Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: I Chronicles 7-8
I Chronicles 8:40
And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers, and had many sons, and sons’ sons, an hundred and fifty. All these are the sons of Benjamin.
Of the many tidbits of information that can be drawn from these genealogies there are a few that seem to crop up often. One is the common abilities found within families. Some were builders of cities, some priests, some rulers, some great warriors, and here, the son’s and sons’ sons are mighty men of valour and archers.
From today’s reading, here are some of those who are recorded as having special gifts:
The sons of Tola were known as valiant men.
The sons of Bela were known as mighty men of valour.
The sons of Jediael were fit to go out to battle.
The daughters of Zelophehad were bold and through them the laws of inheritance
were altered which would become important for Jesus Christ to lawfully
claim the lineage of David.
Then there was that crooked branch of the family tree who tried to steal cattle
and were slain.
The daughter of Beriah built two cities, one named after her.
The sons of Elpaal who built Ono, Lod, and the towns thereof.
Then there was the son of Kish, named Saul, who was the first king over Israel.
Yes, it seems that common skills, abilities, and gifts run in families.
Then there is this tidbit, for reasons perhaps only known to the Lord God in Heaven, He included details about some and not others. Why? There is a reason, no doubt, but we do not know it. Perhaps one day the reason will become apparent.
Another, more subtle and oft repeated detail in genealogies is the fact that sometimes those listed as sons or daughters may be the grand or great grand offspring of the person mentioned. One such example is Sherah the one recorded as being the daughter of Beriah. Time and space prohibit the full explanation about her lineage but there is a timeline issue about her and her cities that can only be explained by her being a granddaughter of Beriah, and great granddaughter of Ephraim.
Another practical point of these genealogies is that often one individual could be listed by various names. This we can understand. For example, to some my name is William, some, Bill, some Billy Tom. If the individuals were writing about me they would probably use the name of which they are familiar.
Genealogies in the Bible may seem boring, but they are vitally important to prove Scriptural veracity and historical accuracy. Plus, they prove Christ’s legal and historical right to the throne of David.
Dr. William T. Howe
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