1 Chronicles 7:1-40 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 7:1-40. God Can Bring Good out of Misfortune (Plus, Be a Good Team Player + How to Measure Greatness) .In this chapter, the Chronicler turns his attention to the genealogies of six other tribes of Israel. Let’s go!
1 Chronicles 7:1 (NIV)
1 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron–four in all.
On verses 1-5: Compared to other tribes, the Bible does not say much about Issachar as a tribe, although Issachar was given one of the richest lands in Palestine. Arguably the two most notable figures to come out of the tribe of Issachar are Tola (mentioned in v1 and a judge who ruled over Israel for 23 years – see Judges 10:1-2) and Baasha, an idol-worshiping king who ruled Israel for 24 years (see 1 Kings 15:27).
1 Chronicles 7:6 (NIV)
6 Three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker and Jediael.
On verses 6-12: Here in these verses the Chronicler provides a short, general summary of Benjamin’s genealogy. We’ll look at lessons from Benjamin’s genealogy in the next chapter, where the Chronicler gives more details about Benjamin’s genealogy and sets the stage for Judah’s first king, who was from the tribe of Benjamin.
1 Chronicles 7:13 (NIV)
13 The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem–the descendants of Bilhah.
On verse 13: The Bible says very little about Naphtali compared to most other tribes of Israel. It is difficult to find in the Bible any famous individual who came from the tribe of Naphtali. But Naphtali could possibly win the award for “best team player” of all the tribes of Israel. For example, in Judges 4, when Deborah is leading Israel in a fight against Sisera, the military commander of Canaan, Deborah looks to the tribes of Israel for help. Some tribes like Dan, Asher and Reuben do nothing, but Naphtali is one of the few tribes who gave Deborah their wholehearted support, risking their people’s lives to help Deborah (Judges 4:10; 5:8). Also, when Gideon was leading Israel in their fight against the Midianites, Naphtali was also there to help (Judges 7:23).
Later on, God would honour Naphtali in a special way: when Jesus was looking for a place to launch his public ministry, he chose the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. As Matthew 4:13-16 says, “Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali”. This fulfilled a prophecy made about Naphtali in Isaiah 9:1-2.
What can we learn from this? God loves to honour and use those whose main priority is not their own recognition or esteem, but whose main focus is on helping the team. Are you a good team player? Is your main focus your own esteem or helping the team? A lesson from the tribe of Naphtali is that when Jesus looks to start something important, He chooses those who have a humble heart to serve others.
1 Chronicles 7:14-15 (NIV)
14 The descendants of Manasseh: Asriel was his descendant through his Aramean concubine. She gave birth to Makir the father of Gilead.
15 Makir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister’s name was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.
On verses 14-19: Here the Chronicler summarizes the genealogy of the tribe of Manasseh. To me the most impressive individuals to come out of the tribe of Manasseh are the daughters of Zelophehad, mentioned in verse 15. At a time in Israel’s history when women were not legally entitled to receive land as an inheritance, these five daughters of Zelophehad not only found a way to get land of their own, but God used them to change the laws of Israel so that other women could inherit land. Because the daughters of Zelophehad wisely took initiative and planned ahead, they received an inheritance that otherwise would not have come to them. (For more on their story, see Numbers 27.)
What can we learn from this? Take initiative. Plan ahead. Stand up for what is right. When you do so, God will expand your territory and help others in the process.
1 Chronicles 7:24 (NIV)
24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon as well as Uzzen Sheerah.
On verse 20-29: As the Chronicler summarizes the genealogy of the tribe of Ephraim, he includes a revealing story about Ephraim. One day Ephraim lost some livestock, which apparently had been taken by some Philistines in Gath. So two of Ephraim’s sons Ezer and Elead go down to Gath to retrieve those livestock, but are killed in the process (v21). Ephraim is heartbroken by this incident and spends a long time in mourning (v22). But eventually Ephraim and his wife have another child called Beriah (whose name sounds like “misfortune” in Hebrew). It is through Beriah that God would raise up two leaders. One was Sheerah, Beriah’s daughter, who is one of the only women mentioned in 1 Chronicles as being a builder of communities and cities (v24). The other is Joshua son of Nun, who many generations later would lead the Israelites into the Promised Land (v27).
What can we learn from this? Out of Beriah, that is, out of “misfortune”, God can bring about something good. If Ezer and Elead had never died, Ephraim and his wife may never have tried for another baby. And if they had never tried for another baby, there would never be Sheerah or Joshua. Likewise, if you have experienced misfortune (perhaps a miscarriage, the loss of someone very dear to you, or another tragedy), God’s plan is to bring about an even greater good out of it. As Romans 8:28 says, “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose”. “In all things” includes our heartbreaks, defeats, disappointments and losses. So don’t give up. Even in such misfortune, God can and will bring about His good plans for you and all those He intended to bless through you.
1 Chronicles 7:40 (NIV)
40 All these were descendants of Asher–heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders. The number of men ready for battle, as listed in their genealogy, was 26,000.
On verses 30-40: In listing some of the descendants of Asher, the Chronicler calls them “choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders” (v40). That said, compared to other tribes, Asher is hardly mentioned in the history of Israel. While Asher had more men ready for battle (26,000) than any other tribe mentioned in this chapter, the most outstanding individual and leader to rise up from Asher could very well be a woman called Anna. Anna was a prophetess who lost her husband at a young age and never remarried or had children. Instead, Anna spent the many remaining years of her life worshiping in the temple, fasting and praying. Anna was one of the first to recognize an eight day old baby Jesus as the Messiah (see Luke 2:36-38). Even before the Magi realized that Jesus was king, Anna pointed others to that truth. Of all the choice people, brave warriors and outstanding leaders Asher produced, none was greater than Anna.
What can we learn from this? From Anna of Asher, we learn that greatness is not measured by worldly success, but by your character and how well you served Jesus in your generation.
Heavenly Father, thank You for all the lessons we can learn from Your powerful word. Like the tribe of Naphtali, may I be a good team player who focuses on helping the team more than on my own esteem. Just like You worked in Ephraim’s life, thank You that You will bring about a greater good from the losses I experience. And thank You for people like Anna of Asher, whose lives were great not because they were well known but because they loved You well. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
