The Family of Faith

December 17, 2023 Background Scripture: Genesis 38; Joshua 2; 6:22 25; 2 Samuel 12:24; Ruth 4:13 - 22; Matthew 1:1 -17 Lesson Passage: Matthew 1:1 -17 Today's lesson is one in which you want to look closely at the Background Scripture. It is unusual for the Background Scripture to have so many passages from different books of the bible. Each passage serves a different purpose, but all those passages share a common focus. They focus on women in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. It is not a common biblical practice to include women in a genealogy when listing a person's lineage. It is more common to only list the men in the genealogy of a person. Why is there a deviation from the common practice? The answer is found in understanding who these women were. In chronological order, they are Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Ruth. Tamar was a woman who was widowed, neglected, and forgotten. She pretended to be a prostitute and became pregnant by her father-in-law who was not pretending to be a customer! Rahab was a Gentile prostitute by profession; that's how she made her living. She hid and protected the Jewish spies who first entered Canaan to survey the land for Israel 's invasion of it. Rahab professed a faith in God concerning Israel being given the land of Canaan, and therefore she aided Israel in the conquest of it. Bathsheba, who is referenced but not named in the genealogy, was lured into an adulterous relationship by King David. The result was that she became pregnant by David, She later became his wife after he gave orders for her husband to be murdered. Ruth was not a Jew but a Moabite. She descended from the incestuous line of Lot, Abraham's nephew. She attached herself to an elderly Jewish woman who was her mother-in-law. Her supportive relationship of her mother-in-law after her husband died led her back to Israel after a famine. She later married another Jewish man. Whether these women were Jewish or not, they believed God and accepted Judaism as their religion. Their history shows the hand of God working on their behalf. Tamar and Bathsheba were put in a difficult situation due to no fault of theirs. They were both victims of the men in their lives. The providence of God led Matthew, a Jewish tax collector, to include these women in Jesus' genealogy. Collectively, they represent non-Jews and people of ill repute and immoral behavior. Yet, they are included in Jesus' lineage. If God can elevate people from their low estate in life and place them in the genealogy of His only begotten Son, then no one is beyond God's reach and willingness to save. The salvation wrought by Jesus Christ is good news for all people everywhere. Whether one was coerced into immoral living or consciously chose to do it, God is still willing to reach us, save us, and make us part of His family. The family of faith does not have skeletons in its closet. The skeletons are on full display in the family tree. The genealogy that Matthew presents connects Jesus to Abraham by way of the royal lineage of King David. Abraham is called the father of the faithful because he believed God, and God counted his belief as righteousness. This genealogy is segmented into three groups each containing fourteen generations. This has often been referenced by the Baptist preacher in the closing of his sermonic message, "Jesus came down through forty-two generations. He was born of the virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and laid in a manger." These forty-two generations represent the family of faith. God promised David that He would establish his descendant as the eternal ruler over God's people. The birth of Jesus reflects the faith of Abraham and fulfills God's promise to David. Robert C. Hudson November 27, 2023