Raise your hand if you skimmed—or even skipped—most of today’s reading, which features the first extended genealogy list we've encountered. Okay, so did I. But then I noticed a few things I thought might be worth sharing. So here goes.
First, before the family tree comes a reaffirmation that humankind (the Hebrew, ha adam, is not gender specific) has been created in the image of God. It’s as if the biblical editors realize how quickly we lose sight of such a staggering and important claim. Note too that it’s not just the Israelites who bear God’s image, according to their sacred lore, but all of humanity—the entire species!
Second, notice that the family tree charted in Genesis 5 doesn't quite line up with the briefer one mentioned in the preceding chapter. Many of the names are the same, but the branches are charted out differently, most notably through Seth, not Cain. If we were literalists, we would find ourselves tripped up here; since we’re not, we can recognize a familiar dynamic. Family stories change over time; characters shift; the real point is not necessarily in the precise accuracy of the detail so much as in the deeper message. Here, I take that message to be something like this: We’re all related somehow. Despite our family name, our skin color, our citizenship, we belong to the wider human family that bears the image of God.
Third, notice where the genealogy is heading. The next four chapters will focus on the story of Noah as the lone representative of God’s righteousness on earth, a credential that qualifies him for the trade of shipbuilder as the storm clouds gather. In other words, we may be made in the image of God, but we don’t always wear that image so well.
- What will you do today to remember that you’re created in God’s image? How will you reflect God in your own part of the world?
- What will you do today to affirm the image of God in someone else, perhaps even someone whose behavior troubles you?
- What other details did you notice in today’s reading?
Prayer: We make our lists, O God, and even live by them. Remind us that we’re on your list, a list that connects us to all who are created in your image. Amen.
Breath Prayer: When God // created humankind.
