And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. 1 Chronicles 1:34 NKJV
Genealogies. They’re important. In ancient and not-so-ancient times, people depended on their parents to relay who their ancestors were and their history as a nation, tribe and ultimately as a family. They passed that information along to their children and grand-children through word of mouth and the written word of God. Namely, the Bible.
The Bible gives us scores of genealogies and often we skim over them thinking them boring but they are significant because we can learn from them. The genealogies within the Bible substantiate the Bible’s historical accuracy confirming these people not only actually lived but where they lived and information about their lives.
The Bible became the perfect place in which to document marriages, births and deaths of who they were and how they were related to one another.
The advent of ancestry.com and 23andme.com sites have made the practice of finding our ancestors easier than ever.
My husband and I decided to do the ancestry.com DNA testing before we knew about 23andme.com. While I always thought I was one-hundred percent Italian because all my grandparents were born in Italy, I found out I’m only eighty-nine percent Italian. The other percentages blew my mind! The reports were interesting and phenomenal but when we decided to do the 23andme.com DNA testing because it also had medical information based on DNA and how likely one would be to have adult-onset diabetes or some other disease that might be helpful for a child or grand-child to know about.
The results were almost identical in both DNA tests. But what I liked most with 23andme.com was the ability to connect with potential relatives. First, second, third, fourth, and fifth cousins. As of this post I have over a thousand connections, some of which are messaging me.
It’s truly amazing what we have available to us in this day and age. Do the DNA test and find out where you are from. You won’t be sorry.
Let’s look at the context of this verse: At the time of the book of 2 Kings, Israel had been divided into two kingdoms: The Northern Kingdom or Israel (made up of ten of the original 12 tribes of Israel) and the Southern kingdom or Judah (made up of the remaining two tribes). The King of the North, Ahaziah, was an evil king in the sight of the Lord because he worshipped pagan gods. Twice the King of Israel sent a captain and fifty men to the mountaintop to summon Elijah to bring him to the King. Both contingents of men died because Elijah called down fire from heaven. And that brings us to this verse.
Whether you are a leader or you are not, it’s a great thing to be humble. Here are five traits of a humble person:
This verse calls to mind that when we make a promise, we must keep it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small promise to go to lunch with a friend or if you’ve promised to take care of a task for a sibling or parent or if you have pledged a possession. It doesn’t matter. When a person breaks a promise, it’s hard to trust that person again.
And it’s especially hard when we give promises to our small children and break them. Children depend on their parents and guardians to tell the truth and not break a promise, no matter how insignificant that promise may be. Our children are our greatest resource. We must treat them with kindness and care where our promises are concerned.
David was the King, a leader. It calls to mind our leaders today. They rarely keep their promises and wonder why their constituents don’t trust them. In today’s world, it’s all right to break a promise if it furthers that leader’s career goals.
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The context of this verse is that King Saul of Israel and his son Jonathan died in battle with the Philistines. David, who would be the next King of Israel, and his men are those who are mourning, fasting and weeping for the two men.
It seems fitting that we talk about men and women lost in battle. Any family who loses a loved one in war is a tragedy. But a family who loses all of their children at one time is unthinkable. That’s just what happened to the Sullivan family during World War II.
Parents who lose a baby or a child are overwrought with the pain of loss but to lose five sons in one fell swoop, I can’t even imagine the pain of suffering that family endured. Some may say, it was a long time ago or time has a way of healing. That may be true to some extent but a parent who loses a child whether that child is a baby, child or an adult, can’t ever be consoled and time doesn’t heal. It only covers the grief until the anniversary of their child’s birth or death.
May we all have an extra measure of compassion for those parents who have lost a child.
Let’s put this verse in context first and I’m paraphrasing here:
That’s what this verse is about. Hannah begged God to give her a child who she promised would be given to Him, consecrated as a Nazarite and set apart for God.
What heartbreak the woman must have endured at the hands of not only her husband’s other wife but all the women in her community! And yet, she went directly to God for help. It reminds us to look to God when situations are dire.
This verse was the response to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who had lost not only her husband but also her only two sons. Naomi wanted her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to stay in Moab, the country of their birth. But she, Naomi would travel to her hometown of Bethlehem. In those days a childless widow was among the lowest and most disadvantaged. They had no support you and had to live on the generosity of strangers. Thus, Naomi was desperate and had to leave but didn’t want Ruth or Orpah to come with her as they had family in Moab.
But Ruth’s dedication to remain with Naomi was the noble and loving commitment of a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law. Something we lack today. Naomi’s life and love of God made an indelible impression on Ruth. Naomi had lost her husband, her two sons…her entire family and yet she continued to honor God. Her character was impeccable. She trusted God to take care of her.
Her story is one that is beautiful. She honored her mother-in-law and God had mercy on her and gave her another husband.
To make the verse more personal, substitute “God” or “Jesus” for “I” and your name or “me” for “you” making it a personal verse to memorize and repeat when in a trial.
Even in my darkest hours and there were many over the years, I always knew God was with me. And I know He’ll be with me until I breathe my last breath.
This verse is definitely a life verse when considering career choices or stepping out in Faith. That was me when I wrote inspirational romances. I felt ill-equipped to write. I needed instruction on how to write and how to use the language to its fullest potential. But, God gave me a vision, and I have stepped out and worked many hours to learn the craft and I’m still learning and I will continue to learn every time my fingers hit the keyboard.
I faced discouragement from fellow writers who critiqued my work, from instructors who made it clear it was difficult to get an agent in this day and age let alone find a publisher willing to take on a new author. But the reason for writing was so strong none of those naysayers would keep me from my purpose for writing.
As a military leader, he knew battle strategy but as a judge and prophet would he trust God to do what God had promised or would he do what he thought was in the best interest of Israel?
Today’s Bible story shows us if we have God’s ear, there’s nothing we can’t overcome. What battle are you waging today? Is it physical, mental, emotional, financial? He has the answer. Seek Him and His answer.