Verse 1 reads, And Benjamin begat Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Ahara the third, Noah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. Our theme this evening is, Of Israel, but not Israel. Of Israel, but not Israel. Our confession of faith tells us that the purest churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error. And these genealogies show us some of the membership of the visible church of Israel during a particular period of its history. But Romans 9 verse 6 reminds us they are not all Israel which are of Israel and that chapter is addressing the fact that not all of Israel believed the gospel and that God had never promised that every Israelite would be saved and the chapter shows that from the case of Isaac and Ishmael and the case of Jacob and Esau. So the truth is that the visible church is on earth mixed and this truth is exemplified in this passage. We are here given more of the genealogy particularly of the tribe of Benjamin. So our first point is a lesson in covenant faithfulness. A lesson in covenant faithfulness. We perhaps cannot find a significance in each name mentioned as with previous chapters, but we can at least endeavour to see where each of these genealogies fits in the overall purpose of the book. And so the question here is why Benjamin? Why is the tribe of Benjamin given such prominence? We look at the main reason in a moment but a reason was no doubt to encourage the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem and the land of promise after the exile in Babylon. The tribe of Benjamin became very closely aligned to the tribe of Judah and the tribes which are given special prominence in this genealogy, in this chronicle are Levi, Judah and Benjamin. And these three tribes were major groups among those Jews who returned from exile. So notice in verse 28, these were the heads of the fathers by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem. So there is, if you like to put it in modern parlance, a pastoral concern. to reassure the returned exiles by giving the genealogies in greater detail of those tribes who were particularly prominent in numerical strength among the returning exiles from Babylon. That those who returned would see, many of them would see the continuity with the fathers and the genealogies express that fact. But we must ask of what did that reassurance consist? How did it help someone who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem to see the genealogy of their forebears back to the early fathers, to Benjamin himself or Judah or whoever. How did it help them? Well, not as a guarantee based on pedigree. Their fathers were exiled despite their pedigree. pedigree or lineage alone did not guarantee the land of Canaan, much less did it guarantee a place in heaven. You remember that in Matthew 3 how John the Baptist warned the people of a false confidence in their lineage. Matthew chapter 3 and verse 7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance, and think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham and now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. So there John the Baptist is warning them not to trust in their lineage as an automatic guarantee that all was well, but they were to bring forth the fruits of repentance, otherwise the fruitless tree would be cut down. So what was the purpose then of this lineage? How did it help the Benjamites for example, who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon to know, to read of these previous generations who went before him. Well, it assured them of the continuity of the covenant promise and indeed the threatening of the covenant that the same promises come to them as well as to their fathers. The same Lord who had brought their fathers into the land and established them there, that same Lord had thrust them out because of unbelief, the later generations, and it is that same Lord who now brings them into the land again under the same promises. Promises of mercy through the coming Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ and yet a warning of vengeance if they did not only have the Word of God but keep it. So there was a lesson in the continuity of the Church and God's covenant faithfulness, the same promises generation after generation. And that's why they were now being brought back into the land. But they must keep the way of the Lord. Then secondly, on the membership role only. On the membership role only. In verse 33, We read, and we'll go back to verse 29, And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Meachah, and his firstborn son Adon, and Zer, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zachar, and Michlot, Begat, Shimeah, and these also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem over against them. Another part of Jerusalem near them. and Nir begat Kish, and Kish begat Sol, and Sol begat Jonathan, and Malkishuah, and Abinadab, and Esh-Beal, and the son of Jonathan was Meribeal, and Meribeal begat Micah, and so on. Special mention is here made of the house of Sol, or the lineage of Saul and his descendants. The father of Gibeon mentioned in verse 29 is given as Jehiel in chapter 9 and verse 35 and in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon Jehiel whose wife's name was Mirka so he was Jehiel and he appears to be the same person as Nir in verse 33 and Nir begat Kish and Kish begat Sol. So that Jahiel and Nir seem to be the same person. Now the purpose of this special reference to the line of Sol and indeed the main reason for the special attention given to the tribe of Benjamin is to prepare the way for chapter 10 and the fall of the house of Saul and chapter 11 the kingship of David in his place. So you see that this genealogy is working towards the actual history which is contained After chapter nine, we move into the actual history of Israel and the kingship. And so the first nine chapters with the genealogies are tracing the genealogies in general, but particularly giving us the lineage of Levi, the priesthood of Judah, and of Benjamin, because Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin and David was of the tribe of Judah. And chapter 10 gives the fall of Saul and chapter 11 the throne of David being established. So that's where the genealogy here is working towards. That's why we get this special attention to Benjamin. Yes, also because many Benjamites were returned from the exile and were in Jerusalem, as we've said. But above all, the tribe of Benjamin was the tribe of Saul from which he came and that's what is coming after the genealogies. And then David, the lion of the tribe of Judah, of the tribe of Judah, in chapter 11. Now Saul's son Jonathan is mentioned in verse 33, and he was a godly man. And then in verse 34, Jonathan's son Meribel, who is also called Mephibosheth, who was godly. But Saul himself those so promising at the start proved to be unregenerate and ended