David's Army at Hebron

1 Chronicles 12:23-40

    23 Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD: 24 of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed for war; 25 of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; 26 of the sons of Levi four thousand six hundred; 27 Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three thousand seven hundred; 28 Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father's house twenty-two captains; 29 of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); 30 of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men throughout their father's house; 31 of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; 32 of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; 33 of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; 34 of Naphtali one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear; 35 of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; 36 of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, forty thousand; 37 of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war.
    38 All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. 39 And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. 40 Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen—provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.

David’s army at Hebron is numbered in strength by division heads by family and their weaponry here.  They all amassed at Hebron to turn over the kingdom from Saul to God’s anointed as true king over His people, and almost three hundred thirty-six thousand are mentioned here (only the chiefs of the families are counted, so there were undoubtedly more than this amount).  It was a very large force who came in allegiance to make David the potentate over God’s people at this place and time.  Notice most of all that they came with a loyal heart, perfectly devoted to God’s choice of the man and having all the same mind to crown him.  There was unity of purpose and support, especially having known David’s faithfulness and dedication to them as Saul opposed and hunted David down.  They knew the hand of God’s choice was to be far better than their own choice of a king.  Therefore they feasted for three days with celebrate joy and unity as one people under God with His man now acknowledged and put in charge to lead them.  Such should be our joy in the church as we choose leaders, pastors and elders; however, our fullness of joy is in the King of kings who is the Lord of lords under whose eternal reign we always stand.  This can only bring us unmeasurable joy and contentment in His sovereign watchcare over each of us who are His!  David had his loyal army at Hebron, but the Lord Jesus Christ has his greater band of brothers and sisters under His command who fight the good fight for His glory with the truth of His word which is the gospel.  This was actually God’s army of loyal men supporting His chosen king, and now we likewise support God’s chosen King over all from the root of David as a man and as God from eternity. 

The Army of God

1 Chronicles 12:1-22

   1 Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, 2 armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul's brethren.  3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

    8 Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: 9 Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. 14 These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. 15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

    16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. 17 And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment." 18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

    "We are yours, O David;
    We are on your side, O son of Jesse!
    Peace, peace to you,
    And peace to your helpers!
    For your God helps you."

So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

    19 And some from Manasseh defected to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, "He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads." 20 When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. 21 And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. 22 For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.

The mighty men of war who came to David before he became king recognized his call and anointing by God to lead His people, and they kept defecting from Saul and coming from all over until the forces amassed into the great army of God under His anointed one, the forerunner and type of Christ the Messiah to come through David’s lineage.  They had bows handled ambidextrously, and some were trained men of great valor, fast as gazelles and fierce as lions in battle.  Others crossed flooded rivers to defeat the enemy and make them flee as James 4:7 reaches us in resisting the enemy of God’s deliverance of grace through the message and work of the gospel’s word and power (Romans 1:16, 1 Peter 5:8-10).  Some wished peace on king David because God helped him, and were made captains; we have peace in Jesus as God’s Anointed and will rule with Him in eternity (2 Timothy 2:12), for He leads us to victory (1 Corinthians 15:57, 1 John 5:4, Revelation 15:2).  We are the spiritual army of God, called to fight the good fight of the gospel of light for deliverance of the souls of men and women trapped in the darkness of the lies of sin in the adversary’s grasp.  The truth of the Anointed One alone can offer true and lasting freedom.  This is the gospel we preach (Acts 26:18, 1 Peter 2:9-10) as valiant warriors, mighty in His strength and authority alone.  May we be found faithful as 1 Corinthians 4:2 says to us. 

Mighty Men and Warriors Recorded

1 Chronicles 11:10-47
    10 Now these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.  11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, chief of the captains; he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed by him at one time.  12 After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. 14 But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.
    15 Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17 And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" 18 So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. 19 And he said, "Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.
    20 Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. 21 Of the three he was more honored than the other two men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first three.
    22 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian's hand there was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 25 Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.
    26 Also the mighty warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29 Sibbechai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, 43 Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

These were mighty men and warriors of King David (see also 2 Samuel 23:8–39).  They heard and trusted God’s word to help David ascend to the throne, strengthening themselves with him in the process.  They stood their ground in battle and found victory in that loyal faith.  Some defied the enemy to meet the desire of David to have a drink from the waters inside the enemy territory of Bethlehem, though the king could not accept a gift at such risk to their lives and poured it out as a drink offering to the LORD in thankfulness to His work in them for him.  Many others are called out by name to honor their faithful service in battle and trust in God’s anointed one as the type of the Messiah to come, just as we serve the risen Christ who is God’s Anointed in the flesh and God Himself in one.  Let us then be valiant people of loyal and faithful hearts and actions to honor Him as God’s King over us, chosen from before the foundation of the world for we His people set apart for His service as our reasonable worship (Romans 12:1-2).  Our names will join the hall of faith (Hebrews 11:30-40), written forever in our books for God’s glory (Job 9:23, Revelation 20:12).  Of course what matters most is that we have our names recorded in the Lamb’s book of eternal life to be with Him forever as His chosen people (Philippians 4:3, Revelation 21:15, 27).  Nonetheless, May our lives be recorded as faithful and valiant for the gospel of truth, the word of God for judgment, reconciliation , and victory as life everlasting (John 16:8-11, Romans 5:11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, John 17:3, 1 John 5:4). 

