How does 1 Chronicles 4:35 demonstrate God's faithfulness to His people?

The verse (1 Chronicles 4:35): “Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, son of Seraiah, son of Asiel;”

The verse in context

- Part of a list tracing the descendants of Simeon, a tribe that never occupied a large, secure territory (cf. Joshua 19:1–9).

- Compiled after the exile, when many family lines feared extinction; yet Simeon’s names are still intact.

What the genealogy shows about God’s faithfulness

- Covenant continuity: God promised Abraham “to be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7). Generations later, names like Joel and Jehu prove He has kept a literal, biological line alive.

- Preservation of the “least”: Jacob foretold that Simeon would be scattered (Genesis 49:5–7). Though dispersed, the tribe is not erased. God’s judgment never cancels His covenant love.

- Detailed memory: Each individual listed is known to God (Isaiah 49:15–16). Even obscure believers are remembered.

Faithfulness despite failure

- Simeon’s history includes violence (Genesis 34), and the tribe gradually shrank (Numbers 1:23 → 26:14). God would have been just to wipe them out, yet He preserves them—grace in action (Psalm 105:8–10).

- The genealogy is recorded after exile, signaling restoration: “For the Lord will not abandon His people” (1 Samuel 12:22).

Names recorded—individuals matter

- “Joel” (Yahweh is God) and “Jehu” (He is Yahweh) testify to families that still honored the Lord.

- Each man has a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather listed; God sees lineage, not just crowds (Matthew 10:29–31).

The wider biblical pattern

- God kept the tribe alive so the promised Messiah could come through Israel at large (Luke 1:54–55).

- Genealogies in Scripture culminate in Christ (Matthew 1; Luke 3), the ultimate proof that the Lord finishes what He starts (Philippians 1:6).

Encouragement for today

- If God safeguarded a struggling tribe, He will surely keep every promise to all who trust Him (Hebrews 10:23).

- Your name, too, is known and valued; the Good Shepherd “calls His own sheep by name” (John 10:3).