Imagine a friend came to you, her husband was at war, and she admitted to having an affair with a prominent public figure. Then she says, “I am pregnant.” What would you say to her?

There is general consensus that Bathsheba, with the assistance of King David, did absolutely everything wrong. She, a married Gentile woman, had an affair with the King of Israel while her husband Uriah was at war. When she became pregnant with David’s child, David arranged to make it look like her husband’s, and eventually David put her husband on the front lines so that he would be killed in combat.

It is a horrific story, and a scandal that we could imagine developing over months in the evening news – the prominent players involved, the affair, the cover up, the murder. No doubt it would lead to a resignation or an impeachment, even in our secular society.

In fact, this story is so scandalous and licentious, that Matthew does not actually include Bathsheba’s name in Jesus’ genealogy. He refers to her as the mother of Solomon, who had been Uriah’s wife. Perhaps the wording demonstrates an awkwardness we all feel in certain situations. A woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock, and while we want to celebrate the life inside of her, we also struggle with not condoning the behavior that led to the pregnancy.

Some might argue that had Bathsheba never had that affair with King David, she would not have had Solomon – one of the wisest men in history, and she would have never been included in Jesus’ genealogy. Does that mean what she did was good, or that the ends justified the means? Absolutely not.

What’s good is God. Somehow, someway (and He always seems to do this), He makes good out of what seem to be impossibly good circumstances. This is the power of Jesus’ redemption. We look at the woman caught in adultery and give her two options – death by justice or freedom by disregarding the law. Jesus has a third option – redemption through mercy.

Dr. Tim Keller writes, “The Biblical view of things is resurrection – not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater.”

Is there a better example of this than David and Bathsheba’s relationship? The eventual glory and joy of the coming of the Messiah through their line outweighs and greatly overshadows their sin and guilt. This is the redemption and the resurrection that Jesus offers to each and every one of us. So many times we don’t feel worthy or capable of serving the Lord. We’ve got stuff – sin, addictions, history, stuff we’ve buried, stuff we wish would stay buried. Jesus doesn’t promise to hide our sin, he promises a life free from it – a life free from its entanglements and free from our paranoia to keep the skeletons hidden in the closet. That is freedom. That is the Messianic promise of redemption. This is what Jesus means when He says, “I make all things new.”

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. When we put our hope in Him, our life rises from ashes. May the Lord help us to trust Him, to follow Him, to love Him, to embrace the life to which He invites us, and to realize that abundant and real life is only found in Him. He has come to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free, to exchange our ashes for crowns of beauty. May we desire to be oaks of righteousness – a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.

This year during Advent, New Hope Chapel will be focusing on the women of Jesus’ genealogy and their connection to the life and ministry of the Messiah. These are from our readings during the worship service.

Imagine you lived with your in-laws. Over the years, your father-in-law passed away. Then shortly after, your brother-in-law passed away. Then your own husband passed away. What would you do? Would you stay with your mother-in-law, or would you go back to the place where you grew up?

That’s how we are introduced to Ruth – the third woman listed in Jesus’ genealogy. She was a Moabite – a Gentile (like all of the Old Testament women listed in Jesus’ genealogy). Over time, she watched her in-laws die, and instead of staying in Moab, she accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi back to her hometown in Judah.

Even though Naomi urged her to go on and live a life of her own, Ruth responded with these famous words, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Ruth’s humility did not pay dividends at first. Just to eat, she would glean leftover wheat from the edges of farming fields. However, eventually one of the noblemen – Boaz (the son of Rahab the once harlot of Jericho) – noticed her. Ruth’s reputation of loyalty had preceded her, and Boza gladly gave her plenty to eat.

But Ruth wasn’t just interested in Boaz’s leftover grain, she was interested in his heart. Because Boaz needed a little help making his move, one evening Ruth snuck into his room and laid at his feet. While her actions were certainly culturally inappropriate, her seduction was nothing sexual, nothing like we might see in a Hollywood movie. John Eldridge notes that Ruth’s seduction was just what Boaz needed to motivate him. “She uses all she has as a woman to arouse him to be a man.” Instead of nagging him, instead of whining, instead of hypothetically emasculating him, she helps him muster the strength and courage to do what needs to be done in order to marry her.

