1 Chronicles 26-27; John 11:18-46

In 1 Chronicles, there’s an account of gatekeepers, treasurers, commanders and leaders. It’s the extra information that stands out to me.

⁴ The sons of Obed-edom, also gatekeepers, were Shemaiah (the oldest), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the third), Sacar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth), ⁵ Ammiel (the sixth), Issachar (the seventh), and Peullethai (the eighth). God had richly blessed Obed-edom.

⁶ Obed-edom’s son Shemaiah had sons with great ability who earned positions of great authority in the clan. ⁷ Their names were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad. Their relatives, Elihu and Semakiah, were also very capable men. 1 Chronicles 26:4-7, NLT.

In lists of names and jobs throughout scripture, I always slow when a little extra information is given about an individual. This is the stuff that made the cut, that has been copied and translated through the millennia. It’s all I have to flesh out an impression of that person.

These things make me think on legacy. Very little may be passed down about each of us, and yet, influence can reach vertically within a family line for generations, as well as horizontally to those around us (and whether our names are attached to actions or not, those actions can still ripple out).

I worked with some teenagers from Christian families last school year. I wonder how far back that love for Christ travels. Who was the first in their families to believe and pass that love down? Who was an outside influence that affected change in a life? In my family, my husband and I are believers who raise our kids with knowledge and love for the Lord. Will that continue four generations from now? I can’t know.

When I am tempted to think on things lost and the weight of sin through generations, its destruction of dreams and crushing of lives, I am reminded to stand in front of the tomb.

³⁸ Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ³⁹ “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

⁴⁰ Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” ⁴¹ So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. ⁴² You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” John 11:38-42, NLT.

Jesus can take what’s lost, what’s broken, what’s dead, and through it we can see God’s glory.

Lord, there are broken relationships in my life, places where grudge or unforgiveness have pushed out love. When I am tempted to bury hope behind stones of preservation, help me to roll them aside so that you can do your work.

Courtney (66books365)

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