“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse” (Matthew 1:5).
TEXT — Matthew 1:1-7
Message
It is normal for God to use imperfect tools to sculpt desirable masterpieces. This is a stroke of His sovereignty. Take a look at some of the people He used to perform historic events and you will find among them many misfits, failures, and oddities. For instance, Joseph was a pampered and inexperienced child; Moses was a fugitive and a stammerer; fearful Gideon was the least in his family; David was a mere shepherd boy; Esther was an obscure orphan. The list goes on.
As you go through today’s text that shows the earthly genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ, you may observe that four women, apart from Mary, were deliberately mentioned – Thamar, Rachab, Ruth, and “her that had been the wife of Urias” (Bathsheba). None of these had royal blood in their veins.
They had features that ordinarily should make them “misfits” here. Thamar and Bathsheba were blemished by adulterous acts. Ruth was a foreigner with a heathen background. Rachab was not only an alien but also a harlot. That such women became part of Christ’s earthly ancestry shows the depth of God’s grace and the mystery of His providence.
This also plays out in our membership of the true Church, the Body of Christ. Apostle Paul succinctly captured it this way: “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise… That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
Such knowledge should gladden our hearts and brighten our hope. If God could engraft aliens like Rachab and Ruth to be part of our Saviour’s ancestral tread, He can use us to accomplish His purposes. We only need to observe the obedience and tenacity of faith that the duo had.
Thought for the day
God is the Maker – He turns raw materials into finished products.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
8 comments
This is absolutely wonderful, please Keep this good work. And the good Lord will definitely increased your strength and wisdom in Jesus name. Amen
The daily mana has impacted my life unbelievably. It open my understanding of the power of in his salvation plan. My life has been positively impacted by the daily mana. My life is now surrendered to Jesus my Lord
This is absolutely wonderful, please Keep this good work. And the good Lord will definitely increased your strength and wisdom in Jesus name. Amen
God pls turn me (raw material) into finished goods 🙏
“Rahab,Thamar,Bethsheba,Ruth recipient and products of God’s Grace.”
Amen
Jesse begat David who happened to be least of the family. He was the last child of Jesse .
God will be how strength
Amen
The daily mana has impacted my life unbelievably. It open my understanding of the power of in his salvation plan. My life has been positively impacted by the daily mana. My life is now surrendered to Jesus my Lord