I am not a great student of the genealogies, but I do try to reflect them and I try to find value and meaning in them as I read through scripture. It is easy to just glaze over sections of names that are hard to pronounce for us. Each on of these names represents not just a character in a story, but a real life person who had hopes and dreams like each of us do. I find it overwhelming at times to really reflect on that in life as it passes by around me.
Think of everyone you meet or pass by, even in a car or in a crowd. They are not “extras” in a movie about your own life. Each is living out their own life which is as important to them as ours is to each of us. Try to take on the perspective of others when you see the action going on around you or are reading in the scriptures about these generations of God’s people.
Genealogy from Issachar
1Now the sons of Issachar were four: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron. 2The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam and Samuel, heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was 22,600. 3The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, Isshiah; all five of them were chief men. 4With them by their generations according to their fathers’ households were 36,000 troops of the army for war, for they had many wives and sons. 5Their relatives among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, enrolled by genealogy, in all 87,000.
Descendants of Benjamin
6The sons of Benjamin were three: Bela and Becher and Jediael. 7The sons of Bela were five: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth and Iri. They were heads of fathers’ households, mighty men of valor, and were 22,034 enrolled by genealogy. 8The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. 9They were enrolled by genealogy, according to their generations, heads of their fathers’ households, 20,200 mighty men of valor. 10The son of Jediael was Bilhan. And the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish and Ahishahar. 11All these were sons of Jediael, according to the heads of their fathers’ households, 17,200 mighty men of valor, who were ready to go out with the army to war. 12Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir; Hushim was the son of Aher.
Sons of Naphtali
13The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.
Descendants of Manasseh
14The sons of Manasseh were Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead. 15Machir took a wife for Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister’s name was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. 16Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she named him Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18His sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod and Abiezer and Mahlah. 19The sons of Shemida were Ahian and Shechem and Likhi and Aniam.
Descendants of Ephraim
20The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah and Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, 21Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to take their livestock. 22Their father Ephraim mourned many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23Then he went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Beriah, because misfortune had come upon his house. 24His daughter was Sheerah, who built lower and upper Beth-horon, also Uzzen-sheerah. 25Rephah was his son along with Resheph, Telah his son, Tahan his son, 26Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27Non his son and Joshua his son.
28Their possessions and settlements were Bethel with its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer with its towns, and Shechem with its towns as far as Ayyah with its towns, 29and along the borders of the sons of Manasseh, Beth-shean with its towns, Taanach with its towns, Megiddo with its towns, Dor with its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel.
Descendants of Asher
30The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah, and Serah their sister. 31The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. 32Heber became the father of Japhlet, Shomer and Hotham, and Shua their sister. 33The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal and Ashvath. These were the sons of Japhlet. 34The sons of Shemer were Ahi and Rohgah, Jehubbah and Aram. 35The sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh and Amal. 36The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri and Imrah, 37Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran and Beera. 38The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa and Ara. 39The sons of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel and Rizia. 40All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes. And the number of them enrolled by genealogy for service in war was 26,000 men.
I invite you to pray with me:
Father, please help me to see others through Your eyes. Help me to see them as individuals that have value to You and to others. Let me not remain focused in on my own view on the world as if everyone else is simply an extra in a story about my life. Help me to have compassion on them and understanding. Help me to love them and be friendly and reach out to them. Guide me to be a light to them to draw them to You. Help me to treat them as I want to be treated. Amen.
Shalom
Devotion by John in service to Christ
—-
Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.