The Gospel and the Spirits in Prison

“The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of those who worked fine linen, from the house of Ashbea, and Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the rule over Moab, and Jashubi-lehem. And these are ancient things.” (1Chronicles 4:21-22)

In the first part of this chapter in Chronicles, we learn about the descendants of Judah.  The tribe of Judah settled across the dead sea from Moab which is now Jordan. The Moabites were descendants of the incestuous daughters of Lot. (Genesis 19:30-38) “So both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. And the first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.” (Genesis 19:36-37) The Moabites were conquered and assimilated into other cultures and peoples as prophesied and are no more.

The tribe of Judah were craftsmen. “Behold, I, I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship, to devise designs; to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all workmanship.” (Exodus 31:2-5) And later they were gardeners in King David’s gardens. “These were the potters and those who lived among plants and hedges. They lived there with the king for his work.” (1Chronicles 4:23)

It’s believed that the Chronicles were written by Ezra who lived about six hundred years later. So as Ezra chronicles these events he uses the term “...and these are ancient things,” indicating that it happened hundreds of years ago.

Judah is the tribe that Jesus was born into as a descendant of King David. An ancestor of Jesus is also Ruth a Moabitess. Her mother-in-law, Naomi had been living with her husband and two sons in Moab. But when her husband and her two sons who had married women from Moab died, she returned to Judah and Ruth went with her. Ruth eventually marries Boaz from the tribe of Judah. (Ruth 1:1-4:17) They are the ancestors of King David and of Jesus.

The tribe of Judah fell into idolatry. The demise of the tribe of Judah is told in 2Chronicles which tells of King Jehoiakim’s abominations. When he had reigned eleven years, he was taken to Babylon and his son, Jehoiachin, who was only eight years old reigned three months and ten days. He did evil abominations also. He too was taken to Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar made his brother, Zedekiah rule Judah and Jerusalem. He also was evil. (2Chronicles 36:5-16) “And He (God) caused the king of the Chaldeans to go up against them. And he killed their choice ones by the sword in the house of their holy place, and had no pity on the young man and the virgin, the old man and the very aged; He gave all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king, and of his rulers, he brought all these to Babylon. And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all the palaces of it with fire, and destroyed all its beautiful vessels. And the ones who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the Word of Jehovah in the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of the desolation it kept the sabbath, to the full measure of seventy years.” (2Chronicles 36:17-21)

After the Babylonian captivity the tribes were not distinct. And today there is not a 100% Jew. Those who consider themselves Jewish are because of culture, religious or ethnic ties. Today, the criteria is even if a Jew was in a mixed marriage, meaning married to someone not considered a Jew, the children are considered Jewish if the mother is Jewish. But only DNA will clarify who is a Jew and the percentage of Jewishness. There has been so much intermarriage in the countries they were scattered. But God has promised to reunite His people that are scattered in the different lands. In Ezekiel 37, the dry bones come to life symbolic of what the Lord will do in Israel. We also know that Israel will be revived and be saved. “And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, "There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” (Romans 11:26) After the Tribulation and in the Thousand Year Reign, they will have the favor of the nations. All the promises made to Israel and creation will be fulfilled at this time. “And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His heart. Also the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the cub lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be the Root of Jesse standing for a banner of the people; to Him the nations shall seek; and His resting place shall be glorious. And it shall be in that day, the Lord shall again set His hand, the second time, to recover the remnant of His people that remains, from Assyria and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Ethiopia, and from Persia, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the coasts of the sea. And He shall lift up a banner for the nations, and shall gather the outcasts of Israel and gather together the scattered ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the foes of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not trouble Ephraim.” (Isaiah 11:5-13 other references: Isaiah 2:2-4;32:18;42:1;Revelation 20:1-3)

So what can we learn from all this history of Israel? First and foremost that God is faithful. Even though it looks like Israel is lost, it’s not lost to God. He will keep the covenants He made to Abraham and to the people of Israel. And because He is faithful and keeps His covenants, He will keep all the promises He has made in the New Covenant for which Jesus suffered, died and resurrected. If God can raise the dry bones of Israel, He can and will revive our dry bones.

You can find these promises here: 750 New Testament Promises | HopeFaithPrayer I asked AI for the number of promises in the New Testament and gathering from various sources, this is what it found. “The New Testament contains approximately 750 promises, but many of these are repeated in different books, resulting in only about 250 separate promises. Some sources estimate the total number of promises in the Bible to be as high as 3,000 to 3,573, depending on the context and interpretation.” God will fulfill every one of them because He is faithful and keeps His promises.

Some will interpret it to mean that we can do whatever we want because God will be merciful and we won’t suffer the consequences of our rebellion and sin. But that is not the case. God will do a miracle in Israel, yes! But they will also have to individually each one in his heart believe on Jesus and make Him Lord of their lives. That doesn’t change. That’s the only way to