The union of Ruth and Boaz produced Obed, father of Jesse, father of David. David and Bathsheba had Solomon, born of a sinful relationship. Solomon, purported to be a man of great wisdom, perhaps the wisest of all, fathered Rahoboam, who had Abijah, who had Asa. From Asa came Jehosaphat, then he fathered Joram, proceeding forward each son bearing another, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jeconiah, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliuid, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, the father of Joseph who married Mary, mother of Jesus. In earthly terms Boaz was the great times twenty-eight grandfather of Jesus our Savior.
Jesus came to replace the law since man had perverted the law for his own purposes against the laws of God (Psalm 94:20-22.)
Jesus' teaching while He went about healing, was centered on love, service and sacrifice. In this instance (Mark 9:14-29) the disciples were unable to drive out the evil spirit that inflicted a woman's son from childhood. Since Jesus had given them healing authority and they had performed successful healings prior to that, they didn't understand why they couldn't heal the man. Jesus' response was thought provoking, "this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."
Bear with me because my comprehension is abstract. The point is the sharp tip of the needle God uses to weave an intricate tapestry through the ages, a marvelous rendering of life. So let's see if we can tie it together from a heavenly perspective.
The law is perfect and holy as God is perfect and holy. Man is sinful and broken (Genesis 6:5.) Jesus is perfect and holy as is the Holy Spirit. When God became manifest in the flesh in the person of Christ, He took on our sinful nature but did not sin. When He died for our sins on the cross, He left us a "Counselor," the Holy Spirit. To all who are faithful to confess their sins, profess Jesus is Lord, and choose to follow Him, the law is abolished and our sins are forgiven. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we now live in the law of God, not the law of evil man.
In the lineage of Jesus, there were adulterers, murderers, a prostitute, foreigners, and every sort of sinner, along with a couple people who had a few righteous moments. They were all at the core of their beings sinners in need of a Savior - no matter how hard they tried, they could not abide the law.
Our salvation does not preclude the command of God to live by His laws, but rather gives us the divine ability to do so. When we violate Him in sin, we are grieved in the Spirit. Whether by selfishness, slander, resentment, murder, or stealing, we sin in His temple, not just ourselves. Our salvation makes us one with the Lord just as in marriage we become one with our spouse.
Man may create laws (such as the right to abortion,) that make an unholy thing legal but it doesn't make it acceptable in God's sight. In Jesus, we intuitively know the difference between right and wrong, sin and righteousness.
Then finally, in the last chapter of this first book of Corinthians Paul directs the church to lovingly care for the needs of those who are doing the work of God, carrying the gospel message to the ends of the earth. The message of salvation through Christ who died once for all for the forgiveness of sins, abolishing the law.
Once again, this is a picture of how God takes the bad things and uses them for the good of those who love Him and are called to His purposes (Romans 8:28-29.) This intricate design takes place through streams of time and space by our perceptions but are conceived, plotted and established in a timeless pattern by our omniscient, omnipresent Father.
I often feel anxiety almost to the point of panic concerning those I love who have not yet trusted Jesus. It makes me want to grab and hogtie them to force them to listen to the gospel and keep pounding it in until they get it. But that doesn't work - ever. We can't force people to make a decision - after all God gave us all free will. No matter how strongly we feel, all we can do is share the message in love and pray for the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf. Some may require us to fast and pray for them.
Don't be troubled by the urgency of the work God has called you to. Be faithful, steadfast, consistent and obedient to the Holy Spirit. The rest is up to God. In the end, when we've done all we can do by the power of His love, we will be blessed to hear when we get home, "well done good and faithful servant."
When we look to the past, we will see God's amazing tapestry of life, full of twists and turns but always threaded with the beauty of myriad miracles woven in His love.
For He lives,
anne
