After David became king of all Israel, his descendants became a “royal line,” as described in Chapter 3. This royal line was important not because of any human superiority; in fact, the kings listed here were more wicked than godly. That is why God took away all their earthly powers through the exile. But this genealogy is important because God promised to send the true spiritual king Jesus from among the descendants of David. Not even the exile to Babylon could stop God’s salvation plan. Now, each of us has the privilege to enter the royal line of Jesus, not by natural descent, but of God. When we have faith in Jesus, his kingly and priestly character is formed in us. This is better than any earthly aristocracy.

Chapter 4 lists the other families within the tribe of Judah. Most of them lived ordinary lives, but Jabez is remembered because he had boldness to request an earthly blessing from the Lord. We should have similar faith to pray for spiritual blessings, which are more valuable. Chapter 5 begins to list the families of the other tribes of Israel, starting with the trans-Euphrates tribes: Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
Application: Father, thank you for preserving your hope throughout the generations so we could know Jesus. Thank you for making me part of Jesus’ royal priesthood.
One Word: A member of Jesus’ royal line