Why Remembering Where We’ve Come From Matters
Why Remembering Where We’ve Come From Matters
I’ve never been one to dig too deep into my ancestry. My knowledge as to where I’ve come from extends back to my great-grandparents on both my father’s side and my mother’s side, then jumps all the way back to Noah, and then traces its way back to Adam.
But even just that much information about where I’ve come from is significant, and here’s why…
The significance of genealogies
My friend Ruth is leading a Bible study right now in the Book of Ruth. (Isn’t that just so perfect?)
The first week, my friend began by teaching us a bit of the history leading up to that book of the Bible, so that we’d understand the broader context of the story. Then, rather than just reading the first chapter, or a portion from a chapter, we read straight through the Book of Ruth. And then, we started talking about what we’d just read.
Had we begun our study differently, this probably wouldn’t have caught my attention; but have you ever noticed that the last five verses of the Book of Ruth are nothing like the preceding 79 verses?
The book of Ruth is written as a narrative, sort of the like the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). But similar to how the Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17), the Book of Ruth ends with one:
Now these are the family records of Perez:
Perez fathered Hezron,
Hezron fathered Ram,
Ram fathered Amminadab,
Amminadab fathered Nahshon,
Nahshon fathered Salmon,
Salmon fathered Boaz,
Boaz fathered Obed,
Obed fathered Jesse,
and Jesse fathered David.
- Ruth 4:18-22 (CSB)
In case you’re not familiar with the Book of Ruth, Perez is not a central character in that narrative. In fact, his name is only mentioned one other time in the whole text, as part of a blessing that was spoken over Boaz at the time of his betrothal to Ruth:
“We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem. May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman.” - Ruth 4:11-12 (CSB)
Nonetheless, for some reason, the writer of the Book of Ruth thought is was really important for you and me to know that Ruth and Boaz' child came from the line of Perez. And the odd placement of this genealogy at the end of the story can be seen as the author’s way of saying, “Hey! There’s something in here that’s worth making note of… Pay attention!”
And since the reason for its significance isn’t abundantly clear at face value, it’s an invitation for us, as the readers, to ask the question, “Why does this matter?”
But to answer that question, we have to ask another question…
Who was Perez?
If you’re unfamiliar with the story of Perez, it doesn’t start well…
It begins with Judah (one of Jacob’s sons) mistaking his widowed daughter-in-law for a prostitute, sleeping with her, and getting her knocked up with twins; and one of those twins was Perez (Genesis 38).
You could say that Perez was born a son of sin — a consequence of his father’s mistake.
But Perez was also a son of promise, as a prophecy about the Messiah, later spoken over his father Judah, was fulfilled through his lineage:
“Judah, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
Judah is a young lion—
my son, you return from the kill.
He crouches; he lies down like a lion
or a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah
or the staff from between his feet
until he whose right it is comes
and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.
He ties his donkey to a vine,
and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine.
He washes his clothes in wine
and his robes in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth are whiter than milk.”- Jacob (Genesis 49:8-12, CSB)
This is why, in the Book of Ruth, we are told that Perez was the great-great-great-great-grandfather of Boaz (Ruth’s kinsman redeemer), and that Boaz was the great-grandfather of David (Ruth 4:18-22). And just as it is important for us to be reminded where David (and ultimately, Jesus) came from, it’s important for us to remember where we came from as well....
Who were we?
Just like Perez, our story doesn’t start well either…
It starts with the very first humans, Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were created perfectly sinless (Genesis 1-2); but in an instant, with a single act of disobedience to a perfectly good God, everything changed (Genesis 3).
The first patriarch of humanity, Adam, sinned; and as a result of his sin, we became children of sin, carrying within ourselves the consequences of our father’s sins, which includes our own sinfulness.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. - Romans 5:12-14 (ESV)
But just like Perez, we were also children of promise.
Along with the curse of sin came the promise of hope, in the form of a prophecy about a Messiah who would be born of a woman to set us free from the curse of all sins:
“I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”- God (Genesis 3:15, CSB)
And this prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. - Romans 5:15-18 (ESV)
While laying the historical foundation for our study of the Book of Ruth, my friend Ruth reminded us that, in the years of Moses, God told the Israelites to repent and confess not only for their own sins, but also for the sins of their fathers (Leviticus 26:40). I used to think that this was somehow about them taking responsibility or making restitution for the specific sins of their fathers; but now, I can’t help but think that this practice was instituted by God so that the Israelites would be reminded of where they came from… tracing their sinfulness all the way back to beginning of time, in the garden of Eden, when their father Adam sinned.
And maybe this is a recurring theme throughout the bigger narrative of the Bible, so that you and I would be reminded of where we came from, to bring us to that initial place where we first recognized our need and received salvation (1 John 1:8-9); and now, as those who have received salvation, so that we will be continually reminded of who we once were, to keep us humble in our new parentage (as children of God), and to keep us ever-repentant.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. - Ephesians 2:1-3 (CSB)
That. That is who we once were. And may you and I never forget that this is where we came from.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:4-9 (CSB)
But this… oh, this is who we are now, because of God!
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