Week 2 Family Talk

Women of Faith and Redemption

“May the LORD reward you for what you have done. May the LORD, the God of Israel, bless you richly. You have come to
him to find safety under his care.” Ruth 2:12 (NIrV)

When you think of safety, what comes to mind? Maybe your home, your school, or a friend’s house? Maybe safety to you is a person, someone who loves you just as you are. In the family tree of Jesus, his great grandmother and his great-great grandmother and his great-great-great…well, you get the idea—they all needed a safe place. A place to land when life looked hopeless. When their actions or the actions of others or life’s circumstances had all gone wrong.  

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba, the few women who are named in the family tree of Jesus, are called the women of faith in the Bible. They are honored and remembered in Jesus’s family line because of their faith in God. They had faith that even though their circumstances were scary, God was good and was going to take care of them. And He did! Even when their situations were hopeless, God was with them and they were safe in His care.  

We worship and serve that same God. We are safe with the Lord and in His great love for us. No matter how uncertain or scary our situation is we can have faith, just like these women, that when we come to the Lord, He will keep us safe.  

Can you remember a time that you felt scared and someone helped you feel better?  

What can you remember about God that helps you feel safe? 

At the end of your discussion and prayer time, hang the next four ornaments on your Jesse tree as you discuss each one: 1) the Staff to represent Tamar’s confrontation with Judah (Genesis 38:25), 2) the Red Cord to represent Rahab (Joshua 6:25), 3) the Grain to represent Ruth (Ruth 2:1-2), and 4) the Teardrop to represent Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:19).

by Joanna Pawlisch