GENEALOGY SPEAK!!!
“All Scripture is God-breathed and He doesn’t waste His breath.” noted a noted Christian leader reflecting on 2 Tim 3:16-17. How true it is we say subjoining! Yet do all our actions convey the fact that we believe in this truth? Do not some Christians who are in a “cruise mode” (permit me to use driving terminology) when it comes to reading the Scriptures (some sincere souls read even 15 chapters a day), view “certain Scripture sections” as an unnecessary “speed breaker”? So what are those passages which our fellow brethren expertly “bypass” in order to maintain the “speed of their journey” through the Scriptures (honestly compels me to admit that I too was one of them, sometime back)? Oh yes the GENEALOGIES! The very mention of Genealogies abounding with repetitive phrases’… “He begat”…”He was the son of” makes most Christians flinch. So are Genealogies to be avoided with the “what is there to learn from them” contemptuous sentiment? Not exactly, especially when we begin reading them prayerfully with an air of a sincere explorer (Psalm 119:18)!
Primarily, a clear understanding as to why as they have been placed in the first place in Scripture would itself make us praise THE ONE, who has placed them there. Firstly, doesn’t it (placement of Genealogies) convey the ABSOLUTE SINCERITY of the inspired authors’ that they want to deal with the subjects they are writing about in their TOTALITY, giving no scope for any loopholes, whatsoever (ask any Research Scholar preparing his thesis)? Not for them any shortcuts, when it comes to “telling a story” which would influence the eternal destiny (hell or heaven) of the reader! Secondly, when there is proper laid out history (to its last detail), there would be “no misty mystery” in the minds of any reader, for Genealogies would always serve as a “back-up database” (permit to use some cyber lingo) to cross-check any information or clarify any doubt. Later on in this essay, you would find me depending on Genealogies itself to arrive at a certain truth about Genealogies! Playing a googly (means anything confusing) in a Genealogy eh?
In this message I propose to bring before my readership, 6 outstanding truths contained in Biblical Genealogies (bearing the mark of a genius Author) which are not be found elsewhere in the Scripture. So what are they?
GOSPEL IN THE VERY FIRST GENEALOGY
Ever wondered, why in the very first genealogy in the Scriptures (Genesis 5), the progenitors have been so named? Standing firmly on the premise that nothing is written in the Scriptures without Divine inspiration (I Peter 1:21), let us join the names of the progenitors and examine the whole matter in the light of meaning of those names in Hebrew language. Oh boy, oh boy, these names (in Hebrew language) when joined together and studied convey…hold your breath… the “GOSPEL MESSAGE” itself! Consider this
ENGLISH = HEBREW
ADAM = MAN
SETH = APPOINTED
ENOSH = MORTAL
KENAN = SORROW
MAHALEL= THE BLESSED GOD
JARED = SHALL COME DOWN
ENOCH= TEACHING
METHUSALEH = HIS DEATH SHALL BRING
LAMECH = THE DESPAIRING
NOAH = REST/COMFORT
There it is - the Gospel embedded right in Genesis chapter 5:
"Man [is] appointed [to] mortal sorrow; [but] the Blessed God shall come down teaching; His death shall bring the despairing rest, or comfort."
One look at the above facts and instantly the picture of the fallen mankind mourning in sin and the advent of the Almighty himself donning the robes of a teacher (Rabbi –Mark 9:5, John 1:29, 3:2) to remedy the situation vicariously emerges with no shades of grey! Hallelujah!!!
GUARANTEE OF SALVATION ONLY IF THERE IS A PERSONAL RELATION
In his farewell message, we would observe Joshua describing Abraham immediate ancestors as Idol-worshippers (Joshua 24:2). A proper study of genealogy would stun us even while doling out a lesson that both Noah and Shem (main protagonists of the Flood account) were ACTUALLY ALIVE AND BREATHING WHEN ABRAHAM WAS BORN (IN FACT SHEM, EVEN OUTLIVED ABRAHAM)!!!. With Ham being cursed and Japheth occupying a distant land which would constitute the landmass of the European continent, it would be safe to assume that Noah, must have been living with his eldest son Shem.
Action: Map of time-line from Noah to Abraham
It is quite shocking with Saintly Noah still around to warn people about the dangers of straying away from God’s will, Abraham grandfather and Father (from the Shemite lineage) became idol-worshippers. The lesson to be learnt here thanks to the priceless information coming from the Genealogies is that a godly heritage can take one so far and no further. Each one irrespective of his antecedents needs to work out his own salvation by seeking the Almighty (John 3:3) on his own.
GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT IN THE GENEALOGY
SALMON the father of BOAZ, whose mother was RAHAB, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. (Matt 1:5-6)
So Boaz the Kinsman redeemer (Ruth 2:20) married Ruth a hapless Moabite widow reflecting Messianic redemption qualities (Ruth 4). Ever pondered from where did he inherit such a magnanimous heart to marry a gentile and a widow at that or who would have influenced his decision-making process at human realm besides the indisputable Divine inspiration, behind it all? Hey, from his father Salmon who stooped down to lift from the morass of desolation his gentile prostitute mother- Rahab- Boaz would have inherited magnanimous heart and his decision-making process in marrying Ruth would have been influenced by both his father and mother.
