7 Things to Understand about the Bible's Family Trees

God didn’t give up on redemption through family.

In Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abraham (then Abram) and makes a covenant with him: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’”

As we trace the family tree, we see God’s covenant reaffirmed to Abraham’s son, Isaac, in Genesis 26:3-4. Isaac and his wife Rebekah have twins, and despite the family drama, God blesses Jacob, the younger twin. The Lord continued the covenant through Jacob in Genesis 28:13-14. In each case, God promises land, numerous descendants, and a blessing to all the world’s peoples.

Jacob wrestles with God and becomes Israel. His 12 sons grow into the 12 tribes of Israel. Those tribes are delivered from Egypt and conquer the Promised Land. God fulfills his promise through the family tree.

However, the blessing to all nations ultimately comes to fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:16 explains, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.”

Photo Credit: “Abraham contemplates the Stars,” 1908 (public domain) illustration by Ephraim Moses Lilien.

Once God delivered Israel from Egypt and established the Mosaic Covenant, the Lord promised a perpetual priesthood through Moses’ brother, Aaron. This lineage highlights priesthood’s role in God’s plan for his people, emphasizing holiness, mediation, and the foreshadowing of Christ’s ultimate priesthood.

In Exodus 28:1, God commands Moses, “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests.” This begins the Aaronic priesthood, with his descendants serving as the primary mediators between God and the Israelites.

Numbers 25:12-13 further outline the Aaronic priesthood when God speaks to Phineas, Aaron’s grandson. “Therefore, tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” Throughout the Old Testament, the Aaronic priesthood played a crucial role in maintaining the spiritual health of Israel. The priests conducted sacrifices, maintained the temple, and interceded for the people, as seen in Leviticus 16:32-34 during the Day of Atonement.

The Aaronic priesthood is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, an eternal and righteous priest who fulfills and surpasses the Aaronic priesthood (Hebrews 7:26-27).

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Part of the Abrahamic Covenant gave the Promised Land to his descendants. Upon conquering Canaan, Joshua divided this land among the 12 tribes, with each family line receiving a specific area. Joshua 13-21 meticulously records the allotment of land to each tribe, detailing boundaries and cities.

Each tribe’s inheritance was tied to its lineage from Jacob’s 12 sons. For instance, the tribe of Judah received a significant portion of land. “The allotment for the tribe of Judah, according to its clans, extended down to the territory of Edom, to the Desert of Zin in the extreme south." (Joshua 15:1)

The Levites, Levi’s descendants, received no land inheritance. God stated himself as their inheritance (Deuteronomy 18:1). Instead, they were given specific cities and surrounding pasturelands within other tribes’ territories. This arrangement underscored their unique role as priests and the tabernacle’s caretakers.

Family trees ensured the integrity of tribal lands, maintaining each tribe’s distinct inheritance as mandated by God. This inheritance system prevented tribal land from being permanently lost, even when individuals fell into debt or poverty. Leviticus 25:23-24 explains, “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.” In the Year of Jubilee, every 50 years, all land rights reverted to the original boundaries set by God through Joshua. This required a strict account of family lineages.

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Once Israel begged God for a king, God used their sin to raise up a righteous king as a model, ultimately leading to Jesus, the eternal king.

The Davidic covenant begins in 2 Samuel 7:12-16, where God speaks to David through the prophet Nathan: “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” God promises that one of David’s offspring will always sit on the throne of Israel.

Tracing David’s lineage reveals God’s faithfully maintaining this promise. David’s son Solomon succeeds him and builds the temple, partially fulfilling the covenant. However, the ultimate fulfillment comes through Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of David. Matthew 1:1 confirms this: “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

Photo Credit: “David and Goliath” by Guillaime Courtois, public domain

The Davidic Covenant is only one step in a larger Messianic prophecy, promising an eternal king, priest, prophet, and savior who would redeem all of humanity.

Matthew 1:1-17 presents Jesus’ genealogy, starting with Abraham and culminating in Jesus, highlighting His descent from Judah and David. This lineage establishes Jesus’ direct connection to Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, and David, Israel’s greatest king, fulfilling the prophecies that the Messiah would come from David's line and the promise that God would bless all people through Abraham’s descendants.

Luke’s genealogy traces back to Adam, signifying God’s declaration to the Devil after the Fall has been fulfilled: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Genesis 49:10 foretells that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come, and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew confirms his tribal affiliation with Judah.

Even before the Davidic Covenant, God had promised a Messiah through the tribe of Judah. Despite some evil kings and corruption along the way, God maintains David’s line, sometimes miraculously through exile and war, to fulfill his Messianic promise. Jesus’ lineages in Luke and Matthew reveal how God works through all people.

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If we don’t skip the genealogies in Matthew and Luke, we understand how God’s redemptive plan encompasses all kinds of people, including Gentiles and those with troubled pasts. This inclusivity underscores the depth of God’s grace and his intention to redeem all of humanity through Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17 reflects this grace and inclusiveness when it includes several individuals who had complicated pasts. For instance, Canaanite prostitute Rahab is listed in Matthew 1:5. Rahab’s story, found in Joshua 2, showcases her faith and pivotal role in Israel’s conquest of Jericho. Similarly, Moabite Ruth appears in Matthew 1:5. God cursed the Moabites for resisting Israel and using Balaam to seduce God’s people to idolatry. However, because of Ruth’s loyalty and faith, shown through her marrying Boaz of Judah, she is redeemed and included in Jesus’ lineage.

Bathsheba, called “the wife of Uriah” in Matthew 1:6, also proves significant. Despite her problematic relationship with King David, she became the mother of Solomon, who continued the Messianic line. Her inclusion signifies God’s ability to bring redemption out of morally complex situations.

Including these individuals in Jesus’ genealogy demonstrates that God’s grace includes all people in his redemptive plan. Galatians 3:28 reinforces this idea: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

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The New Testament shifts the focus from physical lineage to a new spiritual one defined by discipleship and the Holy Spirit. This transition reflects God’s redemptive story expanding to include all who follow Christ, regardless of their biological ancestry.

Jesus establishes a new spiritual lineage in the New Testament through his disciples. We trace this family not by blood but by faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands his disciples to make others like themselves. Like telling Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, this Great Commission begins a spiritual family tree.

This new spiritual lineage is evident in the relationships among early Christian leaders. Jesus mentors Peter, who becomes a foundational early church leader. In Acts 2, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaches at Pentecost, leading to thousands being converted, expanding this spiritual lineage.

Barnabas, a prominent early Christian discipled in Jerusalem, mentors Paul, introducing him to the apostles and vouching for his genuine conversion (Acts 9:27). Paul, in turn, becomes a pivotal figure in spreading the gospel to the Gentiles, establishing numerous churches and mentoring other Christians, including Timothy, whom he calls his son (1 Timothy 1:2).

The spiritual lineage continues through the ages, demonstrating God’s redemptive plan's dynamic and inclusive nature. It underscores the importance of faith, the Holy Spirit, and the communal aspect of growing in Christ.

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We sang this song at church when I was a kid: “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by his blood. Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod.”

The Old Testament lineages had value for their time, but we aren’t as separate from them as we think. Through being one with Christ and Christ in us, we are part of the complete family of God, all the way back to the Abrahamic promise and David’s kingly line. We have brothers and sisters through Christian history, and we enjoy the family of God today in numerous nations and people groups.

As God’s children, we are an eternal family of kings, priests, and heirs of the kingdom. Thanks be to God for this gift of family.

Peace.

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