Noticeable Women

Genealogies, to some who are not too familiar with their significance in the Bible, may just seem like a boring list of endless names that are too hard to pronounce or may even seem irrelevant. New readers of the Bible may ask, “What's the use of listing someone's family tree (essentially what a genealogy is), in the Bible?” We may even be tempted to turn the genealogy pages all together and get into the ‘real stuff’.

But when we realize that the Holy Bible is God's inspired word to us 2Tim 3:16, we should know that every single page of the Bible is important for reading and shares important information about God and His plans and purposes for us, even if it may be hard to understand sometimes.

There are numerous genealogies in the Bible which all bear importance of their own. Starting from the Old Testament and leading into the New Testament. As a matter of fact, the very first book in the New Testament starts off with a very important genealogy... The direct linage of Jesus Christ. And this genealogy is the one we will shed some more light on.

The book of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. Matthew, being a Jewish Apostle and eyewitness of Christ, was inspired by God to write the gospel of his eye-witnessed accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and share them in a way that the Jews who were living under the Mosaic Law would be able to understand and relate to. So we see as we turn to Matthew Chapter 1 verse 1, of how the writer traces Christ's linage all the way back to their Father Abraham, the Patriarch of the promises and King David, the shadow of the coming Messiah. It was through these men that God had promised to bless the world and the many generations to follow through the coming Saviour.

There is much to learn about Christ’s incarnate nature and purpose through Matthew’s recorded genealogy here. But today, we will focus on the significance of the four women that Matthew thought necessary to single out and mention as belonging to Our Lord Jesus Christ's family linage.

Firstly, it should be noted that the mentioning and documentation of women’s names in a genealogy was not a normal custom, in fact it went against the Jewish traditions and culture of the day. However, Matthew purposely moves in this somewhat controversial direction to illustrate an important point to his Jewish audience and for us readers today...

We learn of Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, and mother of Perez and Zerah, who used conniving ways to avenge Judah's mistreatment of her, by fooling him into sleeping with her while she disguised herself as a prostitute. God showed Tamar His mercy by allowing her to fall pregnant with Judah's twin sons, which saved her from being lawfully executed for her misdeeds. Genesis 38:1-30.

Matthew makes clear mention of Rahab, a Gentile prostitute who knew of the One and Only God of the Israelites, and faithfully feared Him. God showed her favour by saving her and her family from death at the hands of the Israelites when she helped the Israelite spies escape Jericho unharmed. It was agreed that as long as Rahab and all who wanted to be saved remained in her house, they would not see death. Joshua 2, 6:22-25. Rahab’s significant faithfulness is also mentioned by St. Paul in the book of Hebrews 11:31 and by St. James in James 2:25.

Ruth, of whom a whole book in the Old Testament is dedicated to (Ruth1-4),  is a young Moabite (Gentile) widow who selflessly continues to live with her Israelite mother-in-law after the passing of her husband. Despite the advice to go back to her father’s home in Moab and re-marry, she proclaims to go wherever her mother-in-law goes, and worship the God her mother-in-law worships. Ruth risks the lack of providence and security that only a husband can give her and places her trust and hope in God.

Ruth exemplifies the characteristics of a Godly woman, even though she is a Gentile, Moabitess who would ordinarily be looked upon as an outcast. God rewards Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi by blessing the young woman with a marriage to her Israelite kinsmen redeemer, Boaz, who together have a son Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David. 

Uriah's wife Bathsheba the Hittite, is famously known to have committed adultery with King David while her husband was away at war (2 Samuel 11). Though her sinful actions and those of King David were displeasing to God, they were both shown mercy and grace when God later allowed Bathsheba to become the mother of King Solomon - King David's successor. 28 generations later we see this same linage beget Christ the Messiah who is prophetically called the "Son of David".

The common pattern seen among these four women is that although they were unworthy of God’s blessings because of their sinful lives or because they were Gentiles, they were shown grace and mercy from God and responded in faith. God saved them from the detrimental circumstances in their lives and used them as chosen vessels to bring about the birth of His one and only Son and their saving redeemer – Jesus Christ.

We see Matthew make deliberate mention of these sinful, Gentile women, to prove that Christ who is perfect God, took on the nature of a man Philippians 2:5-7, and came from a linage of sinful Jewish and Gentile men and women, to die for and save all sinners; Jews, Gentiles, Men and women who respond to Him by faith and righteous deeds. (Galatians 3:25-29)

The last woman mentioned in the genealogy is a complete and utter contrast to the four women above… The Blessed Virgin Mary; a faithful Israelite girl from the family of King David, who was brought up worshiping in God’s temple and was chosen to open up a new chapter through her blessed character. When we look to the Virgin Mary, we see the special place she was given in bringing about God’s salvific plan through the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ; the prophesied Messiah and saviour of the world.

So if we Christian women and daughters of God believe that we too are faithful, Godly women in Christ... What noticeable things are we doing to show for our faith? For just as St. James writes: For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:26.

Or if we are admittedly unfaithful women, what is stopping us from turning to the one and only loving God who will mercifully forgive us when we unworthily reach out to Him? When we turn to Christ in faith will He not use us for His glorious purposes as He did to these women before us? (Ephesians 2:10)

These women, whom God blessed in His grace and mercy were allowed the extraordinary privilege to be called ancestors of His Son and will forever be remembered in history. How will you accept the grace that God is showing you through Jesus Christ and His Church today? Make history in your life. Offer your heart to Christ in faith today, and consider yourself blessed to be a part of His family...His Church family (2 Corinthians 6:2).

This week’s Song – Beautiful Beautiful, Francesca Battistelli