David, Crowned by Grace

 1 Chronicles 11:1-9 

    1 Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, "Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD your God said to you, 'You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.'" 3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.
    4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come in here!" Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). 6 Now David said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. 7 Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the City of David. 8 And he built the city around it, from the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 So David went on and became great, and the LORD of hosts was with him.

David was acknowledged by God’s people as king by the LORD’s choosing.  They all united under him as one people under God, admitting it was he who led the army of the LORD to victory under king Saul.  They also admitted that it was God who commanded DAVID to lead His people as a shepherd by caring for them, feeding them, and leading them in God’s grace of commandments given them for their good because it was for His glory and honor.  The crowning achievements and call culminated in his crowning per the prophetic word from God through Samuel.  King David then took Jebus and named it Jerusalem, even as its previous inhabitants attempted to deny it to him.  David challenged his army to invade and made the first one in the captain of the forces; Joab became the captain of the army in this way.  David then fortified Jerusalem by building up the embankment called the Millo, a fortified terrace around the city, and expanding it outward as well.  He made this city his stronghold, the City of David, and fixed what was broken there.  The LORD of hosts was seen to be on David’s side and made him great among His people because of his heart for the LORD and the things of God.  We find that God honors those who honor Him and strengthens the one who fights the good fight of the Lord; then it was for a physical nation of His people, but now the people are a kingdom unseen, united in grace for His glory in His Christ, a kingdom of priests who fight the good fight of the gospel of this grace and not with weapons to gain a kingdom or nation on earth.  David was crowned by grace, and we are crowned by this same grace fulfilled in Jesus Christ by His gospel of reconciliation and eternal life given surely as our promised land to come (1 Peter 1:4, 11, Colossians 1:5, Acts 20:32).  We are crowned by grace for God’s glory and given a new Jerusalem to come where the LORD Himself will build up the Millo of His power and protection for eternity as life with Himself.  This is eternal life given freely without our cost, but His alone.  He chose us as He chose David to reign with Him (Romans 8:17, Revelation 11:15, 20:6).  Let us then honor Him and engage in the true battle (Ephesians 6:12) for the truth of Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7) with a heart for God, crowned by grace to display His glory to the nations and the world. 

End of the People’s King

1 Chronicles 10:1-14
    1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. 3 The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me." But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5 And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; then the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
    8 So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. 10 Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
    11 And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
    13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 14 But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Here is the end of the people’s king Saul (1 Sam. 31:1–13) and his sons.  It happened in battle as God allowed the Philistines to rout Israel and send them running away.  Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua died in that battle along with their father Saul the king not chosen by God, but by His people who rejected divine rule for on like the faithless nations around them.  The arrow of judgment found a chink in Saul’s armor, but the king still fell on his sword to avoid capture and escape further suffering in the enemy’s hands.  The result was the loss of the cities of Israel there in that valley to the Philistines, and Saul’s head put on triumphant display in the idol temple of Dagon along with his armor.  This was their way of showing victory over God and His power in their minds, a crushing consequence of Saul’s unfaithfulness.  Verses 13 and 14 give the reasons for Saul’s death: He did not keep the word of the LORD (1 Sam. 13 and 15) and he consulted a medium (1 Sam. 28).  Saul rejected the LORD, sole worship of Him as the first commandment stated, and His sovereign rule over false gods, spiritualists, and general defiance in not hearing the word of the LORD to follow it.  He chose to look to demonic sources for answers instead of submitting to God and asking Him for answers and direction.  This is why God killed Saul and handed the kingdom to the ruler He chose, David, a man after God’s own heart.  We learn then that worship of God alone and reliance on His word alone is essential for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).  False worship and the occult demonstrate a faithlessness and rejection of God’s sovereignty and right to rule and guide our lives as we then put idols to worship and false words over truth to seek lies for answers.  Our worship must be in spirit and truth, based on His word and Spirit’s guidance alone.  The end of the people’s king is the beginning of God’s choice.  Who rules us?  The end of our king to rule us is found in worshipful submission to the King of kings and Lord of lords alone.  No occult, no worldly leader, no substitute.  Let us learn from Israel to not choose the people’s king.  There is no other way, truth, or life apart from Jesus the Christ who is the only potentate as 1 Timothy 6:15 tells us plainly.  Amen; let it be so! 

