“(And his daughter [was] Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)” (1Ch 7:24 AV)

I thought this was interesting that a woman was credited with the repair and building of two cities.  It is rather rare in the scriptures for a lady to get the credit for a civil or battle field project.  They are there.  But they are rare.  Not that ladies cannot accomplish these things.  They are more than capable. It simply was not their interest in life.  The cities mentioned post-date the life of Sherah.  From what I can glean from different commentaries, this Sherah was the granddaughter of Ephraim, son of Joseph.  If Israel was in Egypt for 470 years, this makes Sherah very old at the time of the Exodus.  Jacob was 147 years old when he died.  He was in Egypt 27 years before passing.  Joseph lived to be 110.  We don’t know how old Ephraim was when he died.  But it is not inconceivable that it would only be three generations that spent their time in Egypt if a generation lived 120-150 years.

Most commentators agree that it was not necessarily Sherah herself who built these cities, but her descendants.  This would make sense because one of the cities was named after her.  It would also take forty years wandering in the wilderness and all her generation would have dies off.  Including her. What might have happened is the first excursion into Canaan which the children of Israel rejected the idea of invasion, Sherah saw that area and had vision of cities being built there.  She came up with a dream and a plan to give to her children.  This dream continued into the next generation who then took her dream and made it a reality.  She got the credit because she was the one who had the vision to accomplish a work she would never participate in herself.

It just goes to show how valuable mothers are in transferring dreams to their children.  Fathers are often the ones who influence their children to dream dreams of accomplishments.  Mothers influence the importance of family. However, mothers can be just as important in motivating her children to accomplish things in life as Dad is.  And in this case, even more so!

“Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:” (1Ch 3:1 AV)

Daniel is an interesting individual.  Other than the genealogies of David found here and in 2Sam3, there is nary a word written of him.  According to Jewish history, this man had an interesting past.  Or, supposedly so.  In 2Sam3, the name Chileab is used.  It means, “in every respect like to his father.”  It is supposed that at the death of Nabal, Abigail became David’s wife and very soon became pregnant.  It was so soon after that there was a question as to who fathered this child.  Was it David or Nabal?  So, the name of Chileab was given to the child as well as Daniel, which means “God is my judge.”  There was no doubt in the mind of David that he was the child’s father. What I find interesting is there is no other mention of this man in all of scripture.  Specially as David was close to passing and Adonijah declared himself king in the stead of Solomon, Daniel or Chileab is nowhere mentioned.  He was the second born and the first born was dead.  Why didn’t Daniel stand in and do what Adonijah did?  There is no biblical explanation given.  We are left to conjecture.

I am fascinated with the list of Bible people who are unsung or unmentioned heroes in the plan of God.  Like the midwife who delivered Jesus.  Nowhere is she mentioned.  But someone had to testify to the fact of the birth being a virgin birth.  Only the midwife would have that knowledge.  Daniel is much the same in that the Bible never records anything of him standing in the way of Solomon becoming king.  We don’t know if he supported it.  But there is no record of him trying to frustrate it.  The provider of the ass upon which Christ rode or the room which they rented for the last supper never provide the names of those who did those things.  If one were to use their imagination, there are countless people behind the scenes that participate in the plan of God which we will never realize.  The widow who faithfully prays for her church and her pastor.  The young person who reaches down and picks up a scrap of paper, or the virtuous woman who greets a visitor with a warm smile.  The gentleman who holds open the door for guests arriving at church, the family that picks up another for church or provides a way home, or young man willing to clean the white board for his Sunday school teacher.  There are countless of people who do things that no one else would see.  Yet their impact is bigger than anyone can imagine.  We should be thankful for them!  We could pray for them even if we don’t know their names.  Or even who they are.  They are important!  They are necessary!

“Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” (1Ki 19:18 AV)

Elijah is a classic study of spiritual depression.  He had just waged a mighty war with the prophets of Baal.  He called down fire from heaven to devour a sacrifice when the prophets of Baal couldn’t even light a match!  He had been on the run from Ahab and Jezebel for three years and was getting really tired.  This great prophet made a statement a few verses earlier that he alone was left of the faithful prophets of God.  However, Obediah, a servant of Ahab, had just informed him there were 100 prophets of the LORD safely in hiding from the wicked had of Jezebel.  After the great victory of divine fire, Elijah found himself spiritually drained.  He had nothing left.

The LORD came and visited him by the still small voice.  He told him to anoint a new king in Syria, a new king in Israel, and anoint Elisha as the next prophet to take his place.  Then, the LORD made the statement we find above.  There are 7,000 who are still faithful in the northern kingdom of Israel.  These 7,000 would not be joining Elijah.  These 7,000 would have no contact with Elisha.  They would not come along side him to encourage him.  That was not the intent of this statement nor was it the need of the prophet.  All he needed was to know that his ministry meant something.  All he needed to know was that he was not alone.  He was willing to fight for the LORD for another 14 years with Elisha by his side.  Yet, at the moment of spiritual depression, what he needed the most was to know there were others who would not compromise as he had made the same choice!

Sometimes, all the faithful servant needs to know is that he is not alone.  He doesn’t necessarily need help.  He just needs to know there are others who will take the same stand and fight the fight of faith without selling in to the world.  He doesn’t need their offerings or necessarily their companionship.  He needs their testimony!  Faithfulness, in and of itself, is the greatest ministry one can offer to another!  Knowing there is another battalion on the next hill encourages the team in the fray to continue on!

“And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou [art] worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.” (1Ki 2:26 AV)

Abiathar was the lone survivor from the slaughter of the Priests at Nob when Doeg the Edomite slew them according to the word of Saul.  Abiathar followed David from that point forward.  He went through everything David went through from the years of evading Saul to the end of his life.  However, Abiathar made one serious mistake.  He followed Adonijah, David's second eldest son, when he assumed the throne not given to him.  Adonijah was the oldest of David’s living male children.  Because of this, he felt the kingdom should fall to him.  However, David had instructed his family it would be Solomon.  Adonijah, and consequently Abiathar, acted in rebellion against an elderly king who they thought would do nothing about it.  When Solomon takes the throne, he considers Abiathar’s sacrifices and loyalty of the past as the reason for grace in the present.

There has been too much division among God’s people lately.  It seems as though relationships come cheap.  If someone mistreats us, it is cause for automatic reprisal or revenge.  We throw out all the good of the past because of the indiscretion of the present.  Solomon had every right to put Abiathar to death.  His was an act of treason.  Yet when someone does far less to us, we wish them ill will.

The lesson here is clear.  Solomon shows great wisdom and compassion in taking into consideration the past acts of a noble man.  He considers the whole package.  He understands the cost this man paid for David.  He decides a relationship is more important than justice.  This is right and exemplary.

“Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed [that] thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” (1Sa 2:30 AV)

That phrase ‘…lightly esteemed…’ in the Hebrew means insignificant.  It means in the plan and mind of God, their lives don’t mean a whole lot.  It doesn’t mean the LORD ceases to love and care for them.  It just means they are more ministry then they are minister.  They are more of a mission field than they are a missionary.  They are more a liability than an asset.  In the whole plan of God, they are not worth a whole lot.  They do not amount to much.  They are a bench sitter who cannot even be trusted to get the water.  They bring nothing to the team and if they were not there, they wouldn’t be missed.  Which brings us to a couple of points.

First, there is no middle ground.  The saint is either an asset or a liability.  He is either contributing or he isn’t.  He is either pulling his weight or is taking up space.  He is either fighting to do what he can, or is less valuable than the shadow he casts.  There is no middle ground.  There is no, “It’s just good to have you in the church service, if that’s all that you can do.”  We are either on the rope and pulling in the right direction, or we are in the way.  Either way, there is no middle ground.  Just surviving isn’t good enough.  Just having one’s name called during attendance isn’t that earth shattering.  We are either in or out.

Second, there is a natural part of the human heart that desires to be needed.  We want to be significant.  We want our presence to matter.  At least initially.  However, over time and the hardships of being used mount, the desire to matter may wane.  To bask in the sunlight on a secluded beach with no one around and nothing to do gets appealing.  This isn’t godly even though it might be natural.  As children, we seek out our own peer groups in which we become significant.  Sports, academic clubs, scouting, our neighborhood gangs, we all want to belong and have a place.  Why is it that when it comes to the LORD, this desire for significant identity matters the least?

Our hearts should ache for the need to be needed, especially of the LORD!  The fact the God of all creation can use us for His purposes and glory should matter the most!  We need a Holy Spirit revival that brings that desire deeply and profoundly!  To be significant to the Self-sustaining one is the greatest sense of worth a person can ever feel!  To be needed and wanted by the only One who truly needs no one is beyond words!