Heroines of Faith
MOTHERS OF YESHUA
Gentile Women in the Lineage of Yeshua
The examination of the Gentile women in the lineage of Yeshua gives us insight into the character of God and what it means to be a faithful follower of Him. The beginning of every book is important because from the introduction we learn about the author – where he comes from, what the objectives and goals are for writing the book.
The Gospel of Matthew begins with: "A record of the genealogy of Yeshua, Christ the son of David, the Son of Abraham:" These words open the first chapter of this Gospel in order to teach us about Yeshua and who He is. Both David and Abraham received the wonderful promise from God that their seed, their heir, will be the Messiah, the Savior of the world. In Genesis 12:2-3, the Lord is calling Abraham to leave his country and his household saying, "I will make you into a great nation and will bless whoever blesses you and whoever curses you, I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." The Messiah has to come from the seed of Abraham, as it is stated in Genesis 17:19, "I will establish my covenant to his descendants after him." Also to David, for his faithfulness, the Lord promises that his seed will be on the throne before God forever (2 Sam. 7:11-16).
The text continues saying Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac was the father of Jacob, Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar". Suddenly, the name of a woman appears in the list of men, and not just any woman, but a non-Jewish, Canaanite woman; Judah's daughter in law, who bore Perez and Zerah by tricking Judah into intercourse.
Why is she mentioned in the genealogy of Yeshua? Why does The Holy Spirit remind us of Tamar? This is especially interesting since none of the "official" mothers of the Jewish nation are mentioned; not Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel or Leah. Why then Tamar? If we continue reading the text we notice that several women are mentioned in this genealogy.
They are women of problematic background, not all Jewish and all were married and bore sons under extraordinary circumstances. Since we know that nothing is written in the Bible without reason, let's explore and appreciate the reasons these women were mentioned in the opening of the New Testament.
There are several reasons to mention these gentile women in the genealogy. First, to reveal to us that Yeshua is not only the King and Messiah of Israel, coming from the long line of Judean Kings, but also that He is the Savior of all the people of earth; Jews and Gentiles alike. God is not partial regarding salvation. What is significant to God is not the purity of our backgrounds, but the purity of our hearts and our willingness to follow Him. Second, these women show us the great power of God's mercy and His ability to fully and completely forgive us. God remembers what we are and what we have become, not where we came from. And third, these women willingly chose the nation of Israel to be their own and the God of Israel to be their God.
These women are independent, having great courage to take a stand against the beliefs, practices and traditions of their societies. They are not afraid to stand up for what is right, to challenge their surroundings, to risk everything they believe in for God and Israel. In this manner they resemble the character of Yeshua and other great servants of God.
Let's briefly examine these women and their stories and try to understand why they received this great honor to become ancestors of the Messiah and to be mentioned in His genealogy, as it is found in Matthew.
Tamar
We meet Judah and Tamar in the midst of the story of Joseph. For centuries Rabbis asked, why is this so? Is it because the two brothers, Joseph and Judah will later be associated with two kingdoms, Judea and Israel? Or is it because both heroes found themselves far from their own home and family? Joseph was sold to Egypt by his own brothers and Judah chose to leave his brothers and stay among Canaanites. Perhaps Judah couldn't bear the suffering of his father from the loss of Joseph and living with the terrible secret of what he and his brothers had done.
Judah moves to the town called Adullam. Here he met the daughter of Shua, married her and she gave birth to three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. When Er grows up, Judah takes a wife for him – a Canaanite named Tamar (Tamar means "date", as relates to the date palm abundantly found in the dry, desert climate of the Land). Er died because he "did evil in the eyes of the Lord and the Lord put him to death." Judah's son Onan then marries the widow in order to restore the seed of his brother, but decides not to fulfill his duty to her. This lack of responsibility was wicked in the eyes of the Lord and he also dies. Judah is terrified by the deaths of his two sons and decides to send Tamar back to her father while waiting for Shelah, the last surviving son, to grow up.
