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Dysfunctional!

Wow, what a bunch of bad guys! The lineage of Noah’s son, Ham, includes a whole lot of bad guys, people groups that would seriously challenge the establishment of God’s righteous Israel in the promised land.

From Ham and his descendants came people groups like the Babylonians, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Assyrians, and the Hivites. In the future, these groups would harass, oppress, fight, or enslave the Israelites.

Yet there are two signs of God’s redeeming mercy in this passage: first, from the same man (Noah) would also come Abraham, who was the father of God’s chosen people. Second, even Ham’s dysfunctional family line produced his grandson Nimrod, “a mighty one on the earth … a mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8¬-9). God can raise mighty leaders and people of great faith wherever he wants.

God showed His great redemptive power when He created you and chose you to walk with Him regardless of your parentage or background. He doesn’t make mistakes.

Question: Have you ever felt insecure because of your family of origin? Do you believe that despite your family’s weaknesses, you can stand out just because you believed and walked with Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, I love to see how you can look at a seemingly miserable situation and create a beautiful redemptive story that glorifies you. I want my life to do the same, so I surrender to your will to bring you glory. I also ask your help in seeing others as you see them—not focused on their fleshly weakness but having faith that you can transform people out of any situation.