Tag: #genealogy of Jesus

Bible Study

Is this the end or only the beginning?

The Carpenter’s Daughter

You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about. No I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I set out to do a genealogy of all of the women in Jesus family tree. I didn’t know where this would take me, or how it would go exactly. Yet here we are!

I’ve gone through every male descendant of Jesus since my last post and really have not turned up anything (or anyone I should say) that was notable. I’ve spanned past 14 generations to come to Joseph, husband of Mary.

I did see some other blogs and mentions about wives of these other Kings; but not enough that I felt comfortable sharing it. I couldn’t back it up with other research.

There isn’t much more that I could probably expand upon regarding Mary and Joseph that most of us as Christians don’t already know. As a mother myself, I can’t imagine the strength she had to have knowing how special her son was. She acted like any normal Mother would at times. I love the story when Mary and Joseph lost Jesus and looked everywhere for him. They were in a panic! When they finally found him he acted shocked like, “why would I be anywhere else than in my Fathers home teaching”. As they found him preaching to a group in the temple. (Luke 2:41-51). I’m sure she wanted to grab him by his ear!!!!!

Little did Mary know that Jesus would soon leave for long periods of time without there being no way of her to know where he was and if he was ok. She occasionally would get word from people or even Jesus’ brothers. I can only imagine her hurt when her and his brothers went looking for him.

In Matthew 12:46-50; Jesus acted like he didn’t know his family. He was trying to explain that we are all his brothers and sisters. Jesus didn’t mean it to be disrespectful. His intention was to let everyone know that you don’t have to be blood to be family.

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. All of us that know him as our personal Lord and Savior.

Father, thank you for this awesome journey you’ve encouraged me to take. My work has only begun. I pray as I start more blogs and Bible studies to share with everyone. I pray that my words touch someone and lead them to you. Amen

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Bible Study

Hephzibah wife of Hezekiah

The Carpenter’s Daughter

Good morning and welcome to today’s blog! Please continue to share and follow me for continued updates and Bible studies.

King Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz who was wicked. He was one of the most prominent Kings; according to the Book of Kings. “He was good and right before the Lord his God” 2 Chronicles 31:20”. Isaiah and Micah were prophets in Judah during his reign. Hezekiah had a lot of cleaning to do when he took over. All the idols were destroyed and he reopened the temple that was nailed shut by his father.

Isaiah was a great friend to Hezekiah and told him he would die soon. Hezekiah prayed to God asking for more time, which he was granted 15 more years.

During his illness he fathered the next heir Manasseh. Hephzibah was his mother. She had to be torn and heartbroken when he took over his father’s reign. He spent his time literally destroying everything Hezekiah built and stood for. There’s even research that supports that Manasseh killed Isaiah.

Hephzibah is mentioned only once in the Bible in 2 Kings 21 1-2. “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.”

It’s used a second time in Isaiah’s prophecy to describe a restored Jerusalem. Research tells me the name means “delite to God”. I found a story on https://mesuandrews.com/who-is-hephzibah/ where according to Jewish stories she was the daughter of Isaiah. I had a hard time confirming this elsewhere then saw on http://www.geni.com where they listed him as her father. Isaiah was an amazing man and prophet. A book that was brought to my attention through my own difficulties.

To say that she was disappointed in how Manasseh ruled as a King had to hurt her deeply. All of our parents want the best for us. At least I hope they do. We can only lead them so far and hope all we’ve taught them they use to be upstanding citizens. A mothers love is always with her children, even in times of disappointment.

God is the same way. He’s not always happy with decisions we make but he’s always there to love and support us.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 “May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.”

Bible Study

Athaliah-Queen consort of Jehoram of Judah.

The Carpenter’s Daughter

I hope my blog finds you well today. I’ve really been enjoying sharing the word of God with all of you. I’ve even been jotting down some ideas for another blog/bible study after this one is completed. As I stated before, God put this on my heart to share with you the “women of the Bible as it relates to his genealogy”. So that is what I’m doing. Fulfilling my promise to him.

I’m sure at one time or another we’ve all heard of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. There is some controversy whether or not Athaliah was Ahab’s sister or his daughter. Athaliah came from a powerful family and married Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat. It was a marriage that “J” himself arranged. This marriage created an alliance between Israel and Judah. (again a common theme for those days).

