What's Your Genealogy?

I have often thought about tracing my genealogy just to see exactly where my family came from and to see where they might be today but I’ve never been quite motivated enough to do so. I only know that my grandmother on the Saturday side came form Poland and my grandfather on the Saturday side came from Russia. I often say that they met at Ellis Island but I don’t really think that they did; I just like to believe that sometimes. My family genealogy has been kept somewhat secret. Neither of my grandparents ever wanted to talk about the “Old Country.” I guess it’s not that important to me.

When I read the Bible I find that genealogy is important because it verifies the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Abraham was told to look up at the sky and to county the stars. God told him that his offspring would be a numerous as the stars in the sky. Of course we know that Abraham wasn’t able to count the stars. I can envision the conversation God had with Abraham and how God made sure the skies were full His creation.

God was true to his word. Abraham’s descendants were as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abraham’s lineage (at least in the Bible and for our sakes) is recorded to the time of Jesus. Within this lineage mentioned in the Bible is found a prostitute named Rahab. She was also a woman of a different culture, and Tamar who was an adulteress (had an affair with Judah – her father in law – but unbeknownst to Judah), also a woman of a different culture. God in the midst of that still used them for his kingdom and glory. We also find another woman mentioned by the name of Ruth. Ruth was also a woman from a different culture (from the country of Moab) and yet we find that she was the great grandmother of King David and subsequently mentioned by Matthew in the lineage of Jesus.

If you’ve never read the book of Ruth in the Old Testament may I encourage you to do so. In chapter 4 you will read where a wealthy man of Jerusalem name Boaz takes Ruth who was a Moabite (different culture) as his wife and has a son by her. Within chapter 4 we read where the women of the area praise God for leaving Naomi without a kinsman. Naomi was the mother in law of Ruth. Naomi and her husband went to Moab because of the difficult times in Judah. While in Moab Naomi’s husband and her two sons die before the sons have any children. While in Moab both sons of Naomi married women of that region. One of the women, when Naomi decided to return to Jerusalem, went with her (Ruth). Ruth declared “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). At this point Naomi no longer considered Ruth her daughter in law but rather her daughter. This is why the women of the area declare that God did not leave Naomi without a kinsman.

In a male dominated culture, the women of the area declared to Naomi that her daughter in law is better than seven sons. In addition, she now has a grandson who will take care of her for the rest of her life. With that, Naomi takes an active role in the upbringing of her grandson, treating him as a son, to the delight of both Boaz and Ruth. Raising children is a challenge, and the help of grandparents can make it much easier.

The name given to Boaz and Ruth’s son is Obed. In the Old Testament there are five different men by this name. Obed means “servant” and “worshipper.” Obed is the grandfather of King David who considered himself to be a servant and is known as a writer of many of the Psalms and considered a worshipper of the Most High God.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew writes of the “book of the generation of Jesus Christ. Matthew’s Jewish readers immediately recognized the expression “the book of the generation,” taken from Genesis 2:4 where God introduced the “generations of the heavens and of the earth,” the creation of the world. The phrases 2nd occurrence is at Genesis 5:1 to introduce the genealogy of Adam. In Matthew 1:1 he gives us the three keys to understanding the genealogy of Jesus Christ. First, Jesus is Christ. He is the promised anointed one of the Jewish nation. The Greek word Christ means the same as the Hebrew word Messiah. Second, he is the son of David. It was promised to David that his throne would be eternal. The designation “son of David” is distinctly messianic. Third, Jesus is the “son of Abraham.” In this, He fulfills the promise given to the father of Hebrews (Abraham) that his descendant would be a blessing to all the families of the earth (including us Gentiles). Matthew continues on with the genealogy of Abraham having a son Isaac who had a son Jacob who had a son Judah. This continues to King David, who Matthew designates as a king (no other royal designation given until Jesus, who is declared the Christ.

In going back to my genealogy, my pedigree does not matter. My decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ was not dependent upon my lineage. Yes it is helpful if our parents bring us up in a Christian home but each of us must make the personal decision as to whether or not we are going to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. I don’t know who my great grandparents were but I do know who I am; I am the King of king’s kid! How about you?