Love God Greatly: In the BeginningSample

The Book of Genesis was written by Moses during the forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert. The book was written to a generation of Israelites who were about to enter the Promised Land of Canaan. Many of these Israelites had been born into slavery in Egypt, but many of them were also born during the wilderness wanderings. Those who knew of Egypt had been young when they left, spending most of their lives waiting for God to fulfill His promise and bring them into the land.

These first chapters of Genesis describe the way the earth was created and the first people who inhabited it. An Israelite reading the genealogy in Genesis 11 would have recognized the names of those mentioned from the stories they had been told. God had given a promise to Abram, and these Israelites knew they were the fruit of that promise. 

When we read the genealogy in the book of Matthew today, we have a similar perspective as the Israelites did when Moses wrote Genesis. The Israelites knew who Abram was, what he would do, and who his children would become. When we read the genealogy of Jesus, we know who He is, what He did, and what would become of His followers. 

The Israelites read Genesis 11 knowing God had already fulfilled part of His promise. He had made Abram a great nation, but part of the promise was still to come: the inheritance of the land. When we see the life of Jesus we know God has already fulfilled part of His promise: He sent Jesus, the Messiah, who took away the sins of the world. Today, we wait for God to fulfill the rest of His promise: Christ’s return and reign. Our God is the same God. He is the Promise Maker and the Promise Keeper. He kept His promise to Abram and He will indeed keep His promise to us.

Prayer:

Lord God, You are the Promise Keeper. You promised to send Your Son as the Messiah, to save us from sin. You have done it. I believe in Your promise, that Jesus will come again to judge and rule. Thank You for showing me Your promise keeping character over and over again in Your Word. Amen.