Those Endless Genealogies and Our Importance to God

  How many people, when reading the Bible, skip over the genealogical records? We do it, while guilt creeps in around us, not quite understanding the importance of them.

  Why does God include these long lists of names in Scripture? We often stumble over them in our pronunciation and quite frankly, we often miss the point of their inclusion.

  Two reasons that I can think of are that they were written as historical records in order to prove legal descent, and they were also written to confirm prophecy. The entire Bible speaks of, prophesies of, and confirms the birth of, life of, and Kingship of Jesus. It also speaks of Jesus in the role of our High Priest and Prophet, but we are not tackling those offices today!

  The book of Luke provides Jesus' genealogy from Mary and tells us of His human descent and  His bloodline, from King David. Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, has his legal descent from David chronicled in the book of Matthew. This proves the prophecy that Jesus would be born of the house of David.

  Another reason, which jumps out at me, is that each name, in the seemingly endless lists of names, is of importance to our Creator. We are all united in His creation. We break that unity when we deny our faith in Him and deny Him as Creator. However every one of us is important to God. After all, he sent His only begotten Son that "the world" might be saved through faith in Him.*

  Each unborn child has the right to learn about life on this earth and the privilege to make a choice for Jesus to be the Lord of his or her life. Each child deserves the chance to grow in relationship with Jesus. Each one deserves the chance to grow and take his or her place as a rightful heir of God their Father which they earn by belief in His Son. **

  Each child deserves to take their first breath of life as Adam was given life the very day that God breathed life into him.

  Every child, since Adam and Eve, has been important to God. Thus, the endless genealogies. And by the way, the people in the genealogies were not perfect; all were sinners in need of a Savior!
  Who are we, that we believe we have the right to cut these lists short by the unnatural termination of pregnancies? God has given each one of us the gift of life. These lives are not ours to kill. They are God's and so we must allow these little ones to live.

* John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
 **Galatians 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.