In order to understand the situation, we need to look at ancient customs of marriage and inheritance. We find in the Bible beautiful stories of love and romance, such as the love story of Jacob and Rachel, the Song of Songs and Michal's love for David. However, it is clear that in ancient society marriage has very little to do with romance and courtship. When Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac, Eliezer observed the women near the well and looked for positive qualities in them. God pointed him to Rebecca and further negotiations were made entirely by the families. The bride or groom did not participate in the decision, or even meet each other beforehand. Marriage was meant to cement and bond the tribe, protecting the fabric of society. A family had to invest a significant amount of money (a purchase price, mohar in Hebrew) in order to buy a wife for a son. To some degree the return of the investment would be from the births of sons and daughters. Daughters would be married later and the family would receive a mohar for each of them. Sons stayed with the family, providing it with a workforce and with future offspring. This was the economic cycle of marriage and birth. In a case where a husband died childless, it was only logical, according to the family budget and economy, to let another man of the family marry the widow and have children with her.
In the book of Deuteronomy (25:5-10) we find the following commandment: "If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husbands' brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill a duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel." The second brother or the next closest relative in Hebrew is called Goel, the Redeemer of his brothers' seed, name and inheritance. He would also be entitled to property of the deceased. The Bible continues with telling us that if the second brother refuses to fulfill this commandment, the woman can appeal to the elders and they would try to persuade him to do what was right. If he continued to refuse, the woman could publicly take off the brothers' sandal and spit in his face, as a sign of shame.
In our story, Onan, the second son of Judah, decided not to consummate his marriage to Tamar, refusing to have a son who will carry the name of his older brother. For this, God puts him to death. Judah, terrified that his daughter in law might be a "Femme Fatale", sends her back to her father's house without releasing her from her obligations to his family. Tamar returns home, not as a free woman, but as a widow, promised to Judah's youngest son, Shelah. She has to wear widow's garments, dark clothing, at times made of sackcloth from black goat hair and could not continue on with her life.
Tamar is faced with a difficult choice. She could have remained unmarried until the end of her life or have gone to the elders of Adullam and asked them to intervene. Why didn't she? Our story happened before the giving of the Torah. Perhaps among the Canaanites, the solution found in the book of Chronicles was not known or practiced. Another possibility is, Tamar believes in Judah's promise that she will remain part of his family. While living in Judah's house she learned about the one true God and heard of the wonderful promise that God gave to the descendants of Abraham, and she wanted to be part of this promise. Regardless, Tamar did not want to accept her situation and decided to take a stand in order to change her destiny. She acted and rebelled against her society's standards. Tamar wanted to have a child and she knew that she might have only one chance to conceive and that according to the culture of her time, her unfaithfulness could be punished by death. She waited and planned every step very carefully, knowing that the most important part of her plan was the proof.
When Tamar heard that Judah, who recently became a widower, was going to sheer his flocks, she disguised herself, pretending to be a prostitute, and spent a night with Judah.
Her only chance of survival was to obtain the certain proof that the man she is pregnant by is Judah himself. As a pledge of payment for her services, Tamar asks Judah to give her his seal, his cord and the staff in his hand. In the ancient world those were the significant tools of man's identity. In modern day it would be equivalent to a DNA sample and fingerprint.
We see that with God's help Tamar's plan was fulfilled, and the story comes to its ape when being accused of adultery Tamar is taken to be executed. She shouts, "The father of my child is the man whose things are these." Judah recognizes his seal, his cord and his staff and Tamar is saved. God blesses her with two sons, Perez and Zerah, thereby the promise that Judah gave to Tamar is fulfilled and she receives a double portion. She became the great grandmother of King David and entered into the genealogy of Yeshua.
