1 Chronicles 4:24-43 - Simeon’s Legacy for Vengeance

1 Chronicles 4:24-43

The Family of Simeon (Genesis 46:10)

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 legacy of Simeon is recorded for us as we look back to his father’s prophetic account of what would become of them (Genesis 49:5-6, 7) and each other son.  His line did not amount to as much as Judah from David as the precursor to the Messiah (Genesis 49:8, 10) as a mighty lion of the tribe of Judah.  Instead he is known for his violence when he and his brother Levi slaughtered the men of Shechem in revenge for the defiling of their sister Dinah, for which they inherited no land of their own but were scattered and then absorbed into the Judah as a nondescript people.  They did not understand that vengeance is the LORD’s (Deuteronomy 32:35, Psalm 94:1, Hebrews 10:30-31) and chose to overcome evil with evil instead of with good (Romans 12:19, 21); he reaped the whirlwind of that act by being scattered and absorbed into the stronger brother’s territory.  This is a lesson for us not only of the end of God’s chosen elect, but also of the consequences of our actions of vengeance instead of showing grace in returning good for evil (Matthew 5:43-44, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Peter 3:10, 17) as He has done for us in Christ, the Seed of David of the tribe of Judah.  Remember Simeon’s legacy for his vengeance and seek to do good to those who do the worst to us and our loved ones as we put retribution (Revelation 6:10) in the hand of God where it belongs to avoid sinning against Him and our brother.  Yes, this is a warning for us all who would seek our own vengeance. 

1 Chronicles 4:1-23 - Golden Path of our Salvation

1 Chronicles 4:1-23

The Family of Judah

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 lineage of Judah is specially followed here after the previous trail from king David towards the Messiah Jesus to come through the line of David according to the faith of Abraham before him promised in the beginning in Genesis 3:15 to defeat sin’s penalty at the source by the heart made new.  Jesus's lineage is therefore traced back to Jacob's fourth son Judah and David was the descendant of Judah that earned Him the title, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”  This completes the generations leading to Jesus Christ whose descendant founded Bethlehem where both king David and Jesus Christ were born.  Along the way, a man named Jabez who was born in his mother’s pain asked for blessings to keep him from evil and not cause anyone else pain as he did to his mother.  God answered him.  This is now used out of cont as a rote prayer for demanding blessing and prosperity, which misses the point of a sincere heart seeking to do good to others (Matthew 7:12, Romans 13:8, 10, Galatians 5:14, 6:10) and not hurt them.  It is not a formula to gain blessings of health and wealth for ourselves, but to do to others as we would like them to do to us.  The golden rule, if you will.  That is on the way to our deliverance by the Messiah, the Seed of David, foundation of the faith of Abraham, and the Lion of Judah who fights for our souls, the one who laid down His life for us to do no harm and bless us as He did for Jabez.  What a plan of salvation channeled down through history to us and written down for our wonder and awe, a golden path of deliverance (Romans 8:28-29, 30), designed and executed by the Lord of Himself for us! 

1 Chronicles 3:1-24 - Starting Lineage of King David

1 Chronicles 3:1-24

The Family of David (Matthew 1:6)

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.

The Family of Solomon (Matthew 1:7–11)

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.

The Family of Jeconiah

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 starting lineage of King David emphasized his son Solomon and Solomon’s son Rehoboam and then Abijah and Asa and so on to Jeconiah and twelve more descendants, all in the lineage of the Messiah Jesus (Matthew 1:6, 7-11) recorded for us to see the channel of God’s redemption in Christ to come.  This genealogy has immense value for us therefore.  The recording of the lineage of Jeconiah covers those sent into captivity in Babylon but not in the Messianic lineage, yet nonetheless still important to understand the history of God’s people as the channel of redemption to come, just as a picture of our bondage to sin before being set free (Romans 6:17-18) by Him who is the Seed of David according to the flesh and the seed of God as His Son (Isaiah 9:6, 7, Romans 1:1-2, 3-4) in the Spirit.  How wonderful that the LORD God recorded all these details for us to grasp His plan of redemption in Jesus Christ for us from our need of redemption in the Fall at Eden through the channel of redemption in Israel to the purchase of redemption in Christ until the future consummation of redemption in eternity!  May we engage in the proclamation of this redemption until His return with the historical facts as it is written and the confirmation of His Spirit giving understanding to see and hear Him in this gospel of hope.  The starting lineage of king David leads to the eternal lineage of all born again in his Seed and our Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Amen. 

