Abraham's family tree developed

1Chronicles 1:29-31 Abraham’s family tree developed along these lines: Ishmael had Nebaioth (his firstborn), then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah—the Ishmael branch.

The first several chapters of 1Chronicles are a mind numbing list of names: sons of sons of sons with an occasional woman thrown in. My computer doesn’t recognize any of these names, and underlines each with its jagged red line saying, “this can’t be spelled right.” There are, however, some interesting things that come to light. Oddly, despite all the time given them in Genesis, neither Sarah nor Hagar are mentioned by name, but Ishmael, Hagar’s son, is given prominence as the first born, and despite the fact that they were both sent away, we are given his lineage as well as the lineage of Isaac, the father of the Israelite nation. Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, however, is mentioned, though Genesis is silent about her. Later on, we discover that Joab, David’s right hand man, as well as his brothers Asahel and Abishai, were actually the sons of David’s sister, Zeruiah, and therefore, his nephews. We also encounter Jabez, famous for his prayer of prosperity, which God answered. But mostly it is genealogy of the not very interesting kind, a bunch of names, son of, son of, detailing all those who formed the community of Israel both before the exile, and the names and duties of those who first came back to Jerusalem from Babylon.

So what is this list of names? I imagine for a people scattered, first by Assyrians and then by the Babylonians, these names were a grounding, a reminder of the people they had once been. Each name represented a person, a story, one of the many stories that weave together to form the story of Israel and its relationship to God. Perhaps this was a way of reminding themselves of who they were, of paying homage to those that went before, of recording their truth in the face of a culture that wanted to wipe them out, that defined them as powerless, faceless and pitiful. They are a concrete expression of the heritage these returnees didn’t want to forget. I am reminded of the Vietnam Memorial, which is primarily a list of names, the names at Ellis Island and other entry points for immigrants to this country. Watching Henry Louis Gates tracing African-American roots back to slave ancestors, my own exploration and understanding of those forebears who came here from other countries and started anew, reminds me that we all, I think, have a stake in those that came before, and owe who we are to the sacrifices they made. Perhaps this was their way of remembering.

Prayer: Dear God, I feel you calling me to take the time to remember and honor those who came before me. I know that everything in my life is built on what they did, and saw and sacrificed. Let me also be aware of those today who, all around the world, are being uprooted from their homes, sent into exiles of one sort of another, who have lost family and friends in wars and genocides, and struggle to remain connected to their land, their culture, their place on this earth. Teach me how to honor them. Give them your peace. Amen