A Prostitute and a Refugee

 “…and she gave birth to a son….and they named him Obed…Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed.” (Ruth 4:13, 17, 21)

Everywhere we look we are bombarded by advertising encouraging us to look up our ancestry to find out where we came from. When it comes to the genealogies in the Bible however, we often speed read our way through them. Which is why I was surprised when God stopped me at these verses in Ruth. 

We are familiar with the story of Ruth, a refugee who left her homeland with her mother-in-law because of famine in the land. God used her, redeemed her through Boaz, and gave them a son, Obed, who was the grandfather of the great King David.

But where did Boaz come from? Matthew 1:5 tells us that, “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.” That’s right, Rahab, the prostitute saved in the fall of Jericho, was the mother of Boaz!

God used a prostitute and a refugee to bring about his perfect plan of redemption in the lineage of his son. But too often in our own lives, we give in to the lies of the enemy saying that we are unable to be of any use to God because of our past, our background, or our weaknesses. Instead we need to learn from the story of Ruth and Rahab, that God wants to use us just the way we are!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you that in your infinite wisdom you included both a prostitute and a refugee in the family tree of your precious son. What an awesome reminder that you can use anyone for your purposes, and that means that you can use me, just as I am. Help me to trust you to work in my life, regardless of what my past looks like or the mistakes I have made. Use me to make a difference for you. Amen.