Genesis 11:10-32

Oh man, here we go again. Genealogies. Can we just skip these things? I mean, is there is a real point with these? I can’t even pronounce their names - I mean, you try to pronounce Naphtuhim, Reboth-Ir, Pathrusim, or Caphtorim.

I am sure that all of us have felt like this in some way. We are not sure what to do when it comes to chapters like Genesis 11, except that we move on because it’s difficult to see how they matter to our lives. It’s interesting to know there are about 25 genealogies in the Bible, and they too, like the rest of the Bible, teach us.

When they narrate deaths, they (1) show us things are not the way they are supposed to  be. When they recount births, they show (2) God has not given up on his people. But specifically (3) the lessons we learn in genealogies come through their anomalies. This means that when we read about biblical genealogies, there is often a subtle message in them that we are to focus on so that we hear what the writer is teaching us.

So, what are the anomalies in Genesis 11? Let's take a look...