Why the Begats?

December 25, 2005

Introduction

The Bible Story books that you often see in doctors offices contains the story of a little boy who was asked by an older adult what his favorite part of the Bible was. The little boy said, “The begats.” The older gentleman tried to help him out with his own translation by saying, when it says Abraham begat Isaac that that meant “Abraham had a little boy,” and so forth. When he finished, the little boy said, I still like the begats best.

As a little boy, I wasn’t too fond of the begats. In fact, I was always more than glad to get past them. Now as an older man, we ask the question, “why the begats?” They are there for legal reasons. In order for Jesus to be the Messiah, He had to be a descendant of David, and that had to be shown by Genealogy—the begats!

The legal genealogy only needs the names of the men, yet for some reason, Matthew saw fit to include the names of four women. Why? Why did he see fit to include these women? This morning, we want to look at each of these four as to why he might have included them.

Body

I. The first name listed is Tamar.

(Mat 1:1-3 NKJV) 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.

A. Why did Matthew put these two together: Judah and Tamar?

1. Judah had much to his credit.

a. He had intervened to spare Benjamin when Joseph accused him of stealing his cup.

b. It was known to all Jews that David was of Judah.

c. When the kingdom divided, the more Godly half was the kingdom of Judah even though it only consisted of two tribes.

2. Judah did Tamar wrong, and that produces an ugly story.

(Gen 38:6-26 NKJV) Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. {7} But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. {8} And Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother." {9} But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. {10} And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also. {11} Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown." For he said, "Lest he also die like his brothers." And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house. {12} Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. {13} And it was told Tamar, saying, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." {14} So she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. {15} When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. {16} Then he turned to her by the way, and said, "Please let me come in to you"; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?" {17} And he said, "I will send a young goat from the flock." So she said, "Will you give me a pledge till you send it?" {18} Then he said, "What pledge shall I give you?" So she said, "Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand." Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. {19} So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. {20} And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her. {21} Then he asked the men of that place, saying, "Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?" And they said, "There was no harlot in this place." {22} So he returned to Judah and said, "I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place." {23} Then Judah said, "Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her." {24} And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry." So Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!" {25} When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man to whom these belong, I am with child." And she said, "Please determine whose these are; the signet and cord, and staff." {26} So Judah acknowledged them and said, "She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son." And he never knew her again.

B. Why did Matthew include Tamar?

1. I think to show that God used some very imperfect people is His plans.

2. It give hope to all of us who have made mistakes from time to time.

3. It also serves as a reminder that we need to be careful how we live. Sometimes our sins and mistakes come back to haunt us.

II. The second woman is Rahab. – Probably everyone knows who Rahab was.

A. The sins of Rahab are almost a part of her name – Rahab the harlot.

1. Three times in scripture that phrase occurs, “Rahab the harlot.”

2. But why is she here, and why did Matthew include her in this list?

B. In no way is the intent to glamorize or simply whitewash what she had done.

C. This is the gospel! This is the good news! This is the message of hope for the Judahs, the Tamars, and the Rahabs of the world.

D. But there was something great about Rahab. It was her unquestioning faith in the living God.

(Josh 2:8-16 NKJV) Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, {9} and said to the men: "I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. {10} "For 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 the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. {11} "And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. {12} "Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token, {13} "and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death." {14} So the men answered her, "Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you." {15} Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. {16} And she said to them, "Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way."

E. Rahab was not only a harlot, she was a Gentile, so what hope was there for her? Who would have thought that someone like her would be part of the genealogy of Christ?

III. Then there is Ruth! – What a woman!

A. Ruth was a Moabite.

1. Doesn’t seem too serious, but the Moabites had caused there share of trouble for Israel.

2. The Moabites had a terrible name to live with – they were Lots children by his daughters.

Lot was the father of his grandchildren! That’s awful! How do you explain that to the kids?

(Gen 19:32-37 NKJV) "Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father." {33} So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. {34} It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, "Indeed I lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father." {35} Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. {36} Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. {37} The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.

B. But Ruth did not let any of that awful history keep her from being a beautiful person.

(Ruth 1:15-17 NKJV) And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." {16} But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after 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. {17} 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."

IV. Finally there was Bathsheba!

(Mat 1:6 NKJV) and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

A. I don’t know why Matthew does not even call her by name.

B. David and Bathsheba both paid for this affair.

C. David repents in a bitter lament, but the sin had been committed.

D. The story shows that God did not hold Solomon responsible for what his parents had done.

Conclusion

I. It is the beginning of the Gospel: the good news, there is hope for us all.

II. Have you accepted God’s mercy and grace by being baptized into Christ?

Back to list of Sermons I have Preached Welcome to my Web site

Hit Counter