Keepers of God’s Dwelling Place

1 Chronicles 9:14-44
    14 Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; 15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph; 16 Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
    17 And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren. Shallum was the chief. 18 Until then they had been gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi at the King's Gate on the east.  19 Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, from his father's house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the LORD. 20 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time past; the LORD was with him. 21 Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was keeper of the door of the tabernacle of meeting.  22 All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office. 23 So they and their children were in charge of the gates of the house of the LORD, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. 24 The gatekeepers were assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and south. 25 And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time for seven days. 26 For in this trusted office were four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. 27 And they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning.
   28 Now some of them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought them in and took them out by count. 29 Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices. 30 And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices.  31 Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans. 32 And some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites were in charge of preparing the showbread for every Sabbath.  33 These are the singers, heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night. 34 These heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites were heads throughout their generations. They dwelt at Jerusalem.
    35 Jeiel the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. 36 His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. 38 And Mikloth begot Shimeam. They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. 39 Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. 40 The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. 41 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz. 42 And Ahaz begot Jarah; Jarah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza; 43 Moza begot Binea, Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.  44 And Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

The Levites at Jerusalem and King Saul’s family are covered here.  The Levites were servants in the house of the LORD who ministered the things there while the priests made the sacrifices to atone for the people’s sin.  There were gatekeepers to the tabernacle, positioned to the four corners of the compass to watch over the place where God met man as the high priest went into the holy of holies.  They also guarded the treasuries and lived right outside the tabernacle to quickly get to their assigned duties of opening the tabernacle, preparing the showbread, maintaining the furnishings and implements of the sanctuary for the work of ministry, much like modern day deacons serve in the trellis supporting the church’s vine of the people of Christ now.  There were also singers among the Levites to worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 96:9), set aside for this work and absolved of other duties except for making the showbread for the priests (Luke 6:3-5).  The family of Saul is also listed at the end of this chapter after describing the Levites and their duties, recording his lineage for our understanding of who he was.  Out of all of this, one thing which seems to come to our attention is that we all who are in Christ as priests to our God (Revelation 1:6, 1 Peter 2:5, 9) serve His house which is all true regenerated believers who make up the church universal, and we worship Him together as we guard the testimony of the gospel (1 Timothy 6:20, Jude 1:3) from attacks coming out of all points of the compass, from without and within (Acts 20:29-30).  Let us then worship and serve our Lord Jesus Christ together (Hebrews 13:15) and keep our guard up to protect the tabernacle which is His people built into a holy temple (Ephesians 2:22, 1 Peter 2:5) as His dwelling place where He meets with us. 

Able Workers Serving God

1 Chronicles 9:1-13
    1 So all Israel was recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. 2 And the first inhabitants who dwelt in their possessions in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and the Nethinim.
    3 Now in Jerusalem the children of Judah dwelt, and some of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh: 4 Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the descendants of Perez, the son of Judah. 5 Of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. 6 Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel, and their brethren—six hundred and ninety. 7 Of the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; 8 Ibneiah the son of Jeroham; Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri; Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; 9 and their brethren, according to their generations—nine hundred and fifty-six. All these men were heads of a father's house in their fathers' houses.
    10 Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin; 11 Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the officer over the house of God; 12 Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; 13 and their brethren, heads of their fathers' houses—one thousand seven hundred and sixty. They were very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

After all the genealogical chapters in this book, the attention shifts to the people of God and their situations.  First we find that the records were officially written down and not just passed on orally, for certainty can only be found if engraved in an unchanging form; we all know how stories change from on person to another when spoken, as each one remembers things differently and retells as true in their own mind.  God Made certain that His word captured facts carved in stone and other forms that His work and intent would be unchanged and that His people would be accounted for and accountable to that word.  We see here how the genealogies were saved for posterity as a testimony to God’s faithfulness, judgment, and grace.  We also find the record of those (Judah) who did not believe and follow His word being taken captive to the world then centered at Babylon.  This applies also to we who are in Christ, for when we oppose the truth and are taken captive by the lie, others’ patience to minister the truth of God’s word leads us to repentance and restoration from that bondage (2 Timothy 2:25-26), just as we so minister His word as well.  This passage in Chronicles also demonstrates how there were “very able men” who worked in serving the house of God, which is serving Him for enabling worship and reconciliation by sacrifice and obedience.  We learn that this example tells us to be strong and valiant for the truth to minister the gospel as written and not back down into convenient error to avoid difficulties for those in opposition to the truth of God’s word, serving to salvation and reconciliation of the lost and the restoration of the wandering.  We serve the house of God which is the body and temple of Christ, the corporate entirety of all who are His, even though this is normally only seen worked out in local church congregations and not to all believers across the world at once.  Let us then serve our God and Savior acceptably as Hebrews 12:28-29 commands us (see also Hebrews 13:15-16) as very able ones who are valiant for the truth as humble and trusting servants full of grace and truth ourselves as it is written and put into practice with love. May we all be able workers serving God. 

Origin of Benjamin’s King Saul

1 Chronicles 8:1-40
    1 Now Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, Aharah the third, 2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. 3 The sons of Bela were Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
    6 These are the sons of Ehud, who were the heads of the fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and who forced them to move to Manahath: 7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera who forced them to move. He begot Uzza and Ahihud.
    8 Also Shaharaim had children in the country of Moab, after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. 9 By Hodesh his wife he begot Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10 Jeuz, Sachiah, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of their fathers' houses.
    11 And by Hushim he begot Abitub and Elpaal. 12 The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with its towns; 13 and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of their fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath. 14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ispah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah. 17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18 Ishmerai, Jizliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. 19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei. 22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24 Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah, 25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak. 26 Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham.

    28 These were heads of the fathers' houses by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem.

    29 Now the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. 30 And his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, 32 and Mikloth, who begot Shimeah. They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. 33 Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. 34 The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. 35 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36 And Ahaz begot Jehoaddah; Jehoaddah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza. 37 Moza begot Binea, Raphah his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.
    38 Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39 And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third.  40 The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor—archers. They had many sons and grandsons, one hundred and fifty in all. These were all sons of Benjamin.

