The Women Of Jesus' Genealogy

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba

Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
Matthew 1:3-6
It is without a doubt that Matthew's desire was to present Jesus to a Jewish Christian audience as a Jewish royal figure. Not just the Son of Abraham, but rather the Son of David as mentioned in the very first verse. Thus the legal heir of King David's throne. This is why he had to incorporate the genealogy that traced his lineage back to David. However, something that has intrigued theologians since the early years of Matthew's Gospel, is his inclusion of four gentile women. Women who, with the exception of Ruth, possessed no exemplary character. To modern readers this might not seem so out of place, but for a first century Jewish scribe to include women in a record of ancestry was unheard of. The World of the first century was based upon Patriarchal systems where women had no rights to speak of. They were but possessions of the men who controlled the World.

Every person comes from families that have both memorable stories they share, and terrible secrets they would rather to take to their grave. If we were able to look back far enough we can all find stories about evil and bazarre situations that included scandalous affairs, murdererous plots, theivery, or even simple family squabbles that ended up dividing family members over evil in bizarre situations. Well, the history of Jesus family is no different, so HE understands the way you feel. He came from a disreputable family. His family tree was decorated with notable sinners. He knows what it's like to have relatives who have embarrassed themselves. HE also knows what it's like to have some who thought HIM so crazy they wanted to take HIM away and get help. Jesus knows all about dysfunctional families.

It's my beliefe these women and their stories are included to send a message about GOD's grace. When you read the stories of these four women, you should not focus upon their sin, but rather on the grace of God. The hero of this story is God. His grace shines through the blackest of human sin as he chooses flawed men and women and places them in Jesus’ family tree. Jesus called himself, “the friend of sinners." HE didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. He came to save us from our sins. HE tells us;

“The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.”
(Luke 19:10)

Tamar

Genesis chapter 38

1. Judah 14 or 15 years old befriends an Adullamite name Hirah

2. Befriends an Adullamite named Hirah

3. Falls for Shua and has three sons

1. Er

2. Onan

3. Chezib

4. Judah procures a wife for his eldest, Er. Her name is Tamar

1. God takes Er for being evil

5. Judah gives Tamara to his second son Onan

1. God takes Onan for being evil

6. Judah promises his youngest to Tamar when he is old enough

1. Judah does not keep promise to Tamar so she comes up with plan to save her honor

7. Tamar hatches a plan to save her honor

1. Tamar dresses as a prostitute when she hears Judah is coming in town to sheer his sheep

2. Judah sleeps with Tamara thinking her a prostitute

3. Judah has no boat for agreed payment money so he leaves his staff and insignia for collateral

4. Tamar becomes pregnant and is accused of harlotry

5. Tamar shows Judah his items

6. Judah admits his guilt and takes Tamar into his household

8. Tamar has twins Perez and Zerah

1. Perez becomes an ancestor of King David and thus our Lord Jesus

As an aside it is known that Tamar is a Hebrew name and not a Canaanite name. It is also after this incident that God sends Jacob to Egypt stopping any future mingling of the bloodline with the Pagan Canaanites. Tamar could have descended from one of Abraham’s numerous sons by Keturah or his concubines, or even from the parallel family of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. In Egypt Shepherds were considered unclean so the Egyptians themselves would not want to intermarry with Jacobs sons. So, until they left Egypt 430 (Ex 12:40) years to the day the line of Abraham would be pure Hebrew until Rahab married Salmon.