The Bible tells us that she was one of the most powerful women in Judah at the time. She was also one of the only women in the Bible to have reigned as a monarch. Jehoram or Joram as I’ve seen it, died and their son Aziah became King. This then made her what was called “GEBIRAH” which is the highest status of women in the kingdom. This position would have had her out rank any other wife, concubine, etc. of her son. Aziah however only reigned for one year. He was assassinated by Jehu an Army General. The murder took place when he was visiting a cousin and the General seized the opportunity to kill them both and seize Judah. Aziah tried to flee by chariot and raced up a hill only to be shot with arrows. The same day Queen Jezebel was killed by being thrown off her balcony. She was left to die and dogs ate her. (wow!) The killing didn’t stop there. All of Athaliah’s male relatives were rounded up what equaled (70 boys and young men) and they were beheaded. Jeru ordered that their heads be put in to baskets and displayed at the city gates. He then took the adult males, put them into a pit and slaughtered them. His goal was to kill ANYONE who might be able to claim the thrown of Israel and Judah. Guess what?

That’s right, Athaliah was still alive and the only survivor. She was spared after all because SHE WAS JUST A WOMAN. There were no surviving sons or grandsons to take over. She became Queen. Women back then as we’ve learned certainly influenced politics but they never ruled on their own. The Priests were furious, they were the ones that helped Jeru plan the attack. Ironically, these same priests are known as the ones that rewrote the history of Judah and painted Athaliah as a villainess. Or did they?

You can’t always believe what you hear on the news or in the papers. Fake news? Perhaps there are some things Trump is correct about. Fake news, I do believe in wholeheartedly. Newspapers and the news in general write stories and publish them to make money and obtain ratings. I can see during Biblical times that it was the same in order to influence certain people or events. As with Athaliah, she was accused of murdering all the children, including her own grandsons so that she could be Queen. I’m not sure why she would have needed to do that since if there was a male heir she still would have had high ranking power. The Bible in the Book of King’s however states that once she saw her son was dead, she had all other heirs killed

Once she was in power, she unfortunately suppressed the worship of Jahweh and promoted the worship of old agricultural gods.

She reigned for 6 years, until a Yahwist party priest did a counter attached. His name was Jehoiada. He claimed to have a male heir that survived the massacre. He said that Athaliah’s sister Jehosheba (whos is also Jehoida’s wife) saved him. There was no way to prove whether or not this boy was the real deal or a substitute. (boy where’s ancestrydna.com when you need them?) Jehoida proclaimed the boy King, by embarking on the palace and making their way through the guards. The boys’ name was Joash. Athaliah heard the commotion and was taken by surprise. She tried to escape but the mercenaries hunted her down like a wild animal. She was killed outside the Palace gates.

A side note that I found was that there are 3 Kings excluded from the genealogy of Jesus. They are Ahaziah, Jehoash and Amaziah. These three Kings were seen as wicked and cursed from the line of Ahab through is “daughter” (or sister) Athaliah. Joash was to be the sole surviving son of Ahaziah, making Athaliah his grandmother. His mother was Zibiah. Notes that I found stated that he was 7 years old when he took the reign and remained for 40 years. 2 Kings 12:1 and 2 Chronicles 24:11 state he was succeeded by his son Amaziah of Judah. He is said to have been, “righteous all the days of Jehoiada the priest”.

Whether Athaliah killed her family or someone else killed them; the event is tragic. A senseless act that didn’t need to happen. Was it greed? The need for power? Perhaps all of those things played a vital role. We see this still today, people in power putting their own needs ahead of the good of the people. As it played out in this story, the end resulted in a worthy King that followed God and put things back on track. I’m sure that by Athaliah just being a woman, never mind the fact now being in charge infuriated a lot of men during this time. We can only hope that if any of her wrong doings she was somehow a symbol of hope to another young lady that could see herself one day in power but a better example of a leader.

Father, I pray for our country and our leaders during this time of constant turmoil and trouble. I pray that level heads prevail and that they look out for the people instead of trying to make themselves appear to be better. I pray that our leaders seek counsel with you in all that they do. You are the Commander in Chief of all. Lord, I also pray for the men and women serving our great country and that you protect them and bring them home safely. Amen.

Bible Study

Naamah wife of King Solomon

The Carpenter’s Daughter

Happy Easter! He is risen!!! I hope you had a wonderful day with your family and friends. I love being with my family.

