The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive…
1 Chronicles 3:17 (NIV)

The genealogical record of my Vander Well line goes all the way back to 1475 in the Charlois neighborhood of Rotterdam in South Holland. Warbouts van der Wel is my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather (that’s 12 generations of direct male succession). The year of Warbouts’ birth was 17 years before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic, 42 years before Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, and just 22 years after Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks.

The truth is that once you get past my great-grandfather, I don’t know much about my ancestors other than dates and locations. But they were real people who lived real lives that eventually led to me and my own earthly sojourn.

Today’s chapter-a-day trek wanders through the third consecutive chapter of genealogical lists. The Chronicler is providing these lists for his readers as an introduction to the story of David and the subsequent kings of Israel and Judah. With each chapter, he is like a film director narrowing the focus.

Chapter one began with Adam. Big picture. We’re all part of creation and a connected human family.

Chapter two zoomed in from Abraham to David through the line of Judah.

Today’s chapter provides the line of David, zooming in on the royal line of kings.

Having just trekked through Samuel and Kings, many of the names in today’s chapter were quickly familiar. I read the names and know the stories.

The first list the Chronicler gives us is the sons of David. There’s Amnon, David’s firstborn, who raped his half-sister Tamar and was subsequently murdered by Absalom. Interestingly, Tamar is one of two female children named in the entire chapter. The Chronicler wants her remembered. Then there’s Absalom, who murdered Amnon and later attempted to overthrow his father. Adonijah, who attempted to seize the throne as David lay dying. And, of course, Solomon, whose reign would represent the pinnacle of Israel’s political power and wealth.

The next list (verses 10-16) are the kings of Judah. Rehoboam, whose arrogance helped fracture the nation. Good kings Asa and Uzziah. Manasseh, who became notorious for idolatry and bloodshed. Young Josiah, who led a great national reformation. And, Jehoiachin, the last king of Judah. He was carried into exile.

What fascinated me about today’s chapter, however, was the third list the Chronicler gives us (verses 17-24). This is the royal line of David after returning from exile.

Except, there’s no throne. No crown. No king.

They are subjects of the Persian Empire. Yet the Chronicler wants us to know that David’s line continues. God’s covenant promise to David continues. The Story wasn’t concluded when a kingdom of this world ceased to exist as it once had. The prophets have declared that a King, a Mashiach (“anointed one”), will spring from David’s line. So the descendants of David’s line are still important.

But I don’t know them. I don’t know their stories. There’s even another daughter named Shelomit. The Chronicler thought it was as important to name her as it was to name Tamar. No one knows why. The reason is lost to history. And in this list of unknown names and stories, I found myself meditating this morning.

We tend to celebrate the Davids and Solomons of history. We remember the people who built great things, led movements, and changed nations. But the genealogy reminds me that history also depends on generations of people who simply live their lives.

They marry and raise children. They work to survive and make a living. They laugh, love, and watch the sun rise and set. They endure hardship. They die. Their names are remembered by no one but the geeky family genealogist. Yet without them, the story doesn’t continue. And, in the quiet this morning, I find something profoundly encouraging about that.

God’s purposes are not confined to the extraordinary chapters of life. My role in the Great Story may have nothing to do with building a kingdom of this world. My role may be to keep the faith in the absence of one. Sometimes, one is called to carry the promise forward when there is no visible evidence that anything is happening. My part of the Story might simply be to live faithfully in the ordinary circumstances I’ve been given.

Which brings me back to good ol’ Warbouts van der Wel and nine other generations of my Dutch sires. I have names. I have birth and death dates. I have the location of those events. Yet their stories and their lives matter. Their stories lead to my story. And the story continues as I enter this, another day – just trying to faithfully carry the promise forward.

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