Victorious Over Sin and Death with the New Joshua

All the Rest of Israel – Part 4: The Rest of the Family – The Northerners

(1 Chronicles 7:1-40, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, August 6, 2017)

[1] The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron, four. [2] The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their fathers' houses, namely of Tola, mighty warriors of their generations, their number in the days of David being 22,600. [3] The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. And the sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, all five of them were chief men. [4] And along with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were units of the army for war, 36,000, for they had many wives and sons. [5] Their kinsmen belonging to all the clans of Issachar were in all 87,000 mighty warriors, enrolled by genealogy.

[6] The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three. [7] The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five, heads of fathers' houses, mighty warriors. And their enrollment by genealogies was 22,034. [8] The sons of Becher: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. [9] And their enrollment by genealogies, according to their generations, as heads of their fathers' houses, mighty warriors, was 20,200. [10] The son of Jediael: Bilhan. And the sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. [11] All these were the sons of Jediael according to the heads of their fathers' houses, mighty warriors, 17,200, able to go to war. [12] And Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, Hushim the son of Aher.

[13] The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shallum, the descendants of Bilhah.

[14] The sons of Manasseh: Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore; she bore Machir the father of Gilead. [15] And Machir took a wife for Huppim and for Shuppim. The name of his sister was Maacah. And the name of the second was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. [16] And Maacah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. [17] The son of Ulam: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh. [18] And his sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. [19] The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

[20] The sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, [21] Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead, whom the men of Gath who were born in the land killed, because they came down to raid their livestock. [22] And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brothers came to comfort him. [23] And Ephraim went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son. And he called his name Beriah, because disaster had befallen his house. [24] His daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower and Upper Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sheerah. [25] Rephah was his son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son, [26] Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, [27] Nun his son, Joshua his son. [28] Their possessions and settlements were Bethel and its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer and its towns, Shechem and its towns, and Ayyah and its towns; [29] also in possession of the Manassites, Beth-shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these lived the sons of Joseph the son of Israel.

[30] The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. [31] The sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel, who fathered Birzaith. [32] Heber fathered Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua. [33] The sons of Japhlet: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the sons of Japhlet. [34] The sons of Shemer his brother: Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. [35] The sons of Helem his brother: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. [36] The sons of Zophah: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah. [37] Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. [38] The sons of Jether: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara. [39] The sons of Ulla: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. [40] All of these were men of Asher, heads of fathers' houses, approved, mighty warriors, chiefs of the princes. Their number enrolled by genealogies, for service in war, was 26,000 men. (ESV)

Introducing the Northerners: Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher +

The Lord's people included tribes that had long been moved abroad and seemingly destroyed by the Assyrian Empire since 722 BC. We have met Judah and those associated with them in the south. We have met the tribes on the wrong side of the Jordan River, the easterners. We have also met the Levites, the guardians of the religion and ethics of the entire nation, who were scattered throughout the other tribal territories for that purpose. In 1 Chronicles 7 we have the rest of Lord's ancient people, the northern tribes. These northerners are part of the group that the author of this book views as warriors in a holy cause, the reclaiming of God's territory and religion. When the Jews come marching back into the Promised Land, he wanted descendants of these various northern tribes somehow included in that number of the faithful.

Commanders, warriors, believers in a promised inheritance

In the midst of all the names of the northerners, there is frequent mention of leaders and the mighty warriors who stood ready to follow them into battle. The Chronicler understood that progress in their godly goal was going to be a fight. He knew that the history of the northerners had included some great men, and that the returning Jews would need to find courage from the best examples from previous generations.

The best of the best in the northern tribes was a man named Joshua and his genealogy is given prominence in this chapter as we follow ten generations after a very sad disaster to get to his birth. He continued and extended the work of Moses after the author of the Law was gone. One of the best brief episodes for understanding Joshua comes at the end of chapter 5 of the book that bears his name. Just prior to the conquest that began in Jericho, Joshua met a mysterious mighty man who was either an angel of the Lord representing God, or God Himself dressed for war.

[5:13] When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” [14] And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” [15] And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua was not the leader of the conquest, God was. The name given to our Savior when He came to do battle for us and to win for us an eternal Promised Land was “Joshua,” the English translation that comes from the Hebrew name, which from the Greek translation gives us the name “Jesus.” Our identification with this great Warrior could cost us our lives. It certainly cost Jesus everything. We also need to know that He wins, and we win with Him.

Also included among all the fighting men are significant women who learned that they had a place in the Lord's good plan for His people. Most notable of these were the daughters of a man named Zelophehad. They had the courage to come before Moses and to ask for ownership in the Promised Land. Moses took their case before the Almighty and discovered that they were right!

Brothers and Sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ in Truth and Love

The tribes in the north included these inspiring people. With hope, the Chronicler includes them in his genealogical story of true Israel. Far above this heritage from ancient days stands the Man who grew up in the north, even though he was a descendant of the southern tribe of Judah. Jesus, our Joshua, is the Son of the Father in truth and love (2 John), and we are in His family. When His Father called on Him to serve, Jesus went. When He calls us, we must obey. Those who will not give their lives for this kingdom do not yet understand what the true Israel is or the great glory of their inheritance won by the Captain of their Salvation. The risen Jesus wins.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 25 – The Waiting Saint Can Say: “Bring me out of my distresses.”

Gospel Reading—Matthew 9:1-8 – [1] And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. [2] And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” [3] And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” [4] But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? [5] For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? [6] But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” [7] And he rose and went home. [8] When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.