Crooked Family Tree

I took some time to read through 1 Chronicles 1-9 yesterday.

And yes, I heard that audible yawn you just produced.

If you don't know, the first 9 chapters of Chronicles are genealogies - the sons of the sons of the sons of the sons... Not exactly fire for the soul...

I found myself reading it and though most of it was tough sledding - difficult names, repeated names, and generations whizzing by like rush hour traffic - I found something popping out at regular intervals.

For every hero mentioned specifically, there were dozens of nameless unheralded folks. And then there were villains. Kings who disobeyed God and followed their own way appeared. And there were women - interesting in a culture where men were the leading roles and women were the extras - sisters and daughters listed among the legendary and the infamous.

It occurs to me that pedigree, lineage, ancestry in so many cultures is what puts you "in" or "out" of the accepted circles.

Our spiritual ancestry is filled with stumbling, half-hearted, incompetent heroes who paved the way for us and were recorded as the people of Israel - the people who "struggle with God" - and we are invited to add our photo to the family album.

Grace and peace to you and your place in the crooked family tree.