How many times have I started to attempt to read through the Bible, thrilled by the Creation narrative and sobered by the fall, only to get mired in the begats? Well, as I started Matthew 1 this morning, what do I face? Yes, the part that usually gets skipped in the Christmas narratives. Begats.
But pondering some of the names really got me thinking. It's not just names, it's a history of redemption so far. Joseph, the example of obedience, comes from a long line of redemption. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Rahab was the mother of Boaz (or ancestor in any case?) I'd never realized that before. Other familiar names are Hezekiah, Amos, Josiah, David, and so on. Pictures of redemption line Joseph's ancestry. And he would enable the redeemer to come to earth.
The rest of chapter 1 and chapter 2 are familiar -- we read them every Christmas. But the genealogies were the most exciting part of the reading today. Imagine that!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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