ESOCS Devotional 28 October 2025 – God’s Grace Throughout the Entire Line of Descendants
MEMORY VERSE: “The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; so He killed him.” 1 Chronicles 1:3 NKJV
TEXT: 1 CHRONICLES 2:1-30
hese were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; so He killed him. 4 And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five of them in all.
7 The son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing.
8 The son of Ethan was Azariah.
9 Also the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, leader of the children of Judah; 11 Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz; 12 Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse; 13 Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh.
16 Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel—three. 17 Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb the son of Hezron had children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, who bore him Hur. 20 And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel.
21 Now afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub. 22 Segub begot Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 (Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its towns—sixty towns.) All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. 24 After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron’s wife Abijah bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.
29 And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim; Seled died without children.
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The ordering of the first half of the genealogies was to emphasize God’s grace throughout the entire line of descendants leading from Jacob to David. The second half of this chapter emphasizes how God’s grace was not limited to the chosen line from Jacob to David. The genealogies from Jacob through Judah’s descendants reveal seven lessons regarding God’s grace.
First, God’s chosen line included the patriarch Jacob and his 12 sons. But Jacob was a sinner for most of his life. His 12 children also came from four different women. These children and their mothers further quarrelled with each other. From the ignoble beginnings of Jacob and his dysfunctional family, God reveals that His grace is based on faith, not merit or works. Second, God’s chosen line to David and the Messiah traced through Jacob’s fourth son Judah. But Judah and his sons committed sins so severe that God struck down Judah’s first two sons. Judah’s line further extended through Judah’s incest with his daughter-in-law. From the sordid past of Judah and his family, God reveals that His grace is available for even the worst of sinners. Third, God’s chosen line extended to Achar/Achan, who caused the entire nation to suffer after he violated God’s commands following the battle of Jericho. From Achar/Achan’s sins, God reveals that His grace cannot be lost. But it can be affected by sin. Fourth, God’s chosen line then extended through Boaz, who redeemed the Moabite Ruth. From Boaz’ example, God reveals that His grace can redeem you and make you part of His chosen line. Fifth, God’s chosen line then extended to David. Chronicles reminds the reader that God picked David even though he was the youngest of Jesse’s sons. At the time Samuel picked him, David was a humble shepherd. From God’s election of David, He reveals that His grace extends to the humble, regardless of their social status. Sixth, Chronicles then records other descendants of Judah who were not part of David’s line. Many are unknown today. Some did great things with the grace that they received. Others misused God’s gifts for themselves. From their examples, God reveals that His grace was meant for service for His kingdom, not yours.
Finally, the line of descendants through Judah concludes with descendants through concubines and a gentile nation grafted into the Jewish peoples. From these examples, God’s grace extends to everyone, both Jew and gentile. Jesus loves everyone and died so that He might save everyone.
CHALLENGES
- Have you accepted the grace bestowed on you despite your ancestors?
PRAYER POINT
- Lord Jesus, thank you for saving me by your amazing grace. Amen.
FURTHER READING: 1 Chronicles 1:32-54; Philippians 3:13-21; 4:1-10
ESOCS Devotional 28 October 2025
