J.A. Matteson
Time is as a river and that which passes by today does not return tomorrow. Each generation enjoys unique opportunities to serve the LORD or squander their time in the pursuit of folly. As a new generational chapter begins another concludes. "The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. These are their genealogies...." (1 Chronicles 1:29-29). The Hebrews were meticulous in preserving detailed genealogical records. By contrast, most in western societies are hard pressed to identify their heirs to the fourth generation. While the Hebrews honored their past, contemporary citizens of western cultures generally devalue it and are arrogantly obsessed with the present. In this regard they dishonor those who preceded them and often repeat the same folly of their ancestors, folly they might otherwise have avoided, had they merely considered the lessons their ancestors learned. When Moses implores, "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom" (Ps. 90:12), certainly the brevity of life impacted him to humbly consider all that God had accomplished before his birth and will do after his short tenancy upon the earth. By honoring those who preceded us we honor the God who established them and the times in which they lived. To disregard them is to disregard the LORD who actively worked in their midst.
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