Past and future

Yesterday in our staff meeting, Gordon made a statement about the importance of genealogies to the Jews.  This got me thinking about the genealogies found throughout the Old Testament and in the gospels.  Their lineage allowed them to trace back the family line and provide a point of reference; it was an anchor in their identity, and it was a source of great pride.  This ability to trace their family line is important even today for the Jew.  As they continue to look for the Messiah (He has already come), and with the resumption of ancient practices, it is important to know who are and who aren’t in the priestly line.  

Family heritage was and is important to the Jew.  Unfortunately, this has become hit or miss in much of our culture.  A number of years ago, Amy’s dad traced back their family line centuries.  In my family, I know the line back to my grandfathers.  The family that came before us helps define who we are today.  Some of us are very proud of our heritage and ancestors, for they have done some wonderful things and influenced us and others in magnificent ways.  For others, like the Hatfields and the McCoys, their feuding and fighting is paramount, and nothing supersedes this.  For others, there is a great effort to distance themselves from their families.  In the case of the descendants of Adolf Hitler, they changed names, moved to other parts of the world, and vowed to end his bloodline by not having children.

 https://allthatsinteresting.com/hitlers-descendants 

Yet in the story of Ruth (and of Rahab from the week before) we learn that there is another way for our lineage to be changed and made impactful.  Ruth, from Moab (and all the negativity this brings) leaves not only her home and the family of her birth, but also her gods.  She attaches herself to Naomi, and more importantly, believes and follows the God of the Jews, Yahweh.  Arriving in Bethlehem, Naomi is welcomed, but Ruth is and always will be an outsider.  That is, until she is redeemed and married into the family of Boaz.  Her lineage will include Jesse, David and Jesus of Nazareth.  

All of us come from a long line of disrespectful and disobedient rebels, malcontents and downright sinners.  Our lineage defines us.  It has shaped who we are.  Some of us were, as a friend of mine used to say, “a druggie,” in that “I was drug to church before I was even born.”  Some of us grew up in homes and families where Sunday was just another day off.  But as Ruth and Rahab both found out, encountering the Living God, coming to see Jesus as a babe in a manger and as a crucified, risen Savior, we are changed.  Whatever the past, Christ has died to pay for it.  Whatever your future, Christ is showing you the way to live.  

We can be like Orpah and return to the gods of the past — dead, man-made idols that are powerless and ineffective to change our lives.  We can let where we have been and where we come from define us.  Or, we can trust God to forgive us our past and trust Him for our future.  Ruth’s lineage from Moab is never mentioned, only the one from where she came to Yahweh.  Whether you are proud or running from your ancestors, you can always live with confidence and boldness if you are a child of the King, part of the line of Jesus.

Pressing On…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor