They are integral structural supports for God’s covenant. Psalm 105.42-45
Gleanealogy: Introduction (5)
Pray Psalm 105.1, 2, 8.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
He remembers His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations…
Sing slowly and contemplatively Psalm 105.1, 2, 8-11.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Give thanks unto the Lord Most High; call on His Name, before Him cry!
Make known His deeds in every land; sing praise for all the works of His hand.
He will His covenant faithfully guard – His oath, the promise of His Word.
That which He to our fathers swore, He will perform forevermore!
Read Psalm 105.42-45.
Prepare.
1. What was God’s holy promise to Abraham (Gen. 12.1-3)?
2. To whom did God give gladness, joy, and the lands of the Gentiles? Why?
Read aloud.
Supporting the Span
A thousand feet above the flow it links,
in simple elegance, two points of land
that otherwise would never meet. The spanned
gorge is a wonder. Everybody thinks
its single arch the most majestic site
in all the Mountain State. And this is true.
But those plain, thin supports are lovely, too,
and strong. They keep the bridge in place, upright.
God’s covenant, which arches in one span
His flowing Word, and links eternity
and time, is in its course supported by
short covenantal spans. And these rely,
for beauty, strength, and continuity,
on lists of names, which tell God’s love for man.
Meditate.
God’s covenant provides the unifying framework and themes for all of Scripture. In His covenant – an arrangement designed, implemented, administered, and fulfilled entirely by grace – God glorifies Himself by creating and redeeming a people of His own choosing, to know, love, enjoy, and serve Him. He draws them to Himself by exceeding great and precious promises, all of which find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1.4; 2 Cor. 1.20). To advance this covenant from the garden of Eden to the new heavens and new earth, God unfolds it in stages, during which His one covenant of promise (Eph. 2.12) is furthered among His people according to stipulations and criteria germane to their unique circumstances.
God’s covenant is like the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia. It provides the highway whereby the will of the eternal God spans the gorge of history to bring His people to dwell eternally with Him in joy and glory. The upright beams which support that span can be likened to the various stages of covenant unfolding in Scripture – with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, and finally in the New Covenant. Genealogies punctuate each of these covenant-making epochs, to remind us of God’s promise and the progress of His plan, and to keep us focused on what living in God’s covenant requires.
The genealogies of Scripture provide solid structural continuity throughout the Old Testament and into the New, reaching all the way – as we shall see in our next installment – to the judgment seat of Christ and the new heavens and new earth. Therefore ,as we come across these genealogies, we should be reminded of the fact that God’s covenant is made with real people, administered in real time, and unfolding according to real, precious, and very great promises, each of which – like the genealogies themselves – intends to direct us to Jesus, with praise and gladness.
Reflect.
1. How do the various covenants of Scripture relate to the one covenant of promise (Eph. 2.12)?
2. Because God’s covenant is with His people, it makes sense that genealogies would serve to remind us of this from time to time. What should it say to us that God is so careful to keep lists of the names of people with whom He has entered into covenant?
3. On an index card, write a prayer you can use each time you come to a genealogy in the Bible, to acknowledge God’s faithfulness and remember His promises. Tuck that card in your Bible.
God, while he reigned alike over all nations, extended his peculiar favor to the offspring of Abraham alone. How comes it to pass that God, in delivering his people, displayed the might of his arm by so many miracles, if it was not that he might faithfully perform the promise which he had made to his servants in time past? John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Psalm 105.8
Great is Your faithfulness, O God! Thank You for…
Pray Psalm 105.26-45.
Thank God for His covenant faithfulness with Moses and Joshua, and especially with Jesus. Praise Him for including you in His covenant, and renew your commitment to “observe His statutes and keep His laws.”
Sing Psalm 105.26-45.
Psalm 105.26-45 (Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
He brought His people from Egypt alive, and made their joy and song revive.
He made the nations’ land their own, and all the wealth that they had known.
To them He granted the promised land, the portion of His gracious hand.
Though they were few, and wandered far, He kept them close within His heart.
So let us all in our Savior confide, and in His holy Law abide.
Let us observe His glorious Word, and praise our sovereign, faithful Lord!
T. M. Moore
Where does the book of Ecclesiastes fit in the overall flow of Scripture? Our series of studies, God’s Covenant, can show you, and help you discover the great beauty of the unity and diversity of Scripture, and how it all points to Christ. To order your copy of this important workbook, click here.
The poems featured in the Gleanealogy series are by T. M. Moore. To order T. M.’s most recent collection of poems, Bricks and Rungs, click here. The genealogies of Scripture reveal the heart of God in His covenant relationship with His people. To learn more about God’s covenant, order our book, I Will Be Your God, by clicking here. You can learn to sing all the psalms to familiar hymn tunes by ordering a copy of The Ailbe Psalter (click here).
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).
