History is a River, Not a Swamp: Text: 1 Chronicles 1:28-54
Introduction: The Necessity of a Good Map
We live in an age that despises maps. Our generation believes that history is a meaningless swamp, a random collection of unfortunate events from which we are hopefully, finally, emerging. The modern mind, when it confronts a passage like the one before us, a dense thicket of unpronounceable names, sees it as a barren desert. Why is this here? What possible relevance could the sons of Keturah or the pre-monarchic kings of Edom have for a Christian living in the twenty-first century? The temptation is to skip over it, to treat it like the terms and conditions on a software update. But this is a profound error, born of a profoundly unbiblical worldview.
The Bible insists that history is not a swamp; it is a river. It has a source, it has a channel, and it has a destination. God is the source, His sovereign decree is the channel, and the glorification of His Son, Jesus Christ, is the destination. These genealogies are not tedious footnotes; they are the divinely inspired map of that river. They show us the main channel of the covenant, but they also show us the tributaries, the streams that branch off, and the stagnant pools that go nowhere. To neglect these lists is to declare that you don't care where you came from, which means you cannot possibly know where you are going.
The Chronicler is writing to a post-exilic community. The people of God have returned to the land, but they are a remnant. The temple is being rebuilt, but it is a shadow of its former glory. They are surrounded by enemies and temptations. They need to know who they are. They need their story retold. And so the Chronicler begins with Adam and traces the great story of God's faithfulness down through the generations. He is reminding them that their small, struggling community is the culmination of thousands of years of God's unwavering covenant purpose. He is drawing the map to show them: you are here. You are the point.
In this particular section, the Chronicler is doing something very specific. He is drawing sharp, clear lines. After establishing the line from Adam to Abraham, he now shows us the family of Abraham. But he shows us that not all who are descended from Abraham are Abraham's children in the truest sense. There is a great sorting that occurs, a divine pruning. And in this sorting, we see the absolute sovereignty of God in election, the stark difference between the son of the promise and the sons of the flesh, and the pattern of God's dealings with the nations.
The Text
The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. These are their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah; these were the sons of Ishmael. The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, whom she bore, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah. Abraham became the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek. The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. The son of Anah was Dishon. And the sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishon were Uz and Aran. Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king of the sons of Israel reigned. Bela was the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah became king in his place. Then Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites became king in his place. Then Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who struck down Midian in the field of Moab, became king in his place; and the name of his city was Avith. Then Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah became king in his place. Then Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River became king in his place. Then Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor became king in his place. Then Baal-hanan died, and Hadad became king in his place; and the name of his city was Pai, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab. Then Hadad died. Now the chiefs of Edom were: chief Timna, chief Aliah, chief Jetheth, chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.
(1 Chronicles 1:28-54 LSB)
The Great Sorting of Abraham's House (vv. 28-33)
We begin with the sons of Abraham, and a crucial distinction is made immediately.
"The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael." (v. 28)
Notice the order. In terms of birth, Ishmael was first. But the Chronicler, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, lists Isaac first. Why? Because this is not a mere biological record; it is a theological one. History is written from the perspective of God's covenant purpose, and in that purpose, Isaac is preeminent. Isaac is the child of the promise, born supernaturally to a barren womb. Ishmael is the child of the flesh, born of a natural plan cooked up by Sarah and Abraham in a moment of faithless impatience.
The Chronicler then deals with the sons of the flesh first, to get them out of the way, as it were. He lists the twelve sons of Ishmael (vv. 29-31). God was gracious to Ishmael. He promised to make him a great nation, and He did. These became the Arab peoples. God keeps His promises, even His secondary ones. But this line is not the line. It is a tributary, not the main channel.
Then we have the sons of Keturah (vv. 32-33). After Sarah died, Abraham took another concubine, Keturah, and she bore him six more sons. Abraham sent them away to the east, away from Isaac, giving them gifts but ensuring they understood that Isaac was the heir. These sons became other peoples of the Arabian desert, like the Midianites, who would later become a thorn in Israel's side. Again, we see Abraham's seed multiplying, but we also see a clear separation. God is a God who divides. He separates light from darkness, land from sea, and the line of promise from all other lines.
This is a direct assault on the modern sentimental notion that everyone is basically the same and all paths lead to God. The Bible says no. From the very beginning of the covenant family, God makes a distinction. It is a distinction based not on human merit or natural birthright, but on His sovereign, electing grace. As Paul argues in Romans 9, "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.'"
The Two Brothers: Esau and Israel (vv. 34-37)
Having dealt with the other sons, the Chronicler now focuses on the main channel.
"Abraham became the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel." (v. 34)
Here again, the pattern repeats. Isaac has two sons, twins. Esau is the firstborn, the rugged, manly man, his father's favorite. Jacob, whose name is later changed to Israel, is the second-born, the quiet one, his mother's favorite. By all natural rights, the blessing should go to Esau. But God's purpose is not natural; it is supernatural. Before the boys were even born, before they had done anything good or evil, God declared, "The older shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23). Why? "That the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls" (Rom. 9:11-12).
