Begat? TMI?

Is there anyone else out there who falls asleep, or has their mind wander, whenever family names are read during a passage reading from the Bible? Why are the names there anyway? What does it matter? Do I need to know who begat who? Is it TMI?

Up until I read Listening to the Language of the Bible, I thought the only reason to give such long lists was to inform the reader of the first born male. After all, the 'firstborn' got the majority of the 'goods' since he would become the next head of the family. What I didn't know was that even while a child that first born was given respect by his siblings. Hhmm . . . hard to picture that.

Of course, there are exceptions to the first born being called the 'firstborn.' Look at King David.  As the youngest son in his family, he was appointed to be firstborn by God. (Check out Psalm 89.) That's because firstborn can also mean 'closest in relationship.' I did not know this.

Putting this aside, I felt pretty self-centered when I read the explanation in Lois Tverberg's book. Apparently, many cultures pretty much need to know the family history of a person to know you're talking about a real live person. Not a character from a book or film, or made-up just for the sake of an argument. Having a family name in the Bible makes lessons plausible and real. It's what gives substance to a story, rather than it being all fluff.

Who would have thought that names could hold significance beyond the firstborn details? Now I know. So the next time I come across a passage that lists names, I will praise God that his story is becoming real to someone else because those names are there.