Tamar - “Judah
the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar” (Matt. 1:3 ESV).
Tamar’s story
is found in Genesis 38. She was married to Judah’s son Er who died.
By Jewish law she was entitled to go to her brother-in-law Onan so
that she could bear a son. Onan refused and God put him to death.
Judah promised Tamar she would eventually go to his other son Shelah,
but Judah reneged on his promise. Tamar had to find another way to
carry on the family line, and she managed to trick Judah into being
the father by posing as a prostitute, and thus she bore Perez and
Zerah.
This is a
bizarre story by modern standards, and yet it points out the fact
that God will accomplish His purposes even through the sins of
people. Judah and Tamar both made questionable choices, but God
carried on the family line of Abraham through them.
Rahab
- “Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab” (Matt. 1:5).
The
story of Rahab from Joshua 2 and 6 is probably more familiar. She was
a prostitute who had her home in the wall of Jericho. When the
Israelite spies came into town she hid them and helped them to escape
the authorities because “I know that the Lord has given you
the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us” (Josh. 2:9).
From the stories she had heard about the Exodus (which took place 40
years earlier!), she knew enough about God to believe that He was
going to overthrow Jericho. When Israel marched around the city and
the walls fell, Rahab and her family were saved. Matthew’s
reference to her is actually the first in Scripture that indicates
her marriage to Salmon. Matthew evidently drew this from other
rabbinic teachings.
So we have here another woman who
was not only a prostitute but also a foreigner. Israel had been
instructed to completely destroy the cities that didn’t make a
peace treaty with them (Deut. 20:10-18), but Rahab’s actions and
her acknowledgment of the God of Israel saved her life and earned her
a place of note in the genealogy of the Messiah.
Ruth
- “Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth” (Matt. 1:5).
We probably all
know the basics of Ruth’s story. Naomi was living in Moab when her
husband and sons all died. Her daughter-in-law Orpah stayed in Moab,
but Ruth accompanied Naomi back to the land of Judah. There was no
guarantee of a happy ending for Ruth. She was husbandless, childless,
and a foreigner. The passage that is often cited at weddings was
actually Ruth’s declaration of her love for her mother-in-law,
“Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your
people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). The
rest of the book of Ruth tells how she met Boaz and found favor with
him and became his wife. Once again God used an unlikely woman from
an unlikely place to carry on the lineage of Jesus.
Bathsheba
- “David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah” (Matt.
1:6).
Much has been
written about David’s sin with Bathsheba. Fewer authors have
contemplated Bathsheba’s point of view. When David summoned her to
the palace, she would have had no ability to say no to him. It’s
not clear whether she knew what was coming or if she had any desire
to be unfaithful to Uriah. Like many women, she may have simply been
in the wrong place at the wrong time when the king should have been
out at the battle instead of walking around his rooftop. Not only
does she end up pregnant, but her husband is set up to die in battle,
and then her child dies. That’s not exactly a recipe for happiness.
However, she then gives birth to Solomon, who bears the royal name,
is known for his wisdom, and becomes an ancestor to the coming
Messiah. God took a very messy and sinful situation and redeemed it
for His own good purposes.
Mary
- Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called
Christ” (Matt. 1:16).
Finally we get
to the mother of Jesus. God had arranged the family trees of both
Joseph and Mary. He brought them together in Nazareth and through
angelic messengers ensured that Jesus would be born of a virgin as
prophesied. Mary was evidently a woman of faith, as her song in Luke
1:46-55 brings together many scriptural references. Yet she too had
to bear the pain of people thinking she was both a liar and an
adulteress.
In each of
these five women, we see evidence of God’s sovereignty over the
course of history. He used sinful actions, untimely deaths, wars,
mourning, pain, and shame to put people where He wanted them in order
to bring about the birth of the Savior at just the right time and
place. And through it all, He did not let these women be forgotten or
overlooked. In a highly patriarchal culture, He made sure their names
were included in the canon of Scripture.
From the
beginning of time, God has used both men and women to accomplish His
purposes, and He continues to do so today. Women are not merely
supplemental to the story, but they have key roles to play in family,
culture, and church. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are
Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:28-29).
Every believer will one day see our names included in the Book of
Life, not as ancestors, but as children of the living God.
© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
