1 Chronicles 9:1: “So all Israel was recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.”

August 28th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

From the beginning of the Hebrew nation, God has carefully recorded and preserved a registration of the names of every tribe and family. The genealogical records were also kept during the captivity in Babylon and brought back to Jerusalem with the captives. Many from the 10 northern tribes migrated south after the division of the kingdom in 931 BC, so they were carried to Babylon along with Judah. Because of this, we can say that when they returned from captivity, “all Israel” was represented in the remnant.

This concludes 9 chapters of Israel’s genealogy, which chronicles their beginning, the many kings who led them into idolatry, their subsequent captivity in Babylon, and then the return of the remnant to the Promise Land. Seeing where their kings took them, puts the next section, the death of Saul, into perspective and we recognize what a grim mistake it was for Israel to demand that God give them a king like the rest of the nations. We should learn from their history and not seize the initiative from God, but simply follow Him faithfully wherever He leads us.

A pastor I know was driving to church when a tire suddenly blew, and his car skidded into a ditch. He walked to a farmhouse and knocked, but no one answered the door. He went around to the barn only to find a man weeping and trying to put a diaper on a small child, while 4 other small children were running around. The pastor asked what was wrong, and the man said, “I buried my wife two days ago.” “Was she saved,” asked the pastor? “Yes, she’s in heaven.” “Are you saved?” “No, I’m not.” The pastor then shared the Lord with him, and the newly single dad of 5 received new life from the Lord. The pastor then understood just why his tire had failed at that moment. God will lead us if we will only let Him show us His way.

“LORD, forgive us for often being so busy making our own plans that we fail to look for Yours. Show us Your way this day, and please interrupt our lives as You see fit.”