Did you know that God loves lists?
He must because a great deal of the Bible is devoted to lists. Today we call these particular lists, genealogies. The genealogies in the Bible are some of the deepest, hardest to pronounce and harder to read passages in the Bible. From the surface, they look like barren landscapes, with sand swept surfaces of unyielding granite. But, if we can break through the surface, golden riches and sparkling jewels can be found.
How do we know this?
Because they are Scripture and God put them there for a purpose. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read that “All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for teaching…” God intended every chapter, every verse, every word of the Bible to be profitable for teaching — yes, even the genealogies. In fact, God believes genealogies are so profitable, He devoted large portions of his Word to them. We have them several times in the book of Genesis, the book of Numbers is almost one long genealogy, and we have one at the beginning of 1 Chronicles and one at the end of 2 Chronicles. We also find them in Ezra, Matthew, and in Luke.
By skipping all the genealogies in the Bible, we are passing over a lot of what God thought was important for us to know. He put them there to teach us something, and if we skip them because we think they have nothing to teach us, we are missing out on all that God has for us.
Of course, God doesn’t need lists to aid His memory like we do. He keeps lists in order to keep records. And there are lots of such lists that we learn about in Scripture.
For instance . . .
Psalm 56 says that He records in a book the times you have cried. When you cry, God takes notice, and records it. Isn’t that amazing?
Hebrews 6 tells us that God does not forget our labor of love. Those things are recorded by Him.
Malachi 3:16 says that those that feared the Lord spoke often to one another, and the Lord listened to them, and wrote was being said in a book of remembrance. When you talk about God to one another, God listens to what you are saying about Him, and He writes it down. I hope there are a lot of entries under your name in the book of remembrance. This is His Scrapbook, his book of memories, his creative memory book. If you want God to write a book about you, just talk a lot about Him.
The Bible also tells us that He keeps a list of the things done in the body, whether good or bad. There are books in heaven which record your every word, thought and deed. Now, that’s encouraging, because we know God sees when nobody else notices, but it’s also a bit scary, because again, God sees when we think nobody’s looking. Daniel 7 and Revelation 20 talk about these books. It says that the dead are judged according to the things written in them.
But there is another set of lists which God keeps which I am thankful my name is in, and these are the book of life and the Lamb’s book of life. We read of these books several times in the Old Testament, and frequently in the New Testament also, especially in Revelation (Book of Life: Psalm 69:28; Deuteronomy 25:19; 29:20; Exodus 17:14; 32:32. Lamb’s Book of Life: Daniel 12:1; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 21:27)[3].
It appears that the book of life is a book in which everybody’s name is written. Every person who was ever born is added to this list. And when they die, their name is erased from the list, or blotted out from the list. The book of life is a book of the living. If you are in the book, you are alive. If you are not in the book, you are dead.
But there is another book, called the Lamb’s book of life, which contains all the names of those who have eternal life through faith in Christ. If you’re name is in this book, it is written in permanent ink. It will never be blotted out, erased, or covered with white-out (Rev 3:5). When you believe in Christ for eternal life, God writes your name in the Lambs book of life, and once that happens, your name will never be removed from the book. Your name will never be blotted out from the book. Is your name permanently in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Have you believed in Jesus for eternal life? God is a keeper of lists. Genealogies show us that, and also the many other lists God keeps in the Bible.
Which brings me to my next point . . .
That God knows your name
If you feel forgotten, if you feel insignificant, if you feel that there is nothing special about you, if you feel overlooked, just remember this, God knows your name, His eyes are upon you. He cares for you. You are on a first name basis with God. God knows you and He will honor your faithfulness to Him whether it receives public recognition or not. The genealogies show us that God cares about you enough to know your name.
In fact, did you know God will give you a new name?
When God changes a name, it indicates that something new has happened or will happen to that person—a new relationship, a new character quality, or a new phase of life. We see this somewhat today when a wife takes the name of her husband. It represents a change in her life, both in the eyes of God and of society.
We this in scripture, that after we choose to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord of Savior, we then become a Christian.
But wait . . .
(I'm sorry I just flashed back to my childhood and these obnoxious but very catchy commercials that would try to sell you something and then would end with this statement, "But wait, there's more!")
Okay, I'm back now.
My favorite name change in the Bible is Peter. (Which means "Rock") Jesus changed Simon’s name the moment they met. Jesus looked at him, and said: "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas (which is translated Peter)." - John 1:42
Like Peter, Jesus sees in you what you can be—regardless of what you are. God knows what we are and loves us just the same, but He loves us enough to not leave us that way (Philippians 1:6).
Whoever trusts in Jesus for forgiveness of sins, the One who is the “Name above all names,” receives a new name—“Christian”—and also a new life, a new purpose, and a new destiny.
And check out this promise!
"I will give him . . . a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. . . . I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name." (Revelation 2:17; 3:12)
A new name known only to you.
The name of God.
The name of Jerusalem.
Jesus’ new name.
That is just one of the many wonderful things we have to look forward to in the age to come. And isn't it just like Jesus to mark our time in eternity with a shared secret, that only you and Jesus will know?
That is the God we serve!
This blog shared content based on https://waynestiles.com/god-will-give-you-a-new-name/ and https://redeeminggod.com/sermons/luke/luke-3_23-38/