So what can we learn from Tamar? She is bold and brave and she does not blindly accept the rules of society around her. She trusts God and Judah's promise, even though he fails to keep it. Tamar's methods are clearly unorthodox and she breaks several commandments, among them the one that forbids sexual relations between father and daughter-in-law. Her desire to have a son, which in the ancient world was the only way for a woman to fulfill her destiny and purpose in life, was stronger than her fear. She was willing to break the rules and to risk her own life to force Judah to keep his promise to her. We learn that at times society's rules could be broken for the greater good, for something with a much more significant and higher purpose.
It is no coincidence that immediately after the story of Tamar the Scripture moves back to the story of Joseph in Egypt and tells the encounter with another gentile woman, the wife of Potiphar. At first glance, we may find some similarities between these two women. However, it becomes clear that they are antitheses to each other. Tamar's motives are for good – to have children, to bring honor to her family and deceased husbands. She has patience and plans her steps carefully. She is willing to risk her own life. The goal of Potiphar's wife, also a free and independent woman, is her own pleasure. She acts out of pure egoism, thinking only of herself, not hesitating to destroy Joseph by falsely accusing him of rape. Holy Scripture has put the two stories together to remind us that at times it is good to question rules and traditions, but only if we are doing it for God and not for ourselves. If our motives are pure and selfless, God will bless us and will bless the fruit of our works. In this way He gave a double blessing to Tamar. Paul speaks to the importance of childbirth, saying: "But women will be saved through childbearing – if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety" (1 Tim. 2:15). Tamar is saved and honored due to her great desire to have children.
Rahab the Prostitute
The next woman mentioned in the genealogy of Yeshua is Rahab, the famous prostitute of Jericho, who heard of the wonders and miracles that God had done for the people of Israel and wanted to connect her destiny with theirs.
In the book of Joshua 2:1-7, we read about two spies who crossed the Jordan River to spy on the land of Canaan. They arrived to the city of Jericho and enter into the house of the prostitute, Rahab. Her house was attached to the wall of the city and this wall would later collapse at the sound of the trumpets. When soldiers from the King of Jericho arrived at Rahab's home looking for the spies, surprisingly, she decides to hide them and lie to her own king. This decision came at a risk to her life and the lives of her household. The explanation for the decision lies in verses 8-12 of Joshua 2, "Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them – and that you will save us from death.'"
The rumors of the great miracles that followed the Exodus from Egypt and of Israel's great victories in Transjordan, filled the people of Canaan with fear, Rahab explained to the spies. She asked the spies to spare her and her fathers' house when they returned to capture the Land. "All who live in the country are melting in fear because of you...For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below." Pressed by the time and situation, the spies do not hesitate and promise: "Our lives for your lives!" and make an agreement with Rahab to spare her family. They must gather inside of her house and tie a scarlet cord on the window as a sign. The two men safely returned to the Israelite camp and reported to Joshua: "The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands: all the people are melting in fear because of us." They are reporting back to Joshua the exact words of Rahab. Not only is she saving the lives of the Israelites, but she is also encouraging them with her witness and proclamation of God's victory in Canaan.
The words of Rahab regarding victory were entirely different than the words of the previous spies sent to Canaan by Moses forty years earlier. "The Land does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large...We can't attack those people, they are stronger then we are...We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them". The voice of
Caleb sounded lonely: "We should go up and take possession of the Land, for we can certainly do it" (Num. 13:27-28, 31, 33).
What had changed in the forty years the children of Israel spent wandering in the wilderness? What was the difference in the spies' experience? Most of the people who witnessed the miracles of the Exodus were long gone. The victory over Pharaoh of Egypt and the opening of the Red Sea were merely legends to the new generation born in the wilderness. Memories of miracles and wonders fade with time and explanations of the past were rationalized. The people living in the Land were not less strong or less tall than those of forty years past and the city of Jericho was no less fortified than before.
Just before the battle with the King of Heshbon, the Lord promised Moses in Deuteronomy 2:25, "This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you." Surely an encouraging factor to the spies was the great faith of this woman, a Canaanite prostitute from Jericho. She remembered the miracles of Egypt with more trust and faith than the Israelites who actually witnessed them! She proclaims the authority of the one living God in the clearest way possible and her words bore witness in the report of the spies.