Salmon’s act of magnanimity ought to serve as an inspiration to all Christians (themselves saved sinners) when it comes to accepting the genuinely repentant and forgiven sinners in the Church without an iota of prejudice! Truth to tell, after her valorous act of faith (she hid the Jewish spies at a great risk to her own life -Joshua 2:1-21/James 2:25/Heb 11:31) of faith was rewarded (Joshua 6:22), Rahab initially would have found herself quite alienated in the new-found Jewish society in Canaan (Joshua 6:23), wondering where the Almighty, on whom she reposed so much faith, would eventually lead her. While her life had been spared during the conquest of Jericho, would she be a desolate outcast, forever in the Jewish society? Would there any who would throw the marriage cloak around her? But how many takers in a Jewish society for the role of a husband of a Gentile lady whose reputation had been permanently slurred by her trade? Now throw in the risk of contracting contagious terminal venereal disease usually found in those of “flesh trade” (Proverbs 5:11) and the GENERORISITY of Salmon’s spirit borne out of his act of marrying Rahab comes to the fore with a CAPITAL G. God’s reward of faith for Rahab, went way beyond merely sparing her life.
Before tying the nuptial knot, doubtless, the large-hearted Salmon would have encountered his own natural inhibitions and the apprehensions expressed by his “concerned well-wishers” with a focused conviction of man driven by Divine energy. His unwavering stand would have been “IF THE ALMIGHTY JUDGE OF THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS HIMSELF ABSOLVED THE SINS OF RAHAB, WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO TREAT HER WITH PREJUDICE BORNE OUT OF SPIRITUAL SHORTSIGHTEDNESS. AND IF THE DIVINE DOCTOR OF SOUL AND BODY HAD CLEANSED HER SOUL OF SINS, WOULD HE WOULD NOT HAVE HEALED HER PHYSICALLY TOO?” Hence, his bold exemplary step of faith in marrying her!
I reiterate, what a powerful lesson, the conviction of Salmon which spurred him to accept Rahab as his wife holds out to us of contemporary generation, who sometimes still tend to look at forgiven sinners in the Church with jaundiced eyes? By the way, raise up your hands those who now know who Ruth’s second mother-in-law was? IT WAS RAHAB (is there any doubt that she too would have given necessary encouragement to her son Boaz in accepting Ruth)! But for genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel, we would not be privy to either the inspirational act of Salmon or root cause behind Boaz’s magnanimity in accepting widowed Ruth. Any takers for Biblical Genealogies now…
GOOGLY OF HANNAH’S PROMISE
Did not disobedience of the Law even out of innocent ignorance during OT times especially in handling sacred items such as the Ark even by saints such as devout David bring forth Divine denunciation (1 Chro 15:11-15)? So how in this World can we reconcile the fact that prima-facie an EPHRAIMITE (???) such as Samuel (1 Sam 1:1) be dedicated by his mother for sacred work in the HOLY TABERNACLE (I Samuel 1) which was the sole preserve of the PRIESTLY LEVITE TRIBE?
It is only the study of Genealogies or to be more precise of the one in I Chro 6 which reads thus
These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:20 Of Gershon: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son and Jeatherai his so22 The descendants of KohathAmminadab his son, Korah his son Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son and Shaul his son. 25 The descendants of Elkanah: Amasai, Ahimoth, 26 Elkanah his son,[d] Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, ELKANAH his son, and SAMUEL his son.[e]28 The sons of Samuel:Joel[f] the firstborn and Abijah the second son.- I Chronicles 6:19-28
that would reveal that Samuel was a pure-blooded Levite and that linkage to the tribe of Ephrahim was purely on account of his forefathers SETTLING in the Levitical town (48 of them allotted to Levites during Land Division Post conquest of Canaan by the other 11 tribes – Joshua 20-21) given to them by the tribe of Ephrahim. So an apparent DICHOTOMY in Scripture (how could an Ephraimite work in the Tabernacle?) is answered only when there is a careful study of the carefully written Genealogies. Anybody for a Thumbs up for genealogies...
