The Blessing of God through Children
- jacarroll71
- May 12, 2013
- 2 min read
Today’s reading: 1 Chronicles 24:1-26:19
My selection: I Chronicles 26:4-5
4 And Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him.
My reflections: Obed-edom was the man who cared for the ark of the covenant when David’s attempt to bring it to the City of David failed. After David saw that God blessed Obed-edom, he decided to finish the job and move the ark to its destination. (See I Chronicles 13:14; II Samuel 6:11) Obed-edom would later become a gatekeeper in David’s kingdom.
But how did David, or anyone else, know that God had blessed Obed-edom? Here we learn that he had eight sons “for God blessed him.” His legacy was great and Shemaiah, his firstborn, had sons who were “rulers in their father’s houses, for they were men of great ability” (vs. 6).
What a contrast to the prevalent attitude toward children in western society today! Instead of seeing sons and daughters as blessings from God, many look at them as if they were regrettable interruptions and costly hobbies to be severely limited in number, if not avoided completely. Yet some elderly people who have no children or siblings find it difficult and sad to be at the end of their lives and to be alone as far as descendants go.
My challenge: If you have children or grandchildren, give thanks to God. If you do not, are there children you can serve as an adopted big brother or sister, uncle or aunt or grandparent?
Be sure you invest spiritually in the next generations and pass on your legacy to biological descendants or virtual descendants or both.
Tomorrow’s reading: 1 Chronicles 26:20-29:20
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