Do you feel like a stranger in a strange land? As Christians, that feeling should come standard. Why? Because we are NOT of this world, as Jesus said in John 17:14, 16. Because, as Paul says, we are "citizens of heaven and we eagerly await our Savior from there." (see Philippians 3:20).
So if you feel strange, do not be alarmed. That's a good sign you belong somewhere else. But what are we to do in the meantime? Because after all, it's not like any of us are going to heaven tomorrow unless Jesus comes. The early chapters of 1 Chronicles holds a key.
The genealogical records move from the patriarchs of the faith (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) in chapter one and moves to the dynastic records related to King David. Chapters 2 and 3 of 1 Chronicles centers on David's ancestors and descendants.
1 Chronicles 2:1–4 (ESV) These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 3 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death. 4 His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
While the opening lines mention the sons of Israel, special attention is given to the line of Judah. This will be the family from which David will arrive. The lion's share (pun intended) of 1 Chronicles 2 focuses on the descendants of Judah and we quickly see the unimpressive nature of this lineage.
1 Chronicles 2:5–7 (ESV) The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. 7 The son of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing;
Already mentioned were Judah's evil sons and his own dalliances with his widowed daughter-in-law which every Israelite would have remembered well. Now comes the mention of Achan the one who stole in ambitious lust the Babylonian garment during the Jericho raid.
Joshua 7:20–21 (NLT) Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. 21 Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.”
How interesting the Chronicler especially mentions Achan whose sin was lusting after the possessions of Babylon. Israel is returning from Exile in Babylon and this subtle reference is intended to teach them to avoid attachment to the land they are leaving so they might be ready for the land they are receiving. What a lesson for us. Think about it. Has it ever gone well for a Christian when they lust for the things of this world? Of course not. This is why Paul commands us to set our "hearts on things above where Christ is seated" (Colossians 3:1).
What we should also notice is the incredible grace God shows in this list by naming both women and foreign women at that! The non-Jewish legacy of both David's and Christ's lineage runs throughout the list. Judah's own daughter-in-law Tamar was a Canaanite and Ruth was the "Moabitess". Machir is mentioned who descended from an Aramean concubine. God was bringing hope to more than Jewish people throughout the historical lineage of Abraham leading to David.
All this points to our hope in exile. We may not have the best record. Israel sure didn't. We may have some strangers among us whom God has sovereignly saved. Israel had them. But the difference for Israel was David. God chose and loved David and made a covenant with him that one of his sons would always sit on the throne (1 Kings 9:5). Just as that Covenant was Israel's hope in a strange land, God's Son Jesus Christ with whom we share a Covenant in His blood is our hope that through this world is not our home and though we sometimes love it and yet feel foreign to it, God is faithful to His promise and is making us a holy Nation by His grace and mercy.
That is the most hopeful thing I can think of.
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