The First Book of Chronicles
Chapter 2
¹. These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, ². Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 1 and 2)
Oh God my Father these biblical characters, are not only characters, but also relatives. I believe that the world is one big family and that through You, we are all related Amen.
³ The sons of Judah: Er; Onan, and Shelah; these three the Canaanite woman Bath-shua bore to him. Now Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 3)
Oh God, one might wonder about how come, of three children one of them ended up being evil? We're not all born of the same womb, of the same parents? However, You have a personalised plan for all of us, one that is in Your control and according to Your life plan for that particular person. Moreover, You created us so free as to have given us the capacity to make good and even not so good choices Amen. May we all base our choices on Your will Amen.
⁴ His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 4)
Oh God my Father I thank you for being so merciful, loving and kind, even though Judah's first-born son was wicked You did not deny Tamar the opportunity of bearing children Amen.
⁵ The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. ⁶ The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. ⁷ The sons of Carmi: Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the matter of the devoted thing; ⁸ and Ethan's son was Azariah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 5 to 8)
Oh God my Father we are all pawns in Your hands, actors on the big stage of life. Some of us have been given the roles of positive people who bring justice and unity according to Your plan for the salvation of the world, while others such as people like Achar of the old Testament and Judas Iscariot were chosen to perform acts that were not so positive in themselves.
⁹ The sons of Hezron who were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. ¹⁰ Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 9 to 10)
Oh God, my Father even before You created us in the womb You had already made plans for our future. there are those of us whom You planned to be married and there were those whom You planned to remain single, others who were to be people of power and others who were to be loyal subjects or civil servants, however, all of us have a specially chosen place with a particular role to play Amen.
¹¹ Nahshon became the father of Salma, Salma of Boaz, ¹² Boaz of Obed, Obed of Jesse. ¹³ Jesse became the father of Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, ¹⁴ Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem the sixth, David the seventh; ¹⁶ and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 11 to 16)
Oh God my Father when You created us, You were aware of who our descendants, would be and the effect that such people would have upon us. There were people who would be loving and caring and others who would be challenging. I pray that in this secularised individualistic society, You strengthen the sense of brotherhood and sisterhood so that our relationships will become stronger and lost lasting more than any before Amen.
¹⁷ Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite. ¹⁸ Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; these were her sons; Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 17 to 18)
Oh God my father, people are born, and others die, while others get married and others remain single, however everything and all events are under your control. I pray that You take control of the situation at work and may Your justice prevail over the injustice of the world Amen.
¹⁹ When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephath, who bore him Hur. ²⁰ Hur became the father of Uri, and Uri became the father of Bezalel.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 19 to 20)
Oh God my Father during these times, there was the tradition that the husband marries the sister of the deceased wife and thus allowing breeding within their own race. Unlike what theories of genetics imply, in the Bible there was never mentioned that a child was born mentally or physically impaired as a consequence of this interbreeding. This is Your people and they have Your blessing and support even in 2017, even though they disobeyed You many times, they are still the chosen people Amen.
²¹ Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old: and she bore him Segub; ²² and Segub became the father of Jair, who had twenty-three towns in the land of Gilead.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 21 to 22)
Oh God my Father for You nothing is impossible, there are no barriers that You cannot overcome, neither age, culture, or belief can hinder Your love for us and the unfolding of Your plan which You have planned according to our needs and with the aim of leading us to Salvation in Your presence Amen.
²³ But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvotjair, Kenath and its villages, sixty town. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 23)
Oh God my beloved Father, why are we not happy with what we have, why do we need to take other people's property, wives or husbands, did You not create enough for all of us to have and to share? I pray that we practice the value of sharing with others in love and not in being avaricious in acquiring other's property or destroying other's property in order to appear strong and powerful Amen.
²⁴ After the death of Hezron, in Caleb-ephratah, Abijah wife of Hezron bore him Ashhur, father of Tekoa.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 24)
As was the custom of the time the wife of the deceased remarried and gave birth to offspring thus the family line continued to exist. On the other hand marriage gave the woman a sense of status and belonging to the community. I pray oh God my Father that at least in Your eyes our relationship is also of value and that our relationship will also bear fruit Amen.
²⁵ The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 25)
Oh God my Father, the story goes on, one person dies and others are born as offpring and history repeats itself. How I wish that You free me from this circle and call me to Your side, I cannot take more of this living hell Amen.
²⁶ Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 26)
Oh God my Father, during these times, the practice of having more than one wife was already in practice as it is today, I pray that You continue to protect our society against such trends Amen.
