Unexpected The women in ’ Genealogy

INTRODUCTION TO THIS STUDY: Aside from Mary, Jesus’ mother, there are only four women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy (). Of course, for every man named there is a woman that played a role in this family tree. What can we learn from the lives of these four women? Why do their names appear when many others don’t?

The stories of these four women are unexpected, and God chooses to use them as a part of the story of his redemption in our world.

IMPORTANT! Read the story about the woman who will be discussed before coming to each group ​ ​ meeting. Some stories will take too long to read together in person (e.g. Ruth, Bathsheba). ​ Reading ahead of time will help everyone know what each story is about and the discussion will be more engaging and helpful.

Here are the women and their corresponding chapters to read for each week:

WEEK 1: Tamar (Genesis 38)

WEEK 2: Rahab (Joshua 2)

WEEK 3: Ruth (-4)

WEEK 4: Bathsheba - described as Uriah’s wife in the genealogy (2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Kings 1-2)

THE : Matthew 1:1-16 1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of , the son of : 2 Abraham was the father of , Isaac the father of , Jacob the father of and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, ​ ​ Perez the father of , Hezron the father of , 4 Ram the father of , Amminadab the father of , Nahshon the father of , 5 Salmon the father of , whose mother was Rahab, ​ ​ Boaz the father of , whose mother was Ruth, ​ ​ Obed the father of , 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of , whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, ​ ​ 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of , Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of , 11 and Josiah the father of [c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to . 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of , 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

TAMAR — GENESIS 38 — WEEK ONE

Start by watching the video for this study (bwcflorida.com/groups)

If not watching the video as a group, then read this out loud: “The story of Tamar takes place right in the middle of an extended story on Joseph in the book of Genesis. It acts as an interruption to that story, and it’s the only place we read about Tamar aside from seeing her name in some genealogies. Nevertheless, she is part of the lineage of Jesus, so there’s significance to her story.”

Then read Genesis 38 out loud

Discussion questions:

Read this out loud if you did not watch the video: Expectations of marriage and the roles between men and women were somewhat different in ancient Israel than they are for us today. Here’s a description of what it looked like (taken from the New Beacon Commentary):

“Women in ancient Israel were identified by the men in their lives: first their father, then their husband, then their eldest son. When a woman married, she left her father’s household and became a part of her husband’s household. Since she was at the mercy of the men in her life, it was very important for a woman to bear at least one son. Her son would carry on the family name and inheritance and would become the next patriarch of the family. After her husband died, her eldest son would administer justice amongst the family unit and care for her in her old age. Thus, a woman without a husband or a son was a woman in crisis. Without a son, she had no guarantee that she would be provided for in the future.”

Can someone give a 30 second (or less) recap of this story?

Who are the main characters in this story? What do you think of them?

What difficulties did Tamar face?

Do you think Tamar’s actions were “righteous,” as Judah says?

Was Judah living up to his expectations as the patriarch of the family? Why or why not?

Why do you think this story is in the Bible? Why is Tamar included in the genealogy?

Did anything in this story surprise you?

Does this story have anything to teach us about our lives today?

NEXT WEEK: Read Joshua 2 and be prepared to talk about Rahab. RAHAB — JOSHUA 2 — WEEK TWO

Start by watching the video for this study (bwcflorida.com/groups)

If not watching the video as a group, then read this out loud: “This story is of a woman caught in a hopeless situation. God promised Joshua, the leader of the people that trusted in and followed God called the Israealites, that they would be given a land to call home—they had been wandering in the wilderness for years. The people who were currently living on the land that God had promised to the were called Canaanites. Rahab, the woman we’ll be talking about today, the second woman named in Jesus’ genealogy, is a canaanite woman.

This is a woman who is not only on the margins of her own society, but a woman whose society is about to be taken over. There aren’t many people in more hopeless situations.”

Then read Joshua 2 out loud

Discussion questions:

Can someone give a 30 second (or less) recap of this story?

