The Boring Parts - Pt 1

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Genesis 5:1-5; 32 ESV).

I saw a new book recently that deals with boredom. I can honestly say that I do not need to reazd that one right now in my life! However, the title, “One Big Yawn,” was intriguing. I began to think of some of the different passages in the Bible that might be classified under this title. Let’s admit it, there are certain parts of the Bible we merely skim across simply because we think they’re boring. They may repetitive, overly detailed, full of names and places we can’t pronounce; and, we come to the conclusion that we really don’t need to bother with them. Our reading today is one of those passages. After all, what difference does it make who begat who. However, every verse of the Scripture is important. If it weren’t then why would God have included it? Why wouldn’t the keepers of the Scripture through the millennia simply have lost track of these passages? Even the parts of the Bible we deem to be boring are significant because they are God’s word to us. Today I am going to start a little series dealing with the best things about the boring parts of the Bible. The first of those are the genealogies. Let’s remember the context of this passage. After this incredible accounting of the creation and the cosmic disaster of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and fall, the story of the Bible slows down in Genesis by tracing the sons of Adam and Eve’s son, Seth, through numerous generations. The importance of these lines of the generations is found in the promise of God after the judgment of Adam and Eve. God made a promise (cf. Genesis 3:15) about a particular descendant of Eve. The whole of the Bible is most significantly about this descendant. Tracing the line of descendants from Adam and Eve forward keeps us tuned in to what is most important in the Bible’s story, or really who is most important — the promised offspring who will one day be born and will do battle with the offspring of the ancient serpent and win. After all, without Jesus what is the impact of the Bible? Genealogies are important in that they confirm the truth of God’s promises. We can depend on His word. That’s good news!