那些被记念的名字，从约外之民看约内之恩

Dear brothers and sisters, I am Moses, servant of God.

You may have wondered while reading Genesis: why spend so much space recording seemingly "unimportant" genealogies? The descendants of Cain, of Ham, of Lot, of Ishmael, of Esau , these were not the chosen line. Why did the Spirit move me to write down every one of their names?

Because in God's eyes, no name is superfluous. These genealogies of those outside the covenant are precisely the key to understanding the grace within it. Let me walk you through them.

The Descendants of Cain , God's Common Grace (Gen 4:17-24)

Cain killed his brother and was driven from God's presence. By justice, he should have perished. Yet God gave him a mark of protection (Gen 4:15) and allowed his descendants to develop animal husbandry (Jabal), music (Jubal), and metalwork (Tubal-Cain). The origins of civilization arose among the exiled , this is what Reformed theology calls "common grace": even outside the covenant, God still grants talents, culture, and order.

But note: Cain's civilization ultimately produced Lamech's violence and arrogance , "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold." (Gen 4:24). Without God's restraint, civilization can shine brilliantly and fall catastrophically.

Meanwhile, Seth's line "began to call upon the name of the LORD" (Gen 4:26). Two lines in stark contrast: one had civilization without worship, the other had worship and therefore hope. The Messiah's genealogy continued through Seth's line, not Cain's.

The Descendants of Ham and Japheth , All Nations in God's Hand (Gen 10)

After the Flood, Noah's three sons multiplied. I was commanded to record the "Table of Nations" , Ham's descendants went south, becoming Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Cushites; Nimrod built Babel. Japheth's descendants spread north and west. From Shem's line came Abraham.

Why record so many nations? Because God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;" (Acts 17:26). Every nation's rise and fall is under God's sovereignty. The Table of Nations is not a geography textbook but evidence that God governs all the earth.

Ham's son Canaan was cursed (Gen 9:25), yet a thousand years later, the Canaanite woman Rahab entered Israel by faith and joined the Messiah's genealogy (Matt 1:5). A descendant of the cursed line, saved by faith , this is the power of grace.

The Descendants of Lot , Grace from Shame (Gen 19:30-38)

After Sodom's destruction, Lot's two daughters committed incest with their father. The firstborn bore Moab, the younger bore Ben-Ammi. These very names carry shame. The Moabites and Ammonites became Israel's enemies, and the law decreed: "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD." (Deut 23:3).

But , Ruth was a Moabite woman!

She told her mother-in-law Naomi: "Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." (Ruth 1:16). She entered from outside the covenant to within, from a rejected people to become David's great-grandmother, entering the Messiah's genealogy (Matt 1:5).

Brothers and sisters, what immense grace! God can choose His people from the most unseemly origins. Sin cannot hinder grace; shame cannot limit election. "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26).

The Descendants of Ishmael , Promises Outside the Covenant Also Fulfilled (Gen 25:12-18)

Abraham pleaded for Ishmael: "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" (Gen 17:18). God answered: the covenant would be with Isaac, but "as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (Gen 17:20).

I recorded Ishmael's twelve sons (Gen 25:13-16), each one fulfilled. God keeps all His words , not only promises within the covenant but also those outside it. Ishmael did not inherit the eternal covenant, but not one of God's words to Hagar and Abraham fell to the ground.

More astonishingly: Ishmaelite traders became the means by which Joseph was sold into Egypt (Gen 37:27-28). Human evil accomplished God's good. Ishmael's descendants unknowingly participated in God's redemptive plan , carrying the future savior of all Israel to Egypt.

The Descendants of Esau , Kingdom First, Judgment After (Gen 36)

I devoted an entire chapter to Esau's genealogy. While the Israelites were still slaves in Egypt, Esau's descendants already had kings, city-states, and armies. From a worldly perspective, Esau's choice seemed wiser , no need to wait four hundred years; enjoy earthly blessings now.

Edomite wisdom was renowned. Job's friend Eliphaz came from Teman , the city of Esau's grandson (Gen 36:11; Job 2:11). The prophet asked: "Is wisdom no more in Teman?" (Jer 49:7). Edom had culture, power, and wisdom.

Yet the entire book of Obadiah pronounced Edom's doom: "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever." (Obad 1:10). Edom's kingdom rose and fell; today no trace remains.

But the story has one final act: when the Edomite King Herod ruled Judea, the true King , the Messiah Jesus , was born in Bethlehem. Esau's descendant sat on the throne; Jacob's descendant lay in a manger. But the one on the throne would pass away; the one in the manger would endure forever. "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come." (Gen 49:10).

This is God's election: "(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." (Rom 9:11-13).

All Nations to One , The Flood from Outside to Inside the Covenant

Brothers and sisters, why did the Spirit move me to record these names?

Because God's redemptive plan was never about just one nation. The very first promise God spoke to Abraham was: "And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Gen 12:3). These genealogies outside the covenant are the backdrop to this promise , which are "all the families"? Precisely these recorded peoples.

Look at the Messiah's genealogy: Tamar was a Canaanite, Rahab was a Canaanite, Ruth was a Moabite, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite (Matt 1:3-6). Four foreign women, deliberately written into the Messiah's genealogy by the Spirit. The blood of those outside the covenant flowed into the veins of the King within the covenant.

What grace! Paul wrote: "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." (Eph 2:12-13).

Finally, the Apostle John saw in his vision: "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb." (Rev 7:9). The descendants of Cain, Ham, Lot, Ishmael, Esau , all these genealogies outside the covenant will ultimately flow into this great river of worship.

Brothers and sisters, when you read those seemingly dry genealogies in Genesis, remember: God remembers every name. In His eternal plan of redemption, no nation is forgotten. The God who chose a people from among all nations also called you from among all nations to come before Him. You were once "outside the covenant"; now you are "children of the covenant." This is grace, grace alone.

Glory be to the God who "hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4).