Have you ever considered how unusual it is that the Bible tells us so much about the failures of the very people we might expect it to make look good?
Key Verse
“Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, and Hezron fathered Ram.” — Matthew 1:3 (NASB)
Background Context
Matthew 1:1–17 establishes Yeshua as the Messiah, the son of David and son of Abraham, tracing the family line through generations of Israel’s history. In our previous devotional, we focused on how that genealogy demonstrates YHWH’s faithfulness to His promises despite human failure, national judgment, and the passage of many generations.
But there is another striking feature of Matthew’s genealogy worth considering.
Matthew does not present a carefully polished family history that hides uncomfortable people or events. Instead, he deliberately includes names that remind anyone familiar with Scripture of some very messy stories.
And Matthew is following a pattern found throughout the Bible: Scripture is remarkably candid about the failures of its own people.
(Continued and expanded after scripture.)
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6Jesse was the father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. 7Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. 8Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. 9Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. 11Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 13Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.
Reflection on Matthew 1:1–17:
If someone were creating propaganda to glorify a nation, establish a royal family, or invent an impressive history for a religious leader, we might expect that person to emphasize the heroes and quietly remove the embarrassing parts.
Matthew does not do that.
He specifically mentions Tamar. Anyone familiar with Genesis 38 would remember Judah’s failure to fulfill his responsibility toward her and the sexually immoral circumstances through which Perez and Zerah were conceived. The story does not make Judah look impressive.
Matthew mentions Rahab, whose earlier life as a prostitute in Jericho was already preserved in Scripture. He mentions Ruth, a Moabite rather than an Israelite by birth. Then, when Matthew reaches Israel’s celebrated King David, he does something particularly striking.
He does not simply write that David fathered Solomon.
He says David fathered Solomon “by her who had been the wife of Uriah.”
Matthew could have avoided drawing attention to that episode. Instead, his wording reminds us of it. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged circumstances that led to the death of her husband Uriah. Second Samuel records the entire shameful episode rather than protecting the reputation of Israel’s great king.
This kind of honesty appears throughout Scripture.
Abraham’s failures are recorded even though he is the father of faith. Jacob’s deception is recorded even though Israel bears his name. Moses’ disobedience is recorded even though he led Israel out of Egypt. David’s adultery and Uriah’s death are recorded even though he was Israel’s greatest king. Solomon’s unfaithfulness is recorded despite his extraordinary wisdom. The failures of Israel and Judah are documented repeatedly rather than rewritten to make God’s people appear righteous.
The New Testament continues the same pattern. The disciples misunderstand Yeshua repeatedly. They argue about which of them is greatest. Peter denies Yeshua three times. The disciples abandon Him when He is arrested. Thomas doubts the testimony that Yeshua has risen.
The people through whom these accounts were preserved did not consistently portray themselves as heroes.
We should be careful not to overstate what this proves. The presence of embarrassing or unflattering details does not by itself demonstrate that every statement in Scripture must therefore be historically true. Fictional stories can certainly contain flawed characters.
But the Bible’s consistent candor is meaningful evidence when considering its historical character. Its writers frequently preserve information that would have been easy—and sometimes advantageous—to omit if their primary purpose had been to manufacture flawless heroes, glorify Israel, or create a polished religious legend.
The Bible does not read like a book desperately trying to convince us that God’s people were wonderful.
Quite often, it tells us exactly the opposite.
That is because the ultimate hero of Scripture is not Abraham, Judah, Moses, David, Peter, or any other human being.
It is YHWH.
Their failures do not weaken Scripture’s central message. In many ways, they help reveal it. Human beings repeatedly sin, fail, misunderstand, rebel, and need redemption. YHWH remains faithful, righteous, merciful, and true.
There is also a personal challenge in that honesty. If Scripture does not hide David’s sin, Judah’s failure, Peter’s denial, or Israel’s rebellion, why should we believe spiritual maturity requires pretending that our own failures never happened?
Biblical faith does not require us to rewrite our history so that we look righteous. It requires us to deal truthfully with our sin before God.
David provides a powerful example after his sin was exposed. In Psalm 51:4 he prayed, “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” He stopped hiding and agreed with God’s judgment concerning what he had done.
YHWH’s answer to our failure is not pretending it never occurred. He calls us to confession, repentance, forgiveness, and transformation.
That makes Matthew’s genealogy both evidence worth considering and encouragement worth receiving. Yeshua did not enter a family history populated by flawless people. He entered the real human story—filled with sin, brokenness, faith, failure, judgment, mercy, and redemption.
The Bible does not need to hide that truth.
Neither do we.
Application
- When reading Scripture, notice its willingness to record the failures of its own heroes rather than assuming the Bible presents them as flawless examples.
- Let the Bible’s candor strengthen your confidence that its writers were concerned with preserving truth rather than simply protecting reputations.
- Be equally honest with YHWH about your own failures instead of protecting an outward appearance of righteousness.
- When you repent, remember that your past does not have to be erased for YHWH to redeem your life and use you for His purposes.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You that Your Word speaks truthfully about human weakness and failure rather than presenting people as better than they really were. Help me approach Scripture honestly and take seriously what You have preserved for us. Give me the same honesty about my own life. Keep me from hiding, excusing, or minimizing my sin simply to protect my reputation. Lead me instead toward confession, repentance, forgiveness, and transformation. Thank You that the failures of people throughout Scripture ultimately point beyond themselves to our need for You and to the redemption You provide through Yeshua. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda
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