Theological Commentary: Click Here
Two whole
chapters of genealogies are a mighty read.
It’s easy to get lost in the names, especially since so many of them don’t
sound familiar. Sure, there are the
Abrahams and Davids and Noahs. But there
are plenty of names that don’t exactly roll off the tongue.
What comes
from this long genealogy? Why would the
author have written it? Who would read a
list of names and what meaning would they find?
The Hebrew
people reading these names would be reading their history. This is a history that reaches the whole way
back to creation. This genealogy ties
them to Adam and God breathing life into humanity. This genealogy times them to how they exist.
The genealogy
also ties them back to Noah. The readers
would recount how God saved Noah through the flood. This genealogy ties the people to a
righteousness. It ties them to living according
to God’s ways. It ties them to salvation
through God’s hand.
The
genealogy also ties them to Abraham.
This would remind them of the promise.
The Hebrew people where giving a promise by God to be in relationship
with Him. They are God’s holy people,
saved and created by Him.
This
genealogy also ties them to David. David
is the great king. The people will be
reminded not only of David but of the promised Messiah. The people reading this genealogy would
realize that the history is also connected to the future. As they look back, they can also anticipate the
future.
In this
light, a bunch of names suddenly seems important. History gives purpose. History sheds light on our present. History causes us to look forward to the
future with hope and promise.
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