Believe it or not genealogy research is one of the hottest topics on the internet. Sites like ancestry.com, myheritage.com, findmypast.com, and familytree.com all cash in our desire to know where our family tree was planted. The seemingly unlimited online genealogy databases provide a wealth of information that was not so easily accessed even 15 years ago. Technology allows the modern inquisitor to simply pay a fee, provide a DNA sample, and then sit back and wait for the results. I’ve never done an online DNA study, but I’ve had several friends who have. The results seem to always have a surprise or two, but also have a host of what you would probably expect from your lineage. But usually, there’s always a person, race or outlier in there that wasn’t expected.
Today in 1 Chronicles chapter 2 we see quite a few outliers in God’s genealogy. I mean how can you avoid it when God gives us over 75 names in one single chapter? But who are these people? Where did they come from and why are they here? I mean they’re here for a great reason, right? It’s not like God had a 10,000-word term paper due and he just randomly threw in names to pad the world count; each and every name is placed here for a very specific reason. In fact, if you think about it, the most valuable ink in the world is the ink God spent on every Word he gifted to us in the Bible. It could have been much longer; it could have been much shorter. But every Word is there for a reason and behind it, is an invaluable lesson from God. And it’s our job, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to find those lessons.
If you really think about it, God’s Word is similar to a jigsaw puzzle. A massive 783,137 piece jigsaw puzzle. (yes, that’s the word count for the King James Bible) You see, one single piece in Genesis will snap together perfectly with another piece in Revelation. A jagged complex piece in Luke is meant to perfectly fit together with a piece in Malachi. A Word from the mouth of Jesus will fit together with other pieces from Proverbs. And even within the same writers you see perfect congruency. Whether Paul is writing to Galatia or Colossae, the message will snap together with other pieces in perfect harmony.
But have you ever put together a puzzle and at the end you have missing pieces? Maybe a sibling had completed the puzzle before, and some pieces were lost. Or maybe one fell on the floor and you must go searching for it. In your eager desire to finish that puzzle, the hunt is on.
I think we all know the major heroes of the Bible. Moses, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Joseph, Caleb, Joshua, Elijah, etc. But what if you were, say, building the family tree of the tribe of Judah and you ended up with an empty branch on one limb? A piece is missing, in fact, many pieces are missing. Well, it’s time to go digging for those pieces. And to find them, you’ll need to go digging deep into God’s Word. You’ve already looked in all the obvious places, the Gospels, Paul’s letters, Genesis, Psalms, and Proverbs. You know, the good books. But what about the other 46 books in God's Word? What about Leviticus, Numbers, Ecclesiastes and even Chronicles? You know, the boring books that are hard to read? What if your missing pieces are in there, buried in a bunch of old Bible words?
And that is exactly what we find today, buried in a knee deep genealogy. Missing pieces. We find people that are mentioned no where else in God’s Word except for here. We find that four great warriors of King David, Abishai, Joab, Asahel, and Amasa, (2 Samuel 2:18-19; 19:13) had previously never had their mothers identity given. Without this bit of info your attempt to draw that Judah family tree comes to an abrupt halt.
“And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel; three. Abigail bore Amasa.” 1 Chronicles 2:16b
By digging deep into a little looked corner, we find a missing piece that exists nowhere else. We find the sons of Jerahmeel, Ram, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah, listed in 2:25. This traces a side-line in the tribe of Judah, separate from the line that culminated in David and it is found nowhere else but here. We find new branches of Caleb, one of the faithful spies of the Promised Land, that are not mentioned anywhere else but here. The missing pieces are here, you just have to get on your knees and go looking for them.
If you’re not engaged in a Bible study plan that takes you through the entirety of God’s Word, I strongly encourage you to adopt one immediately. (Did I mention strongly..) If you are, like most Christians, permanently camped out in the New Testament, you are missing many, many invaluable pieces. If you are only camped out in Psalms and Proverbs because they feel upbeat and motivational to you, you are missing other important pieces of wisdom that God has for you. Folks, God’s Word is a huge puzzle, you must encounter it in its entirety if you truly hope to see the beauty of its completed picture.
Today refuse to see any book in God’s Word as boring. Refuse to see any book in God’s Word as too difficult for you. Today, remove all the roadblocks and preconceived notions you have about the books that you typically avoid. Pray to God, get a good study commentary and dive into that book to see what missing pieces God will reveal to you. (I highly recommend David Guzik’s Enduring Word Bible commentary. Free online at enduringword.com)
Today, see the Bible as whole, an entire book to be studied, understood and lived by those that proclaim Christ as their Lord. Get on a study plan that has you covering the entirety of God’s Word. There are countless reading plans for free online. You can read the Bible in one year or find a plan that covers the OT or NT in one year. I, with the 5MC, cover one chapter a day, Monday through Friday. It took me one year to study through the New Testament and another year to study through the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the OT.) My way is a little slower, but I choose to journal about what God reveals to me every day. Whatever plan you choose, rest assured, God will use it to bless you in ways that will alter your life. For there is no such thing as bad time invested in the study of God’s Word.
I will be praying for you as you step out in faith and invest in the power of studying the entirety of the Almighty Word of God.
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