Jesus Redeemed These Women
The genealogy of Jesus Christ includes a diverse array of women whose lives were marked by both triumph and turmoil. These women, through their unwavering faith and God's providence, played pivotal roles in the lineage of our Savior. Although greatly controversial and imperfect in many ways, God chose these women through whom to bring the Messiah, because of His grand redemptive character. Let’s discuss a few of the most controversial women God chose to include in the genealogy of the Messiah and what that means for women today looking for hope.
Tamar
Tamar was known for her determination, cunning, and pursuit of justice. Her narrative, found primarily in the Book of Genesis, sheds light on a period in biblical history where women often had to employ unconventional methods to secure their futures.
Tamar's story is recounted in Genesis 38. She was a Canaanite woman, the daughter-in-law of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob and Leah. Tamar's marriage into the prestigious lineage of Judah held both promise and peril.
The fact that she was a Canaanite woman was astounding, because Noah cursed Canaan (and his descendants) in Genesis 9:25, and the Israelites were ultimately instructed by the Lord to utterly destroy them (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). Yet while the Canaanites were still given time to repent from their wickedness, Judah went to dwell with them.
“It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.’ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also.
Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ‘Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up’—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house. In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And when Tamar was told, ‘Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,’ she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her at the roadside and said, ‘Come, let me come in to you,’ for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, ‘What will you give me, that you may come in to me?’ He answered, ‘I will send you a young goat from the flock.’ And she said, ‘If you give me a pledge, until you send it—’ He said, ‘What pledge shall I give you?’ She replied, ‘Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.’ So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood. When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. And he asked the men of the place, ‘Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?’ And they said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’ So he returned to Judah and said, ‘I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, “No cult prostitute has been here.”’ And Judah replied, ‘Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.’
About three months later Judah was told, ‘Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.’ And Judah said, ‘Bring her out, and let her be burned.’ As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, ‘By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.’ And she said, ‘Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.’ Then Judah identified them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not know her again. When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, ‘This one came out first.’ But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, ‘What a breach you have made for yourself!’ Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.”
- Genesis 38:1-30, ESV
As we read from the account, Tamar was denied Judah’s third son, Shelah for fear that he would die too like his elder brothers who had been given in marriage to Tamar. Judah was widowed at the time and when he saw Tamar, he did not recognize her, as she was not in her widow garments and had her face covered. He thought she was a prostitute, and in his sin, he slept with her. Tamar saw that Judah had not given her to Shelah, even though he was grown, and took the opportunity to redeem her heritage and agreed to lie with Judah, unbeknownst to him. In Judah’s hypocrisy, when he heard his daughter-in-law was pregnant immorally, he ordered her to death. Once she proved that Judah was the father, he repented of his hypocrisy and called her more righteous than him, since he knew she was aware he withheld his youngest son from her, failing to deliver his promise. Tamar was blessed with twins, Perez and Zerah, by Judah. Jesus came through the decedents of Perez, who were “all valiant men” according to Nehemiah 11:6.
Rahab
Rahab's story is a testament to the transformative power of faith and the surprising ways in which God works through unexpected individuals. Rahab is first introduced to us in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. She lived in the city of Jericho, a city that was notorious for its sinful practices and was destined for destruction at the hands of the Israelites. Rahab, a prostitute, resided within the walls of Jericho, a life choice that marked her as an outcast in the eyes of society.
Despite her background, Rahab's life took a dramatic turn when she encountered two Israelite spies sent by Joshua to scout the city of Jericho. Instead of betraying their presence, Rahab hid the spies and protected them from the city's authorities. In doing so, she demonstrated her faith in the God of Israel, acknowledging His power and the impending defeat of Jericho.
“And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho.’ And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, ‘Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.’ Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, ‘Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.’ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, ‘True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.’ But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.’ And the men said to her, ‘Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.’ Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. And she said to them, ‘Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.’ The men said to her, ‘We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.’ And she said, ‘According to your words, so be it.’ Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. And they said to Joshua, ‘Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.’”
- Joshua 2:1-24, ESV
As a reward for her bravery and faith, the spies promised Rahab and her family protection when Jericho was conquered. When the city fell, Rahab and her family were indeed spared and integrated into the Israelite community. This is where Rahab's connection to the ancestry of Jesus comes into play.
“So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.”
- Joshua 6:23-25, ESV
Rahab ultimately married Salmon, one of the spies, and had Boaz by him, as corroborated by Ruth 4:21, 1 Chronicles 2:11, and Matthew 1:5. Ruth’s preservation and ancestry to Jesus exemplifies the great mercy and grace of the Lord, which is available to all who repent and have faith in Him, no matter who they are or what they have done.
