Have you read the Bible from cover to cover? Henry Neufeld @hneufeld reminds us if we have read the Bible to read every detail including the genealogies. Every inch of the Bible is covered with words that will bless you immensely, make sure you embrace that.
Please take the time and follow Henry on twitter http://twitter.com/energion , http://twitter.com/hneufeld and read some of his post on his website http://henryneufeld.com/
All Those Genealogies!
But these things happened to them as an example, and were written to instruct us, the ones on whom the end of the ages has come. – 1 Corinthians 10:11
It happens every time I start a new Bible study class, every time, without fail. I try to get a sense of how much the class members have studied the Bible before. I’ll start by asking how many have read the Bible through from cover to cover. There are usually a few hands that are raised.
Then someone in the group will timidly raise a hand, and ask, “Do we have to include all the stuff about sacrifices in Leviticus?” When I say that I meant everything, cover to cover, a few of those hands will go down. Then someone will ask, “Do we have to read the genealogies?” When I say, “everything, cover to cover” again a few hands will go down.
Now I suspect that most of us read past those genealogies rather quickly, or perhaps just scan them. We really wonder just how those particular passages can be an example for us, because they don’t mean that much to us. Who can remember all those names?
Now I hope you’ll bear with me here. This isn’t one of those standard devotionals that gives you a few encouraging thoughts from scripture. I’m going to ask you to look at scripture for an example. In fact, I want you to think about those genealogies and what they mean.
What you’ll find is that genealogies are found in many places in scripture where they make a special connection. In Genesis 5 we have the patriarchs who lived before the flood, with their long lives, and the way they followed Jesus. Genesis 11 gives us the patriarchs after the flood, and provides the connection all the way to Abraham. Abraham, of course, is the famous ancestor of the Israelites.
If you watch closely through the history of Israel, you’ll see that God is often referred to as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” There’s a genealogy right there as people talk to God and talk about God. Much of the book of 1 Chronicles consists of genealogies, which ties the people of Israel under the kings back to their ancestors and to their history.
And just in case you’re thinking this is an Old Testament thing, both Matthew and Luke include genealogies that tie Jesus back into those same family trees in the Old Testament.
Also in the New Testament we have spiritual genealogies, as various people are set aside for ministry and sent out. In Acts, Luke tells us the story of Paul going and talking to the people in Jerusalem, and being sent out on his missions. If you read the first verse of Galatians, you’ll see Paul giving another spiritual genealogy, this time emphasizing that his authority came from God and not through human beings. Each of these stories tell us something about Paul and his ministry on those occasions.
The keyword in all of this is connection. The Bible writers frequently speak of connections and trace connections. Matthew traces Jesus back to David, emphasizing that He is king of the Jews. Luke traces the genealogy to Adam, emphasizing his connection to all of humanity.
In the 21st century we find it easy to lose our sense of connection. There are more ways to connect than ever before, and yet often we make less use of them. Some people try to blame the Internet, but I don’t think the technology is to blame. I think we get disconnected because we don’t make the necessary effort to remain connected, and because we allow others to lose connection with us.
If the stories of the Old Testament were, as our text states, written as an example for us, what are all these genealogies trying to teach us?
I believe they give us an example of how we are supposed to think about one another. We are supposed to think of ourselves as part of a “crowd that can’t be counted” (Revelation 7:9) that are tied together over time and space.
How do we put this into practice? Let me give some suggestions.
- Make sure you’re part of a church congregation. If you haven’t found one yet, keep looking.
- If you’re part of a congregation already, ask your church leaders to connect to other congregations.
- If you’re a parent, tell your children about your faith. Tell your children stories about your experiences with the Lord. Use Psalm 78:1-4 as the pattern. Tell your children! Tell them not only about their physical ancestors but about the people who have blessed you in your faith walk.
- If your parents are alive, ask them about their faith and listen to the stories. Ask them who contributed to their faith walk.
- If you are a church leader, share your stories with the people you lead. You’ll be creating a spiritual genealogy.
- Ask those you look to for leadership to tell you about their experiences and the people who have blessed them in their faith walk.
Technology changes, but the basic scriptural pattern remains. One person tells another. In New Testament times they wrote letters or sent messengers. Today we can use Twitter or Facebook. But whatever it is we use, God’s method is to connect us person to person.
So don’t skip those genealogies. Instead, make your own genealogy built of faith connections!
****
If you’re interested in seeing the various genealogies and other connections of the Bible arranged and charted so as to point to Jesus as the Messiah, you might be interested in The Messiah and His Kingdom to Come: A Biblical Roadmap, which is published by my company under our EnerPower Press imprint.
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 3 trackbacks }