Reuben did it. Judah did it. David did it.
All of these dudes messed up sexually. In some of the worst ways imaginable. These were sons of patriarchs and forerunners of the faith. If they couldn’t ‘get it right’ it gives our generation a glimmer of hope for redemption. Especially if you have ended up in the (same) slowly submerging boat of sexual immorality.
If you happen to be unfamiliar with these 3 incidents I will briefly break it down;
> Reuben slept with his father’s concubine, Bilhah.
> Judah slept with his daughter-in-law, Tamar.
> David slept with a Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, and afterwards killed
Uriah.
If you are a female reader that is struggling with sexual sin, you might be inclined to still have a sense of hopelessness as these examples are filled with testosterone. However, I can assure you the same is true for the Eves, when we consider:
> Rahab, was a prostitute in Jericho.
> Tamar also dressed like a prostitute to leverage a desperate situation
between herself and her father-in-law.
> Bathsheba was bathing on the roof and David could not contain the
urge to defile her.
This is just scraping the surface of generational iniquity. I did not even mention Amnon and Tamar, the daughters of Lot, Samson or Israel being dubbed into cursing themselves at Baal Peor through sexual sin.
The question is; why? Why would Messiah be part of such a dysfunctional family? Why would He be born out of a bloodline riddled with prostitution and sexual immorality? The anti-missionaries are quick to remind us of these facts, never mind that they have to contend with exactly the same bloodline. Nonetheless, it is clear;
We are sick.
We need the Doctor.
Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
As a person who has struggled with porn addiction myself and lust for a huge chunk of my life this is great news. I can relate to the Messiah’s family. The sticky struggles with secret sins, the haze of lust, the sorrows of sinking into despair, but also the refreshment of real repentance.
When I began to comprehend the grace and forgiveness of the King, I could not be unchanged. I had to bow the knee and raise the white flag to the great Power – the One who has power to forgive our grossest transgressions. I could breathe for the first time. And like a chemical combustion, my reaction to the irrevocable forgiveness was spontaneous love and gratitude towards Him.
Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
I still struggle to grasp the love and compassion of our Saviour in this very moment, when I read scripture like;
And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’
David! David? This guy was a royal screwup and transgressed in the most magnificent ways.
Kind of like me.
Kind of like the rest of Messiah’s family.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Today I can honestly say I am overjoyed to be part of this family, the family of the King. I am far from perfect, but His love covers a multitude of sin.
To persevere on the process of sanctification is not easy, but it is a intricate part of counting the cost to follow Messiah Yeshua. We cannot take the battle for our heavenly inheritance lightly. I cannot denounce my eternal rewards for a bowl of ‘red stuff’ like Esau did. I have come to realize; the road to redemption is bumpy, but beautiful.
Shalom fam
Edgar <> Judah
A few resources that might serve as a starting point: