This chapter continues the genealogy from Israel (Jacob) through David.
“These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death. His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse. Jesse fathered Eliab… Abinadab… Shimea… Nethanel… Raddai… Ozem… David…” (v1-5,9-15 abr)
A few days ago we talked about how Boaz and Ruth were David’s great grandparents, and here Boaz is listed in the bigger-picture lineage (typically women were not listed in genealogies, otherwise Ruth would have made an appearance here as well).
Digging into this a little I discovered Aaron (Moses’ brother) married Amminadab’s daughter Elisheba. What this means is, Moses and Aaron were only five to seven generations before David (depending which way you count) – I had assumed they were further back. This also means there are roughly 400 years between Moses and David, 299 years of which was the period of judges.
I’m not sure if you find these genealogies interesting, but they are a critical component of scripture. Not only do they prove the legitimacy of God’s promises, but all of this rich history solidifies the Bible’s credibility and authenticity. Historians can believe the Bible’s history because it is easily cross-referenced through other ancient texts and sources. Such sources include: the Masoretic Text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Nash Papyrus, and the Septuagint.
If you’re like me and found history class in high school boring, then please don’t be discouraged by this encouragement: I believe it’s helpful for us to spend some time learning the history both inside and surrounding scripture. It’s not because I love history that I find biblical research interesting – it’s because I love God and His Word that I find historical biblical research interesting (ie. when the history I’m researching correlates to His Word).
I also think that digging into God’s Word, and the history surrounding it is a form of service and worship – we are investing our time and energy to glorify God, deepen our faith, and gain knowledge we can pass on to others.
Of course if that isn’t convincing enough, there’s also the old aphorism Santayana is popularly known for: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Or you may be more familiar with Winston Churchill’s famous paraphrase of it: “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”
I encourage us to spend a little time learning some history, deepening our knowledge of God and His word, so we can be even more effective witnesses for Jesus and His kingdom (see 1 Pt 3:14-17).
Father God, Lord of all of eternity, You are timeless – with you a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Thank you for the rich history that You have blessed us with. Our past is full of triumph, yet there is also much tribulation. May we find joy in learning more about You and Your Word. May we develop a hunger for knowing the past so we may avoid repeating mistakes. May we grow deeper in our faith because of the knowledge we gain of You. May we be excited to pass on what we learn to the next generation. May the next generation also be excited to learn about You. And may Your Spirit guide us on this journey. In the name of Jesus, from the line of David we ask this, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training