I Dream of…Genealogy?

I love to write suspense.  Out of nothing—poof. I dream and worlds appear.  It’s fun to make up characters.  Maybe my protagonist should have purple highlights, drive a Karmann Ghia, and walk with a limp. And the food! I can whip up grilled pork roast, guilt-free Alfredo sauce, and crème brûlée. The setting? Antarctica. Or a planet of my own making, complete with talking chimera.  Whatever I do, one thing is certain: My plot must hold readers captive so they neglect the laundry, the bathtub, sleeping, and breathing.  The last thing I do if I want to tell a dramatic story is include a long list of names in my story’s climax.  That would be like rolling the credits as the main action in a movie.  Yet leave it to God to break all the rules when breathing inspiration into the best-told stories of all time.

Ending with a genealogy is exactly what He did through the human of the Book of Ruth.  And once we “get” what He’s doing, we have to admit He has provided an utterly dramatic landing.  The readers of “Ruth” lived in a world before moving pictures.  No photos; only drawings.  When a loved one died, the bereaved had no hope of ever seeing that person’s face again.  The only thing left was a memory, and a name. So for the descendants of Abraham, genealogy ruled.  What might seem anticlimactic to us thrilled the readers of Ruth’s story.  Why? The last name on that list was King David.

What Ruth could not have known, but those who heard her story would have quickly discerned is that God blessed her long after her death.  She was the grandmother of the greatest earthly king ever. And it keeps getting better: Much later Matthew records her name in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  A Moabite girl with the wrong pedigree was grafted into the royal tree.  And all because she embraced the Lord as her God and showed loyal love to a helpless widow.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You that You love mercy and justice and humility, and You care for the needy and the vulnerable.  Thank You that You are able to do far beyond what we can even ask or imagine if we trust in You. Glorify Yourself through my life that I might shine forth something of Your glory.

“These are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmah, Salmon ^was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David,” Ruth 4:18-22 NET.

Today’s devotion is by Sandra Glahn, Th.M. She is an adjunct professor, Christian Education and Pastoral Ministries, at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), her alma mater while currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Aesthetic Studies (Arts and Humanities) at the University of Texas at Dallas.  Her books include The Coffee Cup Bible Study series and the medical suspense thriller, Informed Consent (Cook). She and her husband, Gary, have been married over thirty years and have a daughter who joined their family through adoption.