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, […]
If you were trying to reach the heart of a garbage man who was seeking the Lord, where would hide a Bible for him to find? In the trash, of course! […]
We are now visiting the land of Samaria, Joseph’s territory, and the coastal region near modern Haifa. There are just three more tribal genealogies recorded (1 Chron 7:14-40) before we focus on two competing power centers—the rejection of Saul’s line and the selection of David’s house. First, however, we notice that not only Dan, but […]
Read More… from August 16, 2024 — Manasseh West, Ephraim, & Asher
Imagine going into battle with a donkey, a wolf, and a deer (Gen 49). Sounds like an Aesop’s fable! The Chronicler continues with his outline of the next three tribal families (1 Chron 7:1-13), listing Issachar, Benjamin, and Naphtali. Not once but twice we are told that the sons of Tola, Issachar’s firstborn, were “mighty men […]
Read More… from August 15, 2024 — Issachar, Benjamin, & Naphtali
“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor 6:16). It was the Lord’s desire to infiltrate the whole land of Israel with His Word through His witnesses, the priests. Thus among all 12 tribes they were given cities with their “common-lands”—a ring of 1000 cubits […]
Our Lord Jesus is the High Priest and Chief Singer, but He calls on us to join Him in this holy work. While the earlier lists in 1 Chronicles might seem only of interest to the pedantist, when we come to 6:27-53, we can see how important this genealogy is. The others might affect land inheritance, but […]
Read More… from August 13, 2024 — The Levites, Singers, & Priests
Olympic athletes train for years to be awarded a gold medal. But the woman sitting in the front row — greatly damaged by sin — had her sights set on a far higher prize. […]
Our battles aren’t fought against flesh and blood, but they won’t be won by our flesh, either. We are now introduced to Reuben’s neighbors on the east side of the Jordan River. While it was ideal land for cattle ranches, the area was fraught with danger. World-bordering, no matter how temporally beneficial, is always a perilous place to live. […]