Just a quick posting after more of an outpouring yesterday.
Ploughing through the minutiae of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1-9, I am struck by the following two thoughts:
i) these records were incredibly important to those concerned, and we will get a flavour of this when we read Ezra and Nehemiah soon;
ii) what was done has consequences. Reuben sleeping with his father's concubine led to his rights as the firstborn being passed on to the tribe of Joseph (Gen 35:22; 1 Chr 5:1). The allocation of duties to the different Levite clans in the desert remained down the centuries. The allocation of towns to Levites by Joshua. Decisions at one point in time had long term consequences. But seldom, if ever, do I think my every day decisions will have any lasting impact. Ultimately, in the end, only faith, hope and love endure, and the greatest of these is love.
As a postscript, I'd like to thank Pam Olive, anonymous, alex b and all the others, royalty or not, for all their comments. They are a real encouragement as we go through this together, nearly a third of the way through. Keep them coming.
7 comments:
I don't get genealogies, so I was very pleased to stumble across a gem the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 4 (NLT) which had me in fits of laughter. I was amused by "their sister Hazzalelponi" and wondered if "their brother Hazzabighoss" or maybe "their baby sister Hazzakitti". :-)))
Probably just my dodgy sense of humour - my 16 year old daughter didn't find it particularly funny!
Thanks Adam for keeping us all inspired!
Brett - I like Hazzaginipig. I think it's funny. Should I be seeking help?
Adam - you mention that the genealogies are important to those concerned. To whom? Brett isn't clearly, which is a great relief. But is God concerned about my family line? Will I have to recite 10 generations of ancestors when I die? Or is it the Chronicle writer doing a bit of a PR stunt by understanding the expectations of his readers, in which case how does that fit with all Scritpture being God-breathed?
Finally, I heard anonomously that Prince Edward is to be the new chaplain at the Link. I know I myself have heard people talk about how well-read he is in the field of Christian fiction, but chaplain at the Link? Has there been some kind of misunderstanding?
Pam - that's the best one yet. If genealogies were full of these, they'd be a bit of fun to read. The truth is that they probably don't have very much bearing on our lives or our walk with God. But, back in the days of the oral traditions, when there were very few written records (or readers) being able to recite your genealogy was like an ID card or a passport. It gave you significance in certain circles, and allowed you access to tribes / groups / cultures that were divided along definite ethnocentric lines. I guess they really validate the claims of the characters in the Old Testament to the positions that they occupied. Particularly the bad guys - who would have been ousted by a democracy, but because they could cite their royal pedigree, they were tolerated - even revered, and often hung on to their position despite their very poor leadership.
That's my understanding of them anyway - what I don't get is why I need to keep reding them :-(
Regarding Prince Edward - I think you're barking up the wrong tree! Last I heard, the new assistant chaplain for the link was a bloke called "Brian".
Can I make a quick comment about genealogies? I think you need to consider them as more than simply a very detailed family tree. Take the arrangement in Numbers. The census serves to indicate how each Israelite clan contributes to the wider whole and stresses the family links and thus the unity of the tribes. The tribes are then arranged in battle order around the tabernacle (ch 2) - the symbol of God's leadership of Israel and also of his Kingship. Ezekiel will come back to this (Ez 48).
So the census records actually show us that Israel is equipped for conquest and Yahweh is in the midst of the camp - therefore victory is guaranteed (cf 14:44).
If you only look for how it helps your personal walk you'll be in danger of putting yourself in the centre of the story. And like what you see in Numbers, God is in the centre of this.
Just a thought.
Great to see Chris bring some very helpful input to this. I do thank Breet and Pam for the laughs, and I had thought of drawing your attention to the Levite in Neh 9:4 "Bunni", but I think I'll leave it now.
I would like to exchange links with your site www.blogger.com
Is this possible?
Post a Comment