Like so many, the further back my family tree goes, the more twisted it gets.

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It’s not twisted in terms of evil.  It’s twisted in terms of twists and turns.  My family tree includes Scottish, Irish, German, English, and others.  Basically, I’m Europe. 

But all of those family members who married different Europeans each had a story.  Their children had stories.  Their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and so on, eventually resulted in me. 

I’m here because of them.  And they don’t know me.

Consider that when you read a genealogy in the Bible. The people we focus on are a product of the genealogies. 

As we move through Genesis 10, we’re at Genesis 10:6-20.

6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka.
The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar.  11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
13 Egypt was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.
15 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.
Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19 and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.  

Genesis 10:6-20, New International Version
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Ham is the ancestor of many of the peoples of North Africa and the Middle East. These peoples are from all along the southern and eastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The nations settled by Ham include Sudan (Cush), Egypt (Mizraim), Libya (Put), Yemen (Sheba), Lebanon (Sidon), and Palestine (Canaan).

Ham’s descendants are given some details we don’t find in the other sons.  While most of his descendants are just named, a few excursions give us some remarkable details.

Cush’s son Nimrod is singled out as a mighty warrior, and the nations he founded are provided in this genealogy.  These nations and city-states are highlighted because these people played prominent roles in the history of the Hebrews.

Furthermore, the story of Nimrod suggests he created these people groups by force. It was not through the gentle diffusion between people groups.

The genealogy of the Hamites shares a common theme. They have close geographical, political, and economic importance to the people of Israel. These nations served as major rivals and literally surrounded the nation of Israel.

As we move through the book of Genesis, we’ll find these people and nations featured in the stories.

As I wrote last week, genealogies might not be your favorite parts of the Bible. But we must be able to see the hand of Almighty God working through families and cultures around the world.