Let’s face it.
Whenever we come to the genealogy portions in our Bibles, we tend to do one of the following.
Skip over the whole darn thing.
Quickly gloss over them like we do with the fine print on a credit card application.
Or read them as a substitute for sleeping pills.
However, we shouldn’t treat these family lines lightly.
There is a reason God put those genealogies there.
And as I mentioned in my last post, genealogies can be amended for all kinds of reasons.
What are some reasons a genealogy would be amended?
One reason is that if a clan completely died out, it became necessary to insert the clan’s name to make sure their existence wouldn’t be lost to history.
Another more practical reason is that after some time had passed, a bigger and clearer picture of the family tree was now available and so an amendment was done to reflect the changes.
It’s also important to understand that the names in a genealogy were organized in a certain way for a specific reason.
The names weren’t just listed in a hodgepodge random fashion.
There was a method to their madness.
For instance, here in Genesis 46, the names of Jacob’s sons and their children are grouped and listed according to their hierarchical status in the family.
Leah, who was Jacob’s first wife, and her children are listed first.
Then, Leah’s maid-servant Zilpah and her children are listed second.
After that, Rachel, who was Jacob’s second wife, and her children are listed third.
Finally, Rachel’s maid-servant Bilah and her children are listed last.
The spiritual takeaway is twofold!
First, names are important to God.
He knows and calls you by your personal name.
Second, God has chosen the nation of Israel to serve as His Witness on this earth.
In this sense, the genealogies serve as the eternal spiritual record testifying to what God has and will do through Israel.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“And I heard the number of them which were sealed:
and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of
all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand.
Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”
-Revelations 7:4-8
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