These chapters, which at first sight appear to be mere wilderness of names, are seen on closer inspection to contain an orderly arrangement, like a garden divided into separate beds. The writer begins with the line of descent from Adam to Noah, and then gives the descendants of each of Noah’s three sons (1:1-27). Arriving thus at Abraham, he lists the sons of Ishmael, and of Keurah, and Isaac’s two sons, Israel and Esau, with a list of the descendants of Esau (1:28-54). With chapter 2 begins the list of Israel’ sons, with their descendants. Judah comes first and is given the largest space (2:3-4:23); then Simeon (4:24-43), Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh (chapter 5) Levi (chapter 6), Issachar (7:1-5), Benjamin (7:6-12), Naphtali (7:13). Manasseh (7:14-19), Ephraim (7:20-29), Asher (7:30-40). It will be noticed that two tribes are omitted. In chapter 8 the descendants of Benjamin are given more fully, leading up to the family of Saul and his descendants; chapter 9 gives a list of inhabitants of Jerusalem, and repeats the genealogy of Saul as an introduction to the story of his death in chapter 10. Amidst these lists of names are a number of passages which may be spiritually applied with profit to ourselves.
1 Read 4:9, 10 and 5:18-22. What do you learn for your own life from the examples of (a) Jabez, and (b) Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh about success and victory? Cf. Ps. 81:10; Col. 4:2; 1 Jn. 5:4.
2 Build for yourself a mental picture of the lives and service of the Levites, as described in chapter 6. Are there lessons to be learned from this passage about the nature of true worship?
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