Descendants of the tribe of Benjamin, the line of king Saul (in verse 33) are described in chapter 8 (Gen. 46:21).  There were more mighty men of valor, some living in Jerusalem and some living in other cities.  Each family line is traced as to where they went to validate the historic accuracy of the scriptures and set the stage to later identify some who are mentioned later in other parts of the written word of the LORD.  These sons of Benjamin are important especially to define who king Saul, the first king of Israel, was and where he came from.  The testimony of scripture is reliable and accurate, words we can trust in for the entire narrative from the fall of man to his redemption and future glorification not yet seen (Romans 8:23, 25, Philippians 3:20-21, Luke 1:1, 3-4). 

Examples of Valiant Followers

1 Chronicles 7:1-40
    1 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four in all. 2 The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six hundred. 3 The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah, and the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. All five of them were chief men. 4 And with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were thirty-six thousand troops ready for war; for they had many wives and sons.  5 Now their brethren among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, listed by their genealogies, eighty-seven thousand in all.
    6 The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael—three in all. 7 The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri—five in all. They were heads of their fathers' houses, and they were listed by their genealogies, twenty-two thousand and thirty-four mighty men of valor.  8 The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jerimoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these are the sons of Becher. 9 And they were recorded by genealogy according to their generations, heads of their fathers' houses, twenty thousand two hundred mighty men of valor. 10 The son of Jediael was Bilhan, and the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tharshish, and Ahishahar.  11 All these sons of Jediael were heads of their fathers' houses; there were seventeen thousand two hundred mighty men of valor fit to go out for war and battle. 12 Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, and Hushim was the son of Aher.
    13 The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.
    14 The descendants of Manasseh: his Syrian concubine bore him Machir the father of Gilead, the father of Asriel. 15 Machir took as his wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose name was Maachah. The name of Gilead's grandson was Zelophehad, but Zelophehad begot only daughters. 16 (Maachah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17 The son of Ulam was Bedan.) These were the descendants of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.  18 His sister Hammoleketh bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.  19 And the sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
    20 The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, 21 Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle. 22 Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.  23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his house. 24 Now his daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah; 25 and Rephah was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telah his son, Tahan his son, 26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27 Nun his son, and Joshua his son.  28 Now their possessions and dwelling places were Bethel and its towns: to the east Naaran, to the west Gezer and its towns, and Shechem and its towns, as far as Ayyah and its towns; 29 and by the borders of the children of Manasseh were Beth Shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.
    30 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. 31 The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. 32 And Heber begot Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua. 33 The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the children of Japhlet. 34 The sons of Shemer were Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. 35 And the sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. 36 The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Jithran, and Beera. 38 The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. 39 The sons of Ulla were Arah, Haniel, and Rizia.  40 All these were the children of Asher, heads of their fathers' houses, choice men, mighty men of valor, chief leaders. And they were recorded by genealogies among the army fit for battle; their number was twenty-six thousand.

The families of Issachar (Gen. 46:13), Benjamin (Gen. 46:21), Naphtali (Gen. 46:24), Manasseh (West), Ephraim, and Asher (Gen. 46:17) are spelled out here for our understanding.  There were mighty men of valor, fit for war and battle to defend and fight for the promised land for God’s honor and glory by the promise.  They endured tragedy and blessings, gain and loss, recorded in their names, numbers, and deeds for us to reflect on and learn from both good and bad examples of heart and actions.  These lists are more than just names we see repeated in scripture, but were men and women of God’s choosing who were called out of bondage and into the promise of better things, yet many pursued the wide road instead of the  narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14), choosing well-sounding words over the hard truths (Matthew 7:15, 20) of obedience and devotion to the LORD.  May we learn from their failings to follow Christ according to His word and not to please ourselves (Romans 15:1, 6).  May we instead follow their good examples of being valiant in the good fight of the word of truth which is now fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord as they looked forward to even then (1 Peter 1:10-12). Are we also valiant for the truth, devoted to our Lord? 

