1 Chronicles 7:20-23 - The descendants of Ephraim: Shuthelah,
Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and
Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to seize
their livestock. Their father Ephraim
mourned for them many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. Then he lay with his wife again, and she
became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah,
because there had been misfortune in his family.
The long genealogy lists continue…this chapter seemingly
concentrated on the military strength of the six tribes discussed. But tucked away …in the lists of the sons of
Ephraim…is the sad story of Ezer and Elead.
These two brothers went to raid the cattle of the neighboring city of
Gath…and never returned. They were
killed outright by the men they tried to steal from.
We are not given their motives for what today would be labeled
simple theft…so one can only guess. One commentary mentioned that the men
living in Gath were Philistines… so maybe they felt the cattle were simple
spoils of war David had failed to retrieve.
One commentator said that it was common practice for the Israelites to
plunder the neighboring cities that were weaker for what they needed...especially
if they were not worshipers of God.
The bottom line is God did not allow them to take the cattle…he
allowed others to take their lives. Perhaps as an example that raiding other
towns for what they needed was not Godly…and that they should have ask God to
provide what they needed. This family mourned the loss for a long time. God even tried to bless them with another child…but
they chose to name him Beriah….and continue the sadness they felt. They mourned the loss …letting the sadness dominate
their lives.
Here’s the thing that troubles me about this story. I understand the sadness part…losing a loved
one is hard. I lost a husband after one month of marriage….not a day goes by
that I don’t think about him…and what we could be doing if he were still alive.
Losing two sons at one time must have been unbearable. But…why would you stay sad when God tries to
bless you with a new future? Didn’t he give us Jeremiah 29:11 to claim so that
we could work our way out of that sadness….learn the lesson he needed to teach
us by allowing the tragedy…and become stronger and better Christians for him to
use.
I choose to claim that promise he gave me…to know …that I
know…that I know...that despite the sadness I feel each moment from what he
took away….he still has a future full of hope in store for me. He has plans to
bless me with something new…even better than he took from me. God wants my life to be full of praise and
happiness for what he is currently doing in my life…not full of regret and
sadness over what happened in my past.
Father…thank you for this story that reminds me not to live
in the sadness of the past…but to claim the promises you give me for my future.
I praise you …and I thank you for allowing me the time I had with Mitchell…and
for the closer relationship his loss has given me to you. Help me to always remember that you promised
to bless me with good things…and that my future is always going to be better
than my past. Wipe away any tears that still fall in remembrance of that great
love…and turn them into a well of strength and courage for tomorrow. Amen.
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