Roll the credits
“Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth; God had indeed blessed him.”
1 Chronicles 26:4-5
At the end of the movie, the credits start to roll. Most people in the movie theater start to get up and head for the exits. If you are watching it on television, you probably hit the stop button or change the channel. We don’t pay much attention to the list of names once it goes past the actors’ names… No one cares who the “key grip” person was.
When you read 1 Chronicles, you sometimes get the feeling you are watching the credits, and your mind starts to wander. But, sometimes in the seemingly endless list of names, we find some gems.
Obed-edom is one of them. At the end of the list of his eight sons, it says: “…God had indeed blessed him.”
1 Chronicles 26:5
Why did God bless him? The answer is found back in 1 Chronicles 13:
“So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months, and the Lord blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had.”
1 Chronicles 13:13-14
David had tried to move the ark of the covenant back to Israel but didn’t do it the right way, and Uzzah was struck down when he touched it. (1 Chronicles 13:7-11)
So, David was afraid to move the ark any further. He chose Obed-edom to take care of it.
I imagine Obed-edom was surprised when the king arrived with the ark.
Being a faithful servant, he said yes.
If you ever have been given a new piece of furniture, you have to move the old furniture out of the way.
Obed-edom had to make room for the ark. He respected it, and took care of it. As a result, God blessed him with sons and grandsons who were valiant and strong.
“All these were of the sons of Obed-edom; they and their sons and their relatives were able men with strength for the service, 62 from Obed-edom.”
1 Chronicles 26:8
Wow, it all started with a faithful act of service.
Let’s be like Obed-edom and make room for God in our lives.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
