God’s Love and Forgiveness Throughout Time

Every time I read the first chapter of Matthew, I marvel at the perfectness of God’s design. It shows God’s grace and forgiveness even in the worst of sins, and how it reached beyond Israel to the world.

In verse 2, “Abraham begot Isaac”  Genesis 21:5 tells us that Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born; much too old to have fathered a son without God’s intervention.

Verse 3: “Judah begot Perez by Tamar”   Genesis chapter 28 tells the story of Judah and Tamar.  Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law, and when Tamar’s husband, Er died, custom was for one of his brothers to produce an heir that would carry on his name.  Due to sin on the parts of those involved, Tamar did not produce an heir by her brothers-in-law, but by her father-in-law.

This whole story must have displeased God, yet He brought Perez from it as the next generation in the lineage of Jesus.

Verse 5:  “Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab”   Joshua chapter 2 tells the story of Rahab, the Canaanite harlot of Jericho that hid the spies Joshua sent to look over the land.  When the king’s men demanded she release the Israelites to them, she hid the spies and then helped them get away.

Also in verse 5: “Boaz begot Obed by Ruth”  The book of Ruth tells the story of a Moabitess who refused to leave her mother-in-law and returned with her to Judah after their husbands died.  This story emphasizes the fact that God wants all to believe in Him, even non-Israelites.

Verse 6: “David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah”  II Samuel chapters 11 and 12 tell the story of David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba, and then the covering up of that sin by having Bathsheba’s husband deliberately killed in battle.

Yet it was through this union that God brought Solomon, whom the Bible says God loved.  God even gave Solomon the name Jedediah, which means “Beloved of the Lord.” The Hebrew name is related to David’s name which means “Beloved” and shows God’s forgiveness in the lives of David and Bathsheba.

Verse 17:  “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.“

This chapter tracks God’s plan of bringing salvation to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ.  It shows how He uses even the lowliest of people to bring about His plans. It shows how God takes the worst situations and brings about good for all of us that love Him.

What a confirmation of God’s love and grace!