Reading: I Chronicles 3-5
These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister. And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, (I Chr. 3:9-10).
The third chapter of I Chronicles follows the unbroken line of David from the beginning of his reign, through to Zedekiah, the last king to sit the throne of a nominally independent Judah, and then onward, following the line into exile and beyond.
As we read through the names in this list, we will find many we recognize from previous readings. Some of them, such as David, Jehoshaphat, Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah were relatively righteous kings who loved and honored God. Others, such as Solomon, Abijah, Asa, Joash and Uzziah, are not so easy to classify. These were men who knew the Lord, but at significant points during their reigns yielded to worldly temptations and were led horribly astray, leading to bitter consequences for Judah. Then there are those who were worldly from the start and never even attempted to serve the Lord in more than name only, such as Rehoboam, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Amaziah, Ahaz and Amon. The final grouping, Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, were little more than corrupt puppet kings desperately trying to hold onto what little power they had left. Their trust was not in God, and it showed in every action they took.
From verse 17 onward, the names are mostly unfamiliar. Here and there a name pops up that we might recognize, such as Zerubbabel, but for the most part these men have faded into the obscurity of history without leaving a permanent mark. Still, they were included in the Chronicler’s records as proof that the unbroken line of David continued, even as the Davidic throne of Judah remained vacant.
To the Chronicler and his target audience, this record was of vital importance. God had promised David: And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for My name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be My son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But My mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever (II Sam. 12-16). By keeping full record of the line throughout exile and beyond, the people showed that they trusted in God and had not lost sight of His promise.
Today, we live in a time where that promise has been fulfilled in a far grander fashion than those who first ensured that the record was kept would ever have been able to imagine. The throne of David is now and forever permanently sealed to the person of Jesus Christ our Lord, and His righteous kingdom has been established for ever.
Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses (Acts 1:29-32).
Thought for Today: Those inconsequential to worldly history are still of great importance to God.
Christ Revealed:Through the genealogy of David (I Chr. 3:1-24). Christ the Son of God was also called the Son of David: The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Matt. 1:1; Luke 3:23-38; Rom. 1:3).
Word Studies: 3:9 concubines = a woman legitimately married to a man but inferior to the regular wife and excluded with her children from the heritage (Gen. 25:6).
Pray For Staff: Mongolia (2,912,192) East-Central Asia • Major Languages: Khalkha Mongol, Turkic, Russian • Restricted Religious Freedom • 90% Buddhist; 5% Muslim; 3% Shamanist; 2% Christian (Protestant, Mormon, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox) • Prayer Suggestion: Praise the Lord for His redeeming love (Rev. 5:9).
Optional Reading:Romans 15.