Join Mike Miller for the third article in his series this time on unexpected heroes.
If you are like me, you have a certain idea of what a Bible hero looks like. You may also find that you are surprised to see some of these people in the lineage of Christ. I spent most of my life skipping over the list in Matthew and other places in the Bible. I skipped the list when reading because I thought it was boring, and not very important. Boy was I wrong, in fact I couldn’t be more wrong. It is so important! That’s why God included it in His Word.
A look at the lineage of Jesus reveals a few people that seem to be unlikely heroes. Many of the names are familiar if you are familiar with the cards in the Lineage of Christ series of Redemption cards. This is an excerpt of Matthew’s report on the lineage and represents the first 14 generations from Abraham.
The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. Matthew 1:1-6a (NASB)
First, let’s look at Rahab, Rahab was a prostitute from the city of Jericho. When it came time for God to destroy Jericho, Joshua sent two spies to check out the city. They stayed with Rahab. The king of Jericho heard that the spies were there and asked Rahab to turn them in. Rahab instead hid the spies on the roof of the house. Rahab had heard about God and recognized that He was the true God and believed in Him. She asked the spies to protect her when it was time for the city to be destroyed. They agreed and told her to hang a scarlet cord from the window. Rahab helped the spies to escape from that very window. Faithfully Rahab hung the scarlet cord, and when the city was destroyed, Rahab and her family were spared. Rahab appears in the lineage of Christ as Boaz’ mother.
Next, we look at Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite, a foreigner to the people of Israel. Back in those days God commanded the Israelites against marrying people the surrounding areas. Many of these people from nearby areas were enemies as well. The Moabites fell into both categories. It seems unlikely that Ruth would appear in the lineage of Christ, and yet she was. Ruth came to Israel from Moab with her mother-in-law Naomi after both their husbands had died. Ruth vowed to worship God as Naomi did. After a bit Ruth was married to Boaz and as we see in Matthew 1, Ruth was the mother of Obed.
A couple of generations later, we see Obed being the father of Jesse, and Jesse being the father of David. David was the youngest of Jesse’s sons and a shepherd of his father’s sheep. David played a part in one of the most famous Bible stories. David was sent to check on his brothers who were soldiers. The Israelites were fighting the Philistines which sounds a lot like a possible Redemption strategy. David got to the front lines of the battle and found a giant named Goliath taunting the Israelites. Long story short, David (with God’s power) took on Goliath, slayed him and sent the Philistines running. Talk about unlikely heroes. A kid with a sling and a stone having enough faith to take on a seasoned warrior twice his size.
David later went on to be king of Israel. As king, he always tried to do the right thing by God and honored God. He was however not perfect, and sinned with Bathsheba, and had her warrior husband killed to cover up his affair. In the end he realized his sin and asked God for forgiveness. David’s faith and relationship with God gave him an honored place in the Lineage of Christ.
You may wonder what all of this has to do with you and me. It is actually very simple. God can use us, even though we have sinned and done bad things. God loves us greatly, beyond measure. If we have a personal relationship with Christ, God can and will use us.
To buy singles, sealed product, and other gaming supplies mentioned, please visit our sponsors!