Ministry of Aaron and the Levites

1 Chronicles 6:49-81
    49 But Aaron and his sons offered sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. 50 Now these are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51 Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52 Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53 Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.
    54 Now these are their dwelling places throughout their settlements in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites: 55 They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding common-lands. 56 But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57 And to the sons of Aaron they gave one of the cities of refuge, Hebron; also Libnah with its common-lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common-lands, 58 Hilen with its common-lands, Debir with its common-lands, 59 Ashan with its common-lands, and Beth Shemesh with its common-lands. 60 And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its common-lands, Alemeth with its common-lands, and Anathoth with its common-lands. All their cities among their families were thirteen.
    61 To the rest of the family of the tribe of the Kohathites they gave by lot ten cities from half the tribe of Manasseh. 62 And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 63 To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun. 64 So the children of Israel gave these cities with their common-lands to the Levites. 65 And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin these cities which are called by their names.
    66 Now some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities as their territory from the tribe of Ephraim. 67 And they gave them one of the cities of refuge, Shechem with its common-lands, in the mountains of Ephraim, also Gezer with its common-lands, 68 Jokmeam with its common-lands, Beth Horon with its common-lands, 69 Aijalon with its common-lands, and Gath Rimmon with its common-lands. 70 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its common-lands and Bileam with its common-lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.
    71 From the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh the sons of Gershon were given Golan in Bashan with its common-lands and Ashtaroth with its common-lands. 72 And from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its common-lands, Daberath with its common-lands, 73 Ramoth with its common-lands, and Anem with its common-lands. 74 And from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its common-lands, Abdon with its common-lands, 75 Hukok with its common-lands, and Rehob with its common-lands. 76 And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common-lands, Hammon with its common-lands, and Kirjathaim with its common-lands.
    77 From the tribe of Zebulun the rest of the children of Merari were given Rimmon with its common-lands and Tabor with its common-lands. 78 And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, they were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common-lands, Jahzah with its common-lands, 79 Kedemoth with its common-lands, and Mephaath with its common-lands. 80 And from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its common-lands, Mahanaim with its common-lands, 81 Heshbon with its common-lands, and Jazer with its common-lands.

Aaron and the Levites are mentioned here in depth genealogically.  The three tasks given them by God through Moses were to offer sacrifices, do work in the holy of holies, and to make atonement for all Israel.  This means that they were intercessors to atone for the sin of the people by required sacrifices and they were to attend to the place of ultimate worship to the LORD in maintaining themselves and the Holy of Holies where the high priest communed with God.  All the lands given the descendants are also carefully laid out for us to consider God’s grace and care for those serving Him, reminding us of Paul testifying that those who labor in God’s word and work in the fulfillment of the Law (which is the gospel of grace) should live by that work and be taken care of (1 Corinthians 9:13-14) by God’s people.  Though we are all priests to our God, some He has set apart for specific ministries and should be supported by the congregation as the pattern of the die was cast here.  This means they must also serve the Lord Christ and intercede for the congregation in word and deed.  This passage also deals with land given permanently to the priests.  The land given to the Levites has echoed to the laws of the land giving tax free status to church buildings in a sense like the Levites and their devoted lands given permanently to them.  Of course we do not live in a theocracy and the government is not of God nor conscious of His rule and therefore not under compulsion to take care of God’s servants like this, but it is of note that those creating such laws were cognizant of this responsibility.  We see then the patterns of ministry here with Aaron and the Levites.

Servants and Singers in God’s House

1 Chronicles 6:1-48
    1 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3 The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4 Eleazar begot Phinehas, and Phinehas begot Abishua; 5 Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi; 6 Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth; 7 Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; 8 Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz; 9 Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan; 10 Johanan begot Azariah (it was he who ministered as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem); 11 Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; 12 Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum; 13 Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah; 14 Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. 15 Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD carried Judah and Jerusalem into captivity by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
    16 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 17 These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei. 18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Now these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers: 20 Of Gershon were Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son. 22 The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25 The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. 26 As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. 28 The sons of Samuel were Joel the firstborn, and Abijah the second. 29 The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, 30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

    31 Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest. 32 They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order. 
    33 And these are the ones who ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34 the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36 the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. 39 And his brother Asaph, who stood at his right hand, was Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea, 40 the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 41 the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42 the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43 the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi.  44 Their brethren, the sons of Merari, on the left hand, were Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45 the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 46 the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer, 47 the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

    48 And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to every kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

The tribe of Levi were servants in the house of God with (1 Chronicles 15:16) chosen ones as singers as well.  These then served the LORD in His house in many myriad ways, both in mundane tasks as well as expressive worship to honor God and His place of meeting and sacrifice for the people.  The genealogy of Levi is written in detail here to track who was who and who went where and did what, that the generations to come, including us, could look back and see God’s work and call to service with willing obedience and worship.  We also have servant roles and callings according to the gifts given with grace as God chooses to impart them uniquely to each person in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-12).  These we exercise corporately for the good of the body which is the house of God (Ephesians 2:21-22, 1 Peter 2:5) as a whole, not a building, both in service to build and maintain each other (Hebrews 10:25) and the work of the gospel, as well as the worship of singing, praise, and ministry of the word of life.  We are priests and servants who worship the Lord together, each with different talents and gifts given purposefully by God to serve and to sing and worship with praise of lips, hands, feet, and life.  This is the parallel between the Levites and we who are in Christ, for we also are servants (hands and feet of Christ) and singers (worshippers) in the house which is corporately His body of all called and regenerated believers. 

Battle Together by Faithful Following

1 Chronicles 5:1-26
    1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; 2 yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's— 3 the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
    4 The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6 and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria carried into captivity. He was leader of the Reubenites. 7 And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was registered: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, 8 and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon. 9 Eastward they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead.  10 Now in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire area east of Gilead.

    11 And the children of Gad dwelt next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salcah: 12 Joel was the chief, Shapham the next, then Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan, 13 and their brethren of their father's house: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. 14 These were the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; 15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief of their father's house. 16 And the Gadites dwelt in Gilead, in Bashan and in its villages, and in all the common-lands of Sharon within their borders. 17 All these were registered by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
    18 The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war. 19 They made war with the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him. 21 Then they took away their livestock—fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand of their sheep, and two thousand of their donkeys—also one hundred thousand of their men; 22 for many fell dead, because the war was God's. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity.

