Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 1

Verses 1-54

Shall we turn now to First Chronicles, chapter one, and let's see what. You know, we used to say to our kids they could get juice out of anything when they ate. They could make a cracker so juicy that when they were through it was all over the place. But we'll pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to draw some juice out of First Chronicles and the listing of all of these genealogies.

Now the list begins where it should, of course, with,

Adam [And then his sons], Sheth and Enosh ( 1 Chronicles 1:1 ).

And gives the names of the sons, the descendants down to Japheth who was one of Noah's sons. And then it's interesting as you watch it, it will take off and give you just a few descendants of Japheth and it drops Japheth. It will give you a few descendants of Ham, but it's going to drop Ham. And then it centers in on the descendants of Seth, because it is from the descendants of Seth that Abraham came. From Abraham whom David came. From David who Christ came. And that's the genealogy really that the Scripture is interested in and really following. And so we get a few of the sons of Japheth, and as we read the names of the sons of Japheth, immediately we're aware of the fact that the descendants of Japheth were actually the Europeans and the Russians. And so Gomer, Magog and so forth, those that went north and west were the descendants of Japheth.

As we read the descendants of Ham, beginning with verse eight, we realize that they are those who went south from Israel down into the African continent, and they populated the area of the African continent. And so that leaves Shem with the children of Israel and those towards the east from Israel.

Now in verse nineteen of chapter one, it mentions this fellow

Peleg; and it was in his days that the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan ( 1 Chronicles 1:19 ).

Now just what is meant by "the earth is divided" is a matter of speculation. It could be that it is a reference to the time of the tower of Babel when the people were separated and went out from there with the confusion of tongues and really the beginning of nationality groups. Or there are some who believe that this is a reference to some great cataclysmic event in which the continents were divided. They are talking now of the continental drifts and that the possibility at one time they were all together, and so, if that indeed be so, who knows? But an interesting phrase at least.

Now we take in verse twenty-four to twenty-eight, you have a direct line now from Shem to Abraham. And as we read these in the book of Genesis, we find that Abraham actually was still alive, or was born when Shem was still alive. And then we move to Ishmael's sons in verse twenty-nine. And then, of course, to the sons of Abraham by Keturah, his concubine. And then we come to Isaac and Esau and Israel in verse thirty-four.

Then we follow for a little while the sons of Esau, who became the Edomites. And then when we get into chapter two, we take Esau's twin brother Jacob. "