Background:
In the ancient world, genealogies weren’t always simply a straightforward record of “who begat whom.” They were used to show the legitimacy of relation or position when tracing the lineage of royalty. Ancestry (often traced back to a deity) was intended to show that the person with whom the lineage ended was the rightful and true heir. The genealogy of Jesus in the book of Luke traces Jesus’ human lineage back to God Himself (Luke 3:23–38).
My comments to you:
I admit while reading the Bible, I conclude without having the whole picture. Like the author, I was tempted to gloss over these sections and skip to a part that contains something that feels familiar and fits more easily into my “window” of understanding of the Bible’s narrative. This is true when it came to Jesus’ genealogy. In the Old Testament, there were genealogies of all these people. It was difficult to link all these genealogies back to God’s plan to bring everyone to Him through Jesus without the full story of Jesus’ royalty.
Since “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful” (2 Timothy 3:16), the Holy Spirit can help us better understand how a fragment fits into the whole by opening our eyes to see (for example) how Shelah is related to Abram (Genesis 11:12–26), the ancestor of David and Jesus (Matthew 1:2, 6, 16). God delights in surprising us with a perfectly intact story where even the smaller parts reveal the story of God’s mission throughout the Bible.
Reflect:
Why is it important to recognize each portion of Scripture as a fragment of God’s bigger story?
My prayer for us:
Father, please help us see You and Your work more clearly, and grow deeper in our understanding of the Bible.
Our Daily bread Ministries (2021/09/02) The Big Story of the Bible, Kirsten Holmberg, retrieved from www.odb.org 02/09/2021 The Big Story of the Bible.