A Lesson from “The Four”

The month of May – boy, it can be a busy one, right? There are graduations and graduation parties, spring performances, the approaching end of a fiscal year, sporting events, and the conclusion of school and finals. And let’s not forget Memorial Day (the official start of summer!) and Mother’s Day. Whew! The month has just begun and I’m already tired! Maybe you are too!

Along with all these activities comes a range of emotions. From the highest of highs of excitement and accomplishment, to the lowest of lows as some seasons of life come to a close, the month of May can be a rough one on the rollercoaster of life. Also, it’s a month full of remembrance. We remember the fallen men and women who served our country with courage and loyalty. And we remember the mothers and grandmothers, alive and passed, who have influenced the person we are today. For some, Mother’s Day is a day of excitement and celebration. But for a variety of reasons, it can be one of the saddest days of the year for others.

I’m not much of an artist. But I admire those who have these abilities and can bring their imaginations to a physical manifestation for others to enjoy. I can’t remember where I first saw the painting of “The Four” by Tricia Robinson. This artist creates paintings that embody color, whimsy and our imperfection to show God’s beautiful design. The painting of “The Four” doesn’t have elaborate landscapes or backgrounds. Instead, it is a painting of four women in colorful dresses. With crowns on their heads. Three of them are holding something in their hands. In one meaningful piece of art, Tricia breaks the boundaries of time to place four women standing side by side. Four broken women who God hand-selected to be a grandmother of Jesus Christ and to serve as a picture of His grace and redemption.

I hope you’ll follow along with me for just a few moments for a glimpse into the lives of these four women. They each have a unique story and an important message to share.

We all need grace and redemption and can be used in a mighty way by God.

Tamar: The First of “The Four”

Around 1729 B.C., Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, marries a Canaanite woman named Shuah and fathers three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. A woman by the name of Tamar becomes Er’s wife. Er, Judah’s firstborn, is wicked in the sight of the Lord and the Lord kills him, leaving Tamar childless. In the culture at that time, a brother-in-law was obligated to take his brother’s childless widow as his wife and provide her with children who would be the heirs and descendants of the deceased man. In this manner, the dead brother’s name would continue. Judah’s second son, Onan, refuses to fulfill this obligation. His actions angered the Lord, and the Lord killed him also. Judah’s third son, Shelah, was not yet an adult and was too young to marry Tamar. As a result, Judah told Tamar to remain a widow at her father’s house until Shelah was old enough to marry. Fearing that Shelah would die also, Judah did not send his third son to Tamar to fulfill the familial obligation.

When Tamar realized Judah would not keep his word, she became desperate knowing she would be left without support when her father died and shamed as a childless widow. So, Tamar made a plan of her own, full of deception, which led to the birth of her twin boys, Pharez and Zarah. Pharez (Perez) was in the direct line of David and therefore in the lineage of Jesus. It’s not possible to retell the whole story in this limited space, but a read of Genesis 38 will give you many more details.

Indeed, Tamar may have been influenced to commit the wicked deeds of deception and acting as a prostitute for no other reason than to secure her cultural rights and to have children who might be heirs to the promise made to Abraham. Despite her sin, God’s grace and mercy was sufficient, and He redeemed Tamar by using her in the lineage of Jesus Christ. One main theme of Tamar’s life is that God can use even wicked and sinful people for His glory, not because of their merit, but because of His mercy and the power of repentance.

Rahab: The Second of “The Four”

The second woman in the painting is Rahab. We first hear of Rahab around 1451 B.C when Joshua, as leader of Israel, started his plan to enter the Promised Land and sent out two men from Shittim to spy on Jericho. The two spies entered the city of Jericho and stayed at the house of Rahab, who was a prostitute.

When word reached the king of Jericho that men from Israel had entered Jericho as spies, he sent for Rahab and asked that she bring him the men who came to her and stayed in her house. Instead of turning the men over to the king, Rahab hid them in the stalks of flax on her rooftop and told the king that they had left. When it was safe, she told the spies that the inhabitants of Jericho were frightened of the Israelites, after hearing how the Lord had shown them favor, and asked them to swear that they would show kindness to her and her family when they invaded Jericho. The men agreed to the oath and Rahab lowered them out of her window and down the outside of the town wall with a scarlet cord.

When the Israelites destroyed Jericho, they saw the scarlet cord hanging from the window of Rahab’s house and rescued her and her family before setting fire to the city. In the painting, you can see Rahab clutching a scarlet cord. Joshua saved Rahab the harlot and her family and all she had because she had hidden the spies. A little further into the future, Rahab becomes the wife of Salmon and has a son named Boaz and is included in the lineage of Jesus Christ because of her faithfulness. In this regard, she is listed in the “Hall of Faith”:

Hebrews 11:31

31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Rahab’s story is probably more familiar to us than Tamar’s story; however, that doesn’t make it any less remarkable. Once again, the Lord has shown His mercy and grace as He masterfully uses a prostitute to aid in the acquisition of the Promised Land and in the continuation of the lineage of Jesus Christ. The study of Rahab is a fascinating one – another amazing story of redemption. Check it out in Joshua 2 and Joshua 6.

