LESSON 2: THE DESCENDANTS OF ADAM, NOAH, ABRAHAM, ESAU, JACOB, JUDAH, AND DAVID (1 CHR. 1-3)
INTRODUCTION
The first three chapters of 1 Chronicles cover the list of descendants from Adam until the times of Zerubbabel and the return from captivity—in other words at the time of writing this genealogy covered from the beginning until the present time. Special attention is given to those of the line of descent which would ultimately lead to Jesus the Christ. Again, the purpose of the books should be noted and kept in mind for all reading—it is about bringing the promised Seed, the Messiah, into the world. His entry would come through the chosen people (Israel) and then specifically the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
CHAPTER 1:1-4: FROM ADAM TO NOAH
This is a listing of the first 10 patriarchs (Adam the first, Noah the tenth). The author is not concerned with the material things as recorded in Genesis 1, but rather, he is concerned with Adam and those of his kind through whom the promised Seed will come. The author establishes the fact that the house of David will by God’s direction produce the Messiah. Here the author begins to answer the questions and issues that will arise—he begins to provide the credentials of the Messiah of God’s eternal plan for the redemption of mankind.
Some of the questions: What is this house of David? Who is this Messiah? Can you present historical data to support your conclusion? The books of Chronicles are designed to answer these questions. Therefore, the first word in the record is “Adam.”
“A genuine acquaintance must be formed with Adam if one is to come to appreciate man and the eternal God who created him.”[1] Adam is:
· Created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26; 2:7).
· Highly intelligent (Gen. 2:20).
· The first man.
· The first husband.
· The first father.
“With Adam, God opened the revelation of Himself to mankind. Since all men must trace their origin to Adam, the line of godly descent leading through David to Christ begins with Adam.”[2]
Seth comes on the scene as Adam’s son when the father was one hundred thirty years of age sometime after Cain had murdered Abel. His name means “setting” or “appointed.” When Abel was killed, Eve said, “God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel” (Genesis 4:25). Eve was concerned about the “seed” promised by God in Genesis 3:15. Seth’s main purpose in life was to provide a link in the godly line of descent. At the age of one hundred and five years Seth became the father of Enosh (Genesis 4:26). No other incident in his life is recorded.[3]
The record of these generations of Adam to Noah is first found in Genesis 5. From that record taking the age of each father at the birth of the son there is a total of 1,656 years from the Creation to the Flood. In the cases of most of these men only the seed line though which the Messiah would come is recorded. They did have as the Scriptures would say “begat sons and daughters,” but as those all perished in the Flood of which is said “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2 Pet. 3:6).
Some things to note about these men, some claim by looking at these men like Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech, and the fact that at least two of them died the year of the flood, that all were without righteous other than the man Noah who was saved in the ark. Yet, look at the account of two men in this list. First, Enoch—the father of Methuselah—who did not die, being rather taken by God at the age of 365 (quite young by the standards of his ancestors and his direct descendant!). Where did he learn to walk with God? Who taught him of God’s will and desire? Ask also then of this man, what influence did his son see for 300 years?
The second is Noah. Look at this man and ask—where did he learn the respect and love of God that he shows? Where did he learn the trust necessary to go out and build a boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high? Could it be from that man blessed to live longer than any other—his grandfather, Methuselah? And what of his father Lamech of whom is said: “Here is a man whose godly son rose up and called him ‘blessed.’ Lamech dies at the age of seven hundred and seventy seven years; but his son was destined to be God’s man in one of the darkest hours of human history.”[4]
Noah is reflected again when we consider the Seed promised in Genesis 3:15. There must be a continuation of man through the Flood or God’s promise would have failed. Again the questions reflecting upon all the men in this list, from Adam to Noah, must be asked—where did Noah get the training to be “…a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9)? Of Noah it is said:
When he was five hundred years old, his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born (Genesis 5:32). The Flood came when Noah was six hundred years of age (Genesis 7:6). For one hundred and twenty years prior to the Flood, Noah was building the ark and doing the work of a “pracher of righteousness” (Genesis 6:3; II Peter 2:5) … Adam’s relationship to mankind in the beginning is renewed in Noah’s importance in God’s plans after the Flood. From his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 9:18, 19), the whole earth was eventually to be populated.
These sons were three in number. God will use only one of them as a vehicle for the Godly seed. Genesis, chapter 10, names the sons and descendants of Noah’s sons. Japheth’s people were the Medes, Greeks, Asians, and Europeans. Ham’s descendants were to live in Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and Canaan. Shem’s people, called Semites, were to become the Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Syrians, and the Hebrews. The godly line will come from Shem through Arpachshad (Genesis 10:22). So it is from this point that the genealogy continues in Genesis, chapter 11 (Genesis 11:10, 11) and carries to Abram (Genesis 11:26).