Rahab's faith in God and her absolute trust in the promises make her a great example of faith. This trust caused great change in her life; from a Canaanite prostitute to an honorable wife in Israel, the great mother of Kings and later of Messiah Himself. This is the reason why the author of Hebrews says "By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient" (Heb. 11:31). Her ability to act on this faith, to risk her life and side with an unknown nation she never knew stems from her belief in God's promise to Israel. She also believed the promise of the spies and acted on that promise as well. In his book, James uses her as an example: "The same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (2:25). She believed and acted on her belief, willing to put at risk everything she had, even her life and the lives of her household.
In Jewish tradition, Rahab is believed to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. She is often cited as the ultimate example of the righteous gentile, joining the destiny of Israel and proclaiming the only true God of heaven and earth. Rabbis see in her the example of true repentance and change of lifestyle.
In spite of her profession, Rahab was a woman of great faith. She believed and acted on her belief, siding with the God of Israel and the nation of Israel. She was wise and resourceful in a time of emergency. Rahab's story shows us the great mercy of God, who takes a gentile prostitute, accepts her genuine repentance and honors her with great descendants like King David and Yeshua the Messiah.
Ruth the Moabitess
The book of Ruth is unique. First, it is a story about women, written from a woman's perspective, and in an almost feministic voice, with points of view such as the words of Naomi encouraging her daughters-in-law to return to their mother's house and rebuild their lives; "mother's" house used instead of the more familiar "father's" house. This book is also a Cinderella story that moves from hopelessness to joy, from rejection to honor. There are no evil stepmothers here, no complex relationships, no anger, envy or greed. All the characters in this book are good people, treating one another with honor and compassion. The most perfect of all being our heroine Ruth.
Discussing the book of Ruth, rabbis ask themselves what was the purpose of this story, why was it written? R. Zeira says, "This scroll tells us nothing either of cleanliness or of uncleanliness, neither prohibition nor permission. For what purpose then was it written? To teach how great is the reward of those who do deeds of kindness" (Midrash Rabbah – Ruth 14).
Many scholars date the book of Ruth to the 5th century BC. It was written with the purpose to debate and balance the extreme steps taken by Ezra and Nehemiah. After the return from the Babylonian Exile, the decree was reiterated that all who were of foreign descent were excluded from the nation: "On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God". "Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and didn't know how to speak the language of Judah" (Neh. 13:1-3, 23-24). The book of Ruth demonstrates that even though the blood line of Ruth was not Hebrew, she was willing to fully join the nation of Israel and worship the God of Israel.
During the famine in Judea, Elimelech moved with his wife Naomi and sons Machlon and Chilayon to Moab. He settles there and for his sons takes Moabite wives. Sadly,
Elimelech and his sons die. The women remained alone with no children and no hope for the future. Naomi decides to return to her family in Bethlehem and in a very generous and selfless act she releases her daughters-in-law from any obligations to her, so that they could have a chance to marry again. Like with the story of Tamar, in the ancient society, married women were the property of their husband's family, even after the husband's death. Naomi's acts contrast the actions of Judah who was not concerned with the future of his daughter-in-law Tamar.
Daughter in law Orpah weeps but returns to her home as a free woman. Ruth chooses to follow her mother-in-law back to Judea. The Bible describes this decision in the following words: "Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good bye, but Ruth clung to her...saying: Don't urge me to leave you, or to turn back from you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me" (Ruth 1:16-17). The decision of Ruth is selfless and contradicts any logical self-preservation. A poor foreign Moabite widow's future in Judea would be a lonely life of extreme poverty and rejection. She would have to glean barley and wheat from morning to night, suffer from heat, thirst, hunger and harassment, while doing her best to take care of elderly Naomi.
