We don’t choose our families, but we do choose if they are focused on God and founded on love.
Just before we turn our attention to the dwellers in Jerusalem and God’s king who reigns there, we are called on to follow the lineage of Saul (1 Chron 8:1-40). We won’t linger on Saul’s end, since that’s dealt with in chapter 10. Instead, let’s make some general observations about these lists. We can’t help but notice how many names there are, and how quickly the influence of a family can affect a society. Educator A.E. Winship decided to trace the descendants of the early Puritans, Jonathan and Sarah Edwards, about 150 years after their deaths. He discovered the family included a US Vice President, three US senators, three governors, three mayors, 13 college presidents, 30 judges, 60 doctors, 65 professors, 75 military officers, 80 public office holders, a dean of a law school, and a dean of a medical school, and hundreds of lawyers, ministers, and college graduates. On the other hand, sociologist Richard L. Dugdale in 1877 decided to trace the descendants of Max Jukes who lived about the same time as the Edwards. Why? Because it was discovered that 42 different men in the New York prison system were related to him! Dugdale found the following in his family tree: seven murderers, 60 thieves, 190 prostitutes, 150 other convicts, 310 paupers, and 440 who were physically wrecked by alcohol. Of the 1,200 descendants studied, 300 died prematurely. Oh for more families with the Lord at the center! I notice, too, how many of these names are linked to God: Ahijah (brother of Jah), Elpaal (God is maker), Zebadiah (endowed by Jehovah), Ishmerai (He keeps me), Jizliah (God preserves), Sheariah (valued by Jah), and Eliel (my God is God). Happy, helpful, holy families are heaven’s outposts.