January 13 Devotion

There are times when we are with someone that we point out another individual nearby and give some interesting piece of information about them to help identify who they are. “There is Mary. Did you realize that her sister is Joni, your next door neighbor?” Or, “that lady’s name is Pat. You probably didn’t know that she is an aunt to Amanda’s husband, Brian.” Or, “Do you see that guy? His name is Jeff and he plays Major League baseball for the Seattle Mariners.” It is interesting when reading the various genealogical information in the Bible how one name will jump out from the pages, or how in the midst of a whole bunch of names, some relevant piece of information is given about one person in particular. As we read through the various names of Esau’s descendants, we are given some extra information about one person named, Anah. “The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while he was grazing his father’s donkey” (Genesis 36:24). Now, honestly, how important is it that we know this information about Anah? Does it help us identify Anah from the other members of the clan any better? Does it give us insight into the character of Anah that we can learn from? Is this Anah mentioned anywhere else in scripture? So, why did God think we needed to know this about Anah when we aren’t told anything more about his brother, Aiah or all the rest of his relatives? Maybe, we are missing the point. Maybe, the larger issue is that people are significant to God. You can bet that long after we have ceased to watch the credits at the end of a movie, those whose names are listed or even those related to those whose names are listed, are still patiently waiting for their name to show up. We are not some unknown face or name to God. He knows each and every one of us, right down to the words we will speak before they ever reach our tongue (Psalm 139:4), what the days of our lives will look like before one of them ever comes to be (139:16), and the number of hairs that are still on our head (Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7). So, while it may not mean much to us right now that Anah discovered some hot springs in the wilderness, it is worth remembering so we can ask Anah about the story behind that information when we see him in heaven. And don’t forget that God knows every detail about our lives, as well. And that is interesting.