I enjoyed reading and researching King Solomon and his wife. Well, actually I should say WIVES! According to research he had 700 wives and 300 concubines 😳 (he probably wished penicillin was invented back then too). Oh my…. 🤦🏻‍♀️

If you remember back to King David sometimes these marriages were more for a political move than anything. To strengthen relationships with other countries or gain control. I’m going to take the liberty of including details about the men in some of these stories. While it’s a study of women in the Bible whom Jesus descended, I think knowing the husband and wife in some cases can help understand what she went through or who she was. Solomon was the King of Judah after David died. Naamah was a Princess from Ammon. The Ammonites and Judah were enemies. God had warned Moses not to destroy the Ammonites because Naamah descended from them. This was according to his prophecy of The Messiah.

Naamah definitely would’ve stood out either in beauty, intelligence, personality or all the above. It is said that God was not happy with Solomon as he warned him to not intermarry with the other nations because they would turn him away from him. Solomons wives did worship other Gods like Baal and even Naamah still worshipped Gods from Ammon. King Solomon’s sins and turning away from God ended up dividing the kingdom in two during his sons reign. Solomon ultimately became known for his wealth, power, idolizing women, but also a magician, exorcist the later were in the non Biblical references. One of the more notable Bible stories showing Solomon’s wisdom was the two mothers claiming to be the mother of the same child. He told the mothers to cut the baby in half. This revealed the true mother as should gave up the child to spare them. King Solomon also met with the Queen of Sheba during a visit she made. I’ll do a study on her another time.

When Solomon died his son to Naamah became King. Rehoboam was the new King, making his mother Naamah his adviser and not his wife. Naamah would’ve been the most powerful woman at the time and even in charge of the Harem.

Unfortunately her influence was the downfall of Solomon’s greatness. See 1 Kings 1-13. God told Solomon how angry he was with him. God promised the kingdom would divide during his sons reign.

I always told my boys to consider who their friends were. It’s also like my oldest Son Stephen learned in football, that your actions directly affect those around you. You need to not only think about yourself, but consider how things you say and do may affect someone else or in Naamah and Solomon’s case an entire kingdom. Solomon allowed Naamah to stray him away from God and the promise that David asked of him on his deathbed. David wanted Solomon to learn from his mistakes. It’s sometimes easy to say that, “Oh they are a product of their upbringing”. However, when does that mindset stop? We all have the power to change our circumstances. Whether you made a mistake today, years ago or grew up in a tough situation, each day is a gift. A gift from God to start something new.

Spring always reminds us of new beginnings. New growth, fresh flowers, a change of weather. There are 524,160 minutes in a year. It’s a deposit into your “bank account of life”. How are you going to use those minutes to be better than before?

Father, thank you for all the people that have been reading my posts. I pray that today is the day they make a change for themselves. Whether a big or small change, I pray that it honors you. Amen.

Bible Study

Bathsheba

The Carpenter’s Daughter

This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! I am loving this Spring weather, enjoying the breeze and listening to my wind chimes. This morning my “fur babies” the goats 🐐 got their mani-pedi from the farrier. That’s a fancy word for “the goat hoof trimming guy”. They are growing so much it’s crazy. Never did I think I’d actually own goats and NOT live on a farm. See, it’s all in God’s control. I just like starting my blogs with bits and pieces about my day. You might as well know who the person is behind the posts right? Tomorrow my family and in laws plus Framily are coming for Easter dinner. We live in a smaller home so I’m nervous about having so many people but they say a home isn’t too small to hold all this love.

The next woman in the family tree of Jesus is Bathsheba. We left off with Ruth wife of Boaz, who had a son Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. David as in David and Goliath, David the King of Israel. I’d like to give you a little back story on David in that prior to Bathsheba he had seven other wives. He had a total of 18 children. He had so many wives because it was his way of gaining access to different groups and nations. (Pretty sneaky). He was the son of Jesse and Nitzevet. David was a Shepherd who initially was known for his music. (He wrote almost all of the Psalms). After David killed Goliath, he became close to King Saul and his son Jonathan. Jonathan eventually turned on David because he was afraid he was trying to steal his place as future King. Saul and Jonathan were eventually killed in a battle and David was crowned The King. David conquered Jerusalem and brought back the Arch of the Covenant to the city established by Saul.

What in the world does all this have to do with Bathsheba? Well, I’m glad you asked! During a siege of the Ammonite capital of Rabbah, David remained in Jerusalem. There he saw the wife of a Hittite man named Uriah bathing. She’s beautiful!! He has her brought to him and she becomes pregnant. The Bible isn’t clear if this was consensual or not. David’s hope was that Uriah would come home from battle in time to think the child was his. Uriah didn’t return so David devised a plan to have him killed in battle. This then let things open for him to slide in and marry Bathsheba. Nathan a prophet, told David that he saw a prophecy that David’s son would die, as David asked forgiveness for what happened to Bathsheba and Uriah however his son would die instead. It did come true according to the Bible that his son Absolam to a different wife did die. David in his old age and bed ridden agreed to crown his son Solomon as King at the request of Bathsheba and Nathan. It was his last request to Solomon to walk in the ways of God.

