1 Chronicles 7:1

1 Chronicles 7:! says, Now the sons of Issachar were, Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimrom, four.  Next, we have a list of the descendants of Issacher.  Verse two adds, And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred.  The sons of Tola, one of Issachar's sons were known as valiant men of might and by the reign of David had grown to twenty-two thousand, six hundred in number.  It would be nice if we could multiply the number of Christians, God's people, by that number and that we would be valiant in our faith.  Verse three continues, And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men.  We are given a list of the sons Uzzi, one of the sons of Tola and told that they were chief men in Israel.  Verse continues, And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men: for they had many wives and sons.  We are told these sons of Uzzi, who were said to be bands of soldiers of war, numbered thirty-six thousand, since they had many wives and sons.  Verse five concludes, And their brethren among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies fourscore and seven thousand.  We are then told that the total of the rest of the family of Issachar was eighty-seven thousand men.  Matthew Henry says the total of all the descendants of Issachar was one hundred forty-five thousand men.  Verse six states, The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three. Next, we have the list of the descendants of Benjamen. Verse seven adds, And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four.  Then we have the number of the sons of Bela, the firstborn of Benjamin.  There were twenty-two thousand and thirty-four of them, and they were known as men of valor.  We need to be known as people of valor for God.  Verse eight continues, And the sons of Becher; Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth. All these are the sons of Becher.  Then we have the descendants of Becher, Benjamin's second born.  Verse nine concludes, And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valour, was twenty thousand and two hundred.  There were twenty-two thousand, two hundred of them, also known as men of valor.  Verse ten says, The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar.  Verse eleven adds, All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, were seventeen thousand and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and battle.  They were also known as men of valor, soldiers fit to go to war, and numbered seventeen thousand, two hundred.  Verse twelve continues, Shuppim also, and Huppim, the children of Ir, and Hushim, the sons of Aher.  Matthew Henry says these were the sons of Dan, who had worshipped the golden calf instead of God.  If we want to be counted among God's people, we must not worship anything or anyone else, but must put our faith in Jesus Christ alone.  If we don't, we can never be a part of God's family, no matter who our parents may be.

1 Chronicles 6:66

1 Chronicles 6:66 says, And the residue of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their coasts out of the tribe of Ephraim.  We continue with the listing of the cities controlled by various descendants of Levi.  Verse sixty-seven adds, And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs; they gave also Gezer with her suburbs,  The cities of refuge are also listed.  Verse sixty-eight continues, And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs,  Verse sixty-nine states, And Aijalon with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs:  Verse seventy adds, And out of the half tribe of Manasseh; Aner with her suburbs, and Bileam with her suburbs, for the family of the remnant of the sons of Kohath.  Verse seventy-one continues, Unto the sons of Gershom were given out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, and Ashtaroth with her suburbs:  Verse seventy-two says, And out of the tribe of Issachar; Kedesh with her suburbs, Daberath with her suburbs,  Verse seventy-three adds, And Ramoth with her suburbs, and Anem with her suburbs:  Verse seventy -four continues, And out of the tribe of Asher; Mashal with her suburbs, and Abdon with her suburbs,  Verse seventy-five concludes, And Hukok with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs:  Verse seventy-six states, And out of the tribe of Naphtali; Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, and Hammon with her suburbs, and Kirjathaim with her suburbs.  Verse seventy-seven adds, Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:  Verse seventy- eight says,  And on the other side Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of Jordan, were given them out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with her suburbs, and Jahzah with her suburbs, Verse seventy-nine adds, Kedemoth also with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs: Verse eighty states, And out of the tribe of Gad; Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, and Mahanaim with her suburbs,  Verse eighty-one adds, And Heshbon with her suburbs, and Jazer with her suburbs.  This was just a listing of the cities of the Levites throughout the tribes of Israel.  As Christians, we should have a presence throughout all the world, though we may not control any cities in some of the places.  

