1 Chronicles 1
Expositor's Dictionary of Texts
Adam, Sheth, Enosh,
Man Succeeding Man

1 Chronicles 1:44

There are men immediately behind us who are waiting for us to get on, and to go, and finish our prophecy, our commerce, our function, whatever it may be. The breath of the next man is hot on my neck. Do not lose the spiritual impulse and spiritual edification of such texts as these by calling them commonplace. Do not say that we are uttering trite sayings when we say that man lives that he may die, and dies, says the Christian faith, that he may live. We 6poil the estate of God and the inheritance of Zion when we say that all these things are the commonplaces of life.

I. Succession is an argument for Providence. We did not know where the men were to come from, but God knew. God says, I know of seven thousand men who have not kissed the lips of Baal, who have turned their back in scorn upon him, and I will call them up. The reserves of God are twenty thousand and thousands of thousands. It is wonderful how God conducts things; it is marvellous where His men come from to conduct the business, the commerce, the civilization, the nationalization of the world—just so many, no more, not overcrowded.

II. There is no guarantee that the next man will be better than the last, but he is on the way to a better. The line of God's world is a line of progress, upwardness; here and there he may have depressions, but they are depressions on the highlands, they are not depressions from the common level. In God's way the undulations are on the highland country, and they lead to hill after hill, conquest after conquest: haply one fool may be a misfit, but he will not spoil the succession.

III. This law of succession holds good on a wider scale It is a great law, with great meanings, wide applications, it holds good in the Christian life. These men mentioned in the text may have come to the throne by right of blood, by claim of birth, or genealogy—the very poorest of all claims; but in the Christian life men succeed not by line of inheritance and breeding, but by the line of faith and virtue and nobleness. Who will be baptized for the dead? There are many vacancies now.

IV. 'Reigned in his stead... reigned in his stead... reigned in his stead.' And so the history flows on as a matter of course. What is the great application of all this? I will tell you. What have I been aiming at in this long introduction? I will tell you. There is a King in whose stead no monarch shall reign. Name him. I will: Jesus Christ. It will never be said in the annals of history, 'And Jesus died, and somebody reigned in His stead'.

—Joseph Parker, City Temple Pulpit, vol. VI. p. 223.

Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,
Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.
And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth.
And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.
And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,
The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,
And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.
The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.
And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.
And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.
And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,
Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,
And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,
And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
Eber, Peleg, Reu,
Serug, Nahor, Terah,
Abram; the same is Abraham.
The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.
These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,
Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.
Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.
And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.
The sons of Esau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.
The sons of Reuel; Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
And the sons of Seir; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.
And the sons of Lotan; Hori, and Homam: and Timna was Lotan's sister.
The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah.
The sons of Anah; Dishon. And the sons of Dishon; Amram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan. The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran.
Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.
And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.
And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.
And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.
And when Shaul was dead, Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
And when Baalhanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
Hadad died also. And the dukes of Edom were; duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth,
Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,
Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
Duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom.
Nicoll - Expositor's Dictionary of Texts

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