Matthew 1

Katie and I decided we wanted to start reading through the New Testament together and if you'll remember the book of Matthew starts off with Jesus' lineage. There are a lot of this guy begat that guys and so-and-so begat so-and-so, but I was reminded of the women mentioned. Matthew only alludes to 5 women in the lineage of Jesus. A quick reminder of who those women were:

Tamar - a victim of incest
Rahab - a harlot
Ruth - a begging widow
Bathsheba - an adulteress
Mary - a single pregnant woman

What is the common thread among these women? All of them would have been shunned by the general public at the time. But God chose each of them, despite their pasts and despite what people thought of them to do His work. Here's another way to view these women:

Tamar - Judah recognizes that she is more righteous than he is (Genesis 38:26)
Rahab - helped spies in Jericho and had her family preserved because of it (Joshua 2 & 6)
Ruth - has an entire book of the Bible devoted to the love she showed to her mother-in-law and finding the love of a husband
Bathsheba - secured the throne for Solomon who succeeded King David (I Kings 1)
Mary - the mother of Jesus

God can and will use anyone He chooses to accomplish His purposes.

Hoss