    23 So the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. Their numbers increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir, or Mount Hermon. 24 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers' houses.
    25 And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.

The families of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh are recorded and recognized here.  Reuben was the firstborn, but his immortality tainted his family’s legacy.  The birthright was therefore passed to Joseph and his descendants as recorded in the genealogy, yet it was actually Judah who rose to prominence and ruled among his brothers.  Gad had the lush hillside land of Bashan (Psalm 22:12, 68:15) east of the Jordan River.  They joined forces with those of Reuben and Manasseh to wage war in victory as they cried out to God in the heat of battle.  God answered because they trusted in Him.  This is the key to victory over enemies, especially the adversary and death as sin’s punishment.  Our trust, our faith in the word and work of God in the Messiah/Christ Jesus is our victory (1 Corinthians 15:57, 1 John 5:4-5, John 6:28-29).  We trust His testimony of His work and believe He has overcome (John 16:33) sin and death, having ultimate success in the battle over the enemies against us in the spiritual and physical realms as Ephesians 6:12 reminds us.  Let us not be as those of Manasseh who turned from trust in battle to following other things to worship and end up as Ananias and Sephira in Acts 5:1-5 or as Hymenaeus and Alexander in 1 Timothy 1:18-20.  Therefore, we should not shrink back in unbelief or willful disobedience (which is sin), but run the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1) and fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7) as we have been given good examples to follow.  Let is battle together by faithful following of our Lord and Savior.  We are in this together as His chosen people and His children who all are set to inherit the kingdom of God in Christ.  Learning from good and bad examples as recorded in the scriptures keeps us in the race. 

The Scriptures, Lifeblood of Understanding

1 Chronicles 4:24-43
    24 The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul, 25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son. 26 And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah.
    28 They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. 32 And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities— 33 and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy: 34 Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah; 35 Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah; 37 Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah— 38 these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father's house increased greatly.
    39 So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. 40 And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there.
    41 These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there. 42 Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43 And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.

The family line of Simeon is now recorded after Judah in the section before.  Only his grandson Shimei had many children to carry on the line, demonstrating how God chose certain ones for His purposes and prospered them over others.  The sons of Shimei also kept good genealogical records for the future which we can reflect on to see the hand of the LORD.  The record showed those in king Hezekiah‘s time who fought valiantly against the enemies of God’s people, which we might never have known if not for the care in writing everything down.  This is how God moved to record many things done by His people, as well as His work and words for us all; the scriptures of the Old Testament are the lifeblood of understanding for those who followed the first Adam to the second (1 Corinthians 15:45), Jesus the Christ of the line of David from Adam.  These things are written for our understanding, with echoes of “It is written” echoing down the corridors of time and resonating in our hearts, minds, and souls (Luke 24:27, 32).  The scriptures truly are our vital lifeblood of understanding and of eternal life according to God’s revealed plan for His people since before the world was formed (1 Peter 1:20-21).  Amen!

Jabez's Prayer for Purity Amidst Pain

1 Chronicles 4:1-23
    1 The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3 These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi; 4 and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah.  These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem.  5 And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan; 8 and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
    9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.
    11 Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah. 13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath, 14 and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen. 15 The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz. 16 The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17 The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered's wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 (His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.
    19 The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite. 20 And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.  21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea; 22 also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the records are ancient. 23 These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah; there they dwelt with the king for his work.

The family and lineage of Judah are covered here, and even the narrative itself says the records are ancient, for these are the early day accounts of God’s people.  In the midst of all the historical genealogical information, one man is singled out as more honorable.  This Jabez whose name means “He Will Cause Pain,” because his mother had a difficult delivery at his birth, this man called on the LORD of his people Israel to ask several things.  He pleaded for success as a blessing of God’s goodness in the midst of pain, but more importantly for purity in the midst of pain.  He prayed for God to keep him from doing evil so that he would not cause pain to others.  As in 2 Timothy 4:18 and Matthew 6:13, we should also plead with the Lord to keep us from both the evil adversary and our own sinful nature bent on harming others, for we are to love our neighbors as ourselves as a resultant proof of our sincere love of God in Christ.  We pray as Jabez that we would know God is with us and for us (Romans 8:31) that we might be blameless and harmless as Philippians 2:15 challenges each of us to be and do.  This is not a prayer for material blessings or gain, but of godliness in character lived out (1 Timothy 4:7-8, 6:5-6) as we rely on our Lord for His goodness of provision and providence and for living to do good to God and others instead of causing pain.  God grants these sincere prayers as He did with Jabez for true blessings of goodness for our needs and not our misspent desires (James 4:3, 6-7, 10).  Let us learn from God’s people as the scriptures all provide history and guidance (2 Peter 1:3, 2 Timothy 3:16-17) to learn from, especially for purity amidst pain.