Rahab

Joshua 2:1-24 & Joshua 6:22-25

1. Joshua send spies into Jericho

2. They are hid by a prostitute named Rahab

3. Rahab tells spies all of Jericho is afraid because of what their God did for them

4. Rahab informs them to hide in the woods for three days before heading back

1. A pack is made with the spies

2. Scarlet cord put in Window to identify her residence

3. Her and here family survive the attack and destruction of Jericho

5. Rahab joins Israelites and becomes one of them(Joshua 6:25)

6. A Judean named Salmon married Rahab and they have a son named Boaz

1. About 350 years from the time Joshua destroyed Jericho to when David was born

2. It must be understood that Moses lived to be 120, and Joshua lived 110 years. 

1. At the time a man would be 100 or more at the birth of some of their sons

2. Easy to accept since Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 when Issaac was born.

3. In ancient days many men sired children at late ages

4. Wives were often time many years younger

5. Rahab maybe as young as 20 when she married Salmon, who was almost 85

7. Rahab was redeemed and thus became a part of our Lord’s genealogy

The scarlet cord that Rahab set out for a sign to the Israelites in Jericho was placed in the open for all to see. Like the blood of Christ that was shed for us it was a sign of faith that redemption will come to those who remember it, in Rahab’s case it was to redeem her and her family. As with the blood of the Passover in (Exodus 12:7 and 2:13) it was to be a sign for the executioners to allow those inside to live. The cord at the opening that let the spies out is also reminiscent of the doorways of the Israelites homes in Egypt that were brushed with the blood of a lamb.

Ruth

The Book of Ruth

No Scripture gives a better picture of a Redeemer than the story of Ruth. In and of itself, Ruth is a love story involving a woman who married into an Israelite family living in her country of Moab. She is blessed to have a widowed mother-in-law she would grow to love like her own mother. Even after her husband dies, she clings to her mother-in-law, following her to Israel. In a land that is not known for being kind to Moabites, she finds acceptance and love. That would be enough to write a novel and even have it adapted into a story for the big screen, yet there is much more.

This story is more than a simple love story of a man and a woman who meet and fall in love. It's also about Naomi, the mother-in-law. Naomi and her husband walked away from GOD's protection and trusted in their own understanding, they had little faith in their GOD to care for them in difficult times. In this story we learn about GOD's love for those of us who are in need of HIS loving forgiveness and how HE made a provision for us to get back in HIS good grace and find eternal peace and happiness. For Naomi and Ruth their redeemer was Boaz, and for us Boaz is a type of Christ,. They both fulfilled all the requirements of the law needed for us to get back into GOD's good grace.

1. Due to a famine, A Bethlehemite decides to move to Moab with his family.

1. Man – Elimelech (“God is King”)

2. Wife – Naomi (“the sweet one”)

3. Eldest – Mahlon (“sick” or “infirmity”)

4. Youngest – Chilion (“pining” or ”to wither away”)

2. Elimelech dies and leaves Naomi a widow with two sons

3. The sons marry Moabite girls

4. Mahlon takes Ruth as a wife

1. Chilion takes Orpah as a wife

5. After 10 years both sons die and leave Naomi and her daughter-in-laws widows

1. Neither woman had children

2. Naomi releases both women from any obligation and decides to return to her homeland

6. Orpah stays in Moab but Ruth follows Naomi to Bethlehem

7. Ruth gleans at field owned by Boaz a relative of her mother in-laws deceased husband Elimelech

8. At first meeting Boaz falls for Ruth

9. Upon learning of Boaz’s affection for Ruth, Naomi begins planning a wedding, Levirate Law (Leviticus 25:23-27)

10. Naomi sends Ruth to Boaz with the hope that he will redeem the family inheritance

11. Boaz is thrilled with Ruth’s request, but tells her he must a closer kin the first chance to be redeemer Deuteronomy 25:5-10)

12. Closer Kinsman declines, Boaz steps forward and redeems Naomi’s estate and marries Ruth

13. Boaz has a male child with Ruth, they name him Obed

14. Obed has a son named Jesse, who in turn has a son named David

The Levirate law is from the Latin levir, (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) which means brother-in-law. It was the arrangement embodied in the Mosaic Law going back to remote antiquity before Moses, which was intended to perpetuate the family name and preserve family rights of inheritance in the case of a man who died without male heir. The solution was simple. The dead man’s brother, or failing him, the nearest male relative, must take the widow in marriage and the first son born to that marriage would take the dead man’s name and be accounted his legal son and heir, inheriting the dead man’s estate and carrying on the family line.

This idea of redemption in the Old Testament comes from the Levitical laws concerning one's ancestral land which has been sold. 

