A heritage from the past or a present and future inheritance

1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Adam, Seth, Enosh, ² Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, ³ Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, ⁴ Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth.

⁵ The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. ⁶ The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. ⁷ The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Rodanim.

⁸ The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. ⁹ The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. ¹⁰ Cush became the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

¹¹ Mizraim became the father of the people of Lud, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh, ¹² Pathrus, Casluh, from which the Philistines came, and Caphtor.

¹³ Canaan became the father of Sidon, his firstborn, Heth, ¹⁴ and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, ¹⁵ the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁶ the Arvadites, the Zemarites and the Hamathites.

¹⁷ The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. ¹⁸ Arpachshad became the father of Shelah and Shelah became the father of Eber. ¹⁹ Two sons were born to Eber, the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. ²⁰ Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²¹ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²² Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, ²³ Ophir, Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

²⁴ Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, ²⁵ Eber, Peleg, Reu, ²⁶ Serug, Nahor, Terah, ²⁷ Abram, that is Abraham.

²⁸ The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. ²⁹ These are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ³⁰ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, ³¹ Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah; these were the sons of Ishmael. ³² The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, whom she bore, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. ³³ The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

³⁴ Abraham became the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. ³⁵ The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam and Korah. ³⁶ The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna and Amalek. ³⁷ The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. ³⁸ The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. ³⁹ The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. ⁴⁰ The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. ⁴¹ The son of Anah was Dishon. And the sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran. ⁴² The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

⁴³ Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king of the sons of Israel reigned. Bela was the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ⁴⁴ When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah became king in his place. ⁴⁵ When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites became king in his place. ⁴⁶ When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the field of Moab, became king in his place; and the name of his city was Avith. ⁴⁷ When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah became king in his place. ⁴⁸ When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth by the River became king in his place. ⁴⁹ When Shaul died, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor became king in his place. ⁵⁰ When Baal-hanan died, Hadad became king in his place; and the name of his city was Pai, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. ⁵¹ Then Hadad died.

Now the chiefs of Edom were: chief Timna, chief Aliah, chief Jetheth, ⁵² chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, ⁵³ chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, ⁵⁴ chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

2 These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, ² Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

³ The sons of Judah were Er, Onan and Shelah; these three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanitess. And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, so He put him to death. ⁴ Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

⁵ The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ⁶ The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Dara; five of them in all. ⁷ The son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who violated the ban. ⁸ The son of Ethan was Azariah.

⁹ Now the sons of Hezron, who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram and Chelubai. ¹⁰ Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, leader of the sons of Judah; ¹¹ Nahshon became the father of Salma, Salma became the father of Boaz, ¹² Boaz became the father of Obed, and Obed became the father of Jesse; ¹³ and Jesse became the father of Eliab his firstborn, then Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, ¹⁴ Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem the sixth, David the seventh; ¹⁶ and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abshai, Joab and Asahel. ¹⁷ Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.

As the name implies, Chronicles is a historical text. Today’s text begins with a genealogy of sorts, recording some of the prominent names and families from Adam, the first man to David, the king upon whose throne God said His rule would be established forever. In both Matthew and Luke, in the New Testament, there are recorded genealogies of Jesus. Matthew traces Jesus line back to Abraham, who was given the promise from God that through his seed all nations would be blessed.      “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18)     Luke traces the line of Christ all the way back to Adam. Jesus is sometimes called the second Adam. Through Adam, the first man created by God, sin entered the world through disobedience. Through Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Spirit, redemption from sin was provided for all people, through His obedience, even to death on the cross. We can take great confidence as we read the genealogy of Christ, because every kind of sin, from disobedience, rebellion and deceit to immorality and even murder are represented in those from whom Christ’s line is traced. There is no sin so great that the cross of Jesus Christ, cannot redeem those who believe in Him from it.

Genealogical records were important to the Jewish people. For them it identified the tribe of their heritage. It indicated property ownership and responsibilities concerning the temple and service to God. Many people today spend a great deal of time and money tracing their ancestral history. Perhaps they seek identity. Perhaps they hope to find some link to family fame or fortune. The reality is, even for those who do find fame and celebrity in their past, there will undoubtedly be equal or greater parts of scandal and scoundrels. One thing is sure, we cannot change our past. Good or bad, what is past remains. We cannot change the lives or the decisions of those who went before us. There is a genealogy though that we can change. 2 Corinthians 5:15-17 says:  He (Jesus) died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.   When we are born again, believing in Christ, we are no longer recognized by the sins of the past.     Our heritage is not in those who lived before us, but rather we have a new heritage, through the one who lived and died for us.    We are heirs with Christ. Romans 8:14-17 says:  All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God…  you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.   Why should we look back to try to find our identity, perhaps with a hope of finding something good that was?   Rather than looking back with a futile hope we can look forward with a faithful promise.    We can be those who were promised to be blessed through the seed of Abraham. We can be those who are no longer recognized or identified with or by the sins of the past.

The choice really is simple, we can live tied to a past that mixes some good and some bad or we can begin anew, freed from the past, with the promise, all the promises of God for our future.

Thank You Lord Jesus Christ for Your obedience. Thank You for my new heritage in You, for redemption from sin, reconciliation to God and restoration to all that He intended from the beginning, created in His image and likeness, His child, His heir, having all the promises for my future.  Amen.