“He had a daughter, Sheerah, who built Upper
and Lower Beth-Horon and Uzzen-Sheerah.”
--1 Chronicles 7:24
In chapter 11 of 1 Chronicles there is a list of names; one
more list. The story was just getting started when the author gave us another
list of names. So far this book has felt
like one long list; name after name. In fact, the first 10 chapters are really
just a series of genealogies. Many of the names are utterly meaningless to me,
names like Abishua, Gera and Shephuphan… They were sons of someone or fathers
of someone and the author of this book felt it important to list them here, but
rarely offers supporting evidence or an explanation why. On the other hand, the genealogy does go back
to the very beginning, so I do recognize some of the names: Adam, Cain, Nimrod
“the first mighty warrior[1],”
Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Israel [aka. Jacob]… And I understand all of this is important as a
kind of build up to the Kingship of David.
But it really is (for the most part) just a bunch of names, just genealogical lists tracing
paternity; for example: “Sons of Reuben,
first-born of Israel: Henoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi. Sons of Joel: Shemaiah his
son, Gog his son, Shimei his son…” etc. etc. (cf. 5:3) Every once in a
while we get clues about where someone lived or what they did; for instance we
learn that there was a clan of linen-workers at Beth-Ashbea and there were potters
who lived at Netaim (cf. 4:21-23), and
temple singers who worked around the clock (cf.
6:16) but almost nothing else in the way of details. And almost totally the
list is of sons and fathers… a patriarchal genealogy.
On occasion, and it stands out because it is so rare, we
hear of a woman. Usually only because
she is the mother of a son. But, very
strikingly, in chapter 7 we hear of Sheerah, daughter of Ephraim. And about her we are
told not that she was someone’s mother, but that she “built upper and lower Beth-Horon and Uzzen-Sheerah.” (cf. 7:24). Coming so abruptly amidst this flood of male names with little or no
details, this odd –and seemingly important-- detail stands out even
more. It makes me wonder about this woman, and it makes me wonder about these long-forgotten
towns she built and about the author. Who was she and why was she so important
to the author that he/she would include such details? And then I wondered about
her name, and whether the creator of He-Man and She-ra was inspired by this
powerful builder of towns.
And then I wondered why nothing was made of her in the
footnotes in my Study Bible? Surely one
of the editors must have realized that readers who get this far will be curious
about her. Why does this woman stand out in this way? But there is nothing in
my study Bible. I would have appreciated even a note that acknowledged my
curiosity by noting that the towns are unknown and their builder is mentioned nowhere
else in scripture (which is basically what I found on Wickipedia).
But as I continued reading Sheerah fades into the endless
flood of more and more names. Many readers might choose to skip over these
first 10 (or 11) chapters because of the lack of narrative. They seem like an extended (almost endless) footnote to the story of
David & his kingdom. But not me. I have made a commitment to read every
word of the Bible, and so I trudge on. I intend to read every the and and and thus and such—and even every name of every begotter
who ever begotted or was begotten by such
or thus or…well, you get my drift. My approach is this: If this is the Word of God, then every single
word of it must be worth reading; not a comma or a consonant to be skipped. And yes, before you say anything, I understand
that this is not necessarily the correct or scholarly or even most efficient way
to read the Bible; but it is part of my spiritual exercise (or discipline) to
read it and to read it all. I
also know that this doesn’t make me special; I am informed that there are many
people who have read every word of it multiple times and to them I say wow[2]! My approach is to surrender to the text;
whatever God gives me to read each day, I read it. If it is beautiful and inspiring, I read
it. If it is a simple (and tedious)
list, I read it. My plan is to just
follow Him, page by page, chapter by chapter.
At my reading rate, it will certainly take a while (years and years),
and I know it will take patience and will-power (which I sometimes lack) and
humility; I had to humble myself and read all those laws in Deuteronomy, and
all those census tallies in Numbers, and all those details about the ark and
the tent and the altar and the bowls and lampstands and ephods in Exodus… Or
was that Leviticus?
Barely a ¼ finished, already I am looking toward reading it
all again and hoping more sticks the second time around. But for now, I am just submitting; I am just
opening the book each day and reading the next verse, the next chapter, the
next page. Meeting whatever or whoever
the Lord puts before me… And learning what I can from it. My plan is to simply follow the Lord wherever
He leads. And isn’t that a good lesson
in itself?
