Matthew 1: A Lineage of Grace

Lately I've been reading these five novellas:

Tamar: a woman of hope.

Rahab: a woman of faith.
Ruth: a woman of love.

Bathsheba: a woman who received unlimited grace.

Mary: a woman of obedience.

Rivers bases her historical fiction works on biblical characters and how things might have looked.  

While I was reading Bathsheba's story, I kept thinking to myself about The Bachelor.
If the Bachelor were placed in the Bible, I'm pretty sure it'd be King David.
I can't imagine the Bachelor house being real life... and even harder for David -- those women were his WIVES!
Add to that chaos sons who wanted the throne.... Whoa.

In our culture of instant gratification and not thinking about the consequences of our action, it is sobering to read the story of David and Bathsheba. One choice, one decision was enough for Bathsheba’s name to be connected with adultery even thousands of years later. 

What kind of legacy will you be leaving? What word will be attached to your name?

At the end of the book, Bathsheba tells her sons: 

“When you marry…. Choose a wife carefully from among the maidens of Israel. Find a young woman who fears the Lord, a girl who is trustworthy, who works with her hands and has joy in it, who can manage a household wisely and with compassion, a girl who cares for the poor. Let her be physically strong, so she will be able to give you healthy sons and raise them up to be men after God’s own heart.  But don’t go after a woman simply because she’s beautiful.”  (170 – Unspoken by Francine Rivers)

How many of us are women worth finding? Are you sulking over ice cream that you'll be single again this Valentine's Day or getting off your butt and exercising? Are you doing retail therapy and racking up a credit card debt or working toward removing your debt to be financially free? Even if it is just you, you are managing your household. Think about your actions. Be a woman worth finding.