Read: Ruth 1:1-18, Ruth 4:13-17 More often than not God works in ways that we would never, ever expect. God uses people, things and circumstances that we would never consider in order to bring about His incredible purposes.
We see this principal demonstrated explicitly in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17. Imagine for a moment, who would you pick to be the ancestors of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? Who would you choose to be involved in the plan of redemption for all mankind? If I am honest I would probably choose the most outstanding, most qualified candidates. I would choose kings and officials. I would choose the good looking and the healthy. I would choose those who command respect and reverence. I would choose people of impeccable moral character, those who can clearly be pointed to as examples of Godly men and women. If I thought like a first century Israelite I would want those men and women to be of unimpeachable lineage, descendants of Abraham, within the tribe of Judah.
Jesus' genealogy doesn't seem to fit any of these criteria. Matthew includes men of questionable (to say the least!) character, questionable quality and questionable lineage. Scandalously, Matthew also includes a number of women in his genealogy, an inclusion which was unheard of in the ancient world.
We notice Tamar whose incestuous background is recorded in Genesis 38, Rahab the gentile prostitute whose story is recorded in Joshua 2 and 6, and Bathsheba the Hittite who was involved in an adulterous affair with King David. Certainly not those we would normally choose to be the ancestors of the messiah.
Ruth warrants further study. As opposed to the women mentioned above Ruth does not have any sordid tales of immorality but Ruth does have a background that would certainly be shocking to the people of Jesus' day: she was a Moabite. The Moabites were enemies of Israel, frequently in conflict with the people of God. For a good Israelite, to include a Moabite woman in the genealogy of the new king would be shocking.
In spite of this, God uses Ruth powerfully for the sake of His people and, ultimately, to bring about His plan of redemption for the world. Ruth faithfully follows her mother in law back to Israel after her father in law, her husband and his brother all die, leaving both Ruth and Naomi childless widows. By the incredible process of God's faithful providence God provides for Ruth a husband in Boaz, an upstanding Godly man. Through the children of that marriage the great King David is born and the royal line commenced. Ruth, the moabite widow, becomes the great-grandmother of David and an ancestor of the great King Jesus.
Even before the birth of Jesus we begin to see God's great promise to Abraham, that through him all the nations of the Earth would be blessed, being fulfilled. God's blessing and provision was not limited only to the people of Israel. Instead God invited others into relationship with Himself through His chosen people. God is interested in blessing all the nations of the earth.
Now, those of every nation and people have free access to God the father if they would have faith in Jesus Christ. As God's people we have an incredible responsibility to share that blessing with others and to invite those who are lost into relationship with Him. We are to be boldly sharing this blessing we have received with all those who would hear. We must be faithfully and earnestly praying that God would give us opportunities to share His blessing with others. We must be praying that God would give us great courage and boldness with our words, our actions and our lives. We must be praying that God would give us the words to share Him. And we must act, sharing Him when (not if) these opportunities come up. Will you pray these prayers? Will you act to share that blessing today?
Prayer: Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
- Pray that God would lay a burden on your heart and the heart of all those in the congregation for those in your community who are lost and broken apart from God. Pray that you and your congregation would have a passion and zeal to preach the gospel and see the lost come to faith in Christ. Pray that God would give you opportunities and give you the wisdom and courage to take full advantage of them. Pray that God would use you to share the gospel today.
- Pray for the special time of outreach for Christians all around the world in the lead up to Christmas. Pray that the churches in your town, in your country and in the world would be bold and courageous in their outreach to others. Pray that God would be working powerfully in the hearts of many who don't know Him and that they would turn to Him in faith. Pray that we would see many thousands of men, women and children turning to faith in Christ during this time.
My Additional Prayer Points
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