Ruth: The Third of “The Four”

Ruth, the third woman in the painting, and her story (documented in the Book of Ruth) begins around 1322 B.C and covers a period of about 10 years. The judges ruled in Israel at that time and there was a famine in the land. A man named Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, moved with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to the country of Moab. Elimelech died and Naomi’s sons, Mahlon and Chilion married Orpah and Ruth, respectively, who were Moabite women. However, both Mahlon and Chilion died also, leaving all three women as widows. Naomi made a plan to return to her people in Bethlehem and advised her two daughters-in-law to return to their mothers’ and fathers’ houses. Orpah returned to her people and her gods, but Ruth promised to remain with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem in time for the barley harvest.

Ruth began the tedious task of collecting leftover crops in the field in a humble effort to support Naomi and herself. When she arrived at the fields, she was noticed by a man named Boaz, who was a kinsman of Naomi’s deceased husband, Elimelech. Boaz allowed Ruth to collect from his fields, fed her, and also provided her with protection as a reward for her faithfulness to Naomi. In the painting, Tricia Robinson portrays Ruth as holding a bundle of barley in her arms.

Again, under Israelite law, a deceased man’s nearest relative had the right or responsibility to “redeem” the widow. After a formal process was followed, Boaz became Ruth’s kinsman redeemer when they were married and had a son named Obed. Ruth would become the great-grandmother of David. Once again, the Lord showed His mercy and grace as He raised up a poor, hungry widow to be a woman in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Ruth’s life is yet another incredible example of redemption. 

Bathsheba: The Fourth of “The Four”

Perhaps very familiar to you is Bathsheba’s story, which begins during the reign of Kind David around 1037 B.C. and covers about 22 years. One day towards the evening, David arose from his bed, probably from the mid-day slumber, and walked onto his rooftop terrace where he spied on a beautiful Bathsheba bathing. Following his desire, he inquired about her and discovered she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a soldier in his army. David sent for her and after their time together, Bathsheba conceived. She sent word to David, most likely to avoid the punishment of death to adulteresses, usually by stoning.

David began to cover one sin with another by carrying out a series of deceptions, which involved his request of Joab, his commander-in-chief, to send Uriah to the front of a deadly battle where Uriah would die. Following the death of Uriah and Bathsheba’s mourning, David sent for her, and she became his wife.

Bathsheba gave birth to their child, and because David sinned against God, the child became ill and died. David comforted Bathsheba, who was feeling dejected and possibly scared of being cast out and punished by David. Again, she conceived and had a son named Solomon.

Moving ahead in time to 1015 B.C. during King David’s later years, Bathsheba became a strong political force. With the prophet Nathan’s help, she convinced David to make Solomon the next king of Israel and blocked the attempt of Adonijah, another of David’s sons, to become king. After David’s death, Bathsheba continued to exert power and influence as the mother of King Solomon. The painting of “The Four” illustrates Bathsheba embracing an infant, presumably the future King Solomon.  

Bathsheba’s life was marked by sin, passion, and tragedy but the Lord showed mercy and grace to her and ultimately used her as a grandmother in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Much of her story can be found in 2 Samuel chapters 2-3 and 11-12; also, in 1 Kings chapters 1-2 if you’d like to study it yourself.

If you’ve made it to this point in my post, I’m glad you hung in there. I know it is a longer one. You may be wondering why I went into such detail about each of these ladies in this painting. It’s because we can learn a valuable lesson from them.

In the midst of her desperation and deception to avoid widowhood, childlessness and rejection, I don’t think Tamar believed she would be a grandmother to Christ. Known far and wide as a sinful prostitute, I don’t think Rahab believed she would be a grandmother to Christ. As she stacked leftover sheaves of barley in her arms, barely enough to support herself and her mother-in-law, I don’t think Ruth believed she would be a grandmother to Christ. Caught up in adultery, murder and mourning the loss of a child, I don’t think Bathsheba believed she would be a grandmother to Christ either. 

Not one single mother is perfect. But that doesn’t mean she can’t be used mightily of God to influence a generation or even multiple generations down the line.

The apostle Paul remarkably illustrates this fact when he writes a letter to Timothy, his dearly beloved brother in Christ:

2 Timothy 1:3-5

3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

The faith that Timothy lived out came first from the faith of his mother and grandmother, who instilled this value in him. This generational passion for faith in the Lord was obvious to outside observers as well, such as Paul.

Ponder this.

In the painting of “The Four”, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba have been painted without a face. If they had a mouth, I could imagine them sharing at least this one truth, which applies not only to mothers and grandmothers, but applies to anyone. And that truth is this: the Lord can use you even if you’re not perfect, because no one is perfect except Him. Don’t let your past or present state keep you from believing that God can use you for magnificent things.

If we know Him as our Saviour, we can all wear a crown as a son or daughter of the King, just like these four ladies. We don’t have to come from royalty and a flawless life. The Lord can redeem us in our broken state to use us in a mighty way for His Kingdom. Redeeming the broken from hopeless and undesirable situations through His grace and mercy, to be a valuable child of the King, is only further evidence of His matchless power.

What will you do with this day you’ve been given? How will you make it matter for His Kingdom?