1 Chronicles 5:1-26  Click here for Bible Verses

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 5:1-26.  In addition to the tribe of Judah, Israel also consisted of 11 other tribes.  Here the Chronicler begins to look at the descendants of each of those other tribes, beginning with Reuben.  Let’s go!

1 Chronicles 5:1-2 (NIV) 
 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright, 

On verses 1-10:  Reuben was Israel’s firstborn, and with that status came certain rights, such as a right to a majority of his father’s property and the status of being a leader in the family.  However, Reuben lost these rights as the firstborn when he slept with his father’s concubine (Genesis 35:22).  As a result, his status as firstborn in the genealogical record, his right to a majority of his father’s property and all the other privileges that came with being the firstborn were taken from him.  This affected not just him, but all of his descendants that would come after him.

Similarly, when Adam sinned against God, he lost – both for himself and for everyone who would come after him – certain rights that came with being God’s “firstborn”, such as the right to live in God’s presence forever, the right to be a leader in God’s family, and the right to share in God’s kingdom.  This was the punishment we all deserved for our sin.  However, by dying on the cross Jesus took our punishment as sinners and in exchange gave us His rights as “the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).  Jesus restored our standing in God’s presence, our status in His family and our inheritance in God’s kingdom.   What Reuben lost, Jesus has restored for us.

1 Chronicles 5:2 (NIV) 
 and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph)—
On verse 2:  There is prophetic significance to the fact that while Judah was “the strongest of his brothers” and “a ruler came from him”, still the rights of the firstborn belonged to his brother Joseph.  Who is this ruler that would come out of Judah?  It’s Jesus Christ.  Like Judah, Jesus was the strongest among his brothers (i.e. the best that mankind had ever seen).  Like Judah, Jesus was destined to reign.  But also like Judah, Jesus did not enjoy the rights of a firstborn son.  That is because, in Jesus’ case, while he was entitled to those rights, in love he laid those rights down and so that we could have those rights in his place.
In this way, verse 2 is pointing to what Jesus would later do for us. 

1 Chronicles 5:19-20 (NIV) 
19  They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab.
20  They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.

On verses 11-22:  In describing the descendants of the tribe of Gad, the Chronicler recounts a time when the Gadites, Reubenites and the half tribe of Manasseh fought an alliance of Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab and how they were victorious “because they cried out to God during the battle [and] trusted in Him.”  (v20)

What can we learn from this?  Here God’s Word is teaching us about the power of prayer.  When we cry out to God in our battles and trust in Him, we receive His help.  As we like to say at THRIVE, “Much prayer, much power; little prayer, little power; no prayer, no power.”

1 Chronicles 5:24-26 (NIV) 
24  These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families.
25  But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers and prostituted themselves to 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), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

On verses 23-26:  Here the Chronicler describes the half-tribe of Manasseh (a half-tribe because Manasseh and Ephraim together were considered to make up one tribe).  Despite being “brave warriors [and] famous men”, God handed them over to Assyria because they had been unfaithful to God and worshiped other gods.

What can we learn from this?  No matter how strong, famous or capable you think you are, what matters most is your relationship with God.  If your relationship with the Lord is not strong, like the half-tribe of Manasseh you will end up worshiping idols and be vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.

Heavenly Father, thank You that when we had lost our rights as Your children, You sent Jesus to come and restore us.  Just as the Gadites prayed and won their battles with Your help, may I do my best fighting on my knees in prayer.  For no matter how strong I think I am on my own, I can’t do anything apart from You.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!