Continuing our journey through 1 Chronicles, we uncover the lineage of the Levites and their significant roles in history. Aaron and Moses, sons of Levi, are seen fulfilling their priestly duties, drawing a connection to their heritage. This episode not only provides a genealogical overview but also offers insights and reflections on trust and faithfulness, inspired by the actions of these tribes and individuals. Find encouragement in knowing that even ancient genealogies can teach us about the necessity of unwavering faith in the face of life’s challenges.
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Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we will cover chapters 5 and 6 of 1 Chronicles, another long list of genealogy, so we’ll get right into Faith Comes By Hearing’s recording. But don’t give up on the book of 1 Chronicles. Let’s begin. 1 Chronicles 5
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The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son. Though Judah became strong among his brothers, and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, Hanak, Palu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Joel, Shimei his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, Bera, his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, carried away into exile. He was a chief of the Reubenites, and his kinsman by their clans, when the genealogy of their generations was recorded. The chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah. And Bela, the son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who lived in Aror, as far as Nebo and Baal-mean. He also lived to the east as far as the entrance of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their livestock had multiplied in the land of Gilead. And in the days of Saul they waged war against the Hagrites, who fell into their hand. And they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead. The sons of Gad lived over against them in the land of Bashan as far as Salika, Joel the chief, Shaphem the second, Jani, and Shaphat in Bashan. and their kinsmen according to their fathers’ houses, Michael, Meshulam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Ziah, and Eber.
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7.
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These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Hurai, son of Jeroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jashishai, son of Jado, son of Buz. Ahai, the son of Abdeel, son of Gunai, was chief in their father’s houses. And they lived in Gilead, in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the pasture lands of Sharon to their limits. All of these were recorded in genealogies in the days of Jotham, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel. The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had valiant men who carried shield and sword and drew the bow expert in war. 44,760 able to go to war. They waged war against the Hagrites, Jeter, Naphish, and Nodab. And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea, because they trusted in him. They carried off their livestock, fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and one hundred thousand men alive. For many fell because the war was of God, and they lived in their place until the exile.” The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They were very numerous, from Bashan to Baal Hermon, Sinar, and Mount Hermon. These were the heads of their fathers’ houses, Ephor, Ishi, Eliel, Asriel, Jeremiah, Hodiviah, and Jadiel, mighty warriors, famous men, heads of their fathers’ houses. But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, the spirit of Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Hala, Habor, Hera, and the river Gozan to this day.
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1 Chronicles 6 The Sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari The sons of Kohath, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The children of Amram, Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Eleazar fathered Phinehas. Phinehas fathered Abishua. Abishua fathered Buckeye. Buckeye fathered Uzziah. Uzziah fathered Zerahiah. Zerahiah fathered Moriath. Moriath fathered Amariah. Amariah fathered Ahitub. Ahitub fathered Zadok. Zadok fathered Ahimeaz. Ahimeaz fathered Azariah. Azariah fathered Johanan. And Johanan fathered Azariah. It was he who served as priest in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem. Azariah fathered Amariah. Amariah fathered Ahitub. Ahitub fathered Zadok. Zadok fathered Shalom. Shalom fathered Hilkiah. Hilkiah fathered Azariah. Azariah fathered Saraiah. Saraiah fathered Jehozadak. And Jehozadak went into exile when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. The sons of Levi, Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. And these are the names of the sons of Gershom, Libnai, and Shimei. The sons of Kohath, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The sons of Merari, Malai, and Mushai. These are the clans of the Levites according to their fathers. Of Gershom, Libnai his son, Jahath his son, Zimah his son, Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jetharai his son. The Sons of Kohath Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Asser his son, Elkanah his son, Abiasaph his son, Asser his son, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaal his son. The Sons of Elkanah Amasai and Ahimath, Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his son, Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. The sons of Samuel, Joel his firstborn, the second Abijah. The sons of Merarih, These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord after the ark rested there.
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They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order. These are the men who served and their sons.
