The Gospel of Matthew 1:6 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;” (Matthew 1:6 KJV).

In this passage, our attention is drawn to the inclusion of her who had been the wife of Uriah, which refers to Bathsheba. She is the fourth woman highlighted in Matthew’s genealogy of our Lord. This underscores God's grace and His will to redeem a broken past. We note that it is an unusual inclusion of four specific women in Matthew's genealogy of our Lord Jesus—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba all of whom either had controversial, scandalous, or gentile backgrounds.

Bathsheba’s allusion is not as a mark of shame to hide, but as “a story of royalty” borne out of a deeply broken situation. Despite the adultery with David and the murder of Uriah, God sovereignly worked through the lineage to bring forth Solomon and, ultimately, our Lord Jesus Christ through her. The highlighting of Uriah, one of the most loyal soldiers in King David’s army, reminds of the saddest case in Israel, when King David had Uriah killed to cover up his affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-17).

Reflecting through this very informative detail of our Lord’s genealogy should shift a believer's perspective from "earthwards" (self-effort, human failure, and shame) to "heavenwards" (God's grace, the finished work on the cross and the Lord's unmerited favor). The central takeaway from this verse is that God is never limited by a messy history. Just as David - described as a man after God’s own heart, was embroiled in a complicated sinful act, by faith God can turn anyone’s captivity, criminal mistakes, and destructive histories into blessings and new beginnings under the New Covenant of Grace.

Being a man after God's own heart does not mean David leads a perfect life. He commits serious wrongs, including adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah. Yet, by God’s abounding grace, after removing Saul - the first King of Israel, God declared these words: “And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” (Acts 13:22 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

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