²⁷ The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 27)
It is amazing my God and Father that among such a multitude of people, all the children are accountable and there are no children who do not have or know a father or a mother as in our times. I pray for such children who spend their lives with a missing link in their lives in search of knowing who their true parents are Amen.
²⁸ The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abihur.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 28)
It is amazing oh God my Father, that although these people were born and lived a long time, ago, through Your Son Jesus Christ, I feel related to such people. Moreover my offspring and those of the rest of the world can be added to such a long list of names and descendants. Amen
²⁹ The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 29)
³ The sons of Judah: Er; Onan, and Shelah; these three the Canaanite woman Bath-shua bore to him. Now Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 3)
Oh God, one might wonder about how come, of three children one of them ended up being evil? We're not all born of the same womb, of the same parents? However, You have a personalised plan for all of us, one that is in Your control and according to Your life plan for that particular person. Moreover, You created us so free as to have given us the capacity to make good and even not so good choices Amen. May we all base our choices on Your will Amen.
⁴ His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 4)
Oh God my Father I thank you for being so merciful, loving and kind, even though Judah's first-born son was wicked You did not deny Tamar the opportunity of bearing children Amen.
⁵ The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. ⁶ The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. ⁷ The sons of Carmi: Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the matter of the devoted thing; ⁸ and Ethan's son was Azariah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 5 to 8)
Oh God my Father we are all pawns in Your hands, actors on the big stage of life. Some of us have been given the roles of positive people who bring justice and unity according to Your plan for the salvation of the world, while others such as people like Achar of the old Testament and Judas Iscariot were chosen to perform acts that were not so positive in themselves.
⁹ The sons of Hezron who were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. ¹⁰ Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 9 to 10)
Oh God, my Father even before You created us in the womb You had already made plans for our future. there are those of us whom You planned to be married and there were those whom You planned to remain single, others who were to be people of power and others who were to be loyal subjects or civil servants, however, all of us have a specially chosen place with a particular role to play Amen.
¹¹ Nahshon became the father of Salma, Salma of Boaz, ¹² Boaz of Obed, Obed of Jesse. ¹³ Jesse became the father of Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, ¹⁴ Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem the sixth, David the seventh; ¹⁶ and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 11 to 16)
Oh God my Father when You created us, You were aware of who our descendants, would be and the effect that such people would have upon us. There were people who would be loving and caring and others who would be challenging. I pray that in this secularised individualistic society, You strengthen the sense of brotherhood and sisterhood so that our relationships will become stronger and lost lasting more than any before Amen.
¹⁷ Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite. ¹⁸ Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; these were her sons; Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 17 to 18)
Oh God my father, people are born, and others die, while others get married and others remain single, however everything and all events are under your control. I pray that You take control of the situation at work and may Your justice prevail over the injustice of the world Amen.
¹⁹ When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephath, who bore him Hur. ²⁰ Hur became the father of Uri, and Uri became the father of Bezalel.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 19 to 20)
Oh God my Father during these times, there was the tradition that the husband marries the sister of the deceased wife and thus allowing breeding within their own race. Unlike what theories of genetics imply, in the Bible there was never mentioned that a child was born mentally or physically impaired as a consequence of this interbreeding. This is Your people and they have Your blessing and support even in 2017, even though they disobeyed You many times, they are still the chosen people Amen.
²¹ Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old: and she bore him Segub; ²² and Segub became the father of Jair, who had twenty-three towns in the land of Gilead.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 21 to 22)
Oh God my Father for You nothing is impossible, there are no barriers that You cannot overcome, neither age, culture, or belief can hinder Your love for us and the unfolding of Your plan which You have planned according to our needs and with the aim of leading us to Salvation in Your presence Amen.
²³ But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvotjair, Kenath and its villages, sixty town. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 23)
Oh God my beloved Father, why are we not happy with what we have, why do we need to take other people's property, wives or husbands, did You not create enough for all of us to have and to share? I pray that we practice the value of sharing with others in love and not in being avaricious in acquiring other's property or destroying other's property in order to appear strong and powerful Amen.
²⁴ After the death of Hezron, in Caleb-ephratah, Abijah wife of Hezron bore him Ashhur, father of Tekoa.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 24)
As was the custom of the time the wife of the deceased remarried and gave birth to offspring thus the family line continued to exist. On the other hand marriage gave the woman a sense of status and belonging to the community. I pray oh God my Father that at least in Your eyes our relationship is also of value and that our relationship will also bear fruit Amen.
²⁵ The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 25)
Oh God my Father, the story goes on, one person dies and others are born as offpring and history repeats itself. How I wish that You free me from this circle and call me to Your side, I cannot take more of this living hell Amen.
