How does 1 Chronicles 7:23 connect with Romans 8:28 about God's purpose? The scene in 1 Chronicles 7:23 “Then he went in to his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Ephraim named him Beriah, because tragedy had befallen his house.” • The patriarch Ephraim has just buried two sons slain by the men of Gath (vv. 20–22). • Out of deep grief he and his wife are given another son. • The name Beriah sounds like the Hebrew for “misfortune” or “in evil,” a perpetual reminder of the sorrow that preceded his birth. • Yet, as the genealogy continues (vv. 24–27), Beriah becomes the ancestor of Joshua, the man God will use to lead Israel into the Promised Land—a clear thread of redemption woven through loss. God’s redemptive pattern • Genesis 50:20—Joseph to his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done.” • Psalm 30:5—“Weeping may stay the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” • Isaiah 61:3—The Lord gives “a crown of beauty for ashes.” Throughout Scripture, the Father repeatedly turns personal tragedy into a platform for His larger purposes. Romans 8:28 in focus “And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” • “All things”—including the inexplicable sorrows Ephraim felt. • “Together for good”—not isolated events, but a divine tapestry. • “Those who love Him… called according to His purpose”—Ephraim and his descendants fit squarely into that calling as part of the covenant people. Bridging the two passages 1. Same Author behind the scenes – The God who allowed Ephraim’s heartbreak is the same God Paul celebrates in Romans, sovereign over every detail. 2. Sorrow becomes seed – Ephraim names the boy Beriah to mark calamity; God uses that very child to preserve the tribe and, centuries later, to help usher Israel into its inheritance through Joshua. 3. Purpose outlasts pain – Romans 8:28 does not promise exemption from grief; it promises divine intention within grief, exactly what 1 Chronicles 7:23 illustrates. 4. Lineage of hope – From a funeral to a future leader: the genealogy traces a straight line between personal loss and national deliverance, underscoring God’s unbroken purpose. Living this truth today • Personal losses can feel final, yet 1 Chronicles 7:23 shows they can be the doorway to new chapters God has already scripted. • Naming our pain—as Ephraim did—does not negate faith; it can memorialize God’s eventual turnaround. • Every believer, “called according to His purpose,” can expect the same divine weaving: – Trials (James 1:2-4) produce endurance. – Afflictions (2 Corinthians 4:17) prepare “an eternal weight of glory.” • Therefore, while grief is real, it is never the final word; God’s purpose is. |
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