I Chronicles 7-9
Have you ever traced your own ancestry? Most of us know our parents and grandparents. Some might even remember their great-grandparents. It’s even possible for some to remember great-great-grandparents, though that is now quite rare. Anything beyond that requires good record-keeping, with stories handed down from one generation to the next. Tracing our own lineage can be fascinating and can provide insight into ourselves, telling us who we are and providing us with a frame of reference for navigating our way through life.
Unfortunately many in our modern world are detached from any such frame of reference. With women bearing children to multiple anonymous men, kids grow up not having a clue about who their actual father is, with no hope at all of learning of their grandparents, let alone great-grandparents. And we wonder why people feel lost, directionless, without a sense of place in the world!
Were it not for these early chapters of Chronicles, the returning exiles of Judah might well likewise have been left bewildered, wondering who they were. But thanks be to God that someone paid attention all along the way and placed enough value on family heritage to retain ancestral knowledge. Where would we be without it?