God chose Jacob and rejected Esau. "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated" (Mal. 1:2-3; Rom. 9:13). This is a hard word for our egalitarian age. "Hated" here does not mean emotional animosity, but rather a covenantal rejection. God set His covenant love upon Jacob and his line, and He passed over Esau. This is the bedrock of divine sovereignty. God is God. He does what He pleases, and He owes us no explanation. Our only proper response is to fall on our faces in worship, stunned that He would choose to love any of us.
The Chronicler then lists the posterity of Esau (vv. 35-37), who became the nation of Edom. He gives us the names of his sons and grandsons, including the infamous Amalek, born to Eliphaz's concubine. The Amalekites would become the perpetual, bitter enemies of Israel, and God would declare that He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation (Ex. 17:16). This is what happens when the line of the flesh sets itself against the line of the promise. It becomes a line of perpetual hostility to God and His people.
The Worldly Kingdom: The Kings of Edom (vv. 38-54)
The Chronicler now gives us an extended, detailed list of the rulers of Edom. First, the sons of Seir the Horite, the original inhabitants of the land whom Esau's descendants dispossessed and intermarried with (vv. 38-42). This shows the establishment of the Edomite people in their land. But then comes a very pointed and significant statement.
"Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king of the sons of Israel reigned." (v. 43)
Why is this here? This is a masterful stroke of theological polemic. From a worldly perspective, Edom had it all together long before Israel did. While the sons of Jacob were slaves in Egypt and then wanderers in the wilderness, Esau's boys were establishing a kingdom. They had kings, cities, and political structures. They were organized. They looked successful. They were the first out of the gate.
This is always the way of the world. The kingdom of man is flashy, impressive, and quick to build. Cain builds a city long before the line of Seth does anything of note. The sons of Ishmael and Keturah become great nations while Isaac's line is still just one family. Edom has a long list of kings while Israel is still a collection of tribes. The world always seems to be winning. Its kingdoms rise and fall, one king dies and another takes his place, and it all looks very important.
But the Chronicler includes this list to make a sharp contrast. Edom's kingdom is the kingdom of the firstborn, the kingdom of the flesh. It is the kind of kingdom men build for themselves. And what is the refrain of this section? "Then Bela died... Then Jobab died... Then Husham died... Then Hadad died." It is a kingdom of death. It is a list of dead ends. It has no future. It is a historical cul-de-sac.
The subtle point is this: Edom had kings first, but Israel would have THE king. Israel's kingship was yet to come, but when it came, it would be established by God Himself through David. And that line would ultimately produce the final King, Jesus Christ, of whose kingdom there will be no end. The kingdoms of Esau are temporary; the kingdom of Israel, in Christ, is eternal. The Chronicler is teaching the returned exiles, and us, not to be impressed by the apparent success and stability of the world's kingdoms. They are all destined for the dustbin of history. Our hope is in the King who is to come, the King who was promised to Jacob.
Conclusion: Finding Your Place on the Map
So what do we do with a list of names like this? We are to see in it the grand story of God's sovereign grace. We are to see that history is not a random series of events, but a story He is writing. And in this story, there are only two lines, tracing all the way back to Cain and Abel, to the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman.
There is the line of the flesh, represented here by Ishmael, Keturah's sons, and Esau. This is the line of human effort, of natural strength, of self-reliance. It builds impressive kingdoms, but they are founded on dust and end in death. This is the natural state of every person born into this world. By nature, we are all Edomites. We are all sons of the flesh, hostile to God, building our own little kingdoms in rebellion against Him.
But praise God, there is another line. It is the line of the promise, represented here by Isaac and Jacob. It is a line that depends entirely on God's sovereign, electing call. It is a line that is preserved not by human might but by divine grace. It is often the younger, the weaker, the less likely. But it is the line that leads to life. It is the line that leads to Jesus Christ.
The gospel is the good news that through faith in Jesus, you can be grafted out of the line of Esau and into the line of Jacob. You can be adopted out of the family of the flesh and into the family of the promise. God, through the cross of Christ, has made a way for rebels and enemies to be made sons and heirs. He takes Edomites and makes them Israelites. He takes those who are by nature children of wrath and makes them children of God.
Therefore, do not despise these genealogies. See them as God's map. Find your own story in them. Recognize your natural birth in the line of Esau, a line of sin and death. And then, by faith, rejoice that you have been born again into the line of Jacob, the line of promise, which finds its ultimate fulfillment not in a list of earthly kings, but in the one King who died and rose again, and who reigns forever. Your name may not be in Chronicles, but if you are in Christ, your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, which is the only genealogy that matters in the end.