How does the concept of family in 1 Chronicles 5:13 connect to Ephesians 2:19? Family Roots in 1 Chronicles 5 : 13 “ Their relatives, according to their families, were: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all.” • The verse sits inside a long genealogy of the tribe of Reuben. • “Relatives” and “families” translate Hebrew terms that speak of a clan bound by blood, inheritance, and covenant obligation. • Every name anchors its bearer to the covenant promises first given to Abraham (Genesis 17 : 7) and to the tribal land allotted east of the Jordan (Numbers 32 : 33). • The chronicler safeguards Israel’s corporate memory: to belong you needed verifiable lineage. Purpose of Old-Covenant Genealogies • Preserve tribal order for worship, military service, and property (1 Chronicles 23 : 24; 27 : 1). • Maintain separation from idolatrous nations (Ezra 9 : 2). • Anticipate the promised Messiah coming through a specific line (2 Samuel 7 : 12-16; Matthew 1 : 1-17). Household Belonging in Ephesians 2 : 19 “ So then, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.” • Paul addresses Gentile believers once cut off from Israel’s covenants (Ephesians 2 : 12). • “Household” (oikeios) pictures an extended family sharing the same Father (Ephesians 3 : 14-15). • Citizenship language shows legal standing; household language shows relational intimacy. Shift from Bloodline to Faith-Line • Natural descent once determined covenant inclusion (1 Chronicles 5 : 13). • In Christ, the dividing wall is removed; faith now defines membership (Ephesians 2 : 13-16; Galatians 3 : 26-29). • Adoption grants full family rights—“the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8 : 15-17). Connecting the Two Passages • Continuity of Concept: both texts value identifiable family identity; one physical, the other spiritual. • Fulfillment Motif: genealogical records foreshadow the greater household where Jews and Gentiles share one inheritance (Isaiah 56 : 6-8; Acts 15 : 14). • Covenant Expansion: promises once limited to Abraham’s physical seed now embrace all who are “in Christ,” the true Seed (Genesis 12 : 3; Galatians 3 : 16). • Ordered Community: as tribal rosters organized Israel’s life, church membership and mutual care organize God’s new family (1 Timothy 3 : 15; Hebrews 10 : 24-25). • Shared Mission: Reubenite clans guarded territory; God’s household proclaims His excellencies to the nations (1 Peter 2 : 9-10). Living the Family Identity • Embrace unity that transcends ethnicity, status, and background. • Guard doctrinal purity just as Israel guarded genealogical purity (Jude 3). • Exercise familial love, hospitality, and mutual burden-bearing (Romans 12 : 10-13; Galatians 6 : 2). • Celebrate inheritance—an eternal home prepared by the Father (John 14 : 2-3; 1 Peter 1 : 3-4). |
    |