Who are the main characters in this story? What do you think of them?

What difficulties did Rahab face?

Do you think it’s wrong that Rahab lied to her king? (verses 4-7)

Do you see Rahab express faith in God in this story? If so, where?

Why do you think Rahab is included in the “faith chapter” in Hebrews 11? By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. (Hebrews 11:31)

Why do you think this story is in the Bible? Why is Rahab included in the genealogy?

Did anything in this story surprise you?

Does this story have anything to teach us about our lives today?

NEXT WEEK: Read the and be prepared to talk about Ruth.

RUTH — RUTH 1-4 (THE WHOLE BOOK) — WEEK THREE

Start by watching the video for this study (bwcflorida.com/groups)

If not watching the video as a group, then read this out loud: “So far, we’ve talked about two women, Tamar and Rahab, mentioned in the family history of Jesus. This third woman, Ruth, is another example of how God uses and works through unexpected people, all while giving some practical instruction.

If you remember from the first week when we talked about Tamar, we read an excerpt from a commentary that detailed the expectations of men and women in ancient Israel, and how men were obligated to take care of women in their family. That information is useful in trying to understand the purpose of this story, and it’s also what makes Ruth’s choice to stay with her mother-in-law after both their husbands died such an act of loyalty and courage (instead of going back to her own family).”

BE PREPARED WITH YOUR OWN 30-60 SECOND RECAP OF THIS STORY—READING ALL FOUR CHAPTERS WILL TAKE TOO LONG.

Discussion questions:

Can someone give a 30 second (or less) recap of this story?

Who are the main characters in this story? What do you think of them?

What difficulties did Ruth face?

How was Ruth helped in the midst of her difficulties?

What do you think of Naomi’s idea to have Ruth go into Boaz’s room in the middle of the night?

Why do you think this story is in the Bible? Why is Ruth included in the genealogy?

Did anything in this story surprise you?

Do you see a theme of faithfulness and loyalty throughout this story? What are some specific examples?

What does this theme of faithfulness and loyalty have to do with our lives today?

NEXT WEEK: Read 2 Samuel 11-12 and 1 Kings 1-2 and be prepared to talk about Bathsheba (described as Uriah’s wife in the genealogy).

BATHSHEBA (URIAH’S WIFE) — 2 SAMUEL 11-12; 1 KINGS 1-2 — WEEK FOUR

Start by watching the video for this study (bwcflorida.com/groups)

If not watching the video as a group, then read this out loud: “Though I’m sure there are many incredible women that aren’t mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus, we have just one more that we’re told about... except this time, she isn’t given a name. The genealogy says, “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.” Of course, we can easily figure out the name of this woman from 2 Samuel, and also later in her life from 1 Kings. Her name is Bathsheba.

This story only adds to the unexpected nature of Jesus’ family tree, but too often Bathsheba receives condemnation rather than compassion. Her story is mostly written with David as the main character, but let’s try to see it from Bathsheba’s point of view, too.”

BE PREPARED WITH YOUR OWN 30-60 SECOND RECAP OF THIS STORY—READING THE FULL THING WILL TAKE TOO LONG.

Discussion questions:

Can someone give a 30 second (or less) recap of this story?

Who are the main characters in this story? What do you think of them?

What difficulties did Bathsheba face? Why did she face them?

What’s David’s first reaction to the news that Bathsheba is pregnant?

What’s one of the main emotions we read Bathsheba experiencing?

Why do you think it was necessary for David and Bathsheba’s first son to die?

What is the “turning point” in this story? How does it go from tragedy to hope?

Why do you think Bathsheba is included in the genealogy?

Did anything in this story surprise you?

Does this story have anything to teach us about our lives today?

READ THIS: The stories of the four women we’ve talked about the past four weeks are unexpected, especially considering they’re the only mentioned women in Jesus’ genealogy. God chose to use them as a part of his story of redemption in our world anyway. How might God be asking you to be a part of this story, too?