Matthew 1:5a
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab,
Look at Jesus’ ancestors. Rahab wasn’t an Israelite but a sinner from Canaan. She was part of the people who practiced all kinds of horrible stuff. She was also a prostitute. How could she be a fitting ancestor for our Lord? Even if she is one of His ancestors, of so many possibilities from Abraham to Joseph, why was she highlighted in this genealogy?
Rahab, like you and me, started life far from God and stayed far from God. But when she heard about the true God she wanted Him. She heard about how God, with grand love, delivered a slave nation out of Egypt, the then undisputed world superpower. She heard about how He led that nation across a wilderness for 40 years to discipline them, blessing them at every turn with His presence and miraculous bread. Her repentance was her example to us. God doesn’t take great people and show them off. God takes willing people and makes them His.
Prayer prompt: Lord, help me to see the mercy You show so that my heart will always be Yours.