Every Saint has a Past...

August 20, 2013

This week we discussed how God can use people, women in particular, with a past.  Women like Rahab the harlot who was saved and her family spared when the walls of Jericho came crashing down because of her faith in the God of the spies that Israel had sent into the city.  Another was Bathsheba, who was seduced by King David, despite being a married woman; King David had her husband killed in battle and she eventually became his wife, and bore him a son, King Solomon.  And Sarah, the wife of Abraham, who followed and trusted and believed and helped Abraham along the way, but who also lied to protect herself and her family as they traveled through foreign lands.  Rahab and Bathsheba are now counted in the 28 generation genealogy of Christ listed in Matthew and both Rahab and Sarah are listed in Hebrews 11 as women of great faith.  Once we have become believers and submit fully to what God wants for our lives, there is nothing that HE can't do with us and through us.

  

Matthew 1 – The Genealogy of Jesus. - from the NKJV – Bold is mine.

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: ² Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. ⁴ Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. ⁵ Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife^[a] of Uriah. ⁷ Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.^[b] 8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon,^[c] and Amon begot Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. ¹² And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.¹³ Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. ¹⁴ Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. ¹⁵ Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.¹⁶ And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. ¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

Rahab – the harlot.

Joshua 2

Bathsheba – her who had been the wife of Uriah

2 Samuel 11

Sarah

Genesis 12

Hebrews 11 – the Faith Chapter – from the NKJV – Bold is mine.

11:8-12 ⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he dwelt in the land of promise asin a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ¹¹ By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child^[b] when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

11:30-31³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. ³¹ By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.