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THE GENEALOGY OF JACOB’S SONS STARTING WITH JUDAH.

1 Chronicles 2:1-55

Q.1. Why would the genealogy of Jacob begin with Judah? What important lesson do we learn from David’s prominence? – (1 Chr.2:1-17)

In blessing his sons, Jacob passed over the first three and promised that the kingship would fall to Judah (c.f. Gen.49:8-10). The genealogy follows the lineage of Judah down through King David and David’s promised greater Son, the Lord Jesus – 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end (c.f. Lk.1:32-33 c.f. 2 Sam.7:12-16; 1 Chr.2:3-15). David’s father Jesse had seven sons and two daughters. God passed over all the other sons and gave the kingship to the seventh-born (c.f. 1 Chr.2:13-15 c.f. 1 Sam.16:6-13). We learn that it is God Who chooses according to the kind intention of His will (c.f. Eph.1:4-11).

Q.2. What gave Caleb a special place in Israel’s history? How do his exploits inspire you? – (1 Chr.2:18-55)

Caleb was an outstanding choice to spy out the Promised Land. He (and Joshua) viewed the land with the greatness of God in mind and took a stand against the bad report and faithless comments of the other spies. Caleb from the tribe of Judah is remembered as unique – But My servant Caleb because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it (Num.14:24 c.f. Num.13:6 & 30; 14:6-9; 1 Chr.2:18-20). He witnessed the death of all his generation but his faith never dimmed – 10 Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. 12 Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken (c.f. Josh.14:10-12). Caleb’s whole family were people of faith and their family line prominent (1 Chr.2:18-50 c.f. Josh.14:6-15; 15:16-19; Jdgs.1:11-15). This included the nomadic Kenites whom God used to underscore Judah’s disobedience (1 Chr.2:55 c.f. Jer.35:1-19).