Who's Who?

1 Chronicles 7, 8 & 9

So many lists today. 

Important lists of who’s who

And why they are who they are

And how they got to where they are.

These are the lists of all the Israelites so many years after Moses and Joshua.

The lists of where they settled.

I love the little tid-bit stories sprinkled throughout. 

Stories of those who became potters (1 Chron 4:23), Those who found rich pasture and spacious, peaceful, quiet land (4:40), the brave warriors, the story of why Reuben didn’t have the birthright (5:1 to 3) the music leaders appointed by David, the story of Jabez (4:9 to 10), of misfortune (7:23).  Stories of priests, and fighting men.  Of wives, and daughters, and concubines, and Sheerah, a daughter of Ephraim who was a builder!  (7:24)

In chapter 9 we get a hint of the first stories of the resettlements of the remnant.  We’ve seen the genealogical census numbers for military purposes.  The tens of thousands of men who go out to war, and then the handfuls who return from exile, more numbers, but so small.  Numbers, for so many purposes, telling such loud stories.  The exile stories always feel like a holocaust homecoming story to me. 

These little snippet stories of a whole nation.  This Chronicler very focused on telling the whole story of the whole nation and all the tribes and all the clan people.  10 generations in 400 years.

Still I wonder about the significance of the naming of names.   Zelophehad’s daughters walk through the story again here (7:15) which is kind cool to me.  And the naming of Mattithiah (9:31) who was a Levite entrusted with the responsibility for baking the offering bread.   Mattithiah, a baker in the House of God. 

Ordinary people, doing work, ordinary everyday routines, and yet mentioned specifically in God’s Story. 

Called.  Living out their days as God ordained.   And we don’t know if they loved their work or not. Somebody saw them working, bringing glory to God with their life, and passed on the story, and it became part of the narrative.   Not realizing they were part of an epic story.  Top honors among who’s who in the Bible. 

You and me.

Ordinary.

Extraordinary.

Living out our days as God's Workman ship.

Bring glory to God with our lives and passing on our stories.

Written into God's Story.

Epic