GENUINENESS OF JESUS’ DAVIDIC LINEAGE
Match Matthew’s genealogy of Christ with that of Luke’s Gospel and what do we observe? An apparent dichotomy after mention of DAVID! Now can Scriptures contradict each other? NO WAY! RATHER THEY ONLY COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER! So what do the “different genealogies” of Christ in the different Gospels aim to achieve? Before answering this question, we need to get our bearings right vis-à-vis Jesus’ primary Messianic qualification. To rule out any objection from any quarter, both from paternal and maternal side, HE HAS TO BE A DESCENDANT OF KING DAVID (Isaiah 9:7, Mark 12:35).Period. In this context, let it be said that while Matthew’s Gospel gives the lineage of Christ through Joseph (Messiah’s “deemed” earthly father) that of Luke furnishes the ancestry of Christ through Mary (our Lord’s earthly mother). As Joseph and Mary were not siblings, their respective family trees’ were markedly different though having a common connection to King David. Further on the ancestry of Mary furnished in Luke’s Gospel, we need to remember that not only were women not accorded due prominence in a Jewish family tree (hence Mary’s name would be missing in normal course), it was a traditional Hebrew practice to accord the status of a son to a son-in-law in lineages’. Thus the mention of Heli’s son in law Joseph (biologically son of Jacob) as Son of Heli.
If not for this Genealogy accounts’ in both the Gospels, can the veracity of fulfillment of prophecies that Jesus was David’s descendant (both from father and mother’s side) ever be established? Anybody for raising a toast for genealogies, please…
GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY IN THE GENEALOGY
Okay folks, Genealogies give us history but HEY THEY GIVE SECRETS OF GEOGRAPHY TOO? Let’s travel back in time to the days of Noah’s flood. Now no prizes for stating that Noah’s ark came to rest on Mount Ararat -in Modern day Turkey (Genesis 8:4).
Action: Satellite picture of Mount Ararat vis-à-vis position of different continents including oceans in between continents
The question is how could the kangaroos and penguins migrate back to their distant natural habitats in Australia and Antarctica respectively swimming across Indian Ocean in the process. They would have been easy fodder for predators like sharks (Hey, aquatic animals did not die during the Flood, rather they acted as useful scavengers of the carrion). THE ANSWER IS THAT LAND MASS AT THAT TIME WAS UNDIVIDED WITH THE DRYLAND COMPRISING THE MODERN-DAY CONTINENTS (GEN 1:9-10) BEING CONGRUENT TO ONE ANOTHER AS SHOWN IN THE MAP BELOW.
Action: Map of united Land mass
So when did the Land break-up (probably on account of sharp variations in temperature/wet and dry conditions wrought by The Flood/its aftermath), so as to result in the formation of continents, as we know today. Welcome once again to a startling account in two Biblical genealogies (same truth mentioned not once but twice to stress the importance) for a stunning answer. “Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, [a] because in his time the earth was DIVIDED;…” (Genesis 10:25/I Chronicles 1:19)!!! THIS SEEMING INNOCOUS VERSE IN TWO BIBLICAL GENEOLOGIES, TRUTH BE TOLD, PACKS A PUNCH!!!
Action: Graphics of Land break-up/Continental drift
It is simply amazing isn’t it that closer scrutiny of the existing continents would reveal they can be fitted together like jig-saw puzzle. The east coast-line of South America matches with the west coast of Africa with the rounded corner of Brazil fitting into the Gulf of Guinea. Similarly the facing coasts of United States and Europe can be fitted together, like a hand into a glove.
Action: Map of Continents of today
Peleg son of Eber was born 101 years after Noah’s flood. So before the break-up of the Land mass and subsequent drifting of continents, the Kangaroos and Penguins had had adequate time to reach Australia and Antarctica respectively, even if they had hopped and baby-walked respectively at a speed of mere 0.2 miles per day (http://www.kjvbible.org/peleg.html), claim the Biblical Scholars. For that matter by that time –Land division- some of Noah’s descendants (after Babel tower fiasco) had already reached North America (weren’t Red –Indians already there when America was discovered?) and Australia (weren’t Abrorigines already down under before it was discovered?).
Separated by oceans, after the Land break-up those communities cut-off from other continents remained relatively undeveloped, whereas those in land-locked continents (Asia, Africa and Europe) with no watery barriers, gained richly from one another in terms of trade, education and culture besides fighting with each other! Hey, how can you say that Peleg was born 101 years after Noah’s flood, I can hear someone asking a question. Calculation on the basis of Genealogy in Genesis 11:10-17, Ladies and Gentlemen!!! Didn’t I say at the beginning of my message itself that we would depend on a Genealogy to understand more about Genealogy?
Now for a yet another final poser! Can this “gold-mine of geographical information of continents’ creation” be ever explored and reconciled with reliable records of Geology without going through the “illumined tunnel of Biblical genealogy”? NO WAY! Make no mistake Biblical genealogies are inspired BY THE UNPARALLED GENIUS OF THE CREATOR WHO FASHIONED THIS WORLD OUT OF NOTHING! Now is it asking for too much…with your thumbs up for Biblical genealogies SAY ALONG WITH ME “All Scripture is God-breathed and He doesn’t waste His breath!!!? Can I hear a HALLELLUJAH please!!!
(Suresh Manoharan)
PS: This Sermon replete with animations/graphs/maps can also be accessed at the following URL...
http://www.jandsmministries.com/message_aug1_10.asp
