1 Chronicles 7

The more you read these genealogies, the closer you examine them, the more you will discover that there are certain, shall we say, discrepancies in them. This isn’t necessarily a problem, and neither is it necessarily surprising—considering that most all of these genealogies were passed down through oral tradition. Could you keep nearly four thousand years of genealogy straight without a computerized family tree?

So today, I thought we would take a closer peek at the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin and see if we can squeeze out a little object lesson about God.

In today’s chapter are listed three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, and Jediael.

Numbers 26, however, has a different list of the three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Ashbel, and Ahiram.

In Genesis 46, the sons of Benjamin are listed as Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

And in tomorrow’s chapter (1 Chronicles 8), five sons are attributed to Benjamin: Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, and Rapha. What is more interesting, however, is the list of Bela’s sons—which would be Benjamin’s grandsons: Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

At least three of those grandsons are attributed to Benjamin as sons in other places in the Bible. In many cases, then, grandsons are actually called sons, and both are often mixed up in the various genealogical tables.

And that made me think about God, because God is not a grandfather. He has no grandsons. I mean, technically, He has millions of grandsons and great-great-great-great-grandsons, and so forth. But in God’s family tree, there are only two tiers: God, the Creator, and us, the created. There is God the Father and us, His children. It doesn’t matter how many generations exist in the family tree. God only has children. He's a Grand Father, not a grandfather.

Depending on your perspective, you may think that’s either good or bad news. The "bad" news, for some, might be that nobody gets "grandfathered" into salvation. (I know you saw what I did, there!) Your mother, father, or grandmother can’t make up your mind for you when it comes to salvation. Only you get to make the choice for you.

But the "good"—no, great!—news is that you are of no more or less importance to God than any other person. He wants to have a relationship with you. And He wants it to be as unique as you are. Every one of His children is different, and of equal value and importance, in His eyes. God has no grandchildren. No matter where you are on the family tree, you are His precious child.