What's Your Role

INTRO

First Chronicles builds on what we’ve studied in the other historical books and points to the genealogy of Christ by linking Jesus to Old Testament key figures. Jesus’ ministry was built on Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and the remaining kings. This chapter is a transition from the descendants of Abraham to the descendants of Israel (that is, Jacob).

TEACHING

1 Chronicles 2:1–2: The 12 sons of Israel are listed in verses 1 and 2. They were linked first to Adam, then to Noah, then to Abraham, and now to Jacob, who was also called Israel. Before Jacob died, he gathered his sons and spoke prophetically over them: “Then Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Gather around, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come. Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel: Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility, excelling in prominence, excelling in power. Turbulent as water, you will no longer excel, because you got into your father’s bed and you defiled it—he got into my bed’” (Genesis 49:1-4).

Since Reuben was the oldest, it would make sense for him to be listed first in this genealogy, but Judah was listed first. Reuben slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah (Genesis 35:22) and lost that place of prominence. Judah wasn’t even the second oldest. He was the fourth, but the first three sons all messed up.

1 Chronicles 2:3: Er is one of the first people 1 Chronicles describes as evil. The chronicler, probably Ezra, went out of his way to link generations together by naming parents. Parents played an important role in 1 Chronicles when the author described the sons of David.

1 Chronicles 2:4: Tamar was Israel’s (also known as Jacob) daughter-in-law. Even though she might have felt as though she didn’t have any importance in her family, the author mentioned her role in serving the Son of David.

1 Chronicles 2:5-8: The author moved from Judah to Hezron. Judah’s family will take a prominent role in 1 Chronicles from now through chapter 5. The other tribes will get their own genealogies later. Each tribe played an important part in the coming of the Son of David.

1 Chronicles 2:9-12: The author moved from the descendants of Judah to the descendants of Hezron. These verses transition into the descendants of Ram. Even though Ram was listed as the second son of Hezron, God chose his family line to be in the line of the coming Messiah. The chronicler listed Boaz in verse 11. This was the same Boaz from the book of Ruth that took place in the time of the judges.

1 Chronicles 2:13-17: The chronicler proceeds to list seven sons of Jesse with David being the seventh. Other texts list David as the eighth son. Then when Jesse’s sons were listed in 1 Chronicles 27:18, David was back in the eighth position with Elihu being added in at seventh. Why would the chronicler not list Elihu in this passage when he would be listed later? It may not have been his focus for some reason in this context.

1 Chronicles 2:18-24: The chronicler next listed the sons of Caleb. This was not the Caleb from the Book of Joshua, but Caleb from Genesis. These descendants of Caleb were actually broken up three times: twice here and once in 1 Chronicles 4. Bezalel, mentioned in verse 20, was the same Bezalel who was a craftsman (Exodus 31:2-5). Bezalel’s job was to serve the coming king because of his identity in his father and his identity in the line of the Son of David.

1 Chronicles 2:25-41: Here the chronicler listed the descendants of Jerahmeel. None of the names in verses 25-41 are mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament except in this passage. However, they were listed together as a people group in 1 Samuel 27:10 and again in 1 Samuel 30:29. The Jerahmeelites were not in the lineage of the Son of David, but they were included so that we can see the bigger picture of the entire lineage.

1 Chronicles 2:42–54: The chronicler returned to the second group of Caleb’s descendants. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah, who was mentioned in Judges 1:12-23. She married Othniel, who was one of Israel’s first judges.

1 Chronicles 2:55: Even scribes were mentioned! Although they were not included in the lineage of the Son of David, they had an important role to play in pointing others to Him.

CLOSING

All throughout this chapter, we have seen people playing different roles. We’ve seen parents, sisters, scribes, and more, all playing a role in pointing others to the Son of David. Regardless of the role you play in pointing others to the Son of David, Romans 12:11 contains two great reminders: “Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord.” Diligence means being dedicated to a task. Being fervent in spirit means being passionate about serving the Lord and blessing others without overlooking anyone. We are to serve others with passion and without stopping, as we point them to the Son of David.

Pastor Steven Cole pointed out four concepts for us to remember as we serve the Lord:

1. All believers are called to serve. There are no exceptions.
2. We are to serve the Lord as His slaves, not as His volunteers. . If we want our lives to point to the Son of David, we have to be sold out to Him. Jesus taught, “Which one of you having a slave tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’? Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded? In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves; we’ve only done our duty’” (Luke 17:7-10).
3. We are serving the Lord, not serving ourselves. When we begin to understand this and work where He wants us, people will be pointed to the Son of David.
4. Serving the Lord means we are not primarily serving others. Paul put it this way, “For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). When you are serving others, you are not serving to please them. You are serving because you are God’s child and Christ’s slave.1

No matter how you serve, remember that what you are doing could be building on a foundation for the next generation. However you serve, you could be ushering in the King.