It is through flawed people that God advances his kingdom.
Matthew reveals the importance of this in his Gospel presentation by injecting 3 additional pieces of information in the father-to-son account of Jesus’ genealogy with which he opens his Gospel. He writes:
“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife“. (NIV Mt. 1:5-6, emphasis mine)
Jesus was from the line of King David, but David’s great great grandmother was a prostitute, his great grandmother was from an enemy nation, and David, had a close friend killed to hide having stolen his wife. However, Rahab the prostitute delivered a key victory in God’s deliverance of the Promised Land to Israel, Ruth’s faithfulness was worthy of a book of the Bible, and David was a prefigure of Christ as King and was declared to be a man after God’s own heart, by God himself.
Whether we come from the wrong side of the tracks or have done some terrible things, God can still use you and me. In fact, doing some of his greatest work through some of the worst sinners is often God best demonstrates his power, glory, and sovereignty.
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (NIV 1 Ti 1:15–17)
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (NIV 2 Cor. 4:7)