1 Chronicles 2:1-2 (Names of The People of Israel)

1 Chronicles 2:1-2

These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

If you are an avid Bible reader, chances are you have encountered something in your Bible that you just did not want to read. You saw it coming up on the page, and you wrestled with skimming over it or skipping it entirely. You may even have been reading out loud with gusto, until you suddenly tensed up knowing soon your tongue would have to perform unfathomable feats of verbal gymnastics. You said to yourself, "I'm going to read the whole chapter," but you hadn't counted on this; something so...boring. I am of course talking about those monotonous sections of Scripture, the bane of most Bible Studies: A long list of hard to pronounce names.

It can be bothersome having one's Bible reading come to a seemig halt, because you now have to read a list of dozens (even hundreds) of old Hebrew and Greek names. Most of the names in these lists don't have grand stories associated with them. The majority of people in these lists seem to be unextraordinary. (Anyone know who Ziph was or his father Jehallelel?) It can be incredibly boring having to read through lists like these in the Bible, and that can make it seem like it would be better for us to just skip or skim over these sections. This, however, would not be best for us, as the existence of these lists informs us about the nature of God and His Word.

First off, it is not a problem if what one reads in the Bible is boring, because we, as believers, should not read the Bible to be entertained. I doubt the scribes of Chronicles considered the first nine chapters of their book riveting, or Moses thought the early chapters of Numbers were enthralling. God, however, did not choose people to write a captivating and well reviewed novel. He chose the prophets and all kinds of people to write down His words, whatever they may be. In fact, what God spoke through the Bible is the best thing anyone could ever read, because God's "way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless," (Psalm 18:30). There's no good reason to skip-over any section of a perfect book; a book that is "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16). If you set out to read a whole chapter of Scripture, and in the midst of your reading choose to ignore or glance over parts of it, then you have chosen to not listen to all of God's perfect words that He penned for your benefit. If indeed God's chosen followers listen to His voice (John 10:27), then why would they want to avoid anything He has spoken for them?

Yes, some things written in the Bible can be considered boring, but
a believer should study as much of Scripture as possible, so they can
"present [themselves] to God as one approved," (2 Timothy 2:15).

In addition to this, it is an honor to have one's name mentioned in the Bible. This is so much so that God "blotting out" someone's name can be considered a curse (Psalm 109:13), but God remembering someone's name can be a beautiful gift (Luke 23:42). Do you feel good when you see your name attached with something beneficial or noble? (Such as when every member of a local sports team is mentioned in a newspaper, or when someone posts on social media thanking everyone who spent time with them over the weeked) How do you imagine one of the people living in a nearly destroyed Israel must have felt, when they read their name or a loved ones name in the holy words of God, and only because they had returned to their nearly destroyed city? (Ezra 2) Were the descendants of Levi glad to know their hard work in the Lord's house as God's chosen first-born was honored, by having their names recorded for all time? (Numbers 3:11-13) Anyone who does something worthy of recognition, whether it is serving as a king (1 Kings 11:41) or simply delivering a letter (Romans 16:1), loves when due recognition is given. God honors His follower's work for His name-sake, by remembering their name.

Indeed, God knows the names of all His followers from generation to generation. He is known as "the God who sees,” and everyone who belongs to Him can say, "I have now seen the One who sees me," (Genesis 16:13). This was true for the people of Israel, as it is for God's church today. Paul wrote that all who follow the commands of the Lord will receive peace and mercy from God as "the Israel of God," (Galatians 6:16). All who have put their faith in Christ have been "grafted into" the lineage of Israel (Romans 11:24). Know this, the names of all the people of the Israel of God are written down in a sacred book, a book God Himself keeps. This book is known as the Book of Life, and in it is a list of names of all those whom God has declared holy, righteous and redeemed (Psalm 69:28, 1 Corinthians 1:30). Every name in this book will be acknowledged by Jesus Christ before His Father and all of His angels (Revelation 3:5). How beautiful it will be, for those whose name is spoken in the reading of the longest list of difficult to pronounce names ever written (and every name will be pronounced perfectly).

The God who knows your name longs to write it down, so you may
be in His presence forever, for "He is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance," (2 Peter 3:9).

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• OpenBibleInfo: The Book of Life