November 19
Today’s Reading: Matthew 1–4

Scripture Focus:



Reflection
When a new friend comes into your life and you finally get a chance to sit down and talk with her—maybe at a fellowship potluck or after the retreat—you want to know her. If you’re like me, you want to know her story.
Who’s your family? Who are your parents? Where are they from? What’s your culture?
And then comes the fun part—What food do you love? What do you enjoy doing?
Getting to know someone new means learning the story behind the person.
For me, the book of Matthew was like sitting down with someone who introduced me to Jesus in a deeper way. I wanted to know Him so much—who He really was—because this Jesus who had the power to change my life was worthy of truly knowing.
That’s why I love Matthew chapter 1.
We get to see the story of Jesus’ lineage.
And within that genealogy are stories inside stories—some dramatic, some messy, all woven with God’s faithfulness.

• Abraham — many generations back, the father of faith. Because he believed God, God counted him righteous. Now he is the “father” of all who put their faith in Jesus.
• Isaac — his story is beautiful and unique. A servant was sent to find his wife. He and Rebekah had twins, Jacob and Esau.
• Jacob — the “heel catcher,” the deceiver who later became Israel. His life is full of twists: he deceived and was deceived, yet God transformed him and from him came the twelve tribes of Israel.

And then something breathtaking… God includes women in this genealogy.
Not the women you might expect—not the matriarchs (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel)—but women with remarkable stories:

• Tamar
• Rahab
• Ruth
• Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah)
• And then finally, Mary

Why these women?
Why does God mark their names in Scripture—in His inspired Word—to be read for all generations?
Some were outsiders…
Some had messy pasts…
Some walked through grief and loss…
One was a prostitute…
One was a Moabite…
One was caught up in the sins of a king…
All were redeemed and woven into the story that brought Jesus into the world.
What does this mean for us?
It means God is faithful to His promises—even across 2,000 years of wars, battles, famine, sin, rebellion, and redemption.
It means He uses broken stories, redeemed people, outsiders, and unlikely lives.
It means He chooses women with complicated pasts and transforms their stories into something glorious.
And it means He can do the same with us.
Jesus didn’t come from a perfect family line—He came from a redeemed one.
And Matthew begins the entire New Testament with this message:
God keeps His promises. God writes beautiful stories out of broken lives. And Jesus—the Messiah—comes right into the middle of it all.


What Do These Women Have in Common?
1. They all had broken or complicated stories.
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and even Mary lived through hardship, grief, loss, rejection, and situations they didn’t choose.
So do we. Our stories are not neat and perfect either.

2. They were not chosen because they were perfect—but because God is faithful.
None of these women earned their place in Jesus’ genealogy by being flawless.
Same with us. God chooses us because of His love, not our performance.

3. They were outsiders whom God brought near.
Rahab was a Canaanite.
Ruth was a Moabite.
Bathsheba was married to a Hittite.
Mary was a humble village girl.
We too were outsiders—far from God—until Jesus brought us near (Ephesians 2:13).

4. God redeemed their past and used their lives for His glory.
Every one of them had pain in their story.
Every one of them had moments of shame or uncertainty.
And God wove even those into His perfect plan.
He does the same with our pain, our failures, our regrets.

5. God saw them, valued them, and wrote them into His story.
Their names are not footnotes.
God intentionally placed them in the lineage of Christ.
Just like He places us in His family with full worth and purpose.

6. They point us to grace.
The genealogy of Jesus is not a family tree of perfect people—it’s a family tree of redeemed people.
That’s us. Not perfect—redeemed.


Lesson for Me
God intentionally chose a line of people with real struggles, failures, losses, and complicated stories to bring Jesus into the world.
That tells me something about my own life:
God is not limited by my past. He can redeem every part of my story.
He is faithful across generations, and He is faithful to me.
If He could take Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary—and weave beauty, hope, and purpose through their lives—He can do the same in mine.
I don’t have to be perfect. I just need to trust Him and stay close to Him.
Jesus came through a lineage of grace so that I could live in grace.


Application Questions

1. Which woman in Jesus’ genealogy do I relate to the most right now—and why?
2. What part of my past do I still struggle to believe God can redeem?
3. How does seeing God work through imperfect people help me trust His work in my own life?
4. What step of faith is God asking me to take today, knowing He uses ordinary and broken people for extraordinary purposes?

Prayer 🙏
Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me through Matthew chapter 1 that You are a God who redeems broken stories. Thank You for choosing to come through a family line filled with real people, real struggles, and real grace. Help me believe that You can take every part of my story—my past, my mistakes, my pain—and use it for Your glory.
Make my heart humble, faithful, and willing.
Help me trust Your plans the way Ruth trusted, obey You the way Mary obeyed, and walk in hope the way Rahab clung to Your promise.
Write Your grace into my life just as You wrote it into theirs.
In Jesus' name, amen.


Journaling Reminder
Take a few quiet minutes with Jesus.
Ask Him: “Lord, what part of my story are You redeeming? What are You wanting to heal or strengthen in me today?”
Write down what He places on your heart—any encouragement, any correction, any promise.
Let Him speak to you personally through His Word.