“The Girl Who Wouldn’t Go Away”

BIBLE PASSAGE Ruth 4:14 and Matthew 1:5
STORY “The Girl Who Wouldn’t Go Away” 
GOSPEL CONNECTION Do you want to know something cool? Boaz’s mother was Rahab. The same Rahab that was saved from the walls of Jericho and brought into God’s family. So when Ruth married Boaz, she and her motherin-law Rahab were both women who had once been outside God’s family. And both women had been brought into God’s family because they had put their trust in him. They must have loved to share their stories with each other! And now Ruth and Boaz’s son would lead to the greatest blessing of all—Jesus. Their son’s name was Obed. Obed had a son (Jesse) who had a son (David). Do you know who David was? He was the king Israel was waiting for—a king after God’s own heart. Not the perfect king. Only Jesus is the perfect King. But a king that helped God’s people do what is right in God’s eyes. And from King David comes King Jesus, our Redeemer! The one who saves us from our sins and brings us new life. The Gospel of Matthew starts with a list of names, Jesus’s family tree. And do you know whose names are on that list? Rahab and Ruth! God’s plans are so much better than we can ever imagine.