GEMS IN GENEALOGY (PART 2)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

These were the sons of Israel:

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

Judah

To Hezron’s Sons

The sons of Judah:

Er, Onan and Shelah. These three were born to him by a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death. Judah’s daughter-in-law Tamar bore Perez and Zerah to Judah. He had five sons in all.

The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol and Darda — five in all.

The son of Karmi: Achar, who brought trouble on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things.

The son of Ethan: Azariah.

The sons born to Hezron were: Jerahmeel, Ram and Caleb.

From Ram, Son of Hezron

Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, the leader of the people of Judah. Nahshon was the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed and Obed the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; the second son was Abinadab, the third Shimea, the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, the sixth Ozem and the seventh David. Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abishai, Joab and Asahel. Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

Caleb Son of Hezron

Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah (and by Jerioth). These were her sons:

Jesher, Shobab and Ardon.

When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri the father of Bezalel.

Later, Hezron, when he was sixty years old, married the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead. He made love to her, and she bore him Segub. Segub was the father of Jair, who controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead. (But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth Jair, as well as Kenath with its surrounding settlements — sixty towns.) All these were descendants of Makir the father of Gilead. After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Abijah the wife of Hezron bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

Jerahmeel Son of Hezron

The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron:

Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem and Ahijah. Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.

The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin and Eker.

The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada.

The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.

Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid.

The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children.

The son of Appaim: Ishi, who was the father of Sheshan. Sheshan was the father of Ahlai.

The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.

The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza.

These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. Sheshan had no sons — only daughters. He had an Egyptian servant named Jarha. Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore him Attai. Attai was the father of Nathan, Nathan the father of Zabad, Zabad the father of Ephlal, Ephlal the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jehu, Jehu the father of Azariah, Azariah the father of Helez, Helez the father of Eleasah, Eleasah the father of Sismai, Sismai the father of Shallum, Shallum the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah the father of Elishama.

The Clans of Caleb

The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel:

Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and his son Mareshah, who was the father of Hebron.

The sons of Hebron:

Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. Shema was the father of Raham, and Raham the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai. The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.

Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah and Shaaph.

Caleb’s concubine Maakah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah. She also gave birth to Shaaph the father of Madmannah and to Sheva the father of Makbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Aksah.

These were the descendants of Caleb.

The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah:

Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim, Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

The descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim were:

Haroeh, half the Manahathites, and the clans of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites and Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.

The descendants of Salma:

Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites, and the clans of scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the Rekabites.

1 Chronicles 2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

 

Today is our second of nine looks into the opening genealogy of 1 Chronicles, one devotion for each chapter. As mentioned yesterday, these lists are easily bypassed as we are more apt to read a story or account before we’ll spend time poring over a record of names of people. As we look through each chapter, we’ll be specifically looking for gems found embedded within the list of descendants starting with David through the kings who reigned. Let’s take a look at Chapter 2.

GEM 1

You’ll recall from yesterday that Isaac’s son Jacob, who had connived the birthright away from his brother Esau, experienced a name change after wrestling with God and injuring his hip. The Lord gave him a new name that day: the name Israel.

Go back in the heritage of the nation of Israel today, particularly to where it got its name, and you will trace it right to that moment, the encounter between Jacob and God.

Well, Israel would go on to have twelve sons and those twelve sons would lead Israel’s twelve tribes. In verses 1 and 2, we are reminded of their names:

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

And if you want some insight into each son, all you need to do is look at the following blessing that Israel gave them before he died (Genesis 49:3-17, 19-27):

“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.”

“Simeon and Levi are brothers — their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.”

“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness — who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.”

“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.”

“Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.”

“Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

“Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.”

“Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.”

“Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.”

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.”

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

Note that the greatest praises were reserved for Judah and Joseph. Incidentally, Judah would be one of the two kingdoms (the southern kingdom) when Canaan was divided. The other kingdom, the northern kingdom of Israel, would first be led by King Jeroboam who was from the house of Ephraim, Joseph’s youngest son who received the blessing (birthright) from Israel (formerly Jacob) over his older brother Manasseh.

GEM 2

Are you familiar with the story of Ruth?

Ruth was married to one of the sons of Elimilech and Naomi who lived in Moab. Before the marriage, Elimilech passed away leaving Naomi a widow and soon after Ruth’s husband would also die, leaving her alone as well. Naomi, having no family to support her in Moab decided to return to Bethlehem. Ruth, against Naomi’s wishes, chose to stay with her and travel to Bethlehem, leaving her family behind in Moab. You’ll recall that Ruth pledged that Naomi’s God would be hers.

Once in Bethlehem, Ruth went into the fields to gather some grain leftover from the harvest so she and Naomi could have food to eat and she met Boaz who owned the fields. Little did Ruth know that Boaz was in the lineage of Elimilech, Naomi’s deceased husband.

Boaz would ensure that Naomi and Ruth were taken care of and when Naomi heard about Boaz she knew immediately that Boaz could be a kinsman-redeemer, an unmarried man in the same family of a woman’s deceased husband (a kinsman) who could marry the widow and save her from a life of destitution as widows faced in that day (in other words, the unmarried man would redeem the widow). Well, we know what happens, Boaz ends up marrying Ruth and becoming her kinsman redeemer and they both ensure Naomi is properly cared for.

It would be easy to end the story there but we would be missing something very important and I think most of the time this is what happens. We leave it with Boaz and Ruth and Naomi living happily ever after.

But the story wasn’t over yet. No by a long shot.

For God would bless Boaz and Ruth with a son (Naomi a grandson) and they would name him Obed who would father Jesse who would father the most famous and beloved king of Israel, King David.

We might forget this if it weren’t for the gem found in this genealogy from Chapter 2.

GEM 3

Let’s finish up this devotion by talking about David, going back to the day he was selected by God and anointed to be the king. You’ll recall it was the most unlikely of selections for David was the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd boy who spent most of his time in the fields tending the flocks. Look at this passage from 1 Samuel:

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.

Samuel, sent by God to Jesse, sought to anoint the next king of Israel as Saul, the current king had fallen out of the Lord’s favor.

A picture is painted of a parading of each son one at a time, from the oldest to the youngest, before Samuel to see if that son was the one who would inherit the throne.

We first meet the oldest son Eliab but he wasn’t the one although by outward appearance he seemed like a good candidate to Samuel. God used Eliab as a teaching point, telling Samuel that it wasn’t the outward appearance that mattered the most to Him but rather what was in the heart. In this case, He would prove this by choosing the son who was a man after God’s own heart.

After Eliab, we’re introduced to Abinadab but he wasn’t the one. Ditto for Shammah. And then we are fast forwarded through the rest of the sons to get to David. We might not have ever known the names of the others if it weren’t for the genealogy we see in 1 Chronicles, Chapter 2.  Look at this excerpt from today’s scripture:

Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; the second son was Abinadab, the third Shimea, the fourth Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, the sixth Ozem and the seventh David.

After Shammah (also Shimea), we learn that the fourth son was named Nethanel, the fifth Raddai, and the sixth Ozem. All came before Samuel before David, all played a part in the narrative but they are just sons without names before we get to the chronicles.

Of course, David was anointed and not only became king but also became a part of an even greater lineage, the lineage of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Matthew 1).

I hope you’re enjoying this quest for gems within genealogy as much as I am. Come back tomorrow and let’s see what Chapter 3 holds.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com