New Thru 30 Day 3 Reading thoughts...


If nothing else, Matthew 1 shows us that God could care less what someone has done!  In the genealogy of Jesus there are several names worth noting: Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba/Solomon/David.  Yeah, we know that David was "a man after God's own heart" and can forgive his adulterous murder to conceive Solomon, but Rahab?  She was a hooker from the city of Jericho who hitched up with the Israelites when they came in and killed/destroyed everyone else.  She wasn't even part of the family of Abraham, how come she makes the cut here?
Ruth was a widow who wasn't even an Israelite, but a Moaabite!  Again, not even part of Abrahma's family and outside of who an Israelite should marry or even associate with!  yet she is part of Jesus' family tree?

If nothing else, notice that God could care less who your momma or pappa was (or if they were a band!) but more about who YOU are.  Ruth gave up everything to be loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi, and by proxy, God.  Rahab put her life in danger by sheltering the spies and chose God over her own people.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  "God looks at the heart" is what God told Samuel, when he chose David over Saul and the same is true today.  God could care less who we are, but rather who we are true to.  Who did you choose today?

Check out verse 3: this is the verse from the story that absolutely floors me.  That King Herod would be concerned about this is a, "No duh."  But that the people in Jerusalem were not celebrating leaves me speechless!  I mean, for years upon years they've been waiting for this announcement and then they get it, and instead of partying like it's AD1 they worry.  Why?  that's what I wondered about as I read this...

For some it was doubtless the insecurity: Herod took care of them and had built the temple, why upset the status quo?  For others it was likely fear: the Messiah coming means upset and rebellion and war as he brings us back to a kingdom.  For others I'd think it was pride: "We knew all this but didn't get it right while these dirty pagans did?  Yeah, right."  Whatever it was, Jesus did come to upset their apple cart by offering God's agenda instead of the religious leader's agendas...

And could the religious leader's who told Herod the prophecies not see that they were bringing to pass the prophecy Matthew references about Bethlehem weeping because of their actions?  I mean seriously?  Were they that wrapped up in their own power, positions, and such that they didn't see God at work?  I wish I knew...


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