Little David hurls a rock and a giant falls down. God rescues Daniel from a den of lions. Brave Queen Esther saves her people from death. A young woman delivers a baby who is God’s own son. The Bible is truly a book of great stories.

But they aren’t just stories. Artifacts from Bible times remind us of that. Many of the items in the Museum of the Bible come from ancient lands where actual people lived. The Bible is living and active (Hebrews 4:12)—and its events happened at specific places and times.

Have you ever read a long list of genealogy in the Bible? A genealogy is like a family tree. It sounds like, “so-and-so was the father of so-and-so . . .” and it goes on from there. Sometimes it goes on and on and on. Your eyes might glaze over. You might feel tempted to skip ahead. After all, why read long lists of hard-to-say names when you could be reading about giants, lions, and God finally coming to Earth as a little baby?

The next time you’re reading a genealogy, think about this. Genealogies—like the exhibits at the Museum of the Bible—show that God works through real people who live in real places. He knows each by name. He isn’t making up pretend stories to remind us how to live. He is telling a real story about His son, Jesus. Jesus really entered history. And one day, we will really meet Him face to face.