The Importance of Lineage

    Lineage.  It is a question of one’s own connection with the past.  To the denizens of the culture of the “now”, such an aspect of history has no place in life because one’s life is all about the present and the future.  However, to the wise among us, history has an exalted position of importance in life as does our family heritage.  Indeed, the immortal words of George Santayana still ring true, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  Of course, he was speaking of the mistakes in history, but his premise of neglecting the past to our detriment still bears recalling.
    So imperative is this idea of lineage to me that I have taken up the study of genealogy as a hobby.  I have always been interested in history, so much so that it was one of my majors in college.  Indeed, my focal point of study in seminary was Church history.  It only stands to reason that I should bring to bear that interest in the area of family connections.  When I began this pursuit, I could not believe what discoveries awaited me.
    For instance, I was amazed to find out that I have through each of my parent’s lines direct connections with two different couples of French Huguenots who were the first who settled in Virginia in the 1600s at Manakin (Monocan) Town, just east of Richmond.  I have verified the connection of one of the couples while the other will have to remain unofficial due to a lack of available documentation.  The Huguenots were refugees fleeing persecution in France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in which Protestantism was made illegal, the practice thereof made punishable by seizure of property, bodily torture and death.  These Huguenots made their way to the New World in search of freedom of religion and worship, settling in Virginia.  One couple remained at Manakin Town until the end of their days.  The other eventually moved on to South Carolina, there the husband serving as a minister of another Huguenot settlement as he had in Virginia.
    Along another line on my father’s side comes an example of those who fought for our nation’s freedom from British tyranny in the famous American Revolution.  Like many of our ancestors, he was of European descent, German to be precise, yet considered this land and its future worth fighting for.  He and his brothers were part of the formation of the German Fusiliers, a company of defenders made up of German and Dutch immigrants and their sons who felt the need to take up arms in protection of Charleston, South Carolina after “the shot heard ‘round the world” was fired in Lexington and Concord much further up north. 
    These are but two examples of many others that I could name.  Men and women of various stations of society, from yeomen farmers to knights and aristocrats.  Military warriors who fought and died in every major and minor conflict of our nation since the formation of this great land.  It seems that every time another person is located, yet another story of great interest is told.  This is why the hobby for me is so intensely exciting.
    This pursuit of genealogy is likewise integral to the serious student of Scripture.  One finds quickly as one begins the meritorious task of reading through the Bible in a year or two that, before long, one will run into long chapters of “so-and-so begat so-and-so” (KJV) and so on. These lists of genealogies of family connections seem so arduous that we are very tempted to jump ahead to the more juicy narratives because they are easier to read and understand.  However, we must never forget that these passages have, too, been included in the text under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  God intended them to be there for our edification. 
    To the Jews their family connections were of extreme importance to their heritage.  For instance, their bloodline determined to which tribe they belonged.  It revealed their land grant at the end of the conquering days of the Promised Land under Joshua and the elders.  It even disclosed whether or not there were kings of Israel of old in their past (especially if they were of tribe of Benjamin (e.g. King Saul) or Judah (e.g. kings David and forward)). 
    Most notably, the genealogies of Jesus provide us an outstanding example of the importance of lineages.  The one presented in Matthew (1:1-17) gives the reader the legal basis for Jesus’ status as the Son of David through Joseph, His earthly step-father.  We know this because of vs. 16 where the line is traced through “Jacob...the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.”  The focus of the verse is on Mary, not Joseph, though the lineage is shown to be through Joseph, revealing that Joseph was not the actual father of Jesus, yet he was the husband of Mary.   On the other hand, the lineage disclosed in Luke 3:23-38, is actually through Mary’s family line though it seemingly is shown through Joseph.  (Remember: In the time of Jesus, women were accorded little legal and social standing; therefore, in official documentation, most of the time, lineages were paternal.)  In vs. 23, Luke uses the phrase “(as was supposed)” to show that the above was the case.  Also, Mary’s father was apparently Heli and then the lineage went backward through David all the way to Adam.  Thus, her genealogy proved Jesus both to be the Son of David and the Son of Adam/the Son of Man in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
    So, the next time you read through the Scriptures, be sure to pay close attention to who belonged to whom in terms of family relationships.  It will encourage you spiritually to see how deep the grace of God really is.  It may even prompt you to see how God’s hand has been at work in your own family’s genealogy if you begin such a study into that history as well.  Never forget that, in God’s mind, the past, the present and the future are very much interconnected.  And so should they be with His people.