Read 1 Chronicles 3
The Sons of David
3 These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron:
The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;2 the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;3 the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.4 These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months.David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, 5 and these were the children born to him there:
Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel. 6 There were also Ibhar, Elishua,Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet—nine in all. 9 All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
The Kings of Judah
10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam,Abijah his son,Asa his son,Jehoshaphat his son,11 Jehoram his son,Ahaziah his son,Joash his son,12 Amaziah his son,Azariah his son,Jotham his son,13 Ahaz his son,Hezekiah his son,Manasseh his son,14 Amon his son,Josiah his son.15 The sons of Josiah:Johanan the firstborn,Jehoiakim the second son,Zedekiah the third,Shallum the fourth.16 The successors of Jehoiakim:Jehoiachin his son,and Zedekiah.
The Royal Line After the Exile
17 The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive:Shealtiel his son, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.19 The sons of Pedaiah:Zerubbabel and Shimei.The sons of Zerubbabel:Meshullam and Hananiah.Shelomith was their sister.20 There were also five others:Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed.21 The descendants of Hananiah:Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shekaniah.22 The descendants of Shekaniah:Shemaiah and his sons:Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat—six in all.23 The sons of Neariah:Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam—three in all.24 The sons of Elioenai:Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani—seven in all.
Go Deeper
Spoiler alert: the story of imperfect people leads to a perfect Christ. Before we get to that part, 1 Chronicles 3 is another instance of the re-telling of a family lineage. Although the account of each person and relationship is difficult to follow, there is a significant point to hold onto as we read this passage: hold fast to discipline, because discipline is a blessing that preserves the promise.
First Chronicles 3 chapter has three distinct sections: David’s children (3:1-9), Solomon and the kings of Judah (v. 10-16), and the generations following the exile (v. 17-24). Each section has triumph, trials, and trauma following the family line. Take the Babylonian exile, for instance. The chosen people went through the most unthinkable circumstances.
A recognizable character of the passage is David. God made a promise to David. “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This would have been great if David and his descendants were as faithful to the covenant as God will always be. We read a couple verses before what is included in God’s promise to David: “I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him…” (v. 14-15).
Wisdom is breathed out in the instruction written out in Proverbs 3:11-12: “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”.
The author of the book of Hebrews quoted this proverb and followed it with commentary. “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?” (12:7). It is okay to assume that the author intended to make everyone who is a child of God aware of the importance of discipline. Discipline is a blessing that is not meant to be taken for granted by the sons and daughters of God.
Back to the earlier spoiler: David’s lineage extends to the one that proclaims himself as the “Son of David”: Jesus Christ. Integrity in the family lineage was not only for the honor of the family on earth. It was for generations to come. Most importantly, discipline is meant to help us honor God and the covenant he makes towards His people (both then and now).
Questions
- How can you take time to creatively reflect (i.e. meditate, journal, draw, paint, play) on the way that God has brought you to reading this devotional?
- What part of your story have you invited Jesus into? How has that changed your life?
- Who can you bring alongside you in your story, especially as you ask God to help you with discipline in a particular part?
Keep Digging
Check out this helpful blog post about reading 1 Chronicles from The Bible Project!
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8 responses to “1 Chronicles 3”
Remember
Remember all the Torah was passed down and read at the temple. All these names would have been memorized and read, a lot, because they are important to God. If it is important to God then we should not just let them blur on the page as we try to read. When David chose names for his boys it meant something. They were named on purpose. Ibhar means “God chooses”Elishama means “God hears”Eliphelet means “God is deliverance”Eliada means “God knows.”just a few. David loved God and was a man after His own heart so he want God to be a part of all of his life. God is working through all of us to make the way for King Jesus to come. You are a part of the story HisStory.
God thank You that I can be a part of Your story. God thank You for helping me, guiding me, showing up so much and letting me be Your daughter. God give me wisdom to further Your Kingdom, today in these minutes, that all I say and do my glorify You. God thank You for Holy Spirit and how amazing it is when I know You are speaking to me. God I need Your help in listening with shema hearing to be obedient to what I have heard. Thank You for loving me today, right now and the privilege it is to be in Your family, in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interesting!
Yes, very true! “Story of imperfect people leads to a perfect Christ.”
9 All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines.
At times, I think my family is complex and time-consuming. Yet, David had all these sons, not even counting his daughters as well as offspring outside of his multiple wives. Sounds ripe for conflicts!
“And Tamar was their sister” (v9).
Tamar’s story is recorded in Genesis 38. It is one of heartache and duplicity, yet found its way into the lineage of David. It proves that God is faithful. No matter how crazy the world is even now, his plan isn’t being threatened. God didn’t forget or abandon Tamar in the abuse and mistreatment she received. He provided for her and used her descendants to carry out his plan of salvation for all people.That should give us great hope for our messy lives as he turns ashes into beauty.
So true!
One thing I do know that even when our lives become messy we MUST still keep our eyes on christ and do the right thing. so many times we fail to do what is right especially when others do us wrong. our role and responsibility is to do what God command us to do even in the midst of chaos.
Despite the imperfections in David’s lineage, God’s redemptive plan shines through. The genealogy points to Jesus, the ultimate Redeemer. This teaches us that no matter our past, God can redeem and use us for His glory. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) is a promise of hope and restoration.