All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
The People in Jerusalem
Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.
Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were: Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.
Of the Shelanites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.
Of the Zerahites: Jeuel.
The people from Judah numbered 690.
Of the Benjamites: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Mikri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah.
The people from Benjamin, as listed in their genealogy, numbered 956. All these men were heads of their families.
Of the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God;
Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer.
The priests, who were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God.
Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite; Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zikri, the son of Asaph; Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
The gatekeepers:
Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their fellow Levites, Shallum their chief being stationed at the King’s Gate on the east, up to the present time. These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of the Levites. Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the tent just as their ancestors had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the Lord. In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was the official in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him. Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Samuel the seer. They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord — the house called the tent of meeting. The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south. Their fellow Levites in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods. But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God. They would spend the night stationed around the house of God, because they had to guard it; and they had charge of the key for opening it each morning.
Some of them were in charge of the articles used in the temple service; they counted them when they were brought in and when they were taken out. Others were assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the special flour and wine, and the olive oil, incense and spices. But some of the priests took care of mixing the spices. A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with the responsibility for baking the offering bread. Some of the Kohathites, their fellow Levites, were in charge of preparing for every Sabbath the bread set out on the table.
Those who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were responsible for the work day and night.
All these were heads of Levite families, chiefs as listed in their genealogy, and they lived in Jerusalem.
The Genealogy of Saul
Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maakah, and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth. Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.
The son of Jonathan: Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah.
The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melek, Tahrea and Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Jadah, Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza. Moza was the father of Binea; Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son and Azel his son.
Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.
1 Chronicles 9
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Today is the last look into the genealogies of 1 Chronicles. In Chapter 9, as we have for the preceding eight chapters, we will examine gems that amaze and instruct, remind and guide, illuminate and educate. My hope is that you have enjoyed these gems from the genealogies as much as I have. Let’s look at today’s scriptures and see what we can unearth.
GEM 1
All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
The opening words to Chapter 9 tell us a couple of things.
First, we can see where the author of Chronicles (ancient Jewish tradition had proclaimed Ezra as the writer) was writing post-exile. The use of past tense regarding the Israelites Babylonian captivity tell us that.
Second, the author wanted to make sure that not just a portion of Israel but all of Israel was captured in the genealogies. And I find it amazing that the Chronicler was able to get all that in over nine chapters.
Finally, we know that it was the unfaithfulness of Israel that led to their captivity in Babylon for 70 years. God proclaimed the penalty through the prophet Jeremiah:
“Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” Jeremiah 25:8-11
Judgment was predicted for Israel and it happened just as God said it would. The Israelites were taken away from their homeland to Babylon for a seventy year period but then they were allowed to return back to Jerusalem and have a fresh start to make amends with God and try and not repeat the mistakes of the past, to make all things new again.
Judgment is coming for us as well for the Bible is clear that Jesus will return and judge all peoples with much of that judgment coming because of unfaithfulness. Those who believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior, grounded in the truth that He is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6), will receive their salvation promise that day and be taken away to live with God and Christ forever, not to any land on earth because the earth as we know it will pass away but to a new heaven and earth where we will dwell forever in the new Jerusalem. All things will be made new and residents of the new Jerusalem will live void of death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21). In the present earth, we live in the light of the sun. When all things become new, we will live by the light of the Son, Jesus.
If you have not yet accepted Him as your Savior, please do so today. I don’t want you to miss out on the greatest day ever, the day when we will live forever with our Father, our Maker and Creator, and with His Son, our Savior.
GEM 2
We learned in Gem 1 that the Israelites were taken into captivity into Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. We also know that after they finished the period of judgment, God made the way for them to return to Jerusalem and start new, rebuilding their holy city as well as their hearts in a way that was pleasing in God’s sight.
Indeed, we are reminded through this that we serve a God who corrects us and then restores us. As a parent disciplines their children out of the love they have for them, teaching them through consequences but them restoring them after the consequences were administered, so too does our Heavenly Father correct us out of love, restoring us after He the correction period has ended.
Friends, we are all afflicted by sin and left to our own devices, I shudder to think how things would be if we lived unchecked. One thing’s for sure. If you think the world we live in now is evil and dangerous, consider what it would be without God regulating things.
I don’t know about you but I am grateful for God’s discipline because I know He is trying to shape us to be more like He created us, in His own image. He longs for us to exhibit His righteousness and holiness and tirelessly watches over us and directs us toward that end.
Today, we should all be giving thanks to God for how He raises us, His beloved children. We should be showing gratitude that He is unwilling to allow us to fail without rescue and without pardon (for proof, go back to Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15). We should appreciate that we are judged, not just for our outward actions but for our innermost thoughts and motivations. No one sees within us except for God and nothing is hidden from His sight (1 Corinthians 4:5).
GEM 3
Most people go to church on Sunday, sit in their seats to worship, and then leave and return home without knowing all of the logistics that were going on to ensure they had a blessed worship experience. They were blind to the work of security and the musicians and the pastoral staff to organize and execute the worship service in a way that was safe and fulfilling for the participants while also glorifying for the Lord.
As we see in this final gem in this genealogy, there were logistics involved in the Old Testament worship place too, the Holy Place of worship, the Tent of Meeting. Here’s what we learn about the inner workings of worship in Old testament times.
First, they had security built in only they weren’t referred to as security guards but rather gatekeepers. These gatekeepers were responsible for “guarding the thresholds of the tent just as their ancestors had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the Lord.”
There was structure to how the tent and its valuable, sacred contents were safeguarded. We read where the gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south, and there were four principal gatekeepers, all Levites who were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God. These principal gatekeepers were dedicated and faithful to their assigned gate and would “spend the night stationed around the house of God because they had to guard it.” In the mornings, these principal gatekeepers were responsible for opening the gates as they were in charge of the key. And just so we know that these four men were not guarding the tent alone, scripture tells us that their “fellow Levites in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods.” After all, the principal gatekeepers needed to rest sometime!
The gatekeepers had additional responsibilities as scripture tells us “some of them were in charge of the articles used in the temple service,” keeping inventory of the articles as they were brought in or taken out. We learn that other gatekeepers were “assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary, as well as the special flour and wine, and the olive oil, incense and spices” which required mixing. There was even one Levite who was specifically responsible for baking the offering bread while others took the bread and prepared it for every Sabbath.
And then there are the musicians who stayed in the temple and were exempt from other duties, mostly because they worked day and night. Music was and is an important element of our worship experience with singers and musicians dedicating a lot of time to rehearsal so that the Lord might be magnified and glorified properly during worship.
As you can see, there was a lot that needed to be done to ensure that worship was conducted as God prescribed it to be and those responsible took it seriously. The same tradition has been carried on today in our churches as people selflessly give their time in service to the Lord through the church and the many responsibilities that exist for worship preparation and execution.
If you are not already active in pitching in and helping your church through service, I would encourage you to start doing so. The Bible speaks volumes about the critical importance of servitude and we can find no greater example of how to serve selflessly than our Savior Jesus Himself. If we are to be truly Christian, we can’t shun our responsibility and accountability to service, service to others and service to our place of worship.
If you don’t commit any other gem to memory, I pray it is this one and it is a fitting place to end this journey through the genealogies.
Tomorrow, we roll up our sleeves to delve into the final days of king Saul.
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
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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