1 Chronicles 2:1-55 - The Lineage of Eternal Life

1 Chronicles 2:1-55

The Family of Israel (Genesis 35:23–26; 46:8–25)

1 These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

From Judah to David (Ruth 4:18–22; Matthew 1:2–6; Luke 3:31–33)

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.

The Family of Hezron

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.

The Family of Jerahmeel

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.

The Family of Caleb

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.

The genealogical record continues in chapter 2 with the twelve sons of Israel (Jacob) and then follows the son Judah through Ruth to David the king through whom the Seed who is the Messiah (Romans 1:2-4, 2 Timothy 2:8, Galatians 3:16) would come as the Lion (Revelation 5:5) of the tribe of Judah.  Other notable branches are covered as well that validate the historical accuracy of scripture and explain the lines that endured for a while while others died out due to sin as before Noah and his kin survived to bring these into existence.  The most important it the line of David (Matthew 1:17, Luke 3:31, 38) of course, as through him came the divine Jesus Christ in the flesh like our own, prepared (Hebrews 9:5) from before time (Psalm 90:2, John 1:1, 14, 17:24, 1 Peter 1:20, 2 Timothy 1:9) as God planned our redemption through His Son for we who also have a lineage according to the flesh but more importantly, through the spiritual rebirth into Christ the Son of Man and Son of God.  We therefore can understand the plan of God from before creation and Adam’s fall that brought sin to us all (Romans 5:12, 18-19) through the channel of redemption for all He will call to Himself through His Son, the Seed of David, by the faith of Abraham (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6-7, 8-9) called to inherit the promised land which is but a whiff of our own heavenly kingdom inheritance to come.  This is the lineage of eternal life though the channel of redemption in the people of Israel to the Christ destined to come for us.

1 Chronicles 1:1-54 - Beginning of the Thread of Redemption

1 Chronicles 1:1-54

The Family of Adam—Seth to Abraham (Gen. 5:1–32; 10:1–32; 11:10–26; Luke 3:34–38)

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.

The Family of Ishmael (Genesis 25:12–16)

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.

The Family of Keturah (Genesis 25:1–4)

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.

The Family of Isaac (Genesis 36:10–14)

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.

The Family of Seir (Genesis 36:20–28)

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.

The Kings of Edom (Genesis 36:31–43)

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 record of the lineage of man from the first Adam until Jacob called Israel is in this first chapter chronicling the plan for man from the Fall to eventual redemption in the Messiah through the seed of David later (Matthew 1:17, Galatians 4:4, 3:16) in history’s fullness.  This detailed account is necessary to show and know the reality of man’s creation, fall, and redemption according to God’s sovereign plan.  We may not know or remember each and every name outlined here, yet the LORD knows each one intimately and has worked through their choices for good or evil as taking the knowledge of that tree (Genesis 2:9, 17, 3:6, 17) instead of listening and learning from God (Hebrews 5:14) has corrupted each and grace has delivered a remnant out of them all to accomplish His purposes.  We see here the account of the first man Adam who did not trust and obey God to Abraham the man who took God at His word and accepted it by faith as intended, who then is the example for our faith in Christ (Galatians 3:6, 9, James 2:23) now who hear and believe the word of the gospel and obey it with that same willing trust.  We take God at His word like Abraham because we have this lineage of failings and trust in God’s word to consider that points to our deliverance from sin’s penalty in His work for us as our own imperfect (Romans 3:23, 6:23) works always fail to achieve.  The foundation is of Abraham’s sons Isaac of promise and Ishmael of worldly gain alone, to their son Jacob later called Israel (Genesis 32:28, “God prevails”) as the bedrock of the chosen people for our channel of redemption culminating in the Messiah-Christ Jesus.  This account then is critical to und the story of the gospel and our hope by faith in God’s work (John 5:24, 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:1, 8) to bring us to Himself.  This genealogy then is the beginning of the scarlet thread of redemption woven through the scriptures to convict and convince us of the truth of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

2 Kings 25:22-28 - Captivity in Hope

2 Kings 25:22-28

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah (Jeremiah 40:5—41:18)

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.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison (Jeremiah 52:31–34)

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.

