and a Hope!
