Skip to content Chosen, Not By Birth: God's Divine Choice in the Genealogy in 1 Chronicles 3-5 Jun 17 · 13 min ...more
Chosen, Not By Birth: God's Divine Choice in the Genealogy in 1 Chronicles 3-5
June 17, 2026 · 13 min
A dive on how God picks servants by purpose and submission rather than birthright—encouragement to trust His sovereign choice.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand June 17, 2026 · 13 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
A dive on how God picks servants by purpose and submission rather than birthright—encouragement to trust His sovereign choice. ...more Show the full description Show less A dive on how God picks servants by purpose and submission rather than birthright—encouragement to trust His sovereign choice.
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Jabez: Divine Blessing Beyond Birth Circumstances 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning. If you've looked at today's passage, you might be tempted to skip over it. Just like the moviegoers, soon as those credits hit the, the0:21 screen, they head for the exits. Well, don't head for the exit. Alright? Because the story is in the names, and and and this kind of explains the story and why we read of,0:33 some of the heroes in scripture. So let's work through this. Verse 2, chapter 5, yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's.0:45 Now keep in mind, the chronicler is writing who he's writing to and what he's writing about, what what question he's trying to answer. So the audience, these are the Jews post exile.0:57 They're they're kind of wondering who are they, and and is the covenant with David still valid? The promises that god made that his throne would be everlasting, is it still valid?1:09 Well, in the genealogy, the line of David is brought to the to that point in time through, Eleonan Enai.1:22 Try saying that 5 times fast. So let's look at verse 24. The sons of Elieo Enai were Hadah1:33 Hadahiah, Eliaship, Pellaea, Aqab, Joninin, Delaiah,1:46 and Ananiene, 7 in all. Alright? So that brings us up. That that is the from the the lineage of David. Now the order1:57 here as we look in these chapters is David because the covenant is with him. Then in chapter 4, we have the tribe of Judah from which David comes. Then in chapter 5, it deals with2:09 Reuben. And I'm gonna address that in a moment because Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were east of the Jordan, and they provide the 1st case study, and their story is told together. Now I'm gonna2:21 I'm not gonna read through all the names. You saw me struggling with those 1st ones. I'll let you do that. But I do wanna point out a few significant views along today's path. As you read through the genealogy, you'll2:33 notice that the birth order is not the determining factor, as how the line of scripture follows. Alright? That's important. The firstborn is not the focus. It is the focus2:45 is upon the 1 whom god used for his purposes, and and that's very important. Recall back in Genesis when the birth order was often reversed even though the2:57 the double blessing and the double portion was on the firstborn. The firstborn was a position of privilege. Abel rather than Cain, Shem rather than Japheth, Isaac rather than3:08 Ishmael, Jacob rather than Esau. We see this we saw that constantly in Genesis. How god uses us is not determined by that natural privilege or position such as3:20 birth order, but by divine choice and our submission to god, an example of which we're gonna see in just a moment in chapter 5. But 1st, as I mentioned, there are almost always interesting3:32 tidbits found in list, especially list of names. So, you know, I know you you wanna just even if you had to skim over some of the names, read through them. Alright? Because you there's always3:44 something in these lists. I think it's kinda hidden in there to make sure we read them. 1 of these is in chapter 4 verse 2, which was made made very well known a few years ago by BruceReuben's Fall: Privilege Lost Through Disobedience 3:56 Wilkinson in his book, The Prayer of Jabez. Verse 9, chapter 4. Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez because saying because I bore him in pain.4:08 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may4:20 not cause pain. So god granted him what he requested. What a great prayer. It really is a great prayer. But a couple of thoughts, on these 2 verses as we unpack them. This is the4:32 only place we read of Jabez. Nowhere else. Just right here. So why does the writer stop in this long list? I mean, this is the longest genealogy in the scripture in the4:44 bible, 9 chapters. So why does the writer stop and give a narrative of this guy? I believe it could be because it exemplifies the point that4:55 is being made by the writer. God blesses those who earnestly seek him, and those who reject the ways of god will suffer. Here is5:07 a is a nobody, and and I would have assumed that if your mother called you a pain, you were not starting out from a place of privilege. You didn't have a silver spoon in your mouth. The odds were probably5:19 stacked against him. But look what is he called upon god. Now someone this morning that's on this journey with us, that should give you hope. Alright?5:31 You do not have to be defined or confined by your circumstances. Call upon the name of the Lord. He is waiting and willing to answer those5:43 who will earnestly seek him. And and he says something here that even Jesus, and this is something I've referred to often. In John chapter 17, he says5:55 that you would keep me from evil. Jesus prayed that for us, that the father would keep us from evil. How? By his word. Sanctify them by your word. Your word is6:07 truth. That we may not that we might not bring reproach upon the name of the lord. Alright. I mean, just here's what I would encourage you. Ask God to counter the6:18 world's description of you just as Jabez did. Don't let me cause pain, but rather keep me from causing pain by directing me and blessing me so that my influence would6:32 expand. Alright. Chapter 5 amplifies, I believe, this message. Verse 1, now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed,6:44 his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright. Yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and6:55 from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph. So alright. What are we reading here? Alright. Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob or Israel as7:07 his name was changed to be. He had the privilege, the double blessing, and the right to lead. That's what the firstborn did. It was a great place of privilege. But privilege bringsFaithfulness Over Ancestry: Closing Prayer & Invite 7:19 responsibility, and Reuben was irresponsible, so he lost that status. The birthright was given to Joseph, the double portion going to, to his 27:31 sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Now Ephraim and Manasseh were prospered, and they dominated the northern kingdom. But the leadership that normally went to the firstborn7:44 was given to Judah from which David came from that tribe. So it was split. The full privilege of the firstborn was not theirs. But here's another7:56 thing pointing to the future. It will be reunited on the 1 who sits on the throne of David to real rule for all of eternity. That is Jesus. He will combine as8:07 the firstborn. He will combine both the the full privileges of being the firstborn. Now I wanna read a little more chapter 5 because it sets the structure of the case studies8:19 that we're gonna see throughout, the book of, Chronicles, but also into the book of, of Kings. Verse 20, chapter 5. And they were helped against8:31 them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hands, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer because they put their trust in him. I love that8:43 verse. Then they took away their their livestock, 50000 of their camels. Man, that's a lot of camels. 250000 of their sheep, 2000 of their donkeys, also8:55 100000 of their men. For many fell dead because the war was God's, and they dwelt in their place until the captivity. Alright. These are the9:07 tribes on the east side of the Jordan. Alright. They were not particularly strong in their walk with god, but they get into this battle, and they're in trouble. They call out to god and what?9:19 He delivers them in a big way. But look at verse 23. So the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelled in land. Their numbers increased from Bashan9:31 to Baal to Baal Hermon, that is in Cinnur or Mount Hermon. These were the heads of their father's houses, Ephir,9:44 Yeshai, Eliel, Azrael, Jeremiah, Hodaiah, and Jadiel. They were9:55 mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their father's houses. And they were unfaithful to the god of their fathers and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land whom god10:07 had destroyed before them. So the god of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is Tilgath Pilmezer, king of Assyria. He carried the10:19 Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halath Habor Har and the river of Goshen to10:31 this day. See, they chose not to walk with God despite what he had done for them. They pursued their own desires through idolatry,10:43 which is what idolatry is. The result was they were the 1st of the 12 tribes to be marched off into slavery and captivity. Now this is a10:55 remind this is this is being written for those Jews coming back after the exile, both as a reminder and a warning. Neither ancestry, inheritance, norGod's Choice Above Birthright 11:07 historical privilege guarantees God's favor. Only faithfulness and God's mercy does. Father, we thank you for your word. And, Lord, what a reminder11:19 and what an encouragement, Lord, that it's not about position, it's not about title. It's about faithfulness. It's about yielding to you and walking in obedience to you. And I pray, Lord, that, Lord, we would11:31 walk, each of us, as especially if we're on this journey, and we're being sanctified because your word is truth, and it changes us and transforms us into the11:42 men and women that you want us to be. And so may we walk as children of the living God, and may you use us this day for your kingdom and purposes. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.11:54 Alright. Let me remind you very quickly that, you know, we're gonna quickly be moving into Psalms at the end of this month, and so we're gonna spend the summer in Psalms. It's gonna take us a12:06 couple of months to get through the book of Psalms. Great opportunity to invite someone to join us on this journey. Invite someone to to just read with you through the book of Psalms. It's a great on12:18 ramp to stand on the word, this 2 year journey. They can jump right in. They can get the resources. So I have something you can send to them. Text Psalms to 6 7 7 4 2, and and,12:30 you'll get invitation that you can forward on. Psalms to 6 7 7 4 2. Let's see if we can get some more people joining us on this journey benefiting from the word of12:42 God. Until next time, keep standing on the word.12:48 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at frc dot org slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:00 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Jabez: Divine Blessing Beyond Birth Circumstances3:46 Reuben's Fall: Privilege Lost Through Disobedience7:14 Faithfulness Over Ancestry: Closing Prayer & Invite11:00 God's Choice Above Birthright93.9K followers
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