1 Chronicles 8:1-40

It is hard to say why we have a second genealogy for Benjamin instead of just covering the full family of Saul in just one genealogy.  Perhaps it is because the author is beginning to go into the history of the kings so he wanted to give a special place to Saul’s lineage as the first king of Israel.  One thing that is important to remember when comparing the genealogies in Scripture is that there are very often people missing from the lists, also there are often men that are listed with more than one name and there are several alternate spellings for the same name at times.  These facts make the family lines hard to trace at times and can create confusion when trying to compare the genealogy.  I am not going to bother doing an outline of this chapter, but would just like to note once again how this tribe could have been much more prominent had Saul not been such a failure as a king.  However, I think it is also worthy to note that Benjamin and Judah made up the majority of the northern division of Israel who along with Judah here significantly more dedicated to the Lord and faithful to His Word.  They were not taken into captivity nearly as quickly as the southern tribes.  I find it interesting that there could have been animosity between Judah and Benjamin because of the change in the right to reign; however, they continued to work together and were able to help one another walk closer to the Lord.  We must be careful to use our relationships in a similar way; avoiding bitterness and encouraging loyalty and spiritual growth.