A Tainted Genealogy
The story of Ruth ends with the birth of baby Obed, who, we're told, will become the grandfather of King David. The genealogy looks forward to the birth of David and backward to Perez and -- remarkably -- shows that neither of Obed's parents has an impeccable line of descent! Ruth is a foreigner, a Moabite, whose ancestry is traced back to an incestuous relationship between Lot and one of his daughters (Gen. 19). Boaz is descended from an illicit union between Judah and his Canaanite daughter-in-law, Tamar (Gen. 38). In Matthew, we learn that Boaz' mother was Rahab, the harlot from Jericho (Josh. 2:1-21).The point of all this is not to discredit David but to emphasize the grace of God that is offered before any human action or worthiness. God chooses to use those who seem unqualified according to human standards of judgment to accomplish God's purposes in the world.We human beings get ourselves into all sorts of bad situations because of our inability to control sexual desire. Witness President Clinton as a recent historical example. And it happens closer to home all the time. My tendency is to want to shun these people because they have shunned God's holiness. "Be ye holy as I am holy." I feel like I'm defending God's ways when I do this. Yet, incredibly, here is the story of God working God's way IN SPITE of all this illicit begatting going on!! God chooses to use those who seem unqualified according to human standards of judgment to accomplish God's purposes in the world. Maybe God doesn't need my defending!