Ancestry has never been so easy to research than what it is now with the various online websites which allow you make connections with family all over the world. DNA samples can even be examined to pinpoint the exact location a person's ancestors were from. This is helpful because not everyone has a written, recorded history of their family. The renewed interest in ancestry research in recent years perhaps highlights the fact that family ties are important!
The Bible includes many chapters devoted to recording genealogy. We tend to read over them quickly but it is great to be able to see the special family ties from Genesis that eventually would turn up in the genealogy of Jesus! Genesis 11:10-26 records Shem's family line where we get a sense that God is about to make a fresh start through Noah's son —from his line, He would build a nation! These people would be God's people and they would be part of His rescue plan for all mankind. In today's reading we have detail of one of the descendants of Shem called Terah and his offspring:
"This is the account of Terah's family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran."
Genesis 11:27-32 NIV
Here we meet Abram for the first time, later to be known as Abraham. He is spoken of throughout the rest of the Old Testament and even the New Testament too! He was known as a friend of God:
"And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend."
James 2:23 NIV
What a special connection they had! Having friends in high places is always good but in this case, for Abram, he had a friend in the very highest place of all! It seemed from early on, that he would be quite a significant member of the family tree but reading this passage we see that his wife Sarai, could not conceive a child. Where would that leave the family line?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for families and the precious ties that I have. Thank You that the earth was indeed filling up again after the flood and the Tower of Babel incident. It is so good that we have a record of the family line from Noah to Jesus so we can see that Your plan to rescue mankind was happening hundreds of years before he was born. Thank You that You had a plan for Abram, Your friend, along with his wife Sarai. Thank You that through their journey of faith, through moving and not being able to conceive a child, I can find encouragement when I face similar personal struggles. Thank You that You care about people and their families and that You have a plan for us all!
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
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Light and Life for Today
SpiritualA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
