If your last name is Einstein, Beethoven, or Da Vinci, most people would assume you are related to the most famous member of your family. And if this is true, that is quite a burden of legacy to which you may be expected to fulfill. The opposite is also true. If your last name is Hitler, Capone, or Stalin, it may be difficult to overcome your legacy. It is only a name but people often associate a name with the attributes of the most famous member. Think of the pressure if your last name was Einstein or Hitler and you were applying for a job! No matter what you did, it would be difficult to escape this legacy.
The Bible is replete with lineages of many of its great saints. There is no greater lineage than that of Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ to be accepted as the Messiah, the Anointed King of the Jewish people, it would be absolutely essential to establish that Jesus Christ was descended from the tribe of Judah and King David. In both the Gospels and Matthew and Luke, the lineage of Jesus Christ is established, unequivocally showing that He is a direct descendent of King David.
Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David.
Matthew 1:5-6 (CSB)
The Gospel of Matthew adds an interesting twist and includes two women, Rahab and Ruth, who were gentiles and not Jews. Rahab was a prostitute and Ruth was a Moabite, a frequent enemy of the Jews. If I was a writer of one of the books of the Bible and was attempting to establish the blood line and legacy of Jesus Christ, I would certainly be hesitant to include these two women. Wouldn’t it taint the legacy of Jesus Christ?
God reminds us that we should never be bound or burdened by the positive or negative legacies of our ancestors and other family members. Both Rahab and Ruth overcame their lineages and backgrounds and chose to obey and honor God in spite of the cultural and religious opposition. God honored these two women of faith by including them in the lineage of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have been imbued with a free will to choose the direction of our lives. Choose God and establish a new legacy of faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
Amen!
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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