What did I learn from David and Bathsheba? Just because we ask forgiveness from God doesn’t mean our sin is nullified like it didn’t happen. However, God does look how we move forward afterwards. Did we learn from our mistakes? Are we serving him?

No one is perfect. Try as we might, everyone messes up at some point. Is sin an accident? Or is sin something that happens to bring us closer to God by giving us a wake up call? God can see us straying further away from him and like a good shepherd herds us back into his fold. Instead of only calling upon him though during these times of trouble, we need to learn to rely on him every day. You can’t take medication intended for daily use then only use it when you feel like it and expect it to magically work. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve asked forgiveness for them. Did I pay the price? Absolutely. However, I also learned that he’s asking of me to be his faithful servant. To share his word and my experiences with others. To bring you back into the fold.

Lord, thank you for the lessons that I’ve learned. No matter how difficult the road was to get here, I know that you never forgot me. It took all the patience I had to stay the course. Thank you for allowing me to complete the promises I made to you. Amen

NOTE:

My favorite Psalm is Psalms 103. I encourage you to read it. One of my favorite Christian bands ”Casting Crowns” wrote a song about Psalms 103. You can watch the backstory here: https://youtu.be/_BPNLi1TPXE

Here is the link for the original video here to enjoy the song in its entirety. https://youtu.be/DjNZf878ISQ

Bible Study

Ruth- the Great Grandmother of Jesus

The Carpenter’s Daughter

Happy Maundy Thursday. I hope everyone is having a great week. We’re on the back nine of the weekend. Yah!!

I mentioned before that I have always had an interest in genealogy. Perhaps some of that interest was because I had the pleasure of actually knowing my Great Grandparents on my Moms side, my Great Aunts on my Dad’s side, as well as my Moms Great Aunt, my Great Great Aunt in her Dad’s side. Wow!! Unfortunately my Dad’s Grandparents passed away before I was born. So studying and exploring my genealogy helped me know them better.

This interest started way before the internet and ancestry.com existed. I made trips to Virginia, The National Archives in Washington DC, and local trips that I took with my Mom. Those trips were and are my favorite and are memories her and I share together. I remember when I showed her the grave of her Great Great Grandparents. She had to ask me a few times to be sure she understood correctly.

Unfortunately time passes and not all of our relatives gravesites are disclosed through generations. It’s just an amazing feeling when you link those pieces together. (Www.findagrave.com)

Ruth is one of those people that just really made an impression on people. She was humble and kind. Ruth was born in Moab which was frequently an enemy of Israel. She was also a Gentile which will become significant later. When the famine hit the land of Judah Naomi, her husband and their Sons and Wives fled from Bethlehem to Moab for relief. Ruth was married to Mahlon and her sister Orpah married Kilion his brother. After 10 years both brothers died. Noah’s husband passed away earlier.

Ruth out of love and loyalty to her Mother in law stayed with Naomi and cared for her. Naomi and Ruth traveled back to Bethlehem while Naomi’s sister stayed in Moab with her husband. Naomi played matchmaker and introduced Ruth to a distant relative named Boaz.

Ruth became Jewish my choice. She abandoned her Pagan Gods and left her lifelong home. Ruth was the mother of Obed, father of Jesse who’s son was the greatest King of Israel ….David.

Ruth was a very hardworking woman. She would work in the grain fields to get leftover grain for her and Naomi. Her loyalty to her mother in law payed off by then marrying Boaz who in turn who took care of her.

The book of Ruth is actually a short read. It might take you 15 minutes if that. I suggest you read it for yourself because you might glean a different perspective from it.

Things that I learned from the Book of Ruth?

1. God loves everyone of all races. Ruth was a Moabite not a Jew and discriminated against by many. God loved her just the same.

2. Men and women are equal to God. He used both men and women in their own way.

3. God uses little things to accomplish big things. It took a series of little events that eventually will lead us to Jesus. Our Lord and Savior.

