Anyone reading the Bible, especially the Old Testament, becomes aware that many names, numbers, genealogies, and locations have been recorded in Scripture. How tempting to skip over these in our reading. How many small group participants have dreaded being called on to read one of these passages filled with hard-to-pronounce names! These names and listings are important for several reasons: 1) The Old Testament, specifically, is the national archive of Israel's history . All the names, places, numbers, and genealogies remind us that we are reading real history, sometimes in much detail, even down to the number of camels! (Ezra 2:67) 2) The covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David -- and especially the promises regarding the coming of Messiah -- take place along the lines of clearly-marked family descent . It was important to preserve not only the prophecies, but also God's providence over unfolding history, to assure us of the correct identificati...