1 Chronicles 7:1 – 40 “The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four in all. The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, the heads of their families. In the days of David, 22,600 descendants of Tola were numbered in their genealogies as mighty men of valor.
The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five of them were chiefs. In addition to them, according to their genealogy, they had 36,000 troops for battle, for they had many wives and children. Their kinsmen belonging to all the families of Issachar who were mighty men of valor totaled 87,000, as listed in their genealogies.
The Descendants of Benjamin The three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael. The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, heads of their families—five in all. There were 22,034 mighty men of valor listed in their genealogies.
The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all these were Becher’s sons. Their genealogies were recorded according to the heads of their families—20,200 mighty men of valor.
The son of Jediael: Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. All these sons of Jediael were heads of their families, mighty men of valor; there were 17,200 fit for battle. The Shuppites and Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushites were descendants of Aher.
The Descendants of Naphtali The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum — the descendants of Bilhah.
The Descendants of Manasseh The descendants of Manasseh: Through his Aramean concubine, Asriel, as well as Machir the father of Gilead. Machir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. The name of his sister was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters. Machir’s wife Maacah gave birth to a son, and she named him Peresh. His brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem. The son of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. His sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. And these were the sons of Shemida: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
The Descendants of Ephraim The descendants of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the natives of Gath, because they went down to steal their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. And again he slept with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. So he named him Beriah, (sounding like the Hebrew for “tragedy” or “disaster”) because tragedy had come upon his house. His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth-horon, as well as Uzzen-sheerah. Additionally, Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son, Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Nun his son, and Joshua his son.
Their holdings and settlements included Bethel and its villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages as far as Ayyah and its villages. And along the borders of Manasseh were Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.
The Descendants of Asher The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber, as well as Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham, and of their sister Shua. The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons. he sons of Shemer: Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram. The sons of his brother Helem: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara. The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. All these were the descendants of Asher—heads of their families, choice and mighty men of valor, and chiefs among the leaders. The number of men fit for battle, recorded in their genealogies, was 26,000.
We have just read brief genealogies of six tribes, and each time, the scribe has taken care to record the number of fighting men, calling them “mighty men of valor,” “heads of their families,” “choice.” Why these designations? If you are going to remember ancestors, remember them for something great. Few descriptions seem more praiseworthy than these. After all, who wants to say, “Oh, that was Great Grandfather Benjamin; he was a cheating wimp and a camel thief!” Courage, strength, and dedication are the qualities the recorder is admiring. Besides, in those days, if you didn’t fight well, you didn’t survive long enough to HAVE descendants!
Even though there are very few women mentioned in these lists, there are a few who are noteworthy. Look at the tribe of Ephraim. “His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth-horon, as well as Uzzen-sheerah.” In all the lists, this is the only mention of someone building cities, and this lady built three! In the tribe of Manasseh, Zelophehad is mentioned as having only daughters; however, what is not mentioned is the fact that these women were bold enough to come to Moses and Joshua and claim their father’s heritage, so that he would not be forgotten in Israel. They were granted their request, provided that they married within their tribe, and God commended these women for their bravery.
APPLICATION: For the Israelites, genealogy was important because they had to prove that they were truly Israelites and not bastard half – caste children. Without such proof, an Israelite would be barred from temple worship for up to ten generations, or perhaps even forever. These stories also served as an encouragement to succeeding generations. If Grandpa was a brave warrior, a youngster could take courage from his example. Family stories would help youngsters feel a part of something bigger than themselves.
Most families have stories, and we miss a great deal if we do not learn them. Many Americans can point to ancestors who came from various parts of the world unable to speak more than a few words of English, but who made a better life for their children because they took risks. But there is a heritage more valuable than the suffering of immigrants, the heritage of faith and virtue.
Years ago, one man in my home village shipped cattle to the Chicago stockyards. As this fellow was waiting for the sale of the cattle to go through, he realized he had run short on funds and needed to cash a counter – check. (No ATM cards or credit cards at that time.) When this man met with a bank manager and the bank manager called the local bank with which he did business, the local banker said, “If that’s _____ standing there, then he’s good for any amount he puts on the check.” That incident took place more than seventy years ago, but the man’s reputation for honesty remains intact.
When generations of a family have truly served the One True Living God, there is a sweetness that cannot be measured. But such a heritage can only be carried forward with prayer. When we pray for our families, we should be praying for all the generations right up to the time that Jesus returns. We should beg God to make our descendants men and women of spiritual valor, people who will swear to their own hurt and will not change despite opposition. Today, remember to pray for all your family and friends and for their future generations. We need mighty men and women of valor now more than ever!
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 and help us to pray for those around us, including the coming generations. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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