1
Chronicles chapter 2 is like being present at the reading of a will.
Name after name is read, some with an inheritance, some without. To
the Hebrews that had been in Babylonian captivity, the genealogy was
vital. Each family and clan was given a portion of the land in
Israel. Without knowing their family tree, it was impossible to know
which portion of the land was due to whom. The chapter begins,
“These
were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,
Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher“.
These families became the twelve tribes of Israel an each had a
special role. Some would be warriors, some priests; some would
follow while others lead. For the next 2 chapters the focus is on
the descendants of Judah. Why Judah? The Deliverer, the Messiah
would be born through the line of Judah. Even going back to the
blessings given by Jacob to his sons, in Genesis 49:10; “The
scepter shall not depart from Judah“.
The
chapter continues with “The
sons of Judah… Judah had five sons in all“.
Interestingly, it does not gloss over the skeletons in the closet.
Every family has those “embarrassments”; the ones we don’t brag
about. “Er,
Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put
him to death…Achar, who brought trouble on Israel by violating the
ban on taking devoted things… Seled died without children“.
Thank God, He does not discard those of us with faults! The names
continue and we reach the seemingly insignificant seventh son of
Jesse. David was not born to a position of honor, but God chose him
to lead Israel in victory. As we continue to read, many of the names
listed seem obscure even irrelevant. While it is tempting to skip
over the names, they are given as examples of those that honored God
and those that rebelled. There is one sobering humility in the
genealogy; my name appears nowhere on this list. I was not born into
the inheritance. To the Jew, I am an unidentified outsider.
The
good news is that God created a way for all of mankind to receive the
inheritance of faith. God promised Abraham a son and he believed
God’s Word. “In
your seed all
the nations
of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice”
(Genesis 22:18). Romans 4:3 says, “Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness“.
Galatians 3:26- 29 explains that this promise was extended to you and
I if we too believe that Jesus died for our sins. “For
you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many
of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if
you are
Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the
promise“.
God doe not consider us second class members of the family. God
holds back nothing from us, “Blessed
be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every
spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places
in Christ”
(Ephesians
1:3). Do you want to share in the inheritance? All that is required
is that you too believe the promise.
“If
you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”
(Romans 10:9).