1 Chronicles 4:24

1 Chronicles 4:24 says, The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:  We have the list of Simeon's sons.  Matthew Henry points out that God blesses some families with more children than others.  I believe all children are a blessing from God.  Verse twenty-five adds, Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.  Then we are given some of his grand children's names.  Verse twenty-six continues, And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.  Verse twenty-seven states, And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters: but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.  If all Simeons descendants had as many children as Shimei, that would explain why they were a large part of Israel.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,  Verse twenty-nine continues, And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,  Verse thirty says, And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,  Verse thirty-one adds, And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim, and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David.  Verse thirty-two continues, And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:  Verse thirty-three concludes, And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.  It is mentioned that they were devoted to Baal, and not to God.  Matthew Henry says that when David became king, they left these cities when ten tribes revolted, since these cities were a part of Judah.  We should never abandon our place in God's kingdom, and if we are a born-again believer, we never really will.  God secures us as His, but this isn't a license to sin.

1 Chronicles 4:11

1 Chronicles 4:11 says, And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton.  Matthew Henry says these are the family of craftsmen.  Today, children sometimes follow in their parents' footsteps in what they do as an occupation, but what we need to pray for is that they will follow in our footsteps as Christians.  Verse twelve adds, And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah.  These first few were called the men of Rechah, which was a city about three miles from Jerusalem.  Verse thirteen continues, And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.  Verse fourteen states, And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.  Here, we are first told that these people became craftsmen, though Matthew Henry had already stated that they were.  Verse fifteen adds,  And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.  Verse sixteen continues, And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.  Verse seventeen says, And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.  Verse eighteen adds, And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.  We are told of one of the men of Judah who married the daughter of Pharoah, which I don't believe would have been in God's will.  The people of Israel were to keep themselves separate from the rest of the world. We today are to go into the world, but we are still warned to not marry non-Christians.  Verse nineteen continues, And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.  Verse twenty concludes, And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth.  Verse twenty-one states, The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,  These men were said to have worked in fine linens, which would be a craftsman trade.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things.  This group was said to have dominion in Moab in ancient times.  Matthew Henry says it was probably during David's time that they moved to Israel.  None of us are born Christians, but we must become a part of God's family by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. So, we all come from somewhere other than God's family and then become a part of it and this has been true from the beginning.  He has always been the only way to salvation.  Verse twenty -three continues, These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.  These men were noted for being potters and they dwelled with the king to do his work.  Whatever God calls us to do in life, we must dwell in His will and do everything for His glory.

1 Chronicles 4:!

1 Chronicles 4:1 says, The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.  Matthew Henry gives Ezra credit for listing the descendants of Judah, since they lasted longer than the rest of Israel in the Promised Land and were the ones to return out of captivity while the others were lost in the kingdom of Babylon.  We should hope that as followers of Christ, we would never lose our obedience to Him, but if we do that we would be the first to return to Him and not be lost to the world of sin.  Of course, if we are truly saved by faith in Jesus Christ, we will never be spiritually lost forever.  Verse two adds, And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites. Verse three continues, And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi:  Verse four concludes, And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.  We are told that these are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, and his descendants, and that he was the father, or establisher, of Bethlehem.  Verse five states, And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.  Once more, we have one of the men of Israel having more than one wife.  This seemed quite common in the Old Testament, though it was never God's plan, and was even in opposition to His plan.  We cannot justify going against God's commandments just because everyone else may be doing it.  Verse six adds, And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.  First, we are told the sons of Ashur with Naarah.  Verse seven continues, And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan.  Then, we have the sons of Ashur and Helah listed.  We really aren't told which one he married first.  Verse eight concludes, And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.  Verse nine says, And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.  Matthew Henry points out that we are not told the name of the father of Jabez, but are told that he was more honorable than his brethren.  Again, I will say that who our parents are is unimportant in our relationship to Jesus Christ, but once we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, we need to be known as honorable men and women.  Verse ten adds, And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.  We hear a lot about the prayer of Jabez, usually to promote asking God for more in life, but I believe the key to his prayer is asking that God be with him and keep him committed to God to keep him from doing evil things.  Material things would just pass away, but his relationship with God will last forever, as will ours.

1 Chronicles 3:10

 1 Chronicles 3:10 says, And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,  The next few verses list the descendants of Solomon, which makes them also David's descendants, and a part of God's people through whom He was going to bring everlasting salvation.  As Christians, we are also a part of that family.  The crown passed through seventeen descendants of David, starting with Solomon. Verse eleven adds, Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,  Verse twelve continues, Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,  Verse thirteen states, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,  Verse fourteen adds, Amon his son, Josiah his son.  Verse fifteen continues, And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.  Verse sixteen says, And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.  Verse seventeen adds, And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son,  Verse eighteen continues, Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.  Verse nineteen says, And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister:  In this verse we are given the name of one of the female descendants.  The fact that most are not listed does not mean that they are less important to God.  Jesus Christ died for all, both male and female, and we are all equally important to Him. Verse twenty adds, And Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushabhesed, five.  Verse twenty-one continues, And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.  Verse twenty-two states, And the sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three.  Verse twenty-four continues, And the sons of Elioenai were, Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Dalaiah, and Anani, seven.  Solomon had many descendants, but not all were king and part of the lineage of Christ, just as all people today are God's people by fact of their birth, but not all are a part of His spiritual family, which comes by rebirth individually through putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.

