Let's face it, the almost endless lists of genealogies in 1 Chronicles can get a bit dry. It's easy to lose your place and forget everything you just read, but have you ever stopped to wonder how you would appear in a genealogy of the Bible?
The Bible can skip whole generations in a genealogy. More often than not, women aren't mentioned, but sometimes, they are. Sometimes, the listing of names is even interrupted for a brief moment to list something about the person.
Here are a few I noticed while reading 1 Chronicles:
Er was evil, and God killed him for that (2:3)
Jabez was more honourable than his brethren and blessed by God for a sincere prayer he made (4:9)
Dukes - I can't say I remember noticing there were dukes in the Bible (1:51-54)
Those who lived in hedges and bushes in order to do the work of their king (4:23)
Makers of fine linen (4:21)
Those who had dominion (4:22)
Princes (4:38)
Some who finished the work of Saul (4:43)
A concubine named when the wife wasn't (2:48)
A father-in-law (3:5)
A sister, her children, and her husband (2:17)
The daughter of Pharaoh (4:18)
And that was before I even got to chapter 5 with four more chapters of names to go! Have you ever stopped to consider what would be written in a genealogy about you? Would you be one of the names the Bible skipped because of mediocre service or lacking significance like the unnamed sons of David's concubines (3:9)? Would the writers stop and jot a note about you like they did Jabez or just list your name?
It's easy to desire fame and recognition, but the most important part isn't notoriety. There were so many faithful fathers-in-law not mentioned like Bathsheba's was (3:5). So many mothers not named like David's unnamed mum. So many sisters left off the list when Tamar was named (3:9). So many aunties, uncles, and cousins absent from the genealogy.
And then there are so many who are named, but we know only their name. A whole lifetime summed up in one word.
Am I content to be one of the unnamed if it means I raised/mentored someone worthy of being named?
We are servants and slaves of Christ. Servants and slaves don't get credit. Rarely do any of their names wind up on a list. I shouldn't desire to see my name broadcasted anywhere except the Book of Life, but I should be doing my best for my Master, for His glory and the magnification of His name.
When God looks at my life, what legacy will He see?
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