Those People?!?

Rahab was a prostitute. Did you know that? She was a prostitute, a prostitute! Yet, she was selected, by God, to be a mother whose genetic line would produce Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus Christ would come from the genetic line of a prostitute!

David, was a murderer and adulterer. Yeah, he was that guy. A guy who lusted after another man’s wife, used his position as King to have her come to him, committed adultery with her, then had the husband killed so he could cover his tracks. Not exactly a morally upstanding guy. God call this murdering, adulterer a man after His own heart. Alrighty-then.

Abraham was a liar, who lied twice to really important men because he was afraid. God used him as the father of a nation of people. God also lists him in the Bible “Hall of Fame” as one of the greats.

Moses had a speech impediment and a really bad temper. God decided this guy, who can’t speak very well publicly, and gets ticked off quickly, will be the guy who will lead God’s people out of Egypt. Oh, and he was a murderer too.

These are all people in the Bible who God chose to use for His purposes. Prostitutes, murderers, adulterers, and liars. Imperfect people, serving a perfect God. In God’s infinite wisdom, He shows us who these people are. They were far from perfect. Some of them could be considered the dregs of society.

You or I have never committed murder. I would gather that most of us have not committed adultery either. As Christians, we try to lie as seldom as possible. And I could probably say with a great deal of confidence, that you or I have never been a prostitute. What gives? Why are THESE people considered to be stars in God’s Hall of Fame? Why did God choose a prostitute of all people to be in the genetic line of Jesus Christ? A prostitute? Really? A woman who was paid to have sex with men? The perfect Son of God had this prostitute to be His great, great, great grandmother (I’m not sure of the number of greats I should put in there).

Why is David called a man after God’s own heart? He committed adultery for crying out loud and he had the husband killed off. In the book of sins, I would say adultery and murder are two of the biggies. Yet this murderer, this adulterer is called a “man after God’s own heart.” Really?

Moses’ temper would get him into trouble on so many occasions, even costing him a view of the promised land. His temper, led him to murder an Egyptian and bury him in the sand. He would break the stone tablets to pieces because his temper got the best of him. And then, his temper would cause him to beat a stone when he was commanded to speak to it, losing him the privilege of seeing the promised land. And this is the guy God talks about about in detail in God’s hall of fame.

None of us are perfect. All of us are in need of a Savior. When I look at these people in the Bible, it makes me breath a sigh of relief. God knows none of us are perfect. Jesus Christ didn’t come to this earth to die for perfect people. He came to die for the sinner, of which all of us are.

Through this hall of fame, God shows us how we are all in the same boat. We are all sinners, in need of a Savior. God uses the imperfect for His plans, to accomplish His will. He uses the dirty, low down, rotten, good for nothing, people to accomplish His will. Why? Because we all are dirty, low down, rotten good for nothing people. All of us. We stand at the foot of the cross, in our filth, looking up at the perfect, sinless Savior, unable to save ourselves, unable to wash ourselves clean. Jesus hung on the cross to pay the price we couldn’t pay. He gave up His life, that we might have life.

Come to God and accept Him as your Savior. This world, with all of its angst and sin will get worse and worse. Come to God. He is the only One that can save you. Come to God, He’s the only sanity in this world. Come to God and believe on Him.