1 Chronicles 6:49

1 Chronicles 6:49 says, But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.  Aaron and his descendants were appointed to offer the sacrifices on the altar and were also appointed to the work in the most holy place and to make atonement for the people of Israel.  The Levites were priests, but they served under the priests who were Aaron's descendants.  As part of the priesthood of believers, there is no one who stands between God and us.  We all have equal access to God through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty adds, And these are the sons of Aaron; Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son.  These next several verses list Aaron's descendants.  Verse fifty-one continues, Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son.  Verse fifty-two says, Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,  Verse fifty-three adds, Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.  Verse fifty-four states, Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot.  These next verses give the cities of the descendants of Aaron throughout Israel.  Matthew Henry says that these cities were particularly under the providence, or protection, of God.   We as followers of Christ, no matter where we live, are equally under God's protection.  Verse fifty-five adds, And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs thereof round about it.  Verse fifty-six continues, But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  The sons of Aaron had possession of the city of Hebron, but not the fields around it, because they were to rely on God to provide for them.  Verse fifty-seven says, And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,  Aaron's descendants were also given other cities in Judah, including Hebron which was a city of refuge.  God will provide for those who are doing His work, no matter where they are, and our refuge is in Jesus Christ and not a place.  Verse fifty-eight adds, And Hilen with her suburbs, Debir with her suburbs,  Verse fifty-nine continues, And Ashan with her suburbs, and Bethshemesh with her suburbs:  Verse sixty states, And out of the tribe of Benjamin; Geba with her suburbs, and Alemeth with her suburbs, and Anathoth with her suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities. Verse sixty-one adds, And unto the sons of Kohath, which were left of the family of that tribe, were cities given out of the half tribe, namely, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities.  They were given ten cities in the half of the tribe of Manasseh.  Verse sixty-two continues, And to the sons of Gershom throughout their families out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.  This is a continuation of the list of the cities in various parts of Israel or Judah, after the kingdom was divided.  Verse sixty-three concludes, Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.  Verse sixty-four states, And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs.  This verse seems to divide the cities given to the Levites from those given to the descendants of Aaron, though Matthew Henry lists them all as cities of the Levites.  Either way, they were given to the priests throughout all of the land of Israel and Judah.  Verse sixty-five adds,  And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities, which are called by their names.

1 Chronicles 6:31

1 Chronicles 6:31 says, And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest.  The Levites had been charged with taking care of the Tabernacle, and had grown in numbers, so David, as Matthew Henry points out, by God's direction now appointed some of them to other tasks, starting with some who were put in charge of the music.  We still have different roles in the church today, and need to pray that we are serving by God's appointment.  Verse thirty-two adds, And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.  They first served before the tabernacle, and when Solomon built the temple, they continued to serve inside the temple.  The place changed, but their role in the congregation didn't.  Church buildings may change today, but what God calls us to do will still be what He calls us to do.  Verse thirty-three continues,  And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,  We are then given the names of those who served the people in the temple services.  Heman is noted as being a singer, but the for the rest we  just given their names.  Heman penned the eighty-eighth Psalm, was a sorrowful man, the grandson of the prophet Samuel, and the son of Joel, who did not walk in God's ways, as Matthew Henry points out.  Heman followed his grandfather and nor his father.  We cannot skip a generation in following Christ.  Verse thirty-four states, The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,  Verse thirty-five adds, The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,  Verse thirty-six continues, The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,  Verse thirty-seven says, The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,  Verse thirty-eight says, The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea,  Asaph was called Heman's brother, because they served in the same office, even though he was from a different tribe.  He was on Heman's right hand in the choir according to Matthew Henry.  He also penned several Psalms, Matthew Henry said either writing them or setting them to music, but since we don't have the music preserved, I would think he penned them under God's inspiration.  We as followers of Christ are brothers and sisters no matter where we were born or what our role in the church is.  Verse forty adds, The son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchiah,  Verse forty-one continues,  The son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,  Verse forty-two states, The son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,  Verse forty-three adds, The son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.  Verse forty-four continues, And their brethren the sons of Merari stood on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, Ethan stood on Hemans left side.  Verse forty-five says, The son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,  Verse forty-six adds, The son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer,  Verse forty-seven continues, The son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.  Verse forty-eight concludes, Their brethren also the Levites were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.  Both Asaph and Ethan were traced back to sons of Levi.  Their brethren were also appointed to various place of service in the tabernacle of the house of God.  As Christians, we all have a purpose in God's kingdom. 

