Who is Your Daddy?
Everyone loves a good story of origin. Maybe that’s why DNA testing is so popular nowdays. We all long to know where we came from. Who would have ever thought that just by spitting in a test tube one’s own story of origin could be revealed?
As a child I was fascinated by who my ancestors were. I would ask my parents to repeat the history they had been told by their parents and older generations.
In my elementary years I wrote a report of my heritage. This was an easy assignment because I found the topic enjoyable. Through study, I found out my ancestors came from France, Finland, and were Native Americans. On my mom’s side we could trace our lineage to President Calvin Coolidge. Those bits of information shone on the timeline of our family history.
But sometimes information can get lost in translation or the not so pretty family details can be forgotten. Finding out the truth through a historian and having it confirmed through DNA testing can be shocking. That is what happened with me. Sometimes family history comes with some dark stains.
The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew Chapter One has many illustrious characters but also some appalling ones. A recent study of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles brought me face to face with some dark stains of the Messiah’s heritage. Here are some examples of the varied origins from the time of the Kings:
Ahaz – “Did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God” (2 Kings 16:2b).
Hezekiah – “He did what was right in the sight of the LORD” (2 Kings 18:3a).
Manasseh – “He did evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Kings 21:2a).
Amon – “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father Manasseh had done” (2Kings 21:20).
Josiah – “He did what was right in the sight of the LORD and walked entirely in the way of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left” (2 Kings 22:2).
These ancestors of the Messiah seem to yo-yo between practicing evil and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD. But I find the phrase “just as his father Manasseh had done,” very interesting.
Manasseh practiced witchcraft, divination, child sacrifice, and built altars to demons (2 Kings 21:1-11). When his son Amon came to power after Manasseh’s death, he followed in his ways immediately by worshipping the same idols, abandoning the LORD, and refusing to follow the LORD’s ways (2 Kings 21:19-22). It would seem that the father left an awful impression on his son. Amon opened the door for evil and it followed him into every area of his life. Two years into his reign he was assassinated by his own officials. His son, Josiah was only eight years old when he became King of Israel. Would Josiah follow the ways of his father and grandfather?
Scripture describes a different path. But why? What was the one thing that made him different from his family line?
He chose to follow the LORD and responded earnestly when presented with the Word of God. Second Kings 22 documents how the book of the Law is found while Josiah’s servants are cleaning the house of the LORD. The Torah is brought back to the king and read out loud to him.
Josiah responds to the hearing of God’s Word by tearing his clothes in mourning, crying voluminous tears (v. 11, 18-19). In ancient times, to tear one’s clothes was a public and potent expression of grief. Josiah grieved for the wickedness that had overtaken the land and people of Israel…for the sin of his fathers. They had grossly transgressed the Law given to them.
Josiah spares no time. He inquires of the LORD and begins to reform the nation by destroying every remnant of idol worship. His entire life is dedicated to serving the LORD and His purposes and restoring the land.
Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him (2 Kings 23:25).
The legacy that Amon left his young son Josiah was one of poisonous evil. It could have enveloped Josiah’s life, but Josiah chose to turn to the Lord and lead the nation in righteousness outlined in the Book of the Law.
He chose.
No matter your lineage, good or evil, you can make the choice to do what is right. You do not have to follow in the footsteps of your father.
But there is One whose footsteps are worthy of your obedience. He lived a perfect life and submitted Himself to the work of the perfect Heavenly Father.
Jesus fulfilled Psalm 40:7-8:
Behold, I have come; It is written of me in the scroll of the book. “I delight to do Your will, my God; Your Law is within my heart” (NASB).
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work” (John 4:34 NLT).
No matter the “bad apples” listed in His shady heritage, Jesus chose to focus on pleasing the audience of One.
Back to my family tree, I had a shock when I found some ugly branches. After some DNA testing, we found we were not from Finland at all, but both parents were 50% Irish. With this new knowledge a historian was able to trace my family back a few centuries to the Auldbar Castle in Scotland. They were known as horse thieves.
I’ve always loved horses. I can’t say I haven’t been tempted to steal one; thankfully I’ve chosen to follow a different path.
Written by Kori, Life in Messiah staff
What impact do your past origins have on your present?
Have you stopped to think about how Jesus’ ancestors were all predominantly Jewish with the exception of a few Gentile women? Will you read though His often-skimmed genealogy in Matthew 1:1-11?
What legacy will you leave the generations to follow? In what ways are you intentionally building into the lives of young people today?