Damaged Goods – Matthew 1:1-7
from Providence Community Church Hosted by Ken Carlton
Ruth was not the only unlikely bride in the line of Christ. Our last message on Lot's legacy was titled: “A Bitter End?”. The answer by all immediate indications is a resounding yes, until you follow his compromised lineage all the way through to the Moabite, Ruth, for which a book of the Bible is named. In the redemption of Ruth, we find the glories of salvation magnified in spite of a legacy marked by drunken incest. With the wide angle lens of scripture zooming out we see hope visiting even the Moabites in Ruth's story. Zooming out further still, we find in Matthew's lineage of Jesus Himself that Ruth is not alone in this theme of redemption visiting those whom most would consider “damaged goods”. In the lineage of Jesus, four women are mentioned who share this theme in common. They are the only women mentioned until we read that Joseph was the husband of Mary in verse 16. Their featured place in this lineage not only serves to magnify the glories of redemption in spite of the legacy of drunken incest, but also in spite of abandonment, deception and fornication (Tamar), gentile prostitution (Rahab), and adulterous murder and betrayal (Bathsheba). Directly or indirectly, the honor of each of these women was tainted in some way – nevertheless through them the seed of the Messiah was secured which would ultimately secure their own eternal hope. Imagine the Hymn: “Amazing Grace” on the lips of each of these women.
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