Exodus 90/Day 14: Biblical Genealogies
Your name and family line are significant to who you are
If Words Are Powerful Then How Much More Is Your Name?
My name is Obinna. I go by Obi, for short. And when I introduce myself as such, or when people ask if they can refer to me as such it is almost always followed by: “…like Obi-Wan-Kenobi?!”
This question is followed by a big grin across the face of the speaker, which is accompanied by eyebrows raised as if they just drew the numbers for the Mega-Million raffle. It is so annoying.
When I first moved to the U.S. from Kuwait and was attending middle school in a small beach town in southern California I was able to endure these lame excuses for jokes. The Star Wars Saga was still being released (I think we were on Episode 3 at the time) and there were not any other Nigerians that I knew in the area and could see why someone would rush to that punchline. Five years later I was less forgiving. Instead of chuckling, I would respond with a straight face as if to let them know that they were not the first person that ever thought of that line even if they thought they were. Ten years later I would politely correct them, “No, my parents did not name me after a Star Wars Jedi (you idiot! — I thought to myself),” Three years ago I got fed up and decided it was time to reclaim my true and full name: Obinna.
Obinna is an Igbo name. Igbo is both a language and ethnic group in Nigeria. It means “father’s heart” and is quite the common name in Nigeria. As the third and last son, the etymology is significant and with my very shallow exposure to the Bible, I could attempt to make the connection to Joseph in that I was the child of my father’s old age. Nigerian fathers are not thinking about Star Wars when they are naming their children, they are thinking about their heart, their passion, and how this newborn child embodies their wildest dreams. Each time I allowed people to associate me with an offhanded naming, I was simultaneously discrediting the significance of my name and thus my destiny.
This is why today’s reminder of the importance of Biblical genealogies resonated with me. Too often I tend to skip over the verses, chapters, and even books (Numbers) that detail the genealogy of the Israelites. I want to get to the important people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jesus. But at the same time, we know that the tribe of Levi are people dedicated to serving the LORD. That is 1 of the 12! Each child of Jacob has a family line and each family line, in its history, a specific promise, a blessing, or a curse.
The challenge for today was to speak with our parents about their parents. Ask them questions about who they were, what they struggled with, and what were their particular gifts. We find quite often that those same things are reflected in us. And it is through knowing these characteristics that we are able to fully capitalize on our gifts and overcome our challenges.
Amen †