Ruth found herself gleaning the leftover grain behind the harvesters at the field of a wealthy man named Boaz, who happened to be a relative of Elimelech. When Boaz came to oversee the work, he noticed the woman gleaning behind his servants. The new and most likely pretty face of Ruth wouldn't go unnoticed in the fields of Bethlehem. Impressed with Ruth's dedication and selflessness, he took the young woman under his protection. Boaz invited Ruth to join them in the field for pita and hummus. (The translation reads vinegar, due to the similar spelling of both words in Hebrew and it was most likely hummus that Boaz and Ruth shared in the fields of Bethlehem. However, in commentaries on the book of Ruth, later period Rabbis, who also forgot about this typical Middle Eastern dish, wrote that vinegar suggests something of the suffering of both Ruth and Boaz. In Jewish literature, as well as in the New Testament, vinegar is a symbol of suffering. The New Testament gospel account of Jesus death reminds us of Yeshua's suffering on the cross where he was given water mixed with vinegar.)
Boaz blessed Ruth with these words: "My daughter...don't go and glean in another field, and don't go away from here...follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars...as I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband; how you left your father and mother and your home and came to live with a people you did not know before...May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge" (Ruth 2:8-12).
It was not a coincidence, that chapter 2 opens with introduction of Boaz: "Now Naomi has a relative on her husbands' side, the man of valor, from Elimelech's family, and his name is Boaz." The Hebrew word that describes Boaz is "Gibor Hail"; meaning a man of valor, mighty warrior, man of standing. Such an introduction was necessary to tell us that hope was not lost for Naomi and Ruth; that there was a redeemer who could restore their family (this theme of a redeemer is also found in the story of Tamar).
The barley harvest passed and so did the wheat harvest and the winter was getting closer. Meanwhile nothing was happening between Boaz and Ruth. Naomi must have had higher hopes for their relationship and she decided to take matters into her own hands. She knew that during winter, Ruth would have very little chance to see Boaz, and like Tamar, she arranges a meeting between the two in a more private and romantic environment. The perfect opportunity came when the women heard that Boaz was going to spend a night on the threshing floor. Following the advice of her mother-in-law, Ruth prepared herself for this meeting. She took a bath, anointed herself with perfume, put on her best garments and went to the threshing floor. She waited in hiding for Boaz to be alone and then sneaked into his bed.
The encounter of what happened that night on the threshing floor will always remain a mystery. Beneath innocent words, the text conceals the erotic tension. A summer night at the threshing floor, a young beautiful woman, washed and anointed with aromatic oils, dressed in her best garments lies in a bed next to a man who had a bit too much to drink. He wakes up and there is a woman beside him under his blanket. Two of the Hebrew verbs yada – to know, and shachav – lie down (the most common Hebrew words for intimacy and sex) are used here. The word shahav is repeated 8 times in 5 verses. What man can stand such seduction and not feel attracted to this beautiful young woman, who is asking him to take her under his wings?
Ruth's actions were wise but risky, because she was putting herself completely at the mercy of Boaz. He could have taken advantage of her that night and brushed her off in the morning or rejected her and publicly put her to shame for her actions. Ruth trusted Boaz. She trusted his dignity and his promise of God's blessing upon her. It is no wonder that he is called Gibor Hail.
Although Ruth's methods were unorthodox, her motives were not selfish. She was fulfilling her destiny and trying to restore the name of her deceased husband. After the night's encounter Naomi is confident that Boaz will not let the sun go down before he takes care of the matter.
There is an even closer relative of Naomi living in Bethlehem who has the first right to redeem Ruth. Boaz waited for this man (goel) by the gates of the city. Traditionally, the city gates were where important agreements, decisions and contracts were made. By the gates of the city, in the presence of the elders, Abraham finalized the lease for the family tomb. By the gates of the city the King judged his people. The book of Ruth doesn't reveal the name of the kinsman-redeemer, who is called in Hebrew, plony-almony (an equivalent of modern-day John Doe). Boaz suggested that the man redeem the field of Naomi and marry Ruth the Moabite, to restore the seed of the dead. The redeemer answers: "I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it." As a sign of his inability to marry Ruth, the man took off his shoe in the presence of the elders and passes his right to Boaz.