1 Chronicles 6:16

1 Chronicles 6:16 says, The sons of Levi; Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.  We have a repeat of the list of the sons and grandsons onward of Levi.  Again, these would be the priestly tribe.  Verse seventeen adds, And these be the names of the sons of Gershom; Libni, and Shimei.  First, we have a list of just their sons. Verse eighteen continues, And the sons of Kohath were, Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.  Verse nineteen concludes, The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers.  Verse twenty states, Of Gershom; Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,  The, we start to have a listing of the children of Levi's sons, again, starting with the oldest. Verse twenty-one adds, Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeaterai his son.  Verse twenty-two says, The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,  Verse twenty-three adds, Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,  Verse twenty-four continues, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.  Verse twenty-five says, And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth.  Verse twenty-six adds, As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,  Verse twenty-seven continues, Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.  Matthew Henry says Samuel was the first to be both a priest and a prophet.  As followers of Christ, we are part of the priesthood of believers, but the only prophecy that we can give is of His return.  Verse twenty-nine states, The sons of Merari; Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son,  Verse thirty adds, Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

1Chronicles 6:1

1Chronicles 6:1 says, The sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.  Levi was the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah, and he and his descendants became the priestly tribe.  As Christians, we become a part of the priesthood of believers today.  Verse two adds, And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.  Verse three continues, And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  Levi was also the grandfather of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.  Verse four states, Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua,  These would be Aaron's grandchildren, and they were a part of a higher priesthood.  I don't believe any Christian is a part of some superior priesthood today, but we are called to different places of service in God's Kingdom, some of which are viewed as more important.  I believe that as long as we are doing what God calls us to do, we are all of equal importance to carrying out His work in the world.  Verse five adds,  And Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi,  Verse six continues, And Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth,  Verse seven says, Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,  Verse eight adds, And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz,  Verse nine continues, And Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan,  Verse ten states, And Johanan begat Azariah, (he it is that executed the priest's office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem:)  We are told that Azariah was serving as priest when Solomon built the Temple.  Since we are all a part of the priesthood of believers as followers of Christ and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we should keep the temple holy unto God.  Verse eleven adds, And Azariah begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,  Verse twelve continues, And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Shallum,  Verse thirteen states, And Shallum begat Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begat Azariah,  Verse fourteen adds, And Azariah begat Seraiah, and Seraiah begat Jehozadak,  Verse fifteen continues, And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.  The list concludes with Jehozadak, at the time God allowed His disobedient people to be carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should never again allow ourselves to be taken captive by sin.  Since we are forever saved, we should be forever obedient to God, but as long we are alive here on earth, we can still give in to the temptation of sin.

1 Chronicles 5:18

1 Chronicles 5:18 says, The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.  We are told that the descendants of Rueben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, forty-four thousand, seven hundred sixty in number, were valiant men who were skilled in the use of weapons and waging war and engaged in war with those around them.  We are at war spiritually with the world today, and we need to put on the armor of God and be skilled in using it as we engage in that war.  Verse nineteen adds, And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab. They went to war with the Hagarites. Verse twenty continues, And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.  The help that they received was the help of God, which He gave them because they put their faith in Him, and they were successful in the war.  Our help as Christians today will come from God, as long as we are faithful to Him.  Verse twenty-one states, And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.  They took a lot of livestock from those they had defeated in the war, and also took a hundred thousand men as captives.  That was over twice as many as the number of Israelites fighting against them.  It doesn't matter how badly we are outnumbered, as long as we remain faithful to God, He will always give us the victory spiritually.  As followers of Christ, we are not at war with the world for material gain, but to bring honor and glory to God and to reach others with the gospel of Christ.  Verse twenty-two adds, For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.  Many more of the enemy were killed in the war, because God was behind the war.  The victory over sin and evil in the world was defeated by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and we simply have to accept that victory by putting our faith in Him.  Verse twenty-three continues, And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon.  The half the tribe of Manasseh took possession of the land, and through our faith in Jesus Christ, we already have possession of a heavenly home.  Verse twenty-four says, And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.  We are given a list of some of the heads of the house of the families.  Verse twenty-five adds, And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.  Unfortunately, they did not remain faithful to God, but started putting their faith in other gods.  God had given them the victory, but they did not continue to be faithful to Him.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should never allow anything to become more important to us than our relationship with Him.  If we do, we are guilty of chasing after other gods, I believe.  Verse twenty-six continues, And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.  When the people abandoned God, he no longer gave them His protection and they were defeated and taken away captive.  If we fail to put our faith in God in every situation, we may find ourselves defeated by sin, even though through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ it has been defeated.  As I have stated many times, I believe that once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that we are forever a part of God's family, but if we fail to put our faith in Him, we may suffer defeat spiritually until His return.  Being a part of God's family in name only did not save these two and half tribes from being defeated, and being a Christian in name only without having truly put our faith in Jesus Christ will never save us today.