Don't let there be a "But" by your name - 1 Chron 5:24-25

The first nine chapters of 2 Chronicles give us the genealogy of the twelve tribes of Israel.  It can be tedious reading, but nestled in those lists of people are little nuggets of scripture that speak volumes. One of these is found in chapter 5, describing the leaders of the tribe of Manassah:

These were the leaders of their clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. These men had a great reputation as mighty warriors and leaders of their clans. But these tribes were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They worshiped the gods of the nations that God had destroyed. So the God of Israel caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath-pileser) to invade the land and take away the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as captives. The Assyrians exiled them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day. 1 Chron 5:24-26

It seems that these clan leaders, Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, were pretty awesome dudes.  They knew how to win battles, they weren’t afraid to stand against an enemy, and they knew how to lead people.  These men had a measure of respect amongst the people. However in the one area that mattered most, faithfulness to God, they utterly failed.  Their failure in this area led to the captivity of their families by the Assyrians.

The failure of these strong and talented men to lead their families towards God brought a set of consequences that impacted several generations.  The verse that describes the captivity of the families of Manassah don’t come close to communicating the pain, misery, and suffering that they endured as a result of the failure of their leaders.

One word does, however, point to the root:  The word “But.”  Those leaders got many important things right, but they got the one critical thing wrong;  Faithfulness to God.  Courage, strength, skill, wisdom, leadership are all important qualities, but the one quality that trumps them all is faithfulness to God.  Faithfulness to God sets in motion a redemptive blessing in our lives, and the lives of those who follow us, especially our families.

When your time on this earth is done, and your story is recounted, what will be said of your life? I don’t know about you, but my mission is life is that there would never be a “but” placed beside my name.

Pastor Clay