The kinsman-redeemer was indicating that the beautiful, kind and humble Ruth is a Moabitess, and not permissible to marry as it is written in the Torah that "No Ammonite and Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation" (Deut. 23:4). By marrying Ruth, Boaz would fulfill one commandment of God and break another. His children from Ruth the Moabitess will not be considered a part of God's people.
It was a very hard choice to face. Boaz decided to follow his heart, to be faithful to the promise he gave Ruth and to be the tool of God's reward for her kindness. To do what was right he chose to endanger his own inheritance. Why? Because he knew that God's everlasting mercy is beyond the dry letter of the Law. Boaz acts in the spirit of Yeshua's words: "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:35). Boaz is a man of integrity, honest and merciful. He has a strong sense of what is right and just. What a great reward God gave to both Ruth and Boaz for their selfless deeds! "Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah...Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David"
(Ruth 4:12, 21-22).
Boaz admired Ruth's dedication and sacrifice and asks blessing from God to reward her for leaving her home to go to a foreign nation. His words to Ruth are similar to the commandment God gave to Abraham; to leave his country, his people, his father's household and go to an unknown land. As the reward for obedience, God gave Abraham the wonderful promise and blessing. "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing" (Gen. 12:2).
Even though she was a Moabitess, for choosing the God of Israel and His nation God made Ruth His chosen one; to be the great grandmother of King David and one of the most honorable mothers in Yeshua's lineage. Like the women mentioned so far, Ruth trusted in that promise.
Ruth also represents the righteous gentile woman who decides to follow God and join the destiny of God's people: "Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." She does it against all odds and her future doesn't look promising. She acts on her faith and her behavior is completely selfless. She treats her mother-in-law with grace and kindness and her good deeds are fully rewarded by God. Ruth believed the promise Boaz made to her and acted on it. Her kindness, grace and humble spirit made her into the great grandmother of King David, and predecessor of the Messiah.
Bat Shevah – Uriah's Wife
The fourth woman found in Yeshua's genealogy is Uriah's wife. Although Matthew doesn't name her, she is Bat Shevah, daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. The Holy Spirit does not call her by her name to teach us that as impressive as she was, the most important thing is for us to remember the events of her encounter with King David.
The first time Bat Sheva is mentioned is in chapter 11 of 2 Samuel, "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the kings' men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite".
The phrase "kings go off to war...but David remained in Jerusalem" is critical of David. He has become very comfortable with his position as king. His enemies are gone, his kingship is secure, the army being led by an experienced Joab, and now David has relaxed.
The city of David in Jerusalem was a small area, some 460 feet wide and less than a mile long, with the houses clinging together on steep slopes. The palace of the King stood at the highest place in the city, overlooking the rooftops and yards of the houses below. One evening, while walking on the roof of his palace, David saw a gorgeous woman bathing in her courtyard. What was Bat Sheva doing bathing outside, in plain sight in her courtyard? Some scholars suggest that she was knowingly trying to attract the King's attention with her beauty and charm. The fact that this beautiful woman is married to one of his elite warriors didn't stop David. "Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him and he slept with her. When she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she went back home. The woman conceived and sent the word to David saying, "I am pregnant" (2 Sam. 11:4-5).
The situation immediately becomes complicated. David calls Bat Sheva's husband Uriah back to Jerusalem under the pretense of learning the situation on the battlefield. His attempts to send Uriah home to sleep with his wife, to cover his own adultery, failed and David secretly commanded Joab to make sure Uriah would be killed in the next battle.
"When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord" (2 Sam. 11:26-27).