Against this background every name in I Chronicles 1:1-4 is very important. In the history bound up in these lives the foundation for Israel’s history is laid. Apart from these patriarchs, David’s life would have no meaning.[5]
CHAPTER 1:5-7: THE SONS OF JAPHETH
Here we have a restatement of Genesis 10:2-5. The sons of Japheth were seven in number.
GOMER: Settled in the Black and Caspian Seas coasts and then spread westward across Europe. His sons are listed in verse 6:
ASHKENAZ: Settled between the Black and Caspian Seas – it is possible that the Germans are his descendants.
RIPHATH: Settled the northern shores of the Caspian Sea.
TOGARMAH: Through his line is the most likely origins of the Armenians.
MAGOG: The Scythians are one of his descendant groups who settled north of the Caspian Sea.
MADAI: is the father of the Medes who lived on the southwest shore of the Caspian.
JAVAN: is the father of the Greeks who settled near the Aegean Sea. His sons are listed in verse 7:
ELISHAH: Is associated with the islands of the Aegean Sea.
TARSHISH: Is associated with Tartessus in Spain.
KITTIM: Is associated with the island of Cyprus.
DODANIM: settled the southwest shore of the Black Sea and was probably the father of the Trojans.
TUBAL’S: descendants are in Asia Minor.
MESCHECH: settled the southeast area around the Black Sea in Armenia.
TIRAS: is the founder of the Thracian people on the west coast of the Black Sea.
CHAPTER 1:8-16: THE SONS OF HAM
Here is a restatement of Ham’s descendants from Genesis 10:6-20. The sons of Ham are four in number:
CUSH: Is identified with Ethiopia – his sons listed in verses 9-10 settled mainly in Ethiopia and Africa, though his grandsons by Raamah, Sheba and Dedan, settled in Arabia on the shore of the Persian Gulf. He is the father of Nimrod (“rebel”—see Gen. 10:8-10).
MIZRAIM: Is identified with Egypt – his sons listed in verses 11-12 settled in Egypt and the Nile delta. Pathurusim is usually associated to Upper Egypt (south on a natural map). The Philistines (Ethiopic root meaning “emigrants) were of at least partly the Calsuhim and possibly the Caphthorim descendants.
PUT: Is identified with Libya.
CANAAN: Is identified with that land area we know by the same name, Canaan. His sons are listed in verses 13-16. Zidon is also known as Sidon – immortalized in the Phoenician city Sidon. Heth is also known as the Hittites. The Jebusites settled in the area of Jerusalem, in fact the original name of Jerusalem is Jebus and also Salem (Jud. 19:10-11; 1 Chr. 11:4-5; Psa. 76:2).
Why are these names important in the history of the Jews and to bring about the Messiah? Note: “(1) When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; (2) And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them” (Deu. 7:1-2ff).
CHAPTER 1:17-23: THE SONS OF SHEM
Here we have those of greatest concern to the author of Chronicles. In Genesis 10:22 we have five of those sons recorded: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
ELAM: Settled to the east of the Tigris River along the Persian Gulf.
ASSHUR: The father of Assyria, settled in the upper region of the Tigris River.
ARPHAXAD: Settled the southwestern area of the Euphrates and is the line from which Abraham will come. His lineage is picked back up at verse 18. We have recorded the line toEber and his two sons. In verses 20-23 we have the branch of Eber through Joktan – all of these sons likely settled in Arabia. We know from Scripture that Sheba, Ophir, and Havilah all settled at the southwest extremity of Arabia near the Red Sea. See the next section for further discussion of the Peleg leg of this genealogy.
LUD: Settled in the Euphrates River valley and then it appears his descendants were displaced and moved westward into Asia Minor.
ARAM: He is the father of the Syrian peoples. Settled around Damascus which is about 130 miles notrth-northeast of Jerusalem. According to Genesis 10:23 Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech were Aram’s sons.
CHAPTER 1:24-28: THE SONS OF SHEM TO ABRAHAM
Here in verses 24-27 we have a summary of Genesis 11:10-26 as it reads: “Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Rehu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abram; the same is Abraham.”
These people are all Semites. Eber is regarded by some as the founder of the Hebrews. The name “Eber” means “regions beyond” or “to pass over.” The Hebrews passed over the Euphrates River. Abraham is the first person in Bible record who is called a “Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13).[6]
Verse 28 gives us the direct lineage usually given of Abraham’s descendants: Isaac (the progenitor of the Israelites) and Ishmael.
Attached here are a chart of the genealogy and a map of the table of nations. The chart is taken from the Logos computer program.
[7][1] Robert E. Black. The Books of Chronicles in Bible Study Textbook Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1991.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Thomas V. Brisco, Holman Bible Atlas, Holman Reference (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 36.
[7] Thomas V. Brisco, Holman Bible Atlas, Holman Reference (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 36.
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