Nothing to say, yet
Transcription
The scripture text from Matthew 1:5-6 discusses the genealogy of Jesus, highlighting three important points. Firstly, it includes three women in a lineage of men, which challenges the traditional Jewish customs. Secondly, these women had questionable reputations, but they experienced God's grace and mercy. Lastly, all three women were foreigners, which was unexpected in the lineage of a Jewish Messiah. This shows that with God, there are no mistakes or coincidences. It emphasizes God's value for all people, regardless of gender, background, or nationality. The message encourages readers to embrace God's grace and follow Him, just as Ruth and Rahab did. Welcome to Hope for Today Devotionals. Our scripture text is drawn from Matthew 1 verse 5 and 6. There we read these words from the New Living Translation. Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah. Our theme of meditation is, With God, there are no coincidences and no mistakes. It is commonly said, To err is human, to forgive divine. Man no matter his achievements and advancement in education is still prone to mistakes. Recently, despite the meticulous work and checks before the publishing of the public exams results, there were errors on some candidates' names and detailed results. Could this have been the same case with the names of some people mistakenly inserted on the list of genealogies of Jesus? Or perhaps they were pure coincidences to have those names inserted in the lineage of these generations? Our scripture text continues with a listing of the 42 generations before Jesus was born. Our attention is drawn particularly to verses 5 and 6 of our text of meditation. But you may ask, What is so particular about these verses beside the orders? Three things stand out in those verses. Did you notice them? If not, let me help you. The first is the fact that three women are included in the lineage that leads to Jesus in an endless list of men during 42 generations. It must be noted that in the Jewish culture, when people were counted, only men from the age of 20 were numbered. Women and children were never included. This is also reflected in the New Testament. However, this denigration of women and children was to be changed by the Lord of all flesh, the King who has value for all his creatures and subjects, whether male or female. He values even the unborn babies in their mother's wombs because before each of us was born, he knew us. So none can escape his attention, be her woman, child, or a fetus. You wonder, during his ministry, some of those who were enlisted in following and contributed a great deal were women. Another thing to notice is this. His value of women and children was demonstrated by the fact that some of his outstanding miracles performed were related to women and children. Permit me ask you fathers, who God has blessed with children. Do you prefer your sons to your daughters? Their presence in your families are no mistakes, nor are they coincidences, but a direct gift from God. Hallelujah! Do not be among those men who mistreat their wives for giving birth to many girls. Where shall our hope be if Mary was not a willing woman to be a channel to conceive the boy king, Jesus? The second peculiarity of these two verses is the fact that these women mentioned were women of bad reputation. One is a prostitute, the other is from a cursed tribe, and yet the other is an adulteress. How could the holy God link such women to the genealogy of one who was to be the greatest king and savior of mankind? Again, the point to note is the fact that, with God, there are no mistakes, nor coincidences. The truth is that, at some point, these women experienced God's grace and mercy. They have had a promise from the spies who came to Jericho to spare her life through a symbolic covenant of a scarlet piece of cloth. Ruth followed Naomi beyond a husband. Her husband had died to see the God of Israel whom Naomi worshipped. Lastly, the deep repentant action of King David opened the door for Bathsheba to be connected to the God of Israel who forgives all sins, even to the tenth generation. The third thing to note about these two verses is the fact that these three women were all foreigners. It was unthinkable that such women, notorious in their jar, and foreigners for that matter, could again be found in the lineage of the Messiah, a Jew. Did not the law say, no foreigner shall be accepted in the assembly of God's people, talk less of being a member in the lineage? The Moabites and the Ammonites were cursed. In Ammah 13 verse 2 and Deuteronomy 23 verse 3, how could such an incision take place? Was this a mistake or a pure coincidence to have these foreign women in the biblical account? To this aspect again, I emphatically say, with God, there are no mistakes and there are no coincidences. The one and only valid reason is the fact that by this one's own righteousness none could be accepted by God. The explanation seems to be a provision of grace by God. Yes, grace grants us access into God's family, dear friend, brother, and sister. As we conclude this devotion today, may I still re-echo the fact that, with God, there are no coincidences and there are no mistakes. Did you ever feel you have and are experiencing certain things in life because of your gender, because of your race, and because of your nationality? Be reminded of the fact that Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Be they men, women, or children, no matter the matter, no matter the situation, not even a curse placed on you can stop the King and Savior from redeeming you and making you His follower. Today, He addresses you His word of hope through this devotion, saying, Come, connect to me. Come, follow me. Come, let us start the journey to a new start like Ruth and Rahab did. You can this day be enlisted in the lineage of King Jesus and after that, others who begin following Him as disciples will be because of you, despite your background, all because of the grace factor. No coincidences, no mistakes with God. Let us pray. Precious Father, Your word is plain that there are no coincidences with You. As many of us have come in contact and through Your word, yes, you have specific plans that cannot be circumvented, but You watch over them to fulfill Your purposes in our lives. Thank You for Rahab. Thank You for Ruth. Thank You for Bathsheba, who without considering their background, Your love overshadowed them. Your grace included them in the family of God's people, reminding us that no matter our past and our shortcomings, Your grace is sufficient for us, provided we will pay heed to Your word and run to Your wide-open hands, that You might hold us, grab our hands and lead us along the way. Thank You in Jesus' name. Amen.
