God Changes the Story --Monday Message from the Heart

Editorial---(SPA)  God plans truly are greater than ours. Our faith and obedience through our trust in the Lord is very important within our relationship with the Lord, but what’s amazing is that God changes the story of who we were to what we are! As we get ready to look through the story of these 4 women who is in the genealogy of Christ, we will notice that the Lord can use anyone, at any time, with any past. He is the writer of our story, and He works all things out for the good for those who love him (Romans 8:28), if we allow Him. 

Tamar 

First, we will look at Tamar from Genesis 38. She’s the daughter-in-law to Judah, who is the brother to Joseph, the one they sold in the previous chapter. She was married to his first son Er, but he was a wicked man, and the Lord killed him (Genesis 38:7). She then married his brother which was the Jewish law since Er left her no heir. He would also be killed by the Lord due to disobedience. He didn’t want her to give birth to a child through his seed for Er. She was in promised the youngest son when he became age, and so Judah has sent her back to her father’s house. 

During that time Judah‘s wife had died and years later he went to Timbath to shear his sheep. Tamar found out, took off her widower's clothes, and covered herself with a veil and sat in an open place. She seen that his youngest son was now grown and had not been given to her. When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. She is ultimately impregnated with his child and when Judah found out she was pregnant, he threatened to kill her for adultery, since she was technically promised to Shelah, the youngest son. When she was brought forth to be killed, she reveals all the possessions that Judah had provided her when he thought she was a prostitute. In Genesis 38:26 Judah acknowledged these possessions and said “she hath been more righteous than I, because that I gave her not to Shelan my son.” She gave birth to twins, and Perez would be the lineage to King David & Jesus. 

Rahab 

Next, we have Rahab out of Joshua 2. She was a prostitute who helped hid two spies that Joshua had sent into Jericho. She said in Joshua 2:10, “for we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt.” She then goes on to declare in verse 11 that “Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath." She believed upon God. She risked own life to hide them, but she was promised that at the fall of Jericho that her family would be spared. The promise was kept and Matthew 1:5 tells us that Salmon married Rahab, and they became the parents of Boaz, making her an ancestor of Jesus. She was also mentioned by name in the great faith chapter in Hebrews 11 alongside Sara. A gentile prostitute with powerful faith that led to a position in the linage of Christ.  

Ruth 

Ruth is next in the lineage marrying Boaz. She was a Moabite woman, and she was married to one of Naomi’s sons and when both of them died she had told the daughter in laws to return to their mother’s house.  Ruth refuses to leave. She tells her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:16) “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God". She ended up in Boaz's part of the field that she was gleaning after the reapers had come through. In Ruth 4 we see that he marries Ruth to redeem Naomi’s land and was so graceful and honorable about it. Ruth was loyal to her mother-in-law and her God, she had faith and trusted. Her loyalty led her to owning the field she was gleaning, and she gave birth to Obed, the grandfather to Kind David. Placing her also in the lineage of Jesus.

Bathsheba

Finally, we have Bathsheba. When we think of her our minds immediately goes to 2 Samuel 11 when King David seen her bathing and was lusting after her. They did in fact commit adultery. Bathsheba ends up pregnant and King David attempts to have her husband come home from war, but it fails so he had it arranged to be murdered at war. They ultimately lost the child, but after her mourning, King David took her has his wife and both ended up repenting for their sins. Their story is woven with lust, sexual sin, fear, and judgment, but it shows that there is redemption through repentance and that God rewrites the story they we mess up. They get married, have sons and one of them is King Solomon, adding her also to the lineage of Jesus. 

As we see women who we would picture that should not be in the linage of Jesus. Women who were sexually impure, women who were deceptive to get what was owed to them, and a gentile woman, but yet we see God’s favor. He had a plan for every one of these women, just like He does you. We see through Tamar, that God can take something immoral, but still use it to unfold his plan. We see with Rahab that no matter your past, if you believe in the one true God and trust in Him that he will save you and keep his promises. We see with Ruth that boldness, belief, and loyalty will take you places you never expected to be & that Gods plan will prevail. With Bathsheba we see that sin can be forgiven and lead to repentance and redemption. 

Lastly, as we enter into the Christmas season, we see the mother of Jesus, Mary. Her and Joseph both came from the lineage of David, making both of them in the lineage to Jesus. We serve a powerful and internal God who is writing out the story. Through our mess ups, sins, and wrong turns, when we place that faith fully into Jesus, He truly changes the story. The ultimate story is the redemptive result from the cross and that’s the most important part of all of our stories. 

• Are you allowing God to re-write the story? 
• what areas do you need to surrender in your life? 
• Are there any areas that you need to be bold and courageous in?

Heavenly Father, 

I thank you so much for re-writing my story. The promise of Jesus's birth and giving his life on the cross being fulfilled has gave me life and a new story. I'm so grateful for that. Thank you for redemption and the chance to repent of my sins. Thank you for a relationship and for the opportunity to take my story and re-write it to be used to glory you. Open my eyes to any area of my life where I need to surrender to you so you can continue to be the writer of my story.

In Jesus name, 

AMEN