The Weary World Rejoices by Naomi Craig

“Are you ready to emerge from the darkness in which you sit?” This was one of my favorite quotes from The Weary World Rejoices. This book is a great way to start off the Christmas season. Naomi Craig was very creative in her retelling of the Scripture found in Matthew 2:3-4,

“When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born."(BSB)

The Weary World Rejoices is the story of Amal, Herod the Great’s chief scribe. He has been tasked with discovering where the baby called “the King of the Jews” was to be born. Little did he know how much this assignment would change his life and trajectory forever.

Along the way, we get to experience several beloved Biblical figures through the eyes of Amal, including those named and unnamed. I don’t want to spoil it for the readers, so I won’t mention them all by name. (We get to see Zechariah! -YAY!) Just know if you are fan of this genre, you will enjoy reading this story!

I loved Amal’s story. His journey was not only a physical one, but a spiritual one as well. It made me think about other people’s journey learning about Jesus.

This is not the kind of story you can just zip through. It is full of detail about geography and culture, and the reader will want to savor each moment of being in the land of Israel with Amal, and those he encounters along the way.

Many blessings to you as you journey to know the Lord Jesus,

Beth

Women in the Genealogy of Jesus

Did you know that there are only 5 women listed in the genealogy of Jesus? Don't you think that is interesting? I mean, men cannot have babies, right? So, why did God choose those five women to include?

The first woman tricked a man named Judah into sleeping with her, and God gave her two babies out of the union. Her name was Tamar. When one of the babies is born, the midwife ties a scarlet thread on his wrist, and is the first time we see the scarlet thread in the Bible.

The second woman was a prostitute named Rahab in the city of Jericho. She hid two spies, and helped the people of God. Her household was saved through the process. We also see the scarlet cord in her story.

The third woman was an outsider named Ruth. She was a Moabite. They were wicked people, but she followed her mother-in-law to be with the people of God. God gave her a husband who was, amazingly, the son of Rahab. I wonder if Rahab and Ruth ever met??

There has been much controversy surrounding the fourth woman. She was married to an outsider. He was a Hittite, but he was part of David's army, and mighty men. My personal belief is it wasn't her fault. (The prophet Nathan backs me up.)  David took something that wasn't his, and thus an adulterous situation ensued. Bathsheba's name isn't even mentioned in many translations in Matthew's genealogy. It just says the wife of Uriah the Hittite. But God took their story, and redeemed it, and out of the union of David and Bathsheba came Solomon, who was also called Jedidiah, or loved by God.

The fifth woman was his mother Mary. Her name means bitter. She was a wonderful girl, out of whom came our Savior. But she was still in need of Him too. Grace comes along and redeems the bitterness.

So, back to my original question, why did Matthew, and the Holy Spirit choose to include just those women?

Wouldn't it be better to choose women who seemed upright, and didn't have any blemish on their record?

In reality those women just don't exist. I don't care how good you think you are, or how good other people think you are. We are all like these women.

These women are a picture of the church. They are in need of a savior. And when Jesus steps in, they are redeemed. We also need a Savior. Jesus redeems our stories too.

Many blessings ad you grow in grace and the knowledge of Him,
Beth