1 Chronicles 3:1 – 24 “These were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second was Daniel by Abigail of Carmel; the third was Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital; and the sixth was Ithream by his wife Eglah. These six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months.
And David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, and these sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were born to him by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel. David’s other sons were Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet—nine in all. These were all the sons of David, besides the sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
The Descendants of Solomon
Solomon’s son was Rehoboam: Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, Amon his son, and Josiah his son.
The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth.
The successors of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, and Zedekiah.
The Royal Line After the Exile
The descendants of Jeconiah the captive: Shealtiel his son, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The children of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, their sister Shelomith, and five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed.
The descendants of Hananiah: Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah, and of Shecaniah. The six descendants of Shecaniah were Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat.The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam—three in all. The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.
Knowing who their ancestors were was critically important to the Israelites. Most important of all was the burning question “Are you a royal? Can you trace your family all the way back to David?” This question became even more critical after both kingdoms went into exile, Israel into Assyria and Judah into Babylon. After Rehoboam took over as king of Israel, there were a number of different kings, some of whom ruled for only two or three months. Such ephemeral claims to royalty left the Israelites with no strong heritage from a single royal family; however, things were different in Judah, where David’s line continued to rule in some fashion until the Babylonians caried them off to Nineveh.
With very little else to feel proud about, the people of Judah clung to their heritage from David. Sadly, had these people been as concerned to love God as David did, they would never have been carried off into exile in the first place. Given the number of wives these men had, it’s quite likely that there were lots of “royals” running around who are never mentioned in these lists. Rather than pursuing righteousness, many of these people took refuge in their royal heritage to give them a sense of worth.
APPLICATION: Among the Gonjas of northern Ghana, one of the key questions is this: “Do you have marks?” Infants born to a traditional Gonja ruler are always given special scars on their faces to indicate their royal heritage. For the rest of their lives, no matter how poor or obscure these people are, they can proudly proclaim that they have marks, that they are royals.
Things are no different in other places. Some women in America try to trace their families back to ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War so that they can belong to the DAR, the Daughters of the American Revolution. We all long for significance in some fashion.
In 1 Peter 2:9 God tells us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated/holy nation, God’s special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” If we are followers of the Living God, we have no need of facial marks or of any other physical signs to indicate that we are His. Our behavior, our conduct, will advertise our dedication to God more surely than will anything else.
1 John 3:1 says, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the children of God.” Those of us who worship God and who follow Him have become royals, not of our own doing, but because of the great mercy and love that God has shown us. Knowing that we have this heritage, we have no need to be ashamed of our earthly family members, for we have a heavenly family and a Heavenly Father. Even if our earthly fathers have failed or even wounded us, our Heavenly Father loves us and will be with us forever.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives, that when we die, we may be with You forever. We ask this in the mighty and matchless Name of Your Son Jesus. Amen.
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