Reading: I Chronicles 6-7
The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth. As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son, Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah(I Chr. 6:22-28).
Today’s reading offers us a timely reminder that things are not always what they appear to be at first glance. We were first introduced to Elkanah, the father of Samuel, in I Samuel, chapter one, verse one. Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite (I Sam. 1:1). There he was identified as any stranger would have identified him, by his territory of origin. Without looking any deeper, we could conclude from that passage that Elkanah, and therefore his son Samuel, are of the tribe of Ephraim (Joseph’s youngest son and recipient of one full portion of his inheritance from his father Israel (Jacob) (Gen. 48:5-22)). Here in I Chronicles, we uncover a key piece of information that the first identification lacked. Elkanah lived on mount Ephraim as decreed by God (Josh. 21:5), but he was a Levite by tribe, descended from Kohath, Levi’s firstborn son.
Samuel, then, doubly belonged to God. First, claimed by God in perpetuity, And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine (Num. 3:12). And secondly, committed to God’s service under a Nazarite vow made by his mother. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head (I Sam. 1:11).
Raised in the Tabernacle in the manner of a son by Eli the high priest (to whom he was also tribally related), Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of His words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord (I Sam. 3:19-20).
Learning the full measure of Samuel’s genealogy is not necessary for us to recognize or accept the manner in which he served God over his lifetime, but it does allow us to see the wonderful inerrancy of God’s Word in action. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance (Num. 18:23). God’s Word is eternal, and unchanging. Each and every verse contained within is supported by the entirety of the whole. Samuel stands as a visible affirmation of God’s intended covenant relationship with the Levites.
My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity (Mal. 2:5-6).
Thought for Today: Even with a history of faithfulness it only takes one generation to turn from God. Fortunately, for our sake, the reverse is true as well.
Christ Revealed: By the cities of . . . refuge (I Chr. 6:57, also 67,71- 72,78,80). For a person to have protection from the avenger of blood, he had to flee to a city of refuge. God provided His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to be our Refuge from His judgment against our sin. (Compare John 3:14-18; 10:24-30; Gal. 2:16; 3:1-14; Heb. 10:1-18; I John 2:2; Rev. 1:5.) When, by faith, in obedi- ence to His Word, we come to Christ, He becomes our Refuge (Heb. 6:18-20).
Word Studies: 6:32 waited on = performed service in; 6:66 residue = balance; 6:74 suburbs = pasturelands; 7:23 it went evil with = tragedy had happened to his family;
Pray for Staff: Jennifer Palafox • Government Officials: Sen. Thomas Cotton (AR), Rep. Michael Cloud (TX) • Country: Montenegro (653,474) Southeastern Europe • Major Languages: Serbian, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Albanian • Restricted Religious Freedom • 74.2% Orthodox; 17.7% Muslim; 3.5% Catholic; 0.6% Other; 3% Unspecified; 1% Atheist • Prayer Suggestion: Lift up your prayers to the Lord as incense before God (Rev. 8:3-4).
Optional ReadingRomans 16.