up even seeking counsel of the witch of Endor and committing suicide on the field of battle. God can cause the children of nominal church members to believe on the Lord and leave their parents in unbelief. That does happen. That nominal church members who do not have the love of God in them, that the children of such arise and do trust the Lord. We may say, well surely the norm is that the godly nurture the children and God blesses that godly nurture. Yes, quite so. But there is such a thing as revival, for example, where the church, having become very nominal, many of a next generation believe upon the Lord. And that's true of individual family lines, that Saul was not what Jonathan was. And God can do that. We mustn't think that we can tie God down in such a way that he is not free and sovereign in the operations of his spirit in regeneration. Saul had looked impressive. He physically was head and shoulders above the rest. He had been able to talk of the Lord. because that's the way people talked in Israel and he talked of the Lord and used the name of the Lord and at first seemed a very modest young man, an unassuming young man and we would say surely an ideal candidate. And his name is here given in chapter 9 verse 1 we read, so all Israel were reckoned by genealogists. And Saul is here, named as among the children of Israel. And yet, he was not born of the Spirit and he was not a true believer on the Lord. One can be on a church membership role and in this case, even a divinely inspired membership role relating to what was undoubtedly the true church, Israel. But still, Saul was not a true member of the Kingdom of God. And this confirms what we saw on Sabbath morning, that we must not trust in mere external church membership and outward church connection. Our Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, a master of Israel, you must be born again. And so even the man who was to become king in Israel had not entered in at the straight gate. Thirdly, not waiting on God. Not waiting on God. This special reference to Saul And then his disastrous history in chapter 10 followed by David, the man after God's heart, becoming king, raises a question. It raises a question. God condemned the people in their asking for a king. In 1 Samuel chapter 8, 1 Samuel chapter 8 and verse 10. And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them for himself. for his chariots and to be his horsemen and some shall run before his chariots and he will appoint him captains over thousands and captains over fifties and will set them to ear his ground and to reap his harvest and to make instruments of war and instruments of his chariots and he will take your daughters to be confectionaries and to be cooks and to be bakers and so the Lord is warning Israel about what having a king will mean. In verse 19 of that chapter we read, Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. And we know that the Lord gave them King Saul as a judgment. We read in the book of Hosea, Hosea chapter 13 and verse 9. O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help. I will be thy king. Where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princess? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath. So they should not have desired a king as they did, and yet There is another question, and that is this. God had promised that they would have a king. So in Deuteronomy 17 and verse 4 and 5. Sorry, verse 14 and 15. Deuteronomy 17, verse 14. When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me, thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose. One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee, and thou mayest not set a stranger over thee. which is not of thy brother. It is clear that it was the purpose of God that Israel should at length have a king. These verses assume that the day would come when Israel should have a king. And that through that king would be the line through whom the Messiah would come. Back in Genesis, when Jacob blessed his sons, he spoke of Judah, the scepter shall not depart from Judah. And so the question is, here in Chronicles, we have special mention made of the house of Saul We've already had special mention of the house of David in the tribe of Judah and much attention is given to Judah and Benjamin precisely to emphasize these two men, Saul who would be king and then David who would be king after him. That being the case, why was it a sin for the people to ask for a king? Well, the answer is that they did not wait patiently upon God for God to decide when they would have a king and who that king should be. It wasn't that it was always going to be wrong for Israel to have a king, but it was wrong for Israel to become impatient and to want a king and to want a king for all the wrong reasons because they wanted to be like the other nations. They were not willing to wait till God gave a king and to rest content in his provision of judges who acted in the power of the Spirit. of God. So in looking at this chapter and its place in the book, it paves the way for the account of Saul and David and gives us the king that the Lord gave in his anger before blessing the people with a man after his own heart. The lessons then are simple and we can summarize what we've learned. Firstly, the covenant of God stands the same to all generations, both the promises and the threatenings. What was true of the patriarchs, what was true of Benjamin and his brethren, the sons of Jacob, the truth made known to them was the same truth that the people had in even greater measure been given when they returned to the land of promise. And that truth, that gospel, was to be mixed in their hearts with faith if they were to be profitable hearers of the Word, otherwise they would fall under the wrath of God in their unbelief. Secondly, outward church membership alone is not enough. It is not enough to be in the list. Saul was in the list, but he wasn't an heir of the kingdom. But Jonathan, his son, was born of the Spirit and trusted the promises of God and sided with the Lord's anointed, David, showing that his heart was toward the anointed of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. So that despite what his father did, Jonathan was himself born of the Spirit, believed the promises and was not ashamed. And then finally, we must wait on the Lord Israel did not wait patiently upon his counsel, but instead of waiting for the Lord in his providence to fulfill his word, they demanded a king and they demanded a king for the wrong reasons. Our unlawful expedience, our devices to try to, as it were, hurry along the promises of God always do no good. Let us rather study to do what the Word of God requires of us and leave God to fulfill His Word in His own good time. He is wise as well as good and all that He does is right. He is righteous in all His ways holy in all his works, and gracious in all his dealings with his own people. Amen.