What should we do when we come across lists in the Bible containing the names of people? After all, we know that those verses are inspired by the Holy Spirit and, as Paul reminded Timothy, they are written to help us live for God. So here are some suggestions.
The first detail is that after Jesus is born no more genealogies are given. So when we read them, we should say that God was at work, ensuring that the family line from which Jesus would come would be preserved through all the circumstances that occurred.
A second detail is that God remembers who people were. Most of the names in the lists have been forgotten by later generations, yet God has not forgotten who they were or what they did. This goes for those who served him and those who did not.
Some of the genealogies remind us of individuals and groups who served God in difficult times. Think of Jabez, who is commended for his prayers. Or what about the people mentioned in Ezra who heeded the call from God to return from Babylon and rebuild the city of Jerusalem in order for God to be worshipped?
When we go to a war memorial, we see a list of names for whom we show respect. If they had not done what they did, we would live now in a very different set of circumstances. The same is true of many of the people in the lists in the Bible. They were not only serving themselves, but their faith looked ahead to what God would yet do. And that perspective enabled them to engage in the fight of faith in their day.
The genealogies also remind us that one day all that will be said of us will be included in a line of a list. People will not remember what we said or did. Most of us don’t know anything about our great-grandparents. But they contributed to who we are, perhaps by praying for their descendants. And such prayers should be part of our spiritual outlook because God can show mercy to a thousand generations.
