Genesis
7:5-6
And
Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.
Noah
was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth.
In
1 Chronicles today we read of the descendents of Issachar, Benjamin, Napthali,
Manasseh, Ephraim, & Asher. We might find it tiresome to read all these
long lists of names, and genealogies, BUT I want to say that not only is it
important for someone to have written them down for posterity, it is important
for us to know as well. One of the things we will notice in these lists is that
a lot of the names are repeated...and so without the who came from whom
information we could easily get confused (or even more confused), we also
notice that all these different clans and tribes we read about in history or in
the Bible are all related in one way or another. (DUH, you may say, they did
after all, all come from Adam.) So my point about these relationships is that
they are not just bad-guys and good-guys fighting each other – we do see that
in many cases there are both in each-and in part it could be sibling rivalry,
which we have seen already between Cain and Abel.
You
will have noticed with me, had you be reading along that the tribes of
Issachar, Benjamin and Asher are all listing their warriors, where Naphtali,
Manasseh and Ephraim are not. It seems that knowing who has the warriors and
how many is important at this point in the genealogies; how sad, and what a
long way from the Garden. Why do you suppose Naphtali, Manasseh and Ephraim do
not have warriors? I don’t know, but it is important I am certain. (Although in
Napthali’s case there were only the four sons listed and nothing more.)
Another
thing I realize about these Chronicles is that they give us another point of
reference when we read Luke 3:23-38. In the section of Luke we read the genealogy
of Joseph. In this genealogy we see all these people backward from Joseph all
the way to Adam. Which Mattathias? Well, there were two; the son of Amos and
the son of Semein...and so on. Through these two recordings of names (of people
really) we can look and see who is related to whom. This is indeed important
for us. These were people who all had parents and siblings and descendents –
just like us.
The
verses from Genesis I posted at the top of today’s blog give me two insights
that we each can apply to our lives today – and every day. The first is that
Noah did all that the Lord commanded him. Yup, that is how we can be righteous
and upright – just do what the Lord has directed us. And second, Noah was SIX
HUNDRED years old. That is OLD. Older than I’ll ever get on this earth, so when
I think I am too old to start something or to be good for something or to make
a difference – well look at Noah and you will see as I do that these thoughts
are just excuses. We are never too old for God’s purposes. Below are two
different verses that give us hope with regard to our being useful – at any
age, even our ‘old’ age.
Genesis
18:14
“Is
anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you,
about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Joshua
13:1
Now
Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old
and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.
Luke
4:8, 12-13
And
Jesus answered him, "It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your
God, and him only shall you serve."... And Jesus answered him,
"It is said, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." And
when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an
opportune time.
We
shall serve the Lord. And we should be on the lookout for the devil in those ‘opportune’
times of self doubt. Joshua says in verse 24:15
“And
if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will
serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or
the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house,
we will serve the LORD.”
I’m
with him. How about you?
Today’s
readings: Psalm 6, Genesis 7, 1 Chronicles 7, Luke 3:23-4:13
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