“For most readers of 1 Chronicles, the temptation to skip over these chapters is too great. Although it is true that the weightier sections are yet to follow, the purpose for including these names was to show that God’s plan was carried out by God’s people in God’s way” (John Sailhamer). Roots are needed when the present is uninspiring, the future unwelcoming, and the past unknown—roots that go beyond your own grandparents and great-grandparents. As followers of Jesus, we belong to a blessed company of faithful people going all the way back to the beginning of history. The writer begins his work with an introduction to the house of King David. He traces David’s lineage back to Adam in order to show that the blessings of God’s salvation are not just for Israel, but for all humanity (chapter 1). Chapter 2 opens with a listing of the twelve sons of Jacob (also called “Israel”), before zeroing in on the descendants of Judah, to whom was given the Messianic promise. David appears at the end of v 15, as we are also informed of his immediate family and other relatives within the tribe of Judah. David’s descendants are given to us in chapter 3, with branches of the family tree extending even into the post-exilic period. After the exile, the kingdom of David is gone. Judah lies in the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the Persian Empire. Yet the hope that God will fulfill His promise of blessing does not depend on present political circumstances. The fact that the Davidic house still exists in the writer’s own day is a testimony to the faithfulness of God and certainty of His Word. As the prophet said, David’s house may be a “fallen booth,” but God will one day “raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,” as a blessing to “all the nations” that are called by the name of the LORD. Having placed the line of David firmly within the context of the families of mankind, in chapter 4 the author begins to mark off the line of the promise. How will God bring His blessing and salvation to a lost world? Through the elect nation of Israel. More specifically, according to the prophecy of Jacob (Abraham’s grandson), the promised blessing of redemption will come through Judah, the designated leader of the families of Israel (v 1-23). Among all the flesh-and-blood personalities listed on the page, Jabez stands out for his remarkable prayer. His name meant “pain,” but his life was blessed through believing prayer and the power of a prayer-answering God. It is good to know that in all our struggles, we too are free to seek His kind favor (v 9-10). For further meditation: