Your Inheritance Is Secure

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we are going to talk about the tribe of Manasseh on the west.

We think of Israel today, right? Not the Transjordan, but on the side of the Jordan towards the Mediterranean.

So let's have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll find out about this other half-tribe of Manasseh.

Let's pray. Father, you are wonderful, good, faithful.

We rejoice in your love and your care for us.

Father, we pray that you would please watch over us.

Lord, we desire to be faithful to you.

Thank you that you are faithful to us. Teach us, Lord.

Help us to understand your word in Jesus' name. Amen.

Here we go. 1 Chronicles chapter 7, beginning at verse 14. We'll go through verse 19.

The name of Gilead's grandson was Zeliophad, but Zeliophad begot only daughters.

Maka, the wife of Mahir, bore a son, and she called his name Peresh.

The name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rechem.

The son of Ulam was Bedan.

These were the descendants of Gilead, the son of Mahir, the son of Manasseh.

His sister, Hamaleketh, bore Ishhad, Ebezer, Mala, and the sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Lichhi, and Anayim.

Well, we have our three questions to ask ourselves.

A, what is this about?

B, what's the best verse to summarize this?

And C, what are we called to do in response to this?

So, A, what is this about?

Well, this is the family of Manasseh on the west.

In chapter 5, we had dealt with Manasseh on the east, right?

And in the east, that's where they had played the harlot.

They were unfaithful to God, and they walked in ways contrary to him.

But this is on the west, and it's interesting that this is the descendants of Manasseh.

His Syrian concubine bore him Mahir, right?

So, this is saying he had a concubine from up in the north, and so up in Syria.

And they had children.

And then, interestingly, in verse 15, 15 ties into verse 12, Mahir took his wife, as his wife, the sister of Hupim and Shupim.

In verse 12, it said, Shupim and Hupim were the sons of Ir.

And so, we find that there's now this tie, right?

So, Israelites are marrying across tribes, right?

They're marrying within the families here of the tribes of Israel.

Interestingly here, we don't have, from the family of Manasseh in the west, any note of,

and they're mighty warriors and men of valor and character and things like that.

We just don't have that.

We also don't have the huge numbers listed.

You know, there are 20,000, 60,000, 40,000.

Those numbers aren't listed here either.

It's not in the census data that if this is Ezra or somebody else writing the chronicles,

looking at the ancient records, they're not finding it there.

But what they do have is specific names, and we have the daughters of Zileophed.

Those are the ones that the rest of the tribes are trying to disinherit,

and they said, whoa, whoa, whoa, it's not right that our father's name is forgotten.

That goes all the way up to Moses, and Moses takes it to the Lord.

And the Lord says, yeah, that's not right.

These daughters, they're supposed to have an inheritance too.

Their father's name isn't supposed to be forgotten.

And so they receive an inheritance.

And so there's all sorts of little things like this where it's saying that it's tying back.

And this is where sometimes you, I was really blessed growing up.

I'd never heard of these people, like higher critics.

But every once in a while, you'll run into them, or you'll maybe read a book that's written by somebody who thinks that they're a scholar.

And those, even some Jewish people, and they'll say, oh, well, this is all just myth, right?

That there's no, this isn't historical truth.

Well, the writer of 1 Chronicles certainly thought it was.

And so they're tying the, even the time of the judges to historical markers, truth.

So this is one of the things I love about the scriptures is, is these are historical books.

These are books of true people, real things that happened.

So I think the tribe on the west side, this side, I don't know how you're going to view this right side, left side.

West side, towards the Mediterranean of Manasseh, was a real tribe, real people.

What's the best verse to underline this?

Well, I would underline verse 14 as the best verse in my Bible to summarize this.

The descendants of Manasseh, right?

So this is the other half of the tribe of Manasseh.

B, what's the best verse?

Or sorry, we just said B.

Is C, calling?

What are we called to do?

How does this show us Christ?

Where's the covenant of grace?

Again, God is a God of history.

It's His story.

And He's the one who is making things happen from Genesis to Revelation.

And even today in your life, in my life, He's provident.

He's sovereign and He's the one who's bringing things to pass that He might build His kingdom, care for His family, watch over His people.

And so I want to encourage you to take it as a great deal of comfort that God cares for you.

He knows you.

He loves His people.

So I want to encourage you to walk in His ways.

Trust in Him.

Love Him with all your heart.

Knowing that He's always good to you.

And you have an inheritance kept secure for you in heaven.

One better than even what the daughters of Zileoph had had.

You have an inheritance that's incorruptible and not perishing.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank You that You have given us an inheritance.

And it's better than anything in this life or on this earth.

God, please help us to trust You.

Help us to love You.

Help us to walk in Your ways.

You are so good to us.

Thank You, Lord, for all the works that You have done.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

May God bless you.

May you walk in the joy and the peace of Jesus Christ.

And I'll see you next time.

Bye.