Ruth
Ruth was an outsider in every sense of the word. Her story begins in the land of Moab, a place far removed from the people of Israel. The Moabites were detestable in the eyes of the Lord for their sacrifices to false gods and Baal worship. The Lord saw the Israelites forsake Him by “whoring” with the daughters of Moab, sacrificing, eating, and bowing down to their false gods (Numbers 25:1-2). In doing this, Israel “yoked himself to Baal of Peor” (Numbers 25:3). The Lord’s anger kindled because of this adultery, and He ordered all the Israelites who were yoked to Baal to be put to death. Needless to say, the Lord did not want Israel to fall to the vices of Moab.
Obviously, given this example from Israel’s history, Ruth was not of Jewish descent, and her marriage to an Israelite man named Mahlon might have seemed like an unlikely union. However, this marriage eventually became a pivotal point in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan.
“In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!’ Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, ‘No, we will return with you to your people.’ But Naomi said, ‘Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.’ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, ‘See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.’ And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.”
- Ruth 1:1-18, ESV
After the deaths of Mahlon and his brother Chilion, Ruth faced a bleak future. She was a widow with no children, living in a foreign land. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, decided to return to her homeland, Bethlehem, and Ruth chose to accompany her. Ruth's famous declaration to Naomi is a testament to her loyalty and faith:
“But Ruth replied, ‘Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’”
- Ruth 1:16, NIV
Upon arriving in Bethlehem, Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz, a wealthy and righteous man. Boaz noticed Ruth's diligence and her loyalty to Naomi. He went above and beyond the requirements of the law to protect and provide for Ruth. Their relationship eventually led to marriage, and Ruth bore a son named Obed.
The birth of Obed was not just the birth of a child but the birth of hope and redemption. Obed would become the grandfather of King David, and from David's line would eventually come Jesus Christ. Through Ruth's union with Boaz, she became part of the lineage of the Messiah, an unimaginable honor for a Moabite woman.
Bathsheba
While her life was marred by scandal and tragedy, Bathsheba's inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus also underscores the profound message of grace, forgiveness, and redemption that lies at the heart of Christianity.
Bathsheba's story begins in the court of King David, the great Psalmist and ruler of Israel. Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, caught the eye of King David while she was bathing on her rooftop. David, in a moment of weakness and lust, succumbed to temptation and committed adultery with her. Their sinful affair led to Bathsheba becoming pregnant, a fact that had the potential to shatter her life and reputation.
In an attempt to cover up his sin, King David summoned Uriah from the battlefield, hoping he would sleep with his wife, Bathsheba, and assume the child was his own. However, Uriah, displaying unwavering loyalty to his fellow soldiers, refused to indulge in the pleasures of home while his comrades were still in harm's way. Despite David's manipulation, Uriah's honor remained steadfast. David's desperate measures escalated, ultimately leading to Uriah's death in battle.
Bathsheba's life seemed irreparably broken, marked by the loss of her husband, a scandalous affair, and the birth of a child born out of wedlock. However, God had a plan for Bathsheba—one that would not only redeem her but also bring forth the Savior of the world.
Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin, leading David to repentance and genuine remorse. In response to his repentance, God forgave David, demonstrating His mercy and grace. Bathsheba, too, found forgiveness and restoration in God's boundless love.
Bathsheba and David's second child, Solomon, was destined for greatness. Solomon would become one of Israel's wisest and most renowned kings, known for building the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem. Through Solomon's lineage, God's redemptive work continued.
Fast forward to the New Testament, and we find Bathsheba's name embedded in the genealogy of Jesus Christ as "the wife of Uriah." In Matthew 1:6, it is recorded that Solomon "was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa." This lineage ultimately leads to Jesus, the Messiah.
Bathsheba's inclusion in the lineage of Jesus is a profound testament to God's amazing grace and His ability to redeem even the most broken and sinful lives. Through her story, we see that God can take the most tragic and scandalous circumstances and transform them into a part of His redemptive plan.
Conclusion
In summary, the remarkable women in the genealogy of Jesus Christ exemplify the profound and diverse ways in which God works in the lives of imperfect individuals to fulfill His divine purposes. These women's stories showcase the extraordinary grace and providence of God. They remind us that God's redemptive plan transcends societal norms, embraces the marginalized, and forgives even the gravest of sins.
If you find yourself identifying with the struggles or sins of these women, take solace in the fact that their stories are a testament to God's boundless love and transformative power. Just as God used these imperfect women to bring forth His redemption, He invites you to place your trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ, wherein lies the promise of forgiveness, renewal, and a place in His eternal story of grace. The genealogy of Christ teaches us that no one is beyond the reach of God's love, and He stands ready to redeem and restore all who turn to Him in faith.