“Ezer and Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to seize their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days. Then he made love to his wife again and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family.” (1 Chronicles 7:21-23 NIV)
I’m working my way through 1 & 2 Chronicles, which are actually all the same book, just split into two scrolls due to length. I learned this week that the Jewish scriptures set Chronicles at the end instead of including it right after 1 & 2 Samuel. When Chronicles concludes the Old Testament, it’s a recap instead of repetition. This makes a lot of sense as we wade through the first nine chapters of genealogy setting the stage. Chronicles is an overview of Israelite history and it ends on a note of hope; a far cry from Malachi’s doom and gloom.
This morning in chapter seven, I came across this man mired in grief, his shattered lineage listed amidst his ancestors. Ephraim’s hurt was so great that it is actually logged in biblical genealogy. Some lives are marked by mourning; the familial bark slashed deep enough to alter the tree forever. Ephraim’s legacy was disfigured by his losses. His sons had been tending their livestock when neighboring Philistines murdered them for their flocks. And poor Ephraim couldn’t pull it together. He mourned for many days. He was deeply disturbed by the enemy’s interference in his story.
As believers living in a sin-ridden land, we will experience loss. We may even, like Ephraim, live through a season of catastrophe that seems insurmountable. He mourned many days, but one day long after the death of his children, he got with his wife and they comforted one another as only married folk can. In God’s mercy, life began again. We’ve got to give this man credit for showing up again when he’d already lost so very much.
I suspect this is why God has included these unique verses amidst the lineage. He knew what it cost Ephraim to put his heart out there again. God applauded Ephraim’s effort to keep breathing, to supply another heir even after the brutal murder of his first two.
What about us? How we respond to loss is critical to our story. Paul reminds us in Philippians; we must keep striving. We can’t forsake the press of the gospel simply because we’ve been wounded. He urges us: forget the past and press on. We have limited time and energy and there’s a finish line ahead. Yes, we get hurt and, yes, we are sad, but hurt and sad don’t exempt us from the goal of living like Christ and making Him known. So feel the feelings, take the time to process your pain with our Lord and Savior and then get up and get back on mission. If pain and suffering were a reasonable reason to sit out long-term than our Jesus would have been excused from the cross long ago.
Lord, help us. We hurt. Life is hard and like Ephraim, we’ve experienced losses. Sometimes it’s tempting to sit in our sorrow and wallow in our defeat. We forget that You have called us to something far bigger than ourselves or even our families. You have called us to Kingdom service, and pain and suffering does not exempt us. Give us the strength to bring our sorrow to You. Shore us up in Your presence and then put us back on task. We cannot waste the resources You have entrusted to us. help us keep showing up for Kingdom’s sake. Amen.