JEJ Episode – 81: The God of Second Chances

Moses — From Fugitive to Deliverer

The story Moses is told mainly in the Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. He was born at a time when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt and Pharaoh ordered Hebrew baby boys to be killed. Moses’ mother saved him by placing him in a basket in the Nile River, where he was found and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. As an adult, Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave and fled to a place called Midian out of fear. That act of killing an Egyptian was not part of God’s plan, but done out of Moses’ zeal to start the work of deliverance of God’s people before God’s time.

Years later, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and called him to return to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Although Moses felt unworthy, doubted himself and kept requesting for signs from God, God kept working with him until He delivered His people from Egypt.

Ruth — From Outcast to Royal Lineage

The story of Ruth is told in the Book of Ruth. The event took place during the time of the Judges in Israel. Naomi, Ruth’s mother in-law, her husband, and their two sons left Bethlehem when there was famine in the land, and moved to Moab. There, Naomi’s sons married 2 Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. After some time, Naomi’s husband and both sons died, leaving the three women widowed and without support.

Later, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and encouraged her daughters-in-law to go back to their homes. Orpah returned home, but Ruth chose to remain with Naomi. When they got to Bethlehem, Ruth worked in the fields to provide for Naomi and herself. She ended up gleaning in the field of Boaz, a kind and wealthy relative of Naomi’s late husband. Boaz eventually married Ruth, an action that secured the family line of Naomi’s husband.

Rahab — From Prostitute to Woman of Faith

Rahab’s story is found in the Book of Joshua. She was a prostitute living in Jericho. When Israelite spies came to scout the city before its destruction, Rahab hid them and protected them from the king’s men. She told the spies that she believed their God was the true God and asked for mercy for herself and her family when Jericho was destroyed.

Because of her faith and courageous action, the spies promised that she and her family would be spared. When Jericho was destroyed, Rahab and her household were saved. She later became part of the people of Israel and, according to the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew, she became an ancestor of Jesus.

David — From Failure to Restoration

King David saw Bathsheba bathing and desired her. Though she was married to Uriah the Hittite, David slept with her and she became pregnant. To hide this, David arranged for Uriah to be placed in a dangerous battle where he was killed. When Prophet Nathan confronted David with a story that exposed his sin, David realized his wrongdoing and sincerely repented before God.

God forgave David though there were still consequences. The child born from that union died, and David’s family later experienced turmoil. After mourning, David and Bathsheba remained together as husband and wife and later had another son, Solomon who eventually became king and was known for his wisdom. Through Solomon, David’s lineage continued with restoration and God’s purpose for David’s life and lineage was fulfilled. Also, Bathsheba’s story did not end in shame. She became queen mother and eventually held an honored position in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Peter — From Denial to Leadership

Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples. We know him as being bold and passionate, and often spoke on behalf of the other disciples. We know that before He was arrested, Peter confidently declared that he would never deny Jesus. However, when Jesus was taken to the house of the High Priest, Peter became afraid. He denied knowing Jesus three times. After the third time, he realized what he had done and wept bitterly. This failure must have been painful for someone who claimed strong loyalty.

After Jesus rose from the dead, He did not reject Peter. Instead, in John 21, He lovingly restored Peter by asking three times, “Do you love me?”—giving Peter the opportunity to affirm his love three times, just as he had denied Him three times. Jesus then recommissioned Peter to “feed my sheep,” restoring him to a leadership position.

50 days later, as we read in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit anointed Peter with power to preach a sermon where over 3,000 people received Christ. After exhibiting such weakness, Peter experienced such transformation that enabled him to operate in a powerful ministry of boldly preaching and healing in the early church.

Paul the Apostle — From Persecutor to Preacher

Once known as Saul, Paul persecuted Christians violently and tried to destroy the Church. On the road to Damascus, he had a dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ that completely changed his life. Paul repented and became one of the most devoted missionaries of the Christian faith. He spread the Gospel across regions especially through his letters where he shared God’s revelation of the accomplished works of Christ at the Cross and the significance of the New Covenant.

Matthew — From Tax Collector to Gospel Writer

Matthew was a tax collector for the Roman Government. The Jews viewed tax collectors as dishonest and corrupt and as traitors to their own people. Despite this reputation, Jesus called Matthew to follow Him and he immediately left his tax booth to become one of the 12 disciples. He later wrote the Gospel of Matthew.