DCLM Daily Manna Friday 14 April 2023
TOPIC: Even Rachab and Ruth
TEXT: Matthew 1:1-7 (KJV)
1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
KEY VERSE:
“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse”
(Matthew 1:5)
DCLM Daily Manna Friday 14 April 2023 MESSAGE
It is normal with 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 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.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 13-14
