We are almost through the era of the judges in our chronological reading of the Bible, and the era of Israel’s kings is just a few days away. Ruth and Boaz were the great-grandparents of King David, who became Israel’s greatest king.

But before we get to King David, we need to lay some groundwork. So today’s reading takes us back through the genealogies of David’s ancestors in 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles is a challenging book to read because it lists dozens of people and places that mean very little to us today.

But it wasn’t originally written for our benefit. It was written for ancient Israel to read following seventy years of exile in other parts of the world. They needed to remember who they were and where they came from so these records were given to them.

Although 1 Chronicles was written later in ancient Israel’s timeline, its content fits into this part of the Chronological Bible.

Naomi’s Happy Ending

Boaz and Ruth got married and soon had a son. Little baby Obed actually became the head of Naomi’s household because he was the heir of her deceased son Mahlon. It sounds confusing, but it goes back to what is called the Levirate law in Deuteronomy 25:5-6. Since Mahlon’s only brother Kilion was also deceased, Boaz fulfilled the role of Mahlon’s nearest male relative in marrying Ruth.

“Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.”

Baby Obed was Mahlon’s heir, therefore, he would grow up to take care of his grandmother Naomi, if she lived that long. That’s why Naomi’s friends said,

“Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” Ruth 4:14-15

There is not another woman in Scripture who is called “better than seven sons.” Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi must have gotten along very well together as a growing family. Naomi took charge of caring for Obed and her friends exclaimed, “Naomi has a son!” (Ruth 4:16-17)

The stage was set for the next part of Israel’s story when the book of Ruth ended with a short genealogy that led from Judah’s son Perez, through Boaz (married to Ruth the Moabite), to David the King of Israel.

Confusing Genealogies

If you found yourself skimming over the lists of names in 1 Chronicles 2:18-55 and 1 Chronicles 4:1-20, don’t worry. Even the best Bible commentators have trouble trying to sort it all out. There are some names we recognize, but they may not be the people we are thinking of from our previous reading. Names were reused in different families and in multiple generations.

These genealogies are here to trace the important lineage of Judah, the tribe of kings. Some interesting stories pop out of the lists from time to time and that makes them fun to read.

In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 we find Jabez who prayed to be delivered from a legacy of pain passed down to him from his mother. He apparently felt limited in his life, so he prayed that God would enlarge his territory – and God granted his request.

Joab, son of Seraiah, fathered a family of skilled workers for whom their region was named: “Joab, the father of Ge Harashim. It was called this because its people were skilled workers.” (1 Chronicles 4:14) Maybe Joab’s sons were inventors or leaders in the arts and crafts movement in ancient Israel.

The genealogy of Ezrah in 1 Chronicles 4:17-20 includes the names of several women. One of them was a daughter of a Pharaoh. Ezrah’s son Mered married her, which tells us that Mered was a man of substance.

The family of Shelah, son of Judah, produced linen workers and potters. They didn’t work for just anyone; they were potters for the king. Which king? We don’t know, but the family was proud that their ancestors were so successful.

When the Jews (formerly called Israelites) returned to Judah from Babylon and Persia after the Exile, around 450-500 BC, they would have found these genealogies fascinating and informative.

Elkanah and Hannah

In the tribe of Ephraim, toward the end of the time of the judges, lived a man named Elkanah. He had two wives: Peninnah, who gave him a number of sons and daughters, and Hannah who was barren.

Peninnah was a heartless sister-wife. For some reason she chose to provoke and irritate Hannah when they went to the annual festival at Shiloh. The years went by and Hannah’s arms were empty while Peninnah was busy caring for her growing brood.

Elkanah loved Hannah and he wanted her to be happy. He gave her double portions of meat at the festival meal. Imagine a holiday table with Elkanah at the head, carving a big roast and passing slices to family members. Elkanah intentionally piles extra meat onto Hannah’s plate to let her know she’s special to him.

Sadly, Hannah was too upset by Peninnah’s taunts to have an appetite. She wept and couldn’t eat her dinner.

Elkanah had a hard time with Hannah’s sadness. He asked her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 1 Samuel 1:8

What Elkanah Meant

It would be easy to dismiss Elkanah’s questions as clueless. Surely he could see that Hannah’s grief was connected to her barrenness, not her relationship with him.

But we shouldn’t sell Elkanah short.

When he asked, “Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” he was also saying, “Hannah, you mean more to me than ten sons. You are enough for me just as you are.”

Maybe Hannah got the message, and maybe she was even grateful to Elkanah, but his love couldn’t erase her longing for a child; it was agonizing for her.  Tomorrow we will see what God does for Hannah.

Meanwhile, this is a good time to learn more about the books of Chronicles. Check out this Bible Project video:

https://youtu.be/HR7xaHv3Ias

 

 

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