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Of the sons of the Kohathites, Heman the singer, the son of Joel, son of Samuel, son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toa, son of Zuth, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, son of Tehath, son of Aser, son of Abiasaph, son of Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel. and his brother Asaph who stood on his right hand, namely, Asaph the son of Berechiah, son of Shemiah, son of Michael, son of Baaseah, son of Malkijah, son of Ethnai, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, son of Ethan, son of Zimah, son of Shemiah, son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi. On the left hand were their brothers, the sons of Merari, Ethan, the son of Kishai, son of Abdi, son of Malak, son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah, son of Amzi, son of Benai, son of Shemer, son of Malai, son of Mushai, son of Merari, son of Levi.
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And their brothers, the Levites, were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God. But Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt offering, and on the altar of incense for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
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These are the sons of Aaron. Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, Buckeye his son, Uzziah his son, Zerahiah his son, Moriath his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, Zadok his son, Ahimeaz his son.
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These are their dwelling places according to their settlements within their borders. To the sons of Aaron of the clans of Kohathites, for theirs was the first lot, to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasture lands. But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge, Hebron, Libna with its pasture lands, Jadar, Eshtimoah with its pasture lands, Highland with its pasture lands, Debar with its pasture lands, Ashen with its pasture lands, and Beth Shemesh with its pasture lands. and from the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon, Geba with its pasture lands, Alameth with its pasture lands, and Anathoth with its pasture lands. All their cities throughout their clans were thirteen. To the rest of the Kohathites were given by Lot out of the clan of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities. To the Gershomites, according to their clans, were allotted 13 cities out of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan. To the Merorites, according to their clans, were allotted 12 cities out of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. So the people of Israel gave the Levites the cities with their pasture lands. They gave by lot out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin these cities that are mentioned by name. And some of the clans of the sons of Kohath had cities of their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim. They were given the cities of refuge, Shechem with its pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasture lands, Jochmium with its pasture lands, Bethhoran with its pasture lands, Agilon with its pasture lands, Gathriman with its pasture lands. and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its pasture-lands, and Biliam with its pasture-lands, for the rest of the clans of the Kohathites. To the Gershamites were given out of the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasture-lands, and Ashtaroth with its pasture-lands, and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its pasture-lands, Dabirath with its pasture-lands, Ramoth with its pasture-lands, and Anem with its pasture-lands. Out of the tribe of Asher, Meshul with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, Heukok with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands. And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, Haman with its pasture lands, and Kiriathaim with its pasture lands. To the rest of the Merorites were allotted out of the tribe of Zebulun, Ramona with its pasture lands, Tabor with its pasture lands. And beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its pasture lands, Jaza with its pasture lands, Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaeth with its pasture lands. And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth and Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands.
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Again today, based on the length of the reading, we will only focus on a few aspects of these chapters. In the list of genealogy in chapter 5, right around verse 18, we read about the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, valiant men who carried shield and sword and drew the bow. They won their battle because they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him. Our practical application from chapters 5 and 6 of 1 Chronicles is just that. When you’re in a war, when you’re in a battle, cry out to God and trust in Him. We can choose to do that in battle, or we can choose to do what the half-tribe of Manasseh did. At the end of chapter 5, it’s written about them. They were mighty warriors, famous men, but they broke faith with God, whored after the other gods of the peoples of the land. So the God of Israel stirred up their enemies against them, and they were taken off into exile. So it’s our choice. It’s a stark contrast to those who trust in God and those who walk away from God. And lastly, in chapter 6, I’ll just make one observation, and that’s in the early verses of chapter 6. In the very first verse, we’re talking about the sons of Levi. And in the third verse, it says the children of Amron, Aaron and Moses and Miriam. I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal in 2009, I didn’t know Moses and Aaron were sons of Levi. No wonder Aaron was a high priest. So that’s all we have time for today. But again, don’t give up on the book of 1 Chronicles. There are many great lessons yet to come.