²⁶ Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 26)
Oh God my Father, during these times, the practice of having more than one wife was already in practice as it is today, I pray that You continue to protect our society against such trends Amen.
²⁷ The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 27)
It is amazing my God and Father that among such a multitude of people, all the children are accountable and there are no children who do not have or know a father or a mother as in our times. I pray for such children who spend their lives with a missing link in their lives in search of knowing who their true parents are Amen.
²⁸ The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abihur.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 28)
It is amazing oh God my Father, that although these people were born and lived a long time, ago, through Your Son Jesus Christ, I feel related to such people. Moreover my offspring and those of the rest of the world can be added to such a long list of names and descendants. Amen
²⁹ The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 29)
Oh God my Father, I once read that only the names of important women were referred to by name in the Bible, I therefore pray that You add my name in the Bible of life, even though I am not a woman and not even that important or valuable in the eyes of the world, however in Your eyes I know that I am not a number but a person whom You love and care for Amen. Thank You Jesus.
³⁰ The sons of Nadab; Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 30)
Oh God during these times it may have been shameful to die childless, however on reflection for me it would be more shameful to die in a state of grave sin. I pray oh god that You deliver me from such a dreadful moment Amen.
³¹ The son of Appaim Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. ³² The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother; Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 31 to 32)
Oh God my beloved Father, Your loving presence in me is like a human embryo that is developing until it reaches the stage of being born. Every day this plan of development and Salvation unfolds and is shown to me. I pray that this presence will remain growing in me, even though as in the case of the pregnant woman I may eat things that hinder or slow the development of the embryo or Your presence in me Amen. Please forgive me for such moments Amen.
³³ The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 33)
Oh God my beloved Father, even though this long list of names may appear to be a waste of time reflecting on it is not, for it is important to record the birth and death of every member of our family, for in such a line of descent we can trace the roots that we have inherited through our line of descent. From such a complex line of descent consisting of both good people and sinners, as a sinner myself, I feel accepted by You and loved by You my God and Father as much as You loved and cared for my ancestors Amen.
³⁴ Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters; but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave, whose name was Jarha. ³⁵ So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his slave Jarha; and she bore him Attai.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 34 to 35)
Oh God my Father, even though You had strictly forbidden Your people to mingle with the Egyptians and take their daughters as their wives, they still disobeyed in order to satisfy their ends. Amen. I pray that my primary aim is always that of obeying Your will over that of the world Amen.
³⁶ Attai became the father of Nathan, and Nathan of Zabad.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 36)
Oh God my beloved Father as much as Nathan has his roots in You so have I. Even though nobody has the choice of either Father or mother when being born, with all their strengths and weaknesses I thank You for both. Amen.
³⁷ Zabad became the Father of Ephial, and Ephial of Obed.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 37)
Oh God my Father, I can only imagine the face of Abraham on witnessing the growth of his people and how far and wide You fulfilled the promise made to him. I thank You, my God and Father, for keeping Your promise Amen.
³⁸ Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu of Azariah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 38)
Oh God my beloved Father, when You give us a name You also attribute a meaning to that name as in the case of Jehu which means 'God is He' and for that name, Jehu was given a special task to defend that name. I thank You for my name because Vincent means 'Victor' and You have given me many victories and that encourages me to never give up Amen.
³⁹ Azariah became the father of Helez, and Helez of Eleasah. ⁴⁰ Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai of Shallum. ⁴¹ Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah of Elishama.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 39 to 40)
Oh God my beloved Father, this family tree is never ending and for some, it may appear a waste of time to reflect on however if we were to invest time on each of these characters we would find that their attributes and objectives in their lives or even their lifestyles were much similar to ours. Amen. For Instance, Helez was one of the mighty warriors in the army of King David. What is our position in the Church of God are we front liners or back-benchers.
⁴⁰ Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai of Shallum.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 40)
As in the meaning of the Name Eleasah which means God has made, He is the creator and we are the creatures, I pray that we do not try and take the role of God Amen.
⁴¹ Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah of Elishama.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 41)
Oh God my Father, Shallum meaning retribution and Jekamiah meaning revenge, such names are not given to children however they are still being practices in our society. I pray that we name our children, love, mercy and forgiveness, so that we will never forgive such important values in our life Amen.
⁴² The sons of Caleb brother of Jerahmeel; Mesha his firstborn, who was father of Ziph. The sons of Mareshah father of Hebron.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 42)
Oh God my Father the world consists of people such as Caleb who was a positive person, and others who view the world from a different perspective. I pray that even though at times I am not that positive I learn to focus on the positive side of life Amen.
