Why were the four women in the genealogy of Jesus given a place of renown despite their disobedience?
They were given a place of renown because God's mercy and grace exceeded their disobedience. Although these women directly opposed everything God had instructed, His grace abounded beyond their sin. As Romans 5:20 says, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; thus God brought them into the genealogy.
Les explains that this goes back to Romans 5:20, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Even in the genealogy, as low as some of these people may have fallen, God's grace was able to go beyond that. Even though we are not under the program of grace, God's grace has always been evident. He illustrates this with Adam and Eve: they did not go looking for God, but God went looking for them and brought them back into relationship with Himself by grace. Likewise, Israel turned their back on Jehovah many times, yet God always went back to them because of His grace. In the same way, these four women were in direct opposition to everything God had instructed, yet in His mercy and grace He was able to bring them into a place of renown by being in the genealogy.