The genealogy of Jesus Christ contains people who failed miserably. Names like David, Rahab, and Solomon are included in the list. They are the most noteworthy in their inclusion because of the sins they committed and the Lord’s willingness to work through them. The Lord was not nervous about listing them in His genealogy. He works through people who the world, and even some within the Church, would exclude.
In our day, while not within the timeframe of the Lord’s genealogy, the principle of God’s grace can apply to those we select to lead our nation. The previous sentence will offend some who have been schooled to believe a leader should be disqualified from leading because of their past sins or their unpleasant behavior.
No one is without sin. I am ashamed of my past sins, and so do all who are reading these words. Paul wrote, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). In our failed state, God can use anyone He wants to use.
When we become self-righteous, we will fail to understand the power of God’s mercy. We will become blind to the possibility that God can use a failed person for His purposes. The people listed in the Lord’s genealogy who committed the worst sins were used by God to advance His Kingdom.
James leveled the playing field of our self-righteousness when he wrote, “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws” (James 2:10). We’re all guilty of something, but the Lord can move beyond our sin to accomplish His will through us. The Lord had that in mind when He crafted His genealogy to include failed people in the list.
Apart from the grace of God, who can stand before the Lord and declare themselves completely right before Him without His redemption? Only the Lord can qualify a person to do what He desires, while they carry the baggage of their sins into their assignment amidst an uproar of their inclusion.
O that is the truth! Thank God for their inclusion, these sinners. Allows me to believe that I, too, very much a sinner in my past, am included in God’s love, God’s plan, God’s will.