The words of the Bible are very laconic. One could almost believe that Bat Sheva has no responsibility; that she is an innocent victim of circumstances. However, it is most likely that our Hittite Beauty gently orchestrated the events. (Being married to Uriah the Hittite, Bat Sheva was possibly a Hittite herself. 1 Chronicles 3:5, names her Batshua, the same spelling as the Canaanite wife of Judah, and supports this understanding. This fact is not concrete, as the name of her father is Eliam and he could be the son of Achitofel the Gilai, one of David's advisors.) After meeting Bat Sheva, David did not take another wife and she had four sons with him.
Bat Sheva plays another central role in 1 Kings 1, when a dying King David appoints young Solomon as his successor, in spite of the clear commandment of the Torah not to prefer the younger son of a beloved wife over an older son. It was Bat Sheva who appeared before the king to remind him of his promise and to make sure that David's oath to her is fulfilled. "My Lord, you yourself swore to me, your servant, by the Lord your God: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne". The King then took an oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out today what I have sworn to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place."
It was Bat Sheva who ultimately convinced Solomon to execute Adonijah, his half-brother and rival for the throne. Again, she is often portrayed as a merely passive participant of the events, but careful reading reveals to us a very strong and wise woman who masters political games and knows how to use her beauty to influence both her husband and son.
Why is Bat Sheva only called Uriah's wife in Yeshua's genealogy? Could it perhaps be to remind us that even a great man such as King David was not without blemish; that he sinned greatly before the Lord when he committed adultery with his neighbor's wife and had Uriah murdered to cover his sin. When Nathan the prophet rebuked David with the famous parable of the poor man's sheep, we saw the righteous king, who had fallen, honestly repent. "Then David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Sam. 12:13). The punishment follows, but God's promise to David remained standing, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever and before me your throne will be established forever" (2 Sam. 7:16). This promise would come through their next child, Solomon, from whom the Messiah would be born.
This story teaches that "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins" (Eccl. 7:30). The difference between a righteous man who falls and sins and a wicked one is true repentance. We learn that God's mercy is always standing and when we fall the way back to the Lord is always open. After the sin, it is David who writes in Psalm 51: "Clean me with hyssop and I will be clean, wash me and I will be whiter than snow."
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8).
David promised his wife to make Solomon the king over Israel. Bat Sheva believed him and made sure that it was fulfilled. All the wonderful promises of God, promises to
Abraham and his seed are fulfilled in His only Son, Yeshua.
Miriam (Mary) the mother of Yeshua
The last and the most important woman in Yeshua's genealogy is his mother, Miriam. The pure and inexperienced young virgin from Nazareth is the antithesis of the women mentioned above. According to the Gospel, she is obviously Jewish, she is a virgin, she trusts God and follows His commandments. She was never married; she never knew a man or life outside her father's house and most likely, never left the small village in Lower Galilee where she grew up. She loves the Lord with her entire heart.
"In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Miriam. The angel said to her: "Do not be afraid Miriam, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Miriam is willing to accept God's calling and His promise. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called, the Son of God" (Luke 1:26-35). Her humble answer to this very unusual and seemingly impossible promise is: "I am the Lord's servant...may it be to me as you have said."
Miriam's acceptance of the Angel's word is a great example to us of courage and trust in God. Who knew how her future husband would take this news? Would he accept her and the baby, or would she be cast out as an unworthy woman? Is her destiny to suffer shame and abandonment for God's sake? Surely these questions went through her head, but her love for the Lord was greater than her fears. Joseph's first reaction to Miriam's pregnancy was to secretly divorce her and not expose her to the public disgrace. It took the Lord appearing to him to accept Miriam as his wife and Yeshua as his legal son. Miriam is a great example of faith. She stands by God's promises to her and is willing to walk the path of suffering and rejection, if that's what is required from her. Her faith was strong and unshakable; she was willing to accept whatever destiny God had prepared for her.
