As you read through the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 (and yes, you should read it), what names do you recognize?
There
are people whom we remember fondly from the Old Testament as being
strong in the faith - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth and Boaz, King David,
and King Josiah.
Then there are people who are a little
more infamous - Tamar (who tricked her father-in-law into impregnating
her by pretending to be a prostitute), Rahab the prostitute (who
actually was a prostitute and betrayed her native city of Jericho), and
Bathsheba (named here only as the woman formerly known as Uriah's
wife).
And, of course, you know about Eliakim in verse 13, right? (Not to be confused with Eliud in verses 14-15.)
Oh,
you've never heard of Eliakim or Eliud? That's because the Bible never
tells us anything about them other than their names. You see, the
genealogy of Jesus shows us that God can use anyone to accomplish His
purposes. To bring about the birth of Jesus, God used the famous
faithful, the infamous, and the unknown, otherwise important people down
through the generations.
Fortunately, you and I will
probably not be counted among the famous faithful (who wants the
pressure of being famous anyway?), or the infamous (yes, we sin, but no
one is writing stories about us). Instead, we will gladly be counted
among the unimportant in the grand scheme of things. The gladly
unimportant whom God gladly uses.
He used Eliakim and Eliud to help bring the Savior into the world! How can God use you, oh, ye of little importance?
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