The story of Ruth is a beautiful story of redemption. It’s a story of how God loved the destitute and downtrodden and provided them with abundance. How he loved the foreigner and brought them into his kingdom. How loved the homeless and gave her a home. Ruth’s story shows us that following this God is worth it.

Rahab’s story is a beautiful display of God’s mercy and grace. She was a woman who would have been despised amongst her own people as a prostitute and is remembered as “the harlot” when mentioned in Scripture. While this may seem like a demeaning way for her to be remembered, the Bible seeks to honor her. She is remembered one who boldly aligned herself with the purposes of God and chose to protect his witnesses at her own expense. She cried out for mercy and the Lord heard her cries. Her story so brilliantly captures how God takes what is torn and tattered and makes it into something beautiful.

Tamar is the first woman mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. Her story gives us a glimpse of how God worked to bring about redemption in the story of Judah and Joseph and ultimately in Jesus Christ. Tamar’s story is one that’s raw, unfiltered, and often confounding as to why it’s even in the Bible. Yet, when we see her story in light of redemption, it’s no wonder she’s mentioned among the women of Jesus’s genealogy – for God uses the righteous one to humble the proud.