They looked high and low for their family records but couldn’t find them. And so they were barred from priestly work as ritually unclean. The governor ruled that they could not eat from the holy food until a priest could determine their status…(Neh. 7:64-65 MSG).

A friend has been researching her genealogy and connecting branches of her family tree.
She’s found some bare limbs and is determined to dig through her ancestral roots to uncover her family history.

In Nehemiah’s book, he assigned God-fearing men to research genealogical records of people who first returned from King Nebuchadnezzar’s exile. Nehemiah 7 includes a list of family names and numbers, ranking from servants to support staff to royalty. Every person counted in Nehemiah’s chronicle.

Similarly, in my friend’s ancestral quest, Nehemiah’s researchers discovered some family branches that hadn’t budded leaves.  These unaccounted names needed someone to uncover their roots before the people could be acknowledged as part of Nehemiah’s family tree.

Their governor labeled these unclaimed people unclean. They weren’t allowed to eat holy food or work in pastoral jobs until a priest determined their status. Every family has a story in their plot of land. As we walk toward eternal life, we seek unity within our root system.

According to God, He is the vine, and His people are the branches. We all matter to our Creator.

Jesus, thank You for planting Your seed in the tree of life. Help me uncover any dead branches that cuts off growth from Your bountiful harvest.

Planting wisdom seeds in fertile soil around lily pad land,

Christina

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