The end of the kings in this book is seen in captivity to Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had set Gedaliah as governor over the remnant of Judah.  This governor told the people to submit to Babylonian rule to have peace in the land (Jeremiah 21:9, 10, 40:9), but a conspiracy formed contrary to God’s word and will and he was assassinated.  The rebellion led to the perpetrators running away to Egypt in fear and then the captive Judean king Jehoiachin was released from prison to dine with the new king of Babylon and was treated well, a foretaste of a future restoration of Jerusalem in Judah to come.  We find that sometimes sin leads to a judgment and exile of captivity as a consequence, yet there is still hope of a remnant being restored to grace.  The end of some evil kings may yet lead to a chance to be redeemed as ultimately seen in the coming of the King of kings to redeem we the remnant out of all nations to serve and worship Him.  This is captivity in hope. 

2 Kings 25:1-21 - Will you be Carried Away into Captivity?

2 Kings 25:1-21

The Fall and Captivity of Judah (2 Chronicles 36:15–21; Jer. 52:4–30)

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.

Judah was finally taken and carried away into captivity to Babylon for their continued unrepentant sins of idolatry and immorality of worship given to dead works of their hands over the living LORD who delivered them from the bondage of Egypt where such sins had held them captive long ago.  After a year and a half of the siege from Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon against Jerusalem, with starvation rampant among God’s people, the wall of the great city was broken down and many fled the city as the king was taken and watched his sons killed before his eyes that were then taken their sight away to see the light of God’s mercy come to and end for him.  A few years later, they came and burned the remaining buildings of Jerusalem to the ground and broke the city walls down all around.  They stole away all the bronze pieces remaining of the temple of worship erected by Solomon and took the remaining people into captivity to Babylon.  This is the finale of Judah who was carried away into captivity as the promised consequence of their rejection of their LORD and substitution of lifeless gods of their own imagination enthroned on their hearts also broken down and carried away by sin.  They had not taken advantage of the grace and mercy in God’s forgiveness of sin by repentance and reaped the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7) as a result, a warning to all the world to turn from sin to Him (Mark 1:15, Acts 3:19) and reject worship of any before Him as the first commandment tells us all, Jew and Gentile, to pursue.  May all who hear the gospel of for and grace turn from sin to worship Him alone who can deliver from the destruction to come when God’s judgment falls on us all and only those not carried away into eternal captivity of suffering will be united with Him in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2) that will never be under siege or destroyed because God Himself will be there (Revelation 21:3) to rule over us in the goodness of unending joy and peace without fears or tears (Revelation 21:4) as we worship in spirit and truth forever without judgment to end our lives ever again.  

Kings 24:1-20 - Taken into Captivity

2 Kings 24:1-20

Judah Overrun by Enemies

1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7 And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin (2 Chronicles 36:9, 10)

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. 12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem

13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:11–14; Jer. 52:1–3)

