"David
was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon the
father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the
father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz
the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of
Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the
father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father
of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the
father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, Eliud the
father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus,
who is called Christ. Thus there were
fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the
exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ."[1]
In consideration of the
above text, no less than Martin Luther wrote,"It looks like a useless, unnecessary writing in which he has reviewed
the names of the dear fathers, since we know absolutely nothing about them, and
it is of no help to us at all.” That
is quite a statement. As audacious as it sounds, it probably isn't a statement
that many Bible readers would disagree with. What then is the point of
including such a tedious history in the annals of God's own Word?
Could it be that we simply
need to know that our lives might be a part of something much greater? Could it
be that we need to be informed that our lineage leads somewhere? That who we
bring into the world means more to the world than just adding a name to our
particular family picture, and another mouth to feed? That the Lord knows where
we as a family and a people group came from, and to where we as a family and as
a people group are headed? Could it be that the Lord, in His sovereign and
perfect will, wants to show us that He is sovereign over the lives of those who
came before us, and over the lives that come after us? Perhaps He wants us to
be keenly aware, even as we look for the fulfillment of promises made long ago,
that who we are and even our name are not unimportant to Him in our present
generation? Or perhaps, this particular genealogy is only here because God is
committed to demonstrating that His plan is far greater than ours, so much so
that even the number of our generations is counted? Or that we too might aspire
to have our name written down - not in a genealogical record per se, but in the
Lamb's book of Life? So many good and useful lines of thought, all jumping out
at us!
So think not that this is a
useless bit of trivia. It is the Holy Word of God, able to make the foolish
wise, and to discern the hearts and motives of all who read it. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."[2]
That is a most useful reminder.
·
Which of the above reasons most resonates with you?
Why?
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