'The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine;

for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. 'Thus for every piece

of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land.

'If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property,

then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold.

Or in case a man has no kinsman, but so recovers his means as to find sufficient

for its redemption, then he shall calculate the years since its sale and

refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his property.

(Leviticus 25:23-27)

Money is paid according to law to buy back something which must be delivered or rescued. (Numbers 3:51 Nehemiah 5:8) From this the word, “redemption”, we get the general understanding of deliverance. We are Naomi, the land is our promised inheritance in Heaven. We lost it when Adam sinned by walking away from GOD by sinning. To redeem what was sold, we needed one who was qualified to step in to fulfill the letter of the law. In Naomi’s case it was Boaz, in our case it is Christ Jesus.

Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11:1-27

1. We Have Bathsheba whom David saw taking a bath in the cool of the day, at a time when Kings went to war.

2. Spring April or May directly after the grain harvest when Kings go to war

3. David arises after sleeping the hottest part of the day away 3 –6 p.m.

4. Bathsheba takes a bath on her roof in full view of the Kings residence, knowingly?

1. David’s summons her. Bathsheba goes willingly, knowing here Husband fights for the King

2. She gets pregnant and informs David

5. David summons Uriah her husband and tells him to go to his wife

1. Uriah refuses while his comrades fight for the King twice he refuses

2. David sends him to the front, his general pulls back and allow Uriah to be killed in an ambush

3. David take Bathsheba into his home and marries her

6. Nathan takes David to task for his sin against God

1. Tells David a story of a rich man stealing a poor man's pet lamb to feed his guest

1. David demands the man be punished

2. Nathan reveals David is that rich man, the poor man's lamb is Uriah's wife, Bathsheba

2. The child dies (God took the life of the boy)

7. Bathsheba has four more sons (1 Chronicles 3:5)

1. Solomon --- Direct ancestor of Jesus through Joseph

2. Shimea

3. Shoba

4. Nathan --- Direct ancestor of Jesus through Mary

8. In spite of her and David’s sinful behavior God blesses them both by using their union to bring about the physical and royal birth of our Lord Jesus the Christ.

Bathsheba is probably the worst of the lot, because she was married to a loyal soldier of the King. (Not just a loyal soldier, but listed among David's 30 mighty men of valor. 2 Samuel 23:39) Yet, we cannot truly claim she lured David, because maybe she did not know he was home. After all, he should have been out with his men fighting, but he stayed behind. However, she lived among the Hebrews to know what was and was not acceptable. Even if David was not home, there could have been any of David’s many advisors, or workers up on the balcony to see her. Her immodesty would have been tempting for any man.

When David saw her bathing, he should have followed the action Joseph took many years ago. When we are confronted with a choice between sinning against GOD, and fleeing, we need to run from it. The longer we linger, the longer we contemplate, the longer we are in the position to be tempted, the bigger chance we have of failing. Joseph ran away from Potiphar's wife, because he did not want to sin against GOD. We are to flee temptation. Instead, David took the bait Satan set before him and ultimately committed adultery, and murder. Remember David was also a married man so they both broke wedding vows in order to please themselves.

After finding out that she was pregnant with David’s child, Bathsheba would conspire with the King to cover it up by having Uriah come home and sleep with her. But Uriah was a loyal man to the King and could not fathom enjoying himself while his fellow soldiers were fighting for his beloved King. The final disgrace would be Bathsheba allowing David to have her husband killed and then becoming his wife. But God informed Nathan the prophet and the truth came out.

In time God would take the child’s life, but because David was truly sorry in his heart God forgave him and Bathsheba became the mother of the wisest man ever to live Solomon. Solomon would become a direct ancestor to Jesus.


Just four women that God used to bring His Son into the world, and what of all the men of questionable character. We already touched on Judah and David, but there is incident after incident of men who walked in wicked ways and worshiped idols and thus led the people into sin. In time God sent all the Israelites into captivity for their refusal to obey him. However He kept his promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David that we should not perish,


But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent

forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

(Galatians 4:4)

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,

that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

(2 Corinthians 5:2)