17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

At the command of the LORD, the people of God were taken into captivity out of their nation into a foreign land due to their heinous sins.  The inward (Romans 7:23) journey into captivity is the bondage of sin within that turns away from God to pursue idolatry and immorality as Israel and Judah had done long before we who now face the same captivity from birth as slaves of sin.  Judah followed the evil examples of their leaders such as Manasseh mentioned prominently here (2 Kings 21:2, 4-5, 6) who had erected idols in God’s house (a warning of present day statues in some assemblies), killed innocent people (as in the early days of the modern reformation under corrupt Roman church rule), and seduced the citizens to worship other gods (2 Kings 21:9) in direct rejection and disobedience to the very first foundational commandment.  He had brought (2 Kings 21:14) the wrath of God down on the people who followed this and other evil leaders who brought accountability to them all in the attacks of their enemies that culminated in this removal of the remnant of His inheritance from the promised land to be carried away into Babylon.  The lack of repentance and continual rejection of the LORD will also exclude those who reject the gospel at the last day in the same way, except the bondage of sin that carries them there will be permanent and eternal in their captivity.  There can be no return (Hebrews 9:27-28, ) in that final judgment for those who follow evil of their own account under evil leaders or good if they imitate the wrong ones and turn their backs on the Lord and (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) His gospel of reconciling forgiveness and grace.  He who leads others into captivity will himself be led into captivity as it is written (Revelation 13:10) for all who lead and deceitfully teach (James 3:1, 2 Peter 2:1, 4, 18, 19) others to rebellion and disobedience to the gospel.  Judah was taken physically captive and their temple was dismantled and taken away in pagan hands to Babylon for evil without regard for the Lord through repentance; how many people throughout history have since turned true worship into idolatry and murdered innocents who proclaimed reconciliation and holiness to the Lord in the name of the Holy Church while ignoring the scriptures and will of God by substituting another Mediator and praying to the dead instead of the Living God alone?  We who know Him approach the throne of grace and not any man to forgive our sins that we may worship in spirit and truth to enter into eternity out of the captivity (2 Timothy 2:25-26) and bondage of sin we have been freed from. 

2 Kings 23:28-37 - Regression of Sin Against the Lord

2 Kings 23:28-37

Josiah Dies in Battle (2 Chronicles 35:20—36:1)

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. 30 Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoahaz (2 Chronicles 36:1–4)

31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there.

Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:5–8)

35 So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.

Here the old pattern of sin comes creeping back in among the rulers of God’s people in Judah.  After many who did evil and led the nation astray and away from following the LORD, there was a bright spot of hope in Josiah who reformed and restored true worship during his reign.  Though he did well in his reforms, the people still had a history of being led into idolatry and its accompanying immorality, and the fate of the nation had already been marked out by the LORD for accountability in judgment by His wrath on their continuing sin, just as the whole world even now faces judgment day (Acts 17:31, Hebrews 9:27-28, 2 Peter 2:9, 1 John 4:17-18) for their inherited and ongoing sins.  Only the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ can deliver the few on that narrow road to Him through repentance and faith from the wrath (Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Revelation 11:18) to come.  After Josiah the reformer died, Jehoahaz his son took the reins and led the people once again into sin and kindled the burning wrath of God against him and them all.  He only lasted three months until imprisoned and was replaced by another son of Josiah named Jehoiakim, who also pursued evil instead of the word and will of the LORD as his father Josiah had done so well like a bright break in the clouds of an approaching storm of judgment.  This Jehoiakim repeated the same evil of the majority of his forefathers on this downward spiral trending towards the time of accountability for rejecting God and His words.  On top of that, he also heavily taxed the people to appease the Pharaoh of Egypt who had put him on the throne after his brother’s death.  This repeated pattern of corruption of the soul in the leaders of Judah followed that of the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel, a pattern that would ultimately bring destruction on them all except a faithful remnant as we see today in the remnant of all nations in Christ (Romans 11:5, 25, 30-31, 32, 9:6-7, 8, 25, 26) to be delivered from the wrath to come on all our sin since Adam.  The whole world around us is following this same pattern of regression into sin against the Lord as they reject Him and His gospel of hope and grace.  We who are now in the remnant of the nations in Christ are His heralds of that message (Romans 10:14, 16-17) that calls all who have been given ears to hear to turn from the sin reigning over them (Galatians 4:4, Romans 5:20-21) to Him who reigns over the just and unjust for deliverance from the consequences of sin to come.  Who reigns over you and who do you follow?  May we not regress into following sin against Him as the rules of Judah and Israel did, but progress into willing obedience to the gospel containing the (John 6:68, Acts 5:20) words of life.