Chris Foster reviews ‘The Genesis Genealogies’ by Rev. Abraham Park (2010, re-issued posthumously 2015, Periplus Editions).

The title of this little gem of a book might make one think, at first glance, that the contents will be dry, specialist and unapproachable, but it is actually quite the opposite. Be prepared to be surprised!

Taking seriously Deuteronomy 32:7’s instruction to “Remember the days of old, consider the years of all generations,” this eye-opening book from Korean pastor-theologian Abraham Park is a step-by-step, in-depth, chronological study of all the generations listed in Genesis 1-11.

This is the first book in a five-volume ‘Redemption Book’ series, which traces God’s outworking of redemption through the course of human history and which helped to earn Rev Park an honorary doctorate from America’s Knox Theological Seminary. ‘The Genesis Genealogies’ covers the years from Adam to the Exodus.

Illuminating genealogical passages that modern readers frequently skip through or consider tedious, Rev Park’s writing is partly academic but also partly devotional. He argues that the often-ignored details of the genealogies are actually “saturated with historical and redemptive significances”, revealing things about God’s longer-term salvation plan for the whole world.

Names and their Significance

Park painstakingly explores the names listed in the genealogies, looking at their meanings in relation to that period of history and to God’s overarching covenant plan. As a result, the book is full of nuggets of interesting and illuminating information.

Thus, we find that Peleg means “division, separate, split” (p160), because it was during his time that the Tower of Babel was built and the population of the world was divided by God, their languages confused. We also discover that Peleg’s father, Eber, has a name which comes from the same root as the word ‘Hebrew’ and that it means “the one who crossed over”. What did he cross over? He crossed over the great River Euphrates, away from where the Tower of Babel was being built. Not only that, but Park has researched Eber’s life and has discovered that he established and ruled a vast kingdom called Ebla, which seems to correspond with the land promised to Abraham in Genesis 15!

Park does not confine himself only to Abraham’s line, however, but also explores ‘ungodly’ lineages proceeding from such as Cain, Ham, Ishmael and Esau, using this to talk about our own sinfulness and the biblical separation between godly and ungodly. Readers are also invited to cross over, as Eber and Abraham did, purposefully separating ourselves from sinfulness and stepping forward to wherever the Lord takes us.

Illuminating genealogical passages that modern readers frequently skip through or consider tedious, Rev Park’s writing is partly academic but also partly devotional.

A Real Eye-Opener

The book is divided into five parts and inside the cover is a clearly-set-out table showing the chronology of the Patriarchs from Adam through to Joseph, marking their births and deaths in relation to one another and to key events (particularly the Flood). Just studying this table is a real eye-opener. For instance, it’s fascinating to realise that Adam’s grandson Enosh was still alive when Noah was born, and that when Noah died, Abraham was already 58 years old.

Of course, this leads to the question of whether the whole Bible can be believed as an accurate record of human history – an issue which divides Christians today. Park clearly states (p26) that while “Everything in this world changes constantly”, “the living Word of God is eternally unchanging” and true. Moreover, Park exhorts us to pass on to our children and grandchildren the treasures to be found in the scriptures and the amazing mystery of God’s plan of salvation throughout the generations, fulfilled in Yeshua the Messiah.

The biggest weakness of the book, in my opinion, is that as well as a table of the generations, it would have been very helpful to include a map (or maps) showing where the various tribes and people groups moved and settled, to aid understanding. However, I have still learnt a huge amount from this book about themes of which, previously, I had little or no understanding, and have received new insights into the workings of God through the thousands of years that humankind has been on earth.

‘The Genesis Genealogies: God’s Administration in the History of Redemption’ (254pp, paperback) is available from Amazon for £7.13. Also available in hardback and Kindle forms.

Other titles in the Redemption Book series: The Covenant of the Torch, The Unquenchable Lamp of the Covenant, God’s Profound and Mysterious Providence and The Promise of the Eternal Covenant. Find out more about Rev Park (1928-2014) and the series by clicking here.