Anchor My Faith

Title: Perez to David (Matthew 1:3-6a)

We ended the previous lesson with Jacob being the father of Judah: “and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram” (Matthew 1:3 ESV). Judah fathered three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah, with the daughter of Shua, a Canaanite. He took a wife for Er, whose name was Tamar. Because Er was so wicked, God put him to death. Tamar then became the wife of Onan, but the Lord also put him to death because of his sin. Judah asked Tamar to wait for Shelah to grow up and become his wife, but when he became of age Judah withheld him from her, so she played the part of a prostitute and Judah not knowing it was her went in to her and she became pregnant and gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah, thus making Judah the father of his own grandsons. (See Genesis 38:1 – 6 for the complete story.)

1 Chronicles 2:5 mentions two sons for Perez: Hezron and Hamul. In the book of Ruth there is a genealogy that relates to this: “Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David (Ruth 4:18 – 22 ESV). The genealogy that John gives is the same with two additions: “and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king” (Matthew 1:4 – 6 ESV). John mentions that Rahab is the mother of Boaz and that Ruth is the mother of Obed.

There is approximately 450 years in the four generations between Perez and Amminadab and about 400 more in the six generations from Nahshon to the rise of the monarchy with David.

It is interesting to speculate that Salmon may have been one of the two unnamed spies whose lives were saved by Rahab. Having Rahab as his mother would have made it easier for Boaz to marry Ruth. It is interesting how God used Tamar, Rahab and Ruth, three non-Jewish women, in the genealogy of Jesus. We will encounter two more woman, Bathsheba and Mary, later in our study. Stop and think about these women. Rahab and Ruth were gentiles; Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba were women of questionable character. God chose a genealogy of men, women, adulterers, prostitutes, heroes, and Gentiles to maybe suggest that Jesus would be the savior of them all.

Prayer

Father, when one considers the sin associated with the people listed in the genealogy, one can’t help but be encouraged that you are able to take anyone from their depth of sin and cleanse them with the blood of Jesus and use them to accomplish work to your glory. Father, everyone listed in the genealogy were sinners and in need of a savior; the one the genealogy points to.