The Character of God Displayed at Christmas—Part 1

The Christmas story is such a beautiful portrayal of the character of God. It displays his sovereignty—that he controls the heavens (the star) and the earth (the census). It displays his faithfulness—that he fulfills what he promises and provides for his people. It displays his value system—that he doesn’t value what man does and does value what man doesn’t.

And it displays his heart for mankind—that all people would come to him.

We serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). That means if God’s heart in the New Testament was for all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), then his heart in the Old Testament was the same.  

Nowhere is this truth more abundantly displayed than in the genealogy of Jesus Christ himself (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38). The family line of Jesus includes Jews and Gentiles, kings and wanderers, great sinners and great heroes—and each person had a specific place within the family of the Son of God.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

But if you dig just a little deeper, specifically into the women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy account (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, & Bathsheba), you’ll see even more of God’s heart displayed:

• Tamar was a widow twice over who deceitfully prostituted herself to her father-in-law.

• Rahab was a Gentile prostitute before she turned to God.

• Ruth was a Gentile widow whose tribe was conceived in incest & deceit.

• Bathsheba was a victim of sexual abuse which put her in the position of an adulterer. 

Not only are these women included in the family of Jesus, but they are mentioned in his gospel. God wasn’t ashamed of them! The Holy Spirit led Matthew to include these names in his genealogy, and they display God’s character in so many ways—as the God who settles the solitary in families (Psalm 68:6), the God who watches over the foreigner and upholds the widow (Psalm 146:9), and the God who forgives sin (Psalm 130:4). He forgave, watched over, and placed these women in his family—and wrote them into his story. 

Just like he does for us. 

Oh Lord, thank you for your love that allows broken people to have a prominent place in your family and in your story. Help us to see ourselves and others through your eyes, and help us to feel for others through your heart. Amen.