The big thing that stuck out for me though was that Ruth didn’t have to stay and help Naomi. She could’ve stayed with her Sister. I remember a story I heard a long time ago about how you never know when you could be helping an Angel or what if that homeless person was God? Testing us? I recalled a very cold winter night this past year, we passed the square in our town. It was about 10 pm, very cold, and we were returning from one of my sister-friends homes. (A friend that’s more like a sister). We got caught at the red light when our younger son looked over and saw a homeless man sleeping in the square on a bench. First of all, this is NOT a normal siting in our town. We live in a small community in a rural area. So when I saw “square, I mean a four way intersection with a stop light at each intersection”. The little historical society on one side, a karate school where the bench is positioned, a parking lot to a local pharmacy, and a bank that still resembles the one originally there when the town was created.

Our hearts sank because we knew this man was going to freeze. The temps were dropping and not getting any better. Our only thought was giving him warmer clothing and blankets, plus a backpack with necessities such as a bottle or two of water, snacks, cereal bars, I even included a toothbrush, paste, deodorant, soap, and some paper and a pen. I did call my friend Lynn immediately because she’s assisted with helping the homeless so I consulted with her. I didn’t want to give this man money. Money he could spend on things “not needed for survival”. She also warned me to not go alone. We didn’t. We went as a family of 4. My boys, my husband and I gathered things around our home to offer to a man I had no idea who he was.

Of course, along with excitement to help a person in need we were also cautious. Luckily as I said he was in the middle of town where traffic was still passing through. He actually didn’t want any help. He refused the warmer items, but finally agreed to at least take the back pack of food. Lynn suggested if we’re ever in this situation again that a gift card to a fast food place is nice so they can eat and get warm. Also you’re not giving them money. GREAT IDEA!

I didn’t tell you this story to brag or feel good about myself. I did it because it’s the right thing to do. It’s who I am, and who I’ll always be. If you need something, I will help how I can. Sometimes to my own fault. I’m learning but not hardened by my fault to a degree generosity. Like Ruth, I don’t HAVE to do these things but I do them because it makes someone else feel good. When I see them smile, I know I did my job.

Am I suggesting you help every pan handler that approaches you? Absolutely not. I’m suggesting be kinder than normal because you never know what battle another person could be facing.

I found the story I was talking about. It’s the one referring to a lady named Ruth ironically. However, not this Ruth. It’s merely coincidental. Please enjoy: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081122222055AAg2nQB

Lord, please watch over those who are in need. I pray that you will put your loving arms around them to give them warmth. I pray that they can find peace and comfort. Amen

Bible Study

And then there were men…

The Carpenter’s Daughter

Happy Thursday all. I’m preparing for the Easter holiday, in addition to working and taking care of needy animals. Not complaining, just a day in the life.

I started looking into the next in line to Jesus’ genealogy and it didn’t surprise me that I couldn’t match a wife/mother to the following men: Pérez son of Judah and Tamar, Hezron son of Pérez, Ram, son of Hezron , Amminadab son of Ram, Nahshon son of Amminadab.

Women first of all were subservient so unless they were truly a standout it’s unlikely anyone wrote about them. Were they unimportant? Absolutely not! We all know these men were backed by either powerful wives or mothers at the least. As I read through these names I cant say that any really stood out to me. I don’t recall a Sermon, Bible study or Sunday School class about any particular one. So I decided while looking for a wife or mother to see who they were.

I couldn’t find much until I came to Amminadab the son of Ram aka Aram. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon who was the Chief of the Tribe of Judah. They all played a role during the time of the Exodus. His daughter Elisheva was the wife of Aaron. Nashron was the interesting one. He is noted to be the one who walked into the Red Sea until it parted. “He walked out up to his nose and the sea parted.” According to Hebrew literature. The story of the parting of the Red Sea can be found in Exodus 14.

All of these individuals played their own role in history and fulfilling Gods prophecy. I’m sure the women in their lives helped mold them into the men they became. As I traced my genealogy most of what I found was also regarding the men, but I know the women were strong individuals.

We will continue the next Bible study with a women we’ve all heard of. The actress Elana Eden played her in 1960 in the movie titled in this historic figures name.

Mother’s Day is soon approaching. Let all the women in your life know what they’ve done for you. There’s been times on my birthday that I’ve sent my Mom flowers or a card. Thanking her for giving me life and always having my back.

God also can’t be seen but he’s always working in our lives. Pray that you are thankful for all he’s done for you. He’s also given you life and loves you unconditionally.

Father I pray for women and men who do things everyday as an unsung hero. People who love and give unconditionally as you have loved us. I pray Lord that I can continue to be your servant and like a shepherd leading them to you. Thank you Lord for the blessings you have given me. Amen.

NOTE: The photo is a close up of Amminadab that’s painted in the Sistine Chapel.