Consider that Matthew was writing to a primarily Jewish audience, he also had to deal with rumors and slander about Yeshua's birth that were probably circulating among the people. Jewish rabbinical literature, including the Talmud and other books, give their own interpretation of Yeshua's birth. The Talmud text attributes Yeshua's birth to the forbidden relationship between his mother and a Roman soldier by the name Pantera (or someone called Ben Stada).
These stories do not mention Yeshua or his parents in a clear way; neither do they belong to the correct historical period. Some take Yeshua 100 years back in history; others 100 years forward. Nevertheless, it would be reasonable to assume that the knowledge of Yeshua's miraculous conception from the Holy Spirit would create legends and rumors among his opposition. It was essential to debate those rumors and false accusations and to address them in some way.
The most obvious way to address these rumors was to tell the true story, which Matthew does. In addition, for the readers who wouldn't be convinced that Matthew's story is truth, the Bible uses another, more sophisticated approach. The same approach that King David used in his conversation in Midrash "Ruth Rabbah", when he answers the accusations of the elders calling him an illegitimate son.
"R. Abba b. Kahana opened, Tremble, and sin not (Ps. IV, 5). David said to the Holy One, Blessed be He, 'How long will they rage against me and say, Is he not of tainted descent? Is he not a descendant of Ruth the Moabitess?" Commune with your own heart upon your bed (ib). Ye also, are ye not descended from two sisters? Look upon your own genealogy and be still (ib). And Tamar who married your ancestor Judah – is it not a tainted descent? She was but a descendant of Shem the son of Noach. Have you then an honorable descent?'" Midrash Rabbah – Ruth, chapter 8.
The women found in the lineage of Yeshua, with their compromised pasts, are given by Matthew to debate the doubters. Matthew is saying to his opponents that their accusations are irrelevant. He reminded them of all these women, accepted and honored in Jewish tradition, who are part of the birth line of the Messiah. Yeshua's deeds, His teachings, His life and death, should be proof of who He is and not the empty rumors attempting to disqualify Him as the Messiah. This is Matthew's answer to the contemporary opposition.
Conclusion
All the women in the lineage of Yeshua had tremendous faith; faith in God and faith in their destiny. They all refused to accept what they had been given and were willing to rebel against their society and the traditions of their time. Tamar would not give up her right to be a mother and have meaning in life. By faith Rahab decided to stand with Israel, and thereby saved her household and joined the nation of Israel. Ruth refused to accept the logical solution of returning to her nation and followed her mother-in-law to an unknown future in Judea. By faith Miriam accepted the message of the Angel and let herself be used by God in the most incredible way in history.
Four of the women were not of Jewish descent: Tamar and Rahab were Canaanites, Ruth was a Moabite, and Bathsheba was considered a Hittite (or at least married to one.) They are present in Yeshua's genealogy to tell the nations of the world that Yeshua, the King of Israel, came not only for the lost sheep of the House of Israel, but to save the entire world.
Four of the five women were compromised in some way. Tamar seduced her father-in-law. Rahab was a prostitute. At the threshing floor Ruth slept next to Boaz. Bat Sheva committed adultery with David while being the wife of another man. The fact that all these women became part of God's plan and ancestors of the Messiah should encourage us and give us hope. God teaches us that to Him, family, background, and nation doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter to Him if we made mistakes in the past. True repentance will always let us return to Him.
Believing in promises and being steadfast unites all these women. Tamar believed in Judah's promise to give her his youngest son and stood by this promise. Rahab trusted the promise given to her by the spies to save her household and acted on it. Ruth trusted God's promise in the blessing of Boaz, and this promise was fulfilled. Bat Sheva believed David's promise to make her son king and she made sure he held to his promise. And, Miriam's entire life was the fulfillment of Gods ultimate promise to Abraham, whose name starts the genealogy that through his seed all the nations of the world will be blessed. Yeshua isthat seed and all these women from different nations and backgrounds are part of the fulfillment of this blessing.