Out of all the Old Testament women in Jesus’ genealogy, Ruth seems most appropriate. There are so many good and godly character qualities that we find in this Gentile woman. But perhaps her greatest quality is her servant leadership. John Maxwell says, “A successful person finds the right place for himself. But a successful leader finds the right place for others.” Ruth helped Naomi and Boaz find their place and fulfill their missions in life.

In a similar way, Jesus is a servant leader in our lives. He desires our heart, but He is also a perfect gentleman. He doesn’t nag or degrade our manliness or femininity. If anything, Jesus helps us better discover it by finding our right place in this world and our right place in His Kingdom. Jesus has a way of inviting us on an adventure into a life worth living. It is a holy seduction. David knew it. He said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” So often He intervenes in our world. We see Him on the edges of our field of view. He is there, not just gleaning wheat for His sake. He is inviting us on the greatest adventure of our life.

Jesus is the servant leader. We see this in the invitation that He gave to His disciples. “Come, follow me.” He beckoned them to leave what consumed them to live a life worth consuming. Likewise, He does the same for us. He welcomes us on your adventure and then molds us into the men and women beyond our wildest imaginations or our sincerest abilities. Today and every day, may the Lord help us to notice Him, help us to seek Him, and help us to walk with Him in faith.

This year during Advent, New Hope Chapel will be focusing on the women of Jesus’ genealogy and their connection to the life and ministry of the Messiah.  These are from our readings during the worship service.

Imagine an arranged marriage, where you’re taken far from your country, your people, and your culture, and brought some place new.  Imagine marrying someone you never met, and then becoming a widow shortly after – with no children and no future.

That’s Tamar’s story – a story of sorrow and rejection.  She was a Gentile woman, acquired by Judah (the oldest of Jacob’s sons) as a wife for his son Er.  When Er died, Tamar was not given the opportunity to bear children through the Leverate marriage custom. Her new family rejected her.  Her brother-in-law used her. And Judah considered her to be bad luck, and wouldn’t permit her access to his sons.

In desperation, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and seduced her own father-in-law Judah, while not revealing her true identity.  A few months later, word spread that Tamar had become pregnant because of prostitution, and in a twist of irony and self-righteousness, Judah demanded her execution (not realizing that he was in fact the father).

But when Tamar discreetly revealed to Judah his part in the act, he recanted of his self-righteous position and repented for not allowing her the full benefits of Leverate marriage to which she was entitled.  He confessed saying, “She is more righteous than I,” and because of that, her life was spared.  Judah would never again defile her, and as for Tamar, she would later bear twins – Perez and Zerah.

The story of Tamar parallels a familiar one found in the Gospel.  Just as Judah came to Tamar’s rescue,  Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery.  The “righteous” men of the city were prepared to execute adulterous women, but they were unwilling to admit their own guilt.  Jesus, though he was sinless in the matter, didn’t respond with threats of execution like the other self-righteous and religious did.  Instead He responded with words of kindness, forgiveness, and freedom.  “Your sins are forgiven.  Go and sin no more.”  Instead of condemning the woman to death, He liberated the woman to new life.

The story of Tamar – the first woman listed in Jesus’ genealogy is a bizarre story, and one might ask, “Why did God choose to include this woman in Jesus’ genealogy?  Why not include one of the more moral examples from around the time of the Patriarchs– Sarah, Rebekah, or Rachel?”  But there is something about Tamar’s story that speaks to the person of Jesus.  He was despised and rejected much like his ancestor Tamar.  He was denied His own rights.  As Isaiah refers to our Messiah, He indeed was a man of sorrows.

Jesus is the God of the rejected and the broken hearted.  He experienced rejection – no place to be born, and His own people hastened His execution.  In His heart, there is a place for those who have had their rights denied, their dignity refused, and who like Tamar find themselves in a place of hopelessness.  Jesus, welcomes all of our sorrows, all of our burdens, all of our fears, and our rejections. He accepts our brokenness, never denying the contrite spirit or the broken heart.  His words are words of kindness – “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  May we in turn embrace and emulate the Messiah’s spirit of humility and kindness.