Some parts of the Bible are harder to read than others.  Some things seem repetitive or pointless, but we know that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”. (2 Timothy 3:16). For me, it can be very hard to concentrate while reading the many long genealogies, mostly of people I know nothing about.  But maybe the point is that God does know all those people.

I’ve heard a story that may or may not be true, but I’m sure it’s at least possible, and an example of how God can use long genealogies in a profitable way.  The story goes like this: a Christian who attended church regularly invited a non-Christian friend to church, and they accepted.  They had been having some discussions and the friend was curious, so the Christian was hopeful.  However, the pastor on that day decided to preach on one of the long genealogies in the Old Testament.  The Christian sat there disappointed because they were hoping their friend would hear the gospel.  In a complete surprise to the Christian, the friend said soon after the service that they had decided to follow Christ.  When asked why, the friend said something like: “I never was close with my family, but the idea that God cared about each and every one of the people listed in those genealogies convinced me that God cares about me.  He didn’t leave them out of His book.  He cares about me and wants me to be part of His family.”

Like I said, I’m not sure that this is a true story, but the point that mattered to the friend in the story remains: God cared enough about every person in those genealogies to have them recorded in the Bible.  He thought of every one of them.

God has another book full of names in addition to the Bible and its genealogies: His book of life[1] which has the name of every one of His people listed in it.  If you are a Christian, your name is in that book and God loves you as His adopted family.  Like the genealogies, this book tells us that every person is precious to God and He knows each one personally and intimately.

If you find books like 1 Chronicles (which begins with many genealogies) hard to read, maybe as you read each name, remember that God loves that person, and loves you as well.  Nobody is irrelevant to God, and that’s a key part of the good news of the gospel!

[1] Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, 13:8