Friends, as I look at these genealogies I perceive the sovereign hand of God, working out everything according to his grand and perfect design. While we welcome and praise God's power in all this, sometimes there creeps in a fear that some things we cherish may not be a part of that plan.

On Tuesday my mother will undergo a major surgery to remove a large brain tumor, and I have no sense of what the result may be. She could die. She could be mentally disabled. I do not know. What I do know, I do not relish, for at present she does not confess Christ as her Savior. At one time I knew she did profess faith. My heart longs for her to recapture that long-ago profession today. 

This is my shameless appeal to this community, though I have not shared on this site in quite a while. Would you pray for my mother to come through this surgery successfully to the glory and praise of God. 

Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth (1 Chronicles 1:1-4).

If you look carefully at this list, you will notice a glaring ommission. There is no mention of Cain and Abel. Of course, Cain killed Abel, thus, ending Abel's ancestry; however, Cain's ancestry extended all the way to Noah. It appears the Chronicler leaves him out to suggest that the remnant of Cain's evil ancestry was wiped out with the flood. 

Adam and Eve considered Seth to be a replacement of Abel (cf. Genesis 4:25). Genesis 4 and 5 clearly distinguish between Seth's ancestry and Cain's as between the good line and th evil line respectively. What is more, I believe that the ambiguous reference to "sons of God" and "daughters of men" in Genesis 6:2 is a reference to Seth's line and Cain's line respectively, whereby the intermixing of the two led to the corruption of the entire world of people (cf. Genesis 6:5).

Consequently, the flood removed from the earth all of Cain's lineage as well as any in Seth's line that intermarried with Cain's line. Noah and his family would, thus, be all that was left of the pure line of Seth. Or course, this is somewhat conjecture based on the evidence of passages like the present one. But it does give a somewhat reasonable explanation for things.

My purpose in sharing is not to suggest strange and new doctrines but only to encourage you not to overlook even the smallest of details in God's Word, as there may very well be a purpose for that small detail being omitted or included. 

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The sons of Judah were Er, Onan and Shelah; these three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanitess. And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, so He put him to death. Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all (1 Chronicles 2:3-4).

If you read these verses too quickly, you may miss the important point in Judah's genealogy. Even though Judah had sons by Bath-shua, his lineage is tracked through the sons he had with his daughter-in-law, Tamar. What?! Remember, that Judah was not only the lineage of King David but also of Jesus the Messiah. Could it be that God wanted to remove any defiled Canaanite blood from the lineage of Messiah? You can read the full story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38.

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The son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who violated the ban (1 Chronicles 2:7).

The proper name for "Achar" is "Achan," whose account is given in Joshua 7. He took spoil from the battle of Jericho contrary to God's command and caused judgment to fall on Israel in the very next battle against Ai. His name was modified to "Achar" likely to ridicule him, for achar in Hebrew means "troubler," which is what he was known for. Even today, if you ever listen to radio talkshow hosts, like Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage, they often do this to certain political and media personalities to highlight and caricature their faults. 

Friends, I have made this point in previous posts; however, it bears repeating. Even the chapters that seem the least interesting, being filled with bizarre names and references, can be a treasure trove for the serious explorer of truth. I pray that all of us would have such an interest in the Bible. As we read from Solomon,

And if you look for it (wisdom) as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:4-5).

1 chronicles 1

¹⁹ To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg^[e] (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother's name was Joktan.

Curious about this ‘divided earth’ phrase, I am reading that Peleg lived during the times of the land being divided up by Noah’s children Shem(Asia) Ham(Africa) Japheth(Europe).

Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth... (1 Chronicles 1:1-4).

There are numerous genealogies in the Bible. These serve as historical markers by way of biography. There are other historical markers as well, like significant events, dates, prophetic pronouncements, and even geography. What do all such historical markers suggest? The Bible is a very historical book, and God has chosen to emphasize the importance of history.

Why is this important? It sets the Bible apart from just about every other religious book. The Bible makes the bold claim that it is inerrant, being the very words of God (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:2-21), and grounded in historical fact, as opposed to fable, legend, or story. It commends those who search for truth (cf. Proverbs 2:4). It commands that believers test claims of visions, dreams and prophecies (cf. 1 John 4:1). It goes out of its way to document signs and miracles, especially through eye-witness testimonies (e.g. Acts 3:10; 4:14-17). 

Unlike other religions that will attack those who try to question, test or besmirch their "holy books," the Bible invites questions, testing, and endures through every attack. It is the most attacked holy book of all, but for that, every believer can be assured that it has been tested through centuries of attack and proven true again and again through the generations of time. In fact, many of its most ardent opponents would come to faith, as they search long and hard to find fault with it. Putting for such great effort and time, they were confronted by the amazing discovery of the incontrovertible truth of Scripture.

Friends, those of you that are persevering in God's Word, I want to encourage you that your labor is not in vain. In the Bible we find words of truth, of true and eternal life, and of the way of that most pleases God, our Maker and Savior. 

Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. (1 Chronicles 1:10 NLT)

As I have commented in the past, when you come to passages like today's reading, it is sometimes a good idea to take the extra time to explore. For example, we have little mention of a person named Nimrod, who has the notable distinction of being the "first heroic warrior on earth." This puts him in a somewhat positive light; however, when we look back at a previous mention of him, we discover this:

Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, “This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.” He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. From there he expanded his territory to Assyria, building the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, and Resen (the great city located between Nineveh and Calah). (Genesis 10:8-12 NLT)

We find him in the table of nations in Genesis 10. We discover that he is the founder of Babylon and Assyria, two of the greatest empires of ancient Jewish history, and the two empires that God used to judge Israel and Judah. 

If you search a bit further in extra-biblical sources like Josephus, you may discover some more interesting and possibly legendary tidbits about Nimrod:

"Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to reach. And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers.

Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion…"

Josephus, thus, attributes Nimrod as being the leader and mastermind behind the building of the tower of Babel in rebellion against God. According to this account, he presumed to build the tower so high and so watertight that even if God were to flood the world again, they would remain safe in the tower. Furthermore, the account explains that God saw the stupidity and madness of this endeavor, and so rather than destroy the world again, He simply confused their language and foiled their efforts. Perhaps this is why I have heard people use the name "Nimrod" to refer to dimwitted people. But I have not heard this in a long time. 

I include this discussion to encourage you to follow the rabbit trails of your curiosity when reading the Bible. While technology can be a terrible distraction, it can also be a tool in your pursuit of understanding.