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Gen. 5
How on earth do we have all these specific genealogical records from the beginning? Did they for whatever reason keep strict records from the start, and Noah took them with him on the ark? Or did God tell all of this to Moses on the mountain? As usual, I don’t know the answers. What I do know is that we have these records. And, once again, the details that we don’t know don’t matter because they aren’t the point. These genealogies, whatever the details behind them, are here to tell us something. Or maybe some things. I suspect there is a lot in them that the casual observer simply doesn’t see. I would love to know what those things are.
I have seen a few truths in this chapter over the years – interesting little snippets. One thing I thought of this morning is that most if not all of these men are clearly not the firstborn. The significance of that? No idea. But it is interesting to me all the same. Then there is the fact that Enoch, the righteous man whom God took, was the seventh generation from Adam. Noah came three generations later. Those are both important numbers. And Noah’s father said of his son, through whom God initiated baptism with water, “This one will give us rest from our work” (from Gen. 5:29). Tell me that was a coincidence!
These are just a few examples of messages hidden in a seemingly boring list of names. And I am convinced this list has so much more to say. Perhaps God will continue to open my eyes and ears to know the mysteries of His Word.
Matt. 5
Jesus’ famous “beatitudes” reveal the so-called upside-down nature of God’s Kingdom. For example, it is not those great in their own righteousness who inherit God’s kingdom. Rather, His kingdom is for those who humbly admit their lack of righteousness. Likewise, though the mighty and powerful continually seek to take over the world, it is the meek and humble who will ultimately inherit it. And it is the needy who receive from God. As Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matt. 9:12b). Finally, we see that it is through undesirable things, not through what is desirable now, that we receive our rewards in heaven, where they really matter. Every way you look at it, God’s blessings are found in the unexpected places.
Ezra 5
The description of God as, “The God of heaven and earth” struck me this morning. Ancient cultures had all sorts of gods. They had gods of the sun, of hades, of war, of water…a god for everything, it seems. But then there is God; the One True God. He isn’t the god of any one thing or even group of things. No, He is the God of heaven and earth and all that is contained in them. He is the God of everything because He is the Creator of all of it.