1 Chronicles 4-5

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Genealogical Records

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. The Lord answers the prayers of faithful believers in spiritual ministry.

  2. The Lord answers the prayers of faithful believers in spiritual warfare.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Don’t misapply the prayer of Jabez.

  2. Remember the lessons of the two-and-a-half tribes.

QUESTIONS

  1. Who are some of the notable men mentioned in the genealogy of Judah?

  2. Where did the tribe of Simeon reside in the Land?

  3. What is a wrong application of the prayer of Jabez?

  4. Why does the lineage of Christ not come through Jacob’s first-born son, Reuben? What other consequences were there for Reuben?

  5. Which tribes settled on the east side of the Jordan River?

ANSWERS

  1. Caleb, the son of Jephuneh, was one of the faithful spies at the time of Moses (verse 15). Othniel (verse 13) was the first judge of Israel.

  2. The tribe of Simeon did not receive any tribal territories because of Simeon’s participation in the massacre of Shechem (Genesis 34). The descendants of Simeon lived in villages scattered throughout the tribal areas of Judah.

  3. This verse should not be used to demand material prosperity from the Lord. Rather, it guarantees that if we look to the Lord and trust and obey Him, we will be blessed spiritually.

  4. As a result of Reuben’s sin of incest (Genesis 35), he lost his birthright as the firstborn. His double portion of the land went to Joseph, and thus to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. His portion of leadership went to Judah, through whom comes the line of Christ.

  5. Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Read the well-known prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10. Discuss phrase-by-phrase how you could pray this prayer in your life.

  2. When the two-and-a-half tribes on the east side of the Jordan River were under attack, they prayed and trusted in the Lord for a great victory. Discuss how this is a picture of the great victory God will give His people today in spiritual warfare.

CHALLENGE

  1. The two-and-a-half tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh would not follow God’s perfect will to cross the Jordan River with the other tribes at the time of the Conquest (Numbers 32). They followed God’s permissive will and settled on the east side of the Jordan River. There they were the most exposed and vulnerable to the attacks from the Assyrians, and thus were the first to be taken into captivity. When we don’t obey the Lord completely, we are vulnerable to attack from the enemy.

KEY VERSES

  • “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.” 1 Chronicles 4:10

  • “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel – he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s.” 1 Chronicles 5:1-2

1 Chronicles, Old Testament, TalksRon Reid1 CHRONICLES 4-5