Today we will begin something a little different – there is so much overlap between Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, that we’ll attempt to follow them in parallel. What I mean is, read a passage in one book (eg. Samuel) then the corresponding passage in another book (eg. Chronicles).
This chapter recaps the genealogy of Adam through Jacob.
“Adam, Seth, Enosh; Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared; Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; Noah… Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah; Eber, Peleg, Reu; Serug, Nahor, Terah; Abram, that is, Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel.” (v1-3,24-27,34 abr)
This lineage takes us through Genesis 1-36. That might not sound like much at first, but it’s 22 generations and roughly 2200 years of history. Just think – without any one of these people fulfilling their role in history, the Hebrew people and Jesus would not be how we know them today. God clearly had a plan for all of these people and their roles in His greater sovereign will.
Reading genealogies like this reminds me that what we do in this world has an impact – not only on our individual lives, but on the lives of those around us, and on the lives of those who come after us.
I realize that not everyone will have biological descendants in this world, however, we can all have spiritual descendants. My encouragement today is to invest in at least one individual who is spiritually young enough to be your child / grandchild – mentor them, encourage them, disciple them, and help build a legacy for the next generation. (Note I said “spiritually younger” – age isn’t really a factor here, the person may actually be older than you)
Think of any great mentor – Jesus, Paul, Brother Lawrence, Mother Theresa, Yoda, etc. They all invested themselves into a future generation, passing on what they knew, and helped people get / stay on the right track.
The only reason the Hebrew descendants (both biological and spiritual) have lasted this long, is because God keeps raising up leaders (mentors) to keep them on track. You and I can be those leaders, even if we only lead one person. Who knows – maybe God will send more than one spiritual descendant our way if we are obedient in this calling.
Father God, our Sovereign and Holy King, great and mighty is Your name. Father thank you for rescuing us from sin and eternal separation from You. Thank you for providing mentors in our lives to help us grow in our faith. Thank you as well for sending someone for us to mentor in return. Father, we admit we feel unprepared for mentoring someone, yet we can have faith that Your Spirit will provide all of the wisdom, words, and strength we require. Thank you in advance for working in and through us to continue the Hebrew faith, perpetuating it until Jesus comes again. All honor, glory, thanks, and praise be to You, our Lord God Almighty, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training