God is not done with you

So you've denied His name. You've shut Him out and binge watched through three Netflix shows. You've fallen to temptations. You've lied to your parents, stolen from your best friends, or committed adultery.

Before thinking that I'm just gonna hype you up with some good-feeling nonsense, let me say that I am interested in your spiritual health as a human being and your growth in the Lord.

That being said, I have been wrestling with a question:

Why did God let His Son be born into a family tree that was defiled with gentiles and fornication?

Usually, in a genealogy, only the fathers are listed in succession, but in Jesus' line there are four women worth mentioning. All four of them are from different backgrounds and circumstances, and have different ways of being grafted into the line of the promised Seed, Jesus.

The first is Tamar.

The daughter of Judah, her husband, Judah’s firstborn, was killed for doing evil in the sight of the Lord. She then was married to the second oldest so she could bear a child for the oldest son. He was not faithful to perform the husband-ly thing because he didn't want to bear children by her to his older brother. So God killed him.

Dang. I’ll get to that.

Back to Tamar. She didn’t want to grow old without having a child, and so she dressed up like a prostitute and enticed her dad to sleep with her. Somehow the guy didn’t even know it was her until he was about to have her stoned for adultery. Long story short, she has a kid by her dad, and that kid is the ancestor of Jesus.

Why did God kill these wicked men? Possibly because they were in the line of Jesus, and thus could not be compromised, or else the Seed could not enter the world? Perhaps it was God’s mercy on the entire world to nip that evil in the bud. Whatever the reason, God let the adulterated son of Judah be His own ancestor.

The second woman mentioned is Rahab.

Rahab was a prostitute. An enemy. A gentile.

How could God let a gentile woman be grafted into the holy lineage of His Son? If He was so intent about having a pure line from Judah that He killed the unfaithful husband, why is He letting a foreigner into His very story?

It shows us something about how God relates to humans. He showed us that by faith Abraham inherited the promise (Heb. 11:8-19). If Abraham, by faith, inherited what God was giving him, why not an unsaved prostitute? She believed the word which was spoken to her, and by that faith, her and her household was saved.

In her act of faith, she separated herself from her entire people, and cast herself upon the mercy of God through Israel. God honored her obedience, and granted her to be part of the royal Line.

The third woman mentioned is Ruth.

Ruth was a moabitess, also a gentile. When her mother-in-law, Naomi, left Israel because of a famine, Ruth married one of Naomi’s sons. Long story short, Ruth so loved Naomi that she chose to return to Israel and stay with her rather than go back to Moab and settle down with a good husband and a good future. Because of her love for Naomi, she chose to be a worshipper of Yahweh, to abandon all she had and become like an Israelite. She worked long days in the field of Naomi’s relative, Boaz, and ended up being redeemed by him through marriage. Boaz was Rahab’s son. So Ruth, a pure gentile, just married a man whose mother was pure gentile, and her great grandson would turn out to be… king David.

Why did God let not only one, but two foreign women--even enemies of Israel--become part of His own literal family tree?

I believe the answer is in Psalm 45:10-17. “Forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him… I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.”

It’s because God is seeking those who will worship in spirit and in truth. The promise is to those who believe.

So what does this have to do with you?

I’m getting there. It takes a few thousand years, remember?

The fourth woman is Bathsheba.

Uh-oh. We know that name, don’t we?

God? You mean to tell me you let her be part of Your story?

So, Bathsheba is not blamed, nor declared guiltless in this story. She was lusted after by King David when he was in disobedience and all alone in the palace. We all know the story. Her husband was killed, and because of David’s sin, her child bore some of the penalty. Yet through her came Solomon, who was the great(22) grandfather of Joseph… Mary’s husband.

So, what do we have?

God shows Himself to us as One who avenges (Tamar), One who sees (Ruth), One who extends mercy to all (Rahab), One who will never turn away anyone who will turn to Him, and as One who forgives and restores beyond what we can comprehend (Bathsheba).

That means this: No matter what you feel right now, your Father will not fail you, and He will bring the promises to pass. It means that He can and will restore you. He takes the weight of sin away, He forgives debts, He revives life, He restores love, and He loves without fault.

The focus is not on you, it’s on Him. He’s glad you exist.

He likes you.

So, no matter what’s happened, turn to Him like David turned, and repent. In His grace, you will stand firm.

Brothers, sisters, it’s been real.

God bless you all.