⁴³ The sons of Hebron; Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 43)
As the meaning of the name Hebron shows us, which means united we are also to be united with You my God and Father. If we are united with each other we will also be united with You, however in the world of relationships when considering human nature as it is, it is not always humanly possible to sustain such relationships Amen however for You nothing is impossible.
⁴⁴ Shema became the father of Raham, father of Jorkeam; and Rekem became the father of Shammai.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 44)
Oh God my beloved Father as is the meaning of these people's names, that all have particular significance, I believe that You gave us our particular name for a particular reason. I pray that You give me the grace to honour and reach this objective Amen.
⁴⁵ The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth-zur.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 45)
Oh God my beloved Father in every religion there are those who obey or at least try to obey every single word of the Bible as in the case of Shammai and his descendants and there are those who in time became totally lax in their observance and practice of the same Word of God. I pray that You save me from becoming cold or lax to Your Word Amen.
⁴⁶ Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran became the father of Gazez.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 46)
Oh God my beloved Father as in the meaning of Ephah meaning a measure of two units as in that of good and bad, we are also a mixture of these two states of being. I pray oh God my Father that the good side of my Ephah will always supersede the negative part Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
⁴⁷ The sons of Jahdal: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet. Ephah, and Shaaph.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 47)
Oh God, my Father, Your people continued to grow, I pray that Your chosen, people of our times also continues to grow throughout the world even though in some parts of the world Roman Catholics and people proclaiming to believe in You are facing persecution and risk of life.
⁴⁸ Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah, ⁴⁹ She also bore Shaaph father of Madmannah, Sheva father of Machbenah and father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. ⁵⁰ These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephratah; Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim,
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 48 to 50)
Oh God my Father I thank You for having no prejudice against us sinners, for even people who were concubines and not truly wives as according to our customs were not forbidden to give birth Amen.
⁵¹ Salma father of Bethlehem, and Hareph father of Beth-gader. ⁵² Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. ⁵³ And the families of Kiriath-jearim; the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. ⁵⁴ The sons of Salma; Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atrothbeth-joab, and half of the Manahathites the Zorites. ⁵⁵ The families also of the scribes that lived at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 51 to 55)
As You promised Abraham Your people continued to increase and many peoples emerged as in this long line of descent which will be continued in Chapter 3 of the Book of Chronicles. I would like to end this meditation on the second chapter of the First Book of Chronicles with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father, I thank You for being reliable caring and trustworthy both in the past as seen in the history of the nation that You chose since they were one unit by means of Abraham, up to this very day. I thank You for always keeping Your promises and for loving us even though we fragile sinners Amen
³⁰ The sons of Nadab; Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 30)
Oh God during these times it may have been shameful to die childless, however on reflection for me it would be more shameful to die in a state of grave sin. I pray oh god that You deliver me from such a dreadful moment Amen.
³¹ The son of Appaim Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. ³² The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother; Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 31 to 32)
Oh God my beloved Father, Your loving presence in me is like a human embryo that is developing until it reaches the stage of being born. Every day this plan of development and Salvation unfolds and is shown to me. I pray that this presence will remain growing in me, even though as in the case of the pregnant woman I may eat things that hinder or slow the development of the embryo or Your presence in me Amen. Please forgive me for such moments Amen.
³³ The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 33)
Oh God my beloved Father, even though this long list of names may appear to be a waste of time reflecting on it is not, for it is important to record the birth and death of every member of our family, for in such a line of descent we can trace the roots that we have inherited through our line of descent. From such a complex line of descent consisting of both good people and sinners, as a sinner myself, I feel accepted by You and loved by You my God and Father as much as You loved and cared for my ancestors Amen.
³⁴ Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters; but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave, whose name was Jarha. ³⁵ So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his slave Jarha; and she bore him Attai.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 34 to 35)
Oh God my Father, even though You had strictly forbidden Your people to mingle with the Egyptians and take their daughters as their wives, they still disobeyed in order to satisfy their ends. Amen. I pray that my primary aim is always that of obeying Your will over that of the world Amen.
³⁶ Attai became the father of Nathan, and Nathan of Zabad.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 36)
Oh God my beloved Father as much as Nathan has his roots in You so have I. Even though nobody has the choice of either Father or mother when being born, with all their strengths and weaknesses I thank You for both. Amen.
