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Context No. 3015 of 4322 · 1 Chronicles

Context · Reflection

1 Chronicles 2:41-49: in context

41and Shallum became the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah became the father of Elishama. 42The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. 43The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44Shema became the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem became the father of Shammai. 45The son of Shammai was Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth Zur. 46Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran became the father of Gazez. 47The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jothan, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48Maacah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49She bore also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

This is a dense stretch of genealogy, tracing the descendants of Caleb, name giving rise to name, including the children of his concubines, and ending, almost in passing, with a daughter: the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

It is another wall of names, easy to skim, but hold on to a couple of things. Chronicles carefully preserves these family lines because, to a scattered people returning from exile, knowing you belonged to a named family tied to the covenant story was part of knowing who you were. And notice the small mercy in the details. Even the children of concubines are named, and a daughter, Achsah, is remembered by name at the very end. God's record does not overlook the secondary, the marginal, the woman in a list of men. In a genealogy that could have been all firstborn sons, the easily overlooked are still counted and named.

Do I believe God knows and records me by name, even if I feel like a secondary or overlooked figure in the story?

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