God chose an interesting assortment of women to be in the line of Christ. Here is another example:
Bathsheba… (2 Samuel 11-12)
Imagine your name forever linked with public scandal. Bathsheba knew how that felt. It didn’t matter how many wonderful things she did after that fateful bubble bath on the roof. It didn’t matter that she may not have known she was being ogled or that she didn’t feel she had a choice when David summoned her. No matter how she may have tried to defend herself or clear her name, one huge mistake defined her from then on. Because of that mistake, her name became synonymous with immorality and she would be forever remembered as the woman who got beloved King David into hot water with God.
Maybe you’ve had a label plastered across your reputation. No matter what good things you may do, there are pockets of people who will forever think of you the way you used to be. And that knowledge brings shame. Sometimes our choices have lifelong repercussions, but that does not mean God has turned away from us. It was God who sent Nathan the prophet to confront David about his sin. It was God who brought consequences for that sin—the death of their infant son. Bathsheba had to suffer those consequences along with David but Psalm 51 is David’s cry of repentance. It reminds us that God forgives and restores when we turn from our sin. Then…God gave them another son named Solomon. This son would grow up to become the wealthiest, wisest king who ever lived. God chose a woman with a disgraced name to be part of His plan.
Final Thought: What negative labels have been plastered across your name? God is in the repent-and-restore business.