Faith’s Foundation of David and Solomon

1 Chronicles 3:1-24 

    1 Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelitess; 2 the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3 the fifth, Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.
    4 These six were born to him in Hebron. There he reigned seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 5 And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon—four by Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel. 6 Also there were Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet—nine in all. 9 These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.
    10 Solomon's son was Rehoboam; Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11 Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, and Josiah his son. 15 The sons of Josiah were Johanan the firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, and the fourth Shallum. 16 The sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah his son and Zedekiah his son.
    17 And the sons of Jeconiah were Assir, Shealtiel his son, 18 and Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. 19 The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam, Hananiah, Shelomith their sister, 20 and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed—five in all.
    21 The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shechaniah. 22 The son of Shechaniah was Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat—six in all. 23 The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hezekiah, and Azrikam—three in all. 24 The sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.

The families of David as recorded also in Matthew 1:6 and that of his son Solomon and his descendants in Matthew 1:7-11 are carefully described in detail here, to include mention of Solomon’s grandson, Jeconiah with his children and grandchildren.  This is all written that we might be able to trace the lineage of the Messiah from David to Christ Jesus as the lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5).  Without these facts being recorded for us, it would be difficult to know who Jesus was in the flesh, though certainly the works and words would demonstrate His divine nature.  The Jews especially needed this testimony of proof which they could look up to prove His line back to David that they had no excuse to deny Moses and the prophets as Luke 24:25-27 tells us of this Anointed Christ to come.  We also are encouraged by all the Scriptures to know God’s work and promises to be able to know the Father and His Son whom He sent for our deliverance from sin’s power and punishment by that promise of grace through faith by His sacrificial blood of substitutionary love for those He calls out of darkness (Psalm 107:14, 1 Peter 2:9) and into the light of His presence as 2 Corinthians 4:6 reminds us.  These seemingly bland historical accounts which begin 1 Chronicles should reinforce our faith and give its foundation a more solid joy in our souls, therefore.  By bringing us Faith’s Foundation of David and Solomon, as all the scriptures do from Genesis to the end of the book of these words of life, we are encouraged by overwhelming grace and peace. 

Genealogical Foundation of God’s Redemptive Work

1 Chronicles 2:1-55
    1 These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
    3 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so He killed him. 4 And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.  5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five of them in all.  7 The son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing.  8 The son of Ethan was Azariah.  9 Also the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, leader of the children of Judah; 11 Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz; 12 Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse; 13 Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh.  16 Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel—three. 17 Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.
    18 Caleb the son of Hezron had children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, who bore him Hur. 20 And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel.  21 Now afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub. 22 Segub begot Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 (Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its towns—sixty towns.) All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. 24 After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron's wife Abijah bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.  25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.  29 And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim; Seled died without children. 31 The son of Appaim was Ishi, the son of Ishi was Sheshan, and Sheshan's son was Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan; Jether died without children. 33 The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.  34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. And Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai. 36 Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad; 37 Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed; 38 Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah; 39 Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Eleasah; 40 Eleasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum; 41 Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama.
    42 The descendants of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. 43 The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema begot Raham the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem begot Shammai. 45 And the son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.  46 Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begot Gazez. 47 And the sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.  48 Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.  50 These were the descendants of Caleb: The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim, 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.  52 And Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim had descendants: Haroeh, and half of the families of Manuhoth. 53 The families of Kirjath Jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.  54 The sons of Salma were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahethites, and the Zorites.  55 And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

More background facts of genealogical history continue in chapter 2 here.  Israel and his descendants are traced to the line of David to establish the truth of his line which would continue to the Messiah to come later.  Others are mentioned here also who are important links to more people mentioned in God’s unfolding channel of redemption through His people as promised to Abraham, father by faith of all nations and the one people of Him in Christ Jesus by that same faith (Genesis 15:6, Galatians 3:8-9).  There are many commentaries and historical explanations of each of the lineages here, and it is helpful to examine those as well to help understand those living out the stories of the Old Testament scriptures.  For us now, to understand the sovereign work of the LORD in documenting His work in His chosen people is most important, especially the crimson thread of salvation from the garden in Eden (Genesis 3:15) to the revelation of Christ in His prophetic birth in this genealogical thread, His suffering, death, and resurrection, and our inheritance promised by faith all along the way.  The fall pointed to our need of redemption, the people of Israel its channel, Jesus’ purchase of our redemption in the gospel accounts, the proclamation of that redemption in Acts, the explanation of the redemption’s mystery hidden in Christ in the epistles, and finally the consummation of redemption in Revelation.  It all is founded and worked out throughout the scriptures from beginning to end, so we learn from the examples of warning and hope here in these people chosen and used for God’s glory by grace. 

