The Chronicler was inspired to write down the entire family tree of God’s people, from creation up to the return from exile in Babylon (Chapters 1-9). Why are all these names important? God brought his salvation into the world by preserving his promise through generations of humanity. Not every person listed here had faith. Still, God kept hope alive through those who did have faith, and they passed God’s promise down to the next generation.

After mankind sinned in the garden of Eden, God promised Adam that God would defeat Satan through Eve’s offspring. This promise was kept through the descendants of Seth to Noah’s time. Then, the descendants of Shem (Noah’ son) worshiped God until Abraham, to whom God promised to build a holy nation. Abraham planted faith in Isaac, who was the father of Jacob, whose twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.

Chapter 2 focuses on the tribe of Judah specifically. God used the faith of Caleb greatly in Moses’ time, and Caleb’s brother Ram was the ancestor of Jesse, the father of David. The next stage of God’s promise was given through David, who was a shepherd-like king.
Application: Father, thank you for your faithfulness throughout the generations. Please help me to remember your history and pass it on.
One Word: Remember the history of faith