³⁷ Zabad became the Father of Ephial, and Ephial of Obed.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 37)
Oh God my Father, I can only imagine the face of Abraham on witnessing the growth of his people and how far and wide You fulfilled the promise made to him. I thank You, my God and Father, for keeping Your promise Amen.
³⁸ Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu of Azariah.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 38)
Oh God my beloved Father, when You give us a name You also attribute a meaning to that name as in the case of Jehu which means 'God is He' and for that name, Jehu was given a special task to defend that name. I thank You for my name because Vincent means 'Victor' and You have given me many victories and that encourages me to never give up Amen.
³⁹ Azariah became the father of Helez, and Helez of Eleasah. ⁴⁰ Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai of Shallum. ⁴¹ Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah of Elishama.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 39 to 40)
Oh God my beloved Father, this family tree is never ending and for some, it may appear a waste of time to reflect on however if we were to invest time on each of these characters we would find that their attributes and objectives in their lives or even their lifestyles were much similar to ours. Amen. For Instance, Helez was one of the mighty warriors in the army of King David. What is our position in the Church of God are we front liners or back-benchers.
⁴⁰ Eleasah became the father of Sismai, and Sismai of Shallum.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 40)
As in the meaning of the Name Eleasah which means God has made, He is the creator and we are the creatures, I pray that we do not try and take the role of God Amen.
⁴¹ Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah of Elishama.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 41)
Oh God my Father, Shallum meaning retribution and Jekamiah meaning revenge, such names are not given to children however they are still being practices in our society. I pray that we name our children, love, mercy and forgiveness, so that we will never forgive such important values in our life Amen.
⁴² The sons of Caleb brother of Jerahmeel; Mesha his firstborn, who was father of Ziph. The sons of Mareshah father of Hebron.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 42)
Oh God my Father the world consists of people such as Caleb who was a positive person, and others who view the world from a different perspective. I pray that even though at times I am not that positive I learn to focus on the positive side of life Amen.
⁴³ The sons of Hebron; Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 43)
As the meaning of the name Hebron shows us, which means united we are also to be united with You my God and Father. If we are united with each other we will also be united with You, however in the world of relationships when considering human nature as it is, it is not always humanly possible to sustain such relationships Amen however for You nothing is impossible.
⁴⁴ Shema became the father of Raham, father of Jorkeam; and Rekem became the father of Shammai.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 44)
Oh God my beloved Father as is the meaning of these people's names, that all have particular significance, I believe that You gave us our particular name for a particular reason. I pray that You give me the grace to honour and reach this objective Amen.
⁴⁵ The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth-zur.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 45)
Oh God my beloved Father in every religion there are those who obey or at least try to obey every single word of the Bible as in the case of Shammai and his descendants and there are those who in time became totally lax in their observance and practice of the same Word of God. I pray that You save me from becoming cold or lax to Your Word Amen.
⁴⁶ Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran became the father of Gazez.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 46)
Oh God my beloved Father as in the meaning of Ephah meaning a measure of two units as in that of good and bad, we are also a mixture of these two states of being. I pray oh God my Father that the good side of my Ephah will always supersede the negative part Amen. Thank You, Jesus.
⁴⁷ The sons of Jahdal: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet. Ephah, and Shaaph.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verse 47)
Oh God, my Father, Your people continued to grow, I pray that Your chosen, people of our times also continues to grow throughout the world even though in some parts of the world Roman Catholics and people proclaiming to believe in You are facing persecution and risk of life.
⁴⁸ Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah, ⁴⁹ She also bore Shaaph father of Madmannah, Sheva father of Machbenah and father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. ⁵⁰ These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephratah; Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim,
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 48 to 50)
Oh God my Father I thank You for having no prejudice against us sinners, for even people who were concubines and not truly wives as according to our customs were not forbidden to give birth Amen.
⁵¹ Salma father of Bethlehem, and Hareph father of Beth-gader. ⁵² Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. ⁵³ And the families of Kiriath-jearim; the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. ⁵⁴ The sons of Salma; Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atrothbeth-joab, and half of the Manahathites the Zorites. ⁵⁵ The families also of the scribes that lived at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
(First Book of Chronicles Chapter 2 verses 51 to 55)
As You promised Abraham Your people continued to increase and many peoples emerged as in this long line of descent which will be continued in Chapter 3 of the Book of Chronicles. I would like to end this meditation on the second chapter of the First Book of Chronicles with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father, I thank You for being reliable caring and trustworthy both in the past as seen in the history of the nation that You chose since they were one unit by means of Abraham, up to this very day. I thank You for always keeping Your promises and for loving us even though we fragile sinners Amen