“The Events of the Times”

1 Chronicles 1:1-54

1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah, Kittim, and Rodanim.  8 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabtecha. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 11 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim). 13 Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth; 14 the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 15 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 16 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.  17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18 Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. 20 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.  24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram, who is Abraham. 28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.
    29 These are their genealogies: The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.
    32 Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham's concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. 33 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
    34 And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. 35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. 36 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek. 37 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
    38 The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan's sister was Timna. 40 The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. 41 The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.
   43 Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. 44 And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 45 When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 46 And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. 47 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 48 And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. 49 When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 50 And when Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai. His wife's name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 51 Hadad died also. And the chiefs of Edom were Chief Timnah, Chief Aliah, Chief Jetheth, 52 Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, 53 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, 54 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

The title of Chronicles in Hebrew is Dibere Hayyamim, meaning “The Words [accounts, events] of the Days,” or “The Events of the Times.  It is a record covered in Second Samuel through Second Kings, but from a spiritual perspective of the history of the spiritual significance of king David’s reign and Israel from a divine view instead of a historical one.  It begins with the lineage of Adam from Seth to Abraham, not following the line of Cain which would perish in the flood, but through Noah and onwards.  Ishmael and Isaac are then followed, as well as Seir and then the kings of Edom for a historical backdrop of the scene before Israel had a king of their own besides the LORD.  This sets the stage for the lives of David and the patriarchs so we see the work of God’s sovereign mercy and grace in calling a people for Himself, a tale of historical accuracy and spiritual significance.  The long lists of names and descriptions are to dissuade doubts of the truth of these writings before going on to describe the events and accounts of His work in and for them.  If these facts were left out, at best the the names would have little significance, and at worse would not convince us of the reliability of the Scriptures.  These people would be described in living their part in God’s sovereign plan as it unfolds and the Anointed Messiah announced slowly through David’s lineage which we see summarized and followed more distinctly in Matthew 1:1-17.  We tend to skim quickly through these accounts, but must realize they are the foundation of the gospel, a description and hidden account of the Christ to come (Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:26, Romans 16:25-26, Luke 24:26-27).  These first chapters give us assurance and understanding of the hidden mystery of Christ revealed to us by God’s Spirit of Christ and the need of His redemptive work (1 Corinthians 2:7, 9-10).  Romans 15:4 assures us that these things to be revealed are the wellspring of our hope, while also warning us (1 Corinthians 10:11) of the responses of God’s people because we fall into the same traps if we do not learn from their mistakes.  These events of those times lead to the cross and explain the events of God’s gospel throughout history and the events of our own days. 

Subjugated and Set Free

  2 Kings 25:22-30

    22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. 23 Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, "Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you."
    25 But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
    27 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 30 And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Gedaliah was made governor over the remnant in Judah by the Babylonian king, but his appeals to subjugate themselves to their occupiers met with his murder instead.  The murderers then fled to Egypt, reminiscent of the constant looking back to the four hundred year captivity of their people to that land’s bondage.  Fear of the surrounding Chaldeans inspired them to flee there.  After a time, Jehoiachin the former king over Judah was set free in Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar‘s successor and was give a place of honor in his court among other kings, most likely from other conquered nations.  There he lived out his life in peace and comfort along with his people among the Babylonians.  Their land was subjugated, but there was freedom in their captivity as well.  In a type of parallel, we who are in Christ have been set free from captivity to the bondage of sin, yet are slaves of righteousness in Christ - certainly not a bad thing, and surely with much privilege and honor (Romans 6:16-18, 20, John 8:35-36, 1 Corinthians 7:22).  Once subjugated to sin, now we have been set free from bondage to sin and find rest, joy, and peace with Him as willing bondservants of the heavenly King who rules over all (Psalm 103:19).  He is king of kings (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14) and Lord over all lords!  We then are truly subjugated to His righteousness in holiness and set free from the power and eternal consequences of sin, from eternal death, and from allegiance to any other who would rule over us. 

Spiritual Sedition of The Fall and Captivity

2 Kings 25:1-21
    1 Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
    4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. 6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. 7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.
    8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of the LORD and the king's house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.
    11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. 13 The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.
    18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king's close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, finally came against Jerusalem as God’s hand of judgment and recompense for the continued sins of idolatry and spiritual sedition as its leaders continued to lead the people of God away from their LORD.  The enormous Babylonian force built a siege wall to trap the inhabitants and starve them out as they kept the assault going for well over a year.  Starvation ensued and all hope was abandoned by the people and their leader until the attackers broke through.  When the wall was breached, the king and his remaining fighters fled into the night.  Zedekiah was caught and witnessed the killing of his sons before his eyes were put out so that would be his final visual memory of defeat before being carried away to Babylon.  Then the house of the LORD, the king’s house, and all houses of the mighty men in Jerusalem were burned to the ground as adding finality to the defeat.  The walls of the city were also leveled, leaving no stronghold to recover and resume the fight from.  Only the poor were left behind.  Of course, all the treasures of the temple and the king were taken out of the land as well, spoiled by war in judgment on those forsaking the LORD.  The captivity was complete and many were killed, but a remnant was taken hostage as slaves to Babylon until the time was right for God’s restoration.  We learn that the consequences of sin, of disobedience, disbelief, and the idolatry of putting other gods before the one God lead only to a final judgment.  God desires all to repent and seek His face of grace and mercy in His deliverance, the Messiah-Christ who alone can pay sin’s price, trusting in His work and righteousness alone and following in willing and holy obedience after being enabled by His indwelling presence to do so.  The alternative consequence is dire and certain, bit not just for a while in Babylon, but forever in eternity.  Who would choose such a fate once their eyes and ears were opened?  Trusting God’s work in Christ and receiving the reconciling grace is doing the work for deliverance as John 6:28-29 clearly reveals.  Today is the acceptable time (Isaiah 49:8, 2 Corinthians 6:2) to avoid eternal captivity from the Fall.