King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Chapters: I Chronicles Chapters 3-5
Message: In The Name of Jesus
Hello My Friend,
Names are important to God, He knows us by name, in fact, He knew it before we were even born. We may think that our parents gave us our name, but it is actually God who does. One day, Jesus is going to call each and every one of His own, whether alive or in heaven by name to join Him in His Kingdom, [Revelation 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.]
As we return to the reading of 1 Chronicles, an account is given of the descendants of David, up until the time that they were taken captive to Babylon. Remember, this is written by Ezra, it is like when God had Moses write Genesis centuries after he was born, it was to give an account of what happened. 1 Chronicles, is a registry book, one that the Jews used when they came back to Israel after being in captivity to Babylon for seventy years, in order to figure out what tribe they came from. While most of those in Babylon were of the tribe of Judah, the rest of the Jews were scattered all of the world, and now, we get a little insight into that.
[1 Chronicles 3:1-5,9-10 Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess: 2 The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith: 3 The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife. 4 These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years. 5 And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel: 9 These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister. 10 And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,]
[And these were born unto him in Jerusalem;] It is interesting to note that all of the first six children were from different wives, and we can come to understand why Solomon had so many wives. David, did have a weakness for women as we learned from Bathsheba, of whom he actually had four children with after their incident. The very woman that he had an affair with and suffered as a result became the one that David spent the most time with. This is proof that God, never condemns us to a life of pain should we fall a time or two for Jesus is our advocate, [1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.]
[And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam,] I find it interesting that out of the thousand wives that Solomon had only Rehoboam is recognized, and the rest of the names were the first born of each son thereafter. Perhaps the men learned from their fathers that one woman is enough, but I am pretty sure this had to do with their heritage, nevertheless, they were all traced back to David as their father. Unlike God’s children, those who receive Christ as their Saviour, regardless of whether or not they are the first or last to receive Him are His children, and are all recognized as being joint heirs with Him, [Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
We must understand that God never condoned multiple marriages, as from the beginning, marriage has always been one man and one woman. Yet, God, still saw David as a man of his own heart and used his lineage to bring His own Son into the world. So, if you tell me that God is an unjust God, I will tell you that His mercy endures. And now, an account is given to the tribe of Judah itself.
[1 Chronicles 4:1-6,9-10 The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. 2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites. 3 And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi: 4 And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem. 5 And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.]
[The sons of Judah…and Hur,] Hur, was the man who helped Moses when the Israelites fought with the Amalekites, [Exodus 17:10-12 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.]
[And Jabez called on the God of Israel,] Jabez, means, to grieve, when his mother gave birth to him she was grieving. Perhaps it was the way he came into this world that was his drive to be more honorable than his brothers. Growing up in an oppressed environment, one learns to grow up really quick, I grew up in Detroit, and certainly grew up quick even before I knew Jesus as my Saviour. We can either let the bad things in our lives define us or we can use them to empower us to be more honorable than them, [1 Corinthians 12:22-24 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:]
Chapter four also gives an account of Simeon’s descendants, Judah shared land that they inherited to them with the tribe of Simeon because they were so small in number. Later on they decided to move away from them and ended up in Canaanite territory.
[1 Chronicles 4:24-28,31-33 The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul: 25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. 26 And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son. 27 And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah. 28 And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual, 31 And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim, and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David. 32 And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities: 33 And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.]
[but his brethren had not many children…like to the children of Judah.] God, was with Simeon and used them to conquer land that the Philistines had taken over, but not much else is told about them. Although they we small in number and pretty much rejected David when he became king, they were still considered one with Judah. This is more proof that whether we are a servant of God in His church or at home, those who receive Christ are all a part of the same body of Christ, [1 Corinthians 12:12-13 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.]
Now, as we come to chapter five, an account is given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, these were the tribes that would not take an inheritance on the land of Israel, and were also the first tribes to get captured when God started judging Israel.
[1 Chronicles 5:1-3,6-7,10 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. 2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s:) 3 The sons, I say, of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were, Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 6 Beerah his son, whom Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites. 7 And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, 10 And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand: and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.]
[his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph] This was when Reuben had an affair with his father’s concubine, [Genesis 35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:]. Joseph, had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, each of whom had inherited a portion of land. Judah, had the dominion over the other tribes, it was Jacob who prophesied that the scepter or rather the throne would fall on them, [Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be]. Of him came the chief ruler, David first, and, then in the fullness of times, the Messiah, the Prince of peace will rule.
[Micah 5:1-4 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.]
All this all goes to show you that we really do not know a lot about our ancestors. I have some members in my family that were shameful, others were honorable, the older I get the more I understand why God divides His children from those of the world, even immediate family. And now, we come to the account of Gad.
[1 Chronicles 5:11,17-20 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salchah: 17 All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. 18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. 19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab. 20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.]
[the children of Gad dwelt over against them,] Meaning, they lived next to the Reubenites and helped them defeat the Hararites, with the help of God. And just as fast as He helped them, the half tribe of Manasseh, turned on Him, and were of the first of them to be captured when the Assyrian’s took them captive.
[1 Chronicles 5:23,25-26 And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon. 25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them. 26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.]
[And they transgressed against the God of their fathers] Notice that it says that they were the God of their fathers, meaning they turned on God themselves. Everything that happens, good or bad, will be used for God, it will either bring them near to Christ or draw them from Him. But regardless, in the name of Jesus all will bow to Him, [Philippians 2:9-13 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [1 Chronicles 3:9-10 These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister. 10 And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,]
Today’s Prayer: God, Throughout the years I often wondered why You put me in a certain place or brought certain people in my life, and I still do not understand some of it. What I do understand is that the second that I received Your Son, Jesus Christ as my Saviour I became one of Your children. Everything I have gone through, good and bad, has been used not for me, but for me to be a blessing to others and to glorify You. Lord, thank You for using me, continue to use me as You see fit, and give me Your power, love, mercy, grace, wisdom, and guidance to be a child of Your own heart. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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