Making the Family Tree

Have you ever read Matthew 1? It's the genealogy of Jesus. Not exactly the most inspiring verses of the Bible (is that wrong to say?).  But I love what I found.  There amongst forty-two generations of fathers and sons, were five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah's wife, and Mary. I couldn't help but wonder, what did these women do to make the family tree? I knew they must have done something significant to gain mention.  As I began to research each of the women, I was surprised by what I discovered.

The women Matthew included were not perfect.

I'm sure he could have chosen Proverbs 31 women to include, but he didn't. He chose women who had done something morally questionable. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and tricked her father-in-law into sleeping with her. Rahab was the Jericho prostitute who hid the Hebrew spies during the invasion of Canaan. In her attempt to get Boaz to marry her, Ruth slipped into his bed while he was sleeping. And the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba, willingly gave herself to King David while her husband was still alive. Not exactly model women, right?  But that wasn't the point.  Being perfect is never the point.  The point is that God can, and does, use sinners for His glory.

I love that God uses sinful, but repentant, people to do great things. Think about Paul. He is undoubtedly one of the most godly men to ever walk the earth. But who was he before he repented and gave his life to Christ? He was a zealous and violent persecutor of Christians. Yet God used him, just as He used Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, and Bathsheba. Paul wasn't perfect. He knew perfection is never the point. Paul was obedient.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Luke 5:31-32, where Jesus says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." How true is that! Jesus came to seek and save the lost. It is our very emptiness that allows God to fill us with power; it is our very weakness that permits God to display strength; it is our memory of failure that creates understanding and compassion for others who, like us, need Christ's love and forgiveness.

I am inspired by Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, and Bathsheba, because I am not perfect either.  I have a sinful past. But like them, God is going to use me for His glory. I wholeheartedly believe that God has let me have the experiences I have had, feel the pain I have felt, and receive the redemption I have received, so that I can share His love with those who find themselves where I once was.  It should not be our goal to be perfect.  Being perfect is never the point. It should be our goal to be obedient. When we are obedient is when God will use us, and we too can be part of an amazing legacy.