Matthew 1:1-17, God Uses Unlikely People

As you look at this list of names you realize that God chooses unlikely people for His purposes.

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

I think about how God used a North Carolina farm boy from a small community who never in the world would have thought that he would become the most famous evangelist of the 20th century, bringing the gospel to millions and millions of people all over the world. Billy Graham

I think about how God used a little known nun from eastern Europe, whose heart was so deeply moved by God’s love for the discarded and downtrodden in Calcutta, India. She brought God’s grace and compassion to them in such a way that it continues to humble all the rest of us in this world. Mother Theresa

I think of a north African playboy named Augustine, who made this prayer to God 1,700 years ago, “O Lord, give me the grace to do as You command, and command me to do as You will.” He has since become known as one of the most important teachers and leaders in the church of all time. Ordinary people who offered their lives to Christ to be used in whatever way He commanded.

And I think about me, in real life I’m a homemaker. But I think about how God in His grace has allowed me to have responsibilities that I am not worthy of, and under normal circumstances I would not be capable of.

God uses unlikely people for His purposes when they are willing to put their faith in Him.

What about you?

Do you see yourself as an unlikely choice for God to use? Maybe you think you don’t have much natural ability, or you’re in difficult circumstances, the kind that hem you in to the point that you couldn’t possibly be used by God.

Maybe, like some of the women in Jesus’ genealogy, you have a history of sin, or there’s something in your background that you feel might disqualify you from being of use to God.

But God chooses unlikely people for His purposes. How willing are you to trust God to make your life valuable in His kingdom, just as He did for these people? Where is God pushing you to use your little bit for Him?

What would it take, in your heart, for you to be able to pray Augustine’s prayer, “O Lord, give me the grace to do as You command, and command me to do as You will.”?

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