Today’s scripture: Genesis 36 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ciemone Easter-Rose):
I have always enjoyed learning about my family lineage. I think it’s cool to be able to trace your ancestry and get information about those who preceded you in life. I’ve constructed a couple of family trees of my own, on my paternal side, both inclusive of my father’s father as well as his mother’s family. My sister has gone as far as to have her DNA analyzed by Ancestry.com, which gave some additional insights about our background. Who knows what other types of information may be available in the future?
I’ve wondered at times if there is any other value in knowing more about, and perhaps connecting with, relatives from the past. I have a lot of questions about them. Are they, in any way, already present in my life without my knowing? Was there anyone whom I may have particularly resembled, or with whom I shared other commonalities? Sometimes it’s just the names that intrigue me. I’ve always thought it would be cool to have one of those family-originated names that gets passed down through the generations. I’ve experienced a number of reactions when discovering things about my predecessors as well: surprise, curiosity and intrigue, pride, even suspicion. The question sometimes arises — can someone you never met really be a part of you?
While the extended lineage of key Biblical figures is probably a dry read for most of us, rather than give into the temptation to skip over it, what if we paused to ponder its significance instead? One has to consider that there must be something important about these types of lists and their frequent inclusion in the book of Genesis. Personally, I think it’s important to know about those who came before. This is not just limited to the Bible, but in our own lives as well. Compared to the types of information currently available to us, the genealogies in the Bible seem relatively simple (if you call tracing the lineage of three of his sons from three different wives simple!). This account starts with Esau and moves forward through history.
At first glance, today’s passage appears to be just a list of names, with a few mentionable notes here and there about the people included. But every name given has a story behind it and a significance in its own right. I’m sure the fact that many of Esau’s descendants were referenced as “chiefs,” “kings,” and “rulers” had something to do with the importance of tracing this particular line. Besides giving us information about the people though, perhaps every name included in these types of passages also brings us to a closer understanding of how God works. Like with any passage in the Bible, it’s always worth asking.
Prayer for the Day: God, help me to discern the significance of the figures that You have placed in my life, both historically and in the present. Help me to appreciate those that came before, and those who will come after. Let my life be guided according to the path that You have laid out, and let me appreciate that You have ordered my life in such a way that it has been impacted by my predecessors and will impact my successors, according to Your will. Amen.
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