1 Chronicles 3:1

1 Chronicles 3:1 says, Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:  The next few verses list the sons of David and their mothers.  Even though he was called a man after God's own heart, David certainly didn't follow God's law about marriage.  Verse two adds, The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith:  Absalom would certainly give David a lot of problems, but David didn't stop loving him.  Even if we are followers of Christ, our children may give us a lot of problems, but we should never stop loving them.  Verse three continues, The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.  Verse four states, These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.  His first six children were born in Hebron, where he had reigned for seven and a half years.  Then, he relocated to Jerusalem, where he reigned for thirty-three years, and his other children were born there.   Verse five adds, And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:  Bathsheba is called Bathshua here, and although born tenth, Solomon would follow David as king, Matthew Henry said more because of David preference than because of any great ability Solomon had, because he didn't ask for wisdom until after he became king.  Verse six continues, Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet,  Verse seven says, And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,  Verse eight adds, And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.  Verse nine continues, These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.  Matthew Henry points out besides these sons, David had more by concubines, but they weren't listed because his concubines had acted treacherously toward him when Absalom had rebelled, but that still wasn't the fault of the children.  Even if someone we have a child by acts terrible to us, that still does not mean that we should not claim the child and love them, even if it causes us problems in life. 

1 Chrnicles 2:42

1 Chronicles 2:42 says, Now the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were, Mesha his firstborn, which was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron.  This not Caleb who was the good spy as far as I can find out, since they have different fathers listed, but we are still moving forward through the history of Israel. though.  Verse forty-three adds, And the sons of Hebron; Korah, and Tappuah, and Rekem, and Shema.  Hebron would have been Caleb's grandson, and the other four his great-grandsons. Verse forty-five continues, And Shema begat Raham, the father of Jorkoam: and Rekem begat Shammai.  Then, we continue with further generations of the descendants of Caleb.  Verse forty-five concludes, And the son of Shammai was Maon: and Maon was the father of Bethzur.  Verse forty-six states, And Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez: and Haran begat Gazez.   We have the children of Ephah included next, even though she was called his concubine not his wife.  Still, they were just as much Caleb's children as the others were.  Of course, the fact that he had a concubine was not in accordance with Gods' word.  If a man has a child with a woman other than his wife, this is not God's plan, but he is still just as much a father to this child, or these children if he has more than one, and is just as responsible for them.  Verse forty-seven adds, And the sons of Jahdai; Regem, and Jotham, and Gesham, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph.  This was another wife or concubine and her children.  Verse forty-eight continues, Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bare Sheber, and Tirhanah.  Then, still another concubine and her children.  Verse forty-nine concludes, She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb was Achsa.  Verse fifty says, These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah; Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim.  The last few verses of the chapter list the sons of Caleb, here called the son of Hur, once again, listing them not as fathers of children but of areas of the country.  Verse fifty-one adds, Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Bethgader.  Verse fifty-two continues, And Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim had sons; Haroeh, and half of the Manahethites.  Verse fifty-three says, And the families of Kirjathjearim; the Ithrites, and the Puhites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zareathites, and the Eshtaulites,  Verse fifty-four adds,The sons of Salma; Bethlehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites.  Verse fifty-five continues, And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.  I will state once more that today it doesn't matter who our parents are as Christians, only Who our Heavenly Father is through our relationship with Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, no matter what country we are from, we are spiritually brothers and sisters. 

1 Chronicles 2:25

1 Chronicles 2:25 says. And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were, Ram the firstborn, and Bunah, and Oren, and Ozem, and Ahijah.  These next few verses tell us about the children and grandchildren and more of Hezron, starting with Jerahmeel, as we continue to move forward in the history of Israel.  Verse twenty-six adds, Jerahmeel had also another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.  Jerahmeel had at least two wives, which as I have stated before is never in accordance with God's law.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And the sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel were, Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker.  Verse twenty-eight states, And the sons of Onam were, Shammai, and Jada. And the sons of Shammai; Nadab and Abishur.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bare him Ahban, and Molid.  Verse twenty-nine continues, And the sons of Nadab; Seled, and Appaim: but Seled died without children.  Matthew Henry points out that Seled had no children, so being childless is not something new.  Sometimes, for whatever reason, God just does not bless a couple with children, but that doesn't mean we are to try to have them with someone other than our spouse.  Verse thirty-one says, And the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the children of Sheshan; Ahlai.  We are several generations into the descendants of Jerahmeel by now.  Verse thirty-two adds, And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai; Jether, and Jonathan: and Jether died without children.  Here is another person, Jether, who died without children.  I will say that as Christians, we will all die without spiritual children, since we all become brothers and sisters in Christ.  Verse thirty-three continues, And the sons of Jonathan; Peleth, and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.  Verse thirty-four states, Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha.  Verse thirty-five adds, And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai.  Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, and instead of marrying them to one of his fellow Israelites, he married one to an Egyptian, who was his servant, Jahra.  Arranged marriages were common then and still are in some countries and cultures today, but even then, God's people should marry God's people.  Matthew Henry says that Jarha, the Egyptian, was likely a convert to Judaism. We are to reach out to everyone with the gospel, and they may become a part of God's kingdom, but Christians really aren't supposed to marry them until they do.  Verse thirty-six continues, And Attai begat Nathan, and Nathan begat Zabad,  Verse thirty-seven states, And Zabad begat Ephlal, and Ephlal begat Obed,  Verse thirty-eight says, And Obed begat Jehu, and Jehu begat Azariah,  Verse thirty-nine adds, And Azariah begat Helez, and Helez begat Eleasah,  Verse forty-continues, And Eleasah begat Sisamai, and Sisamai begat Shallum,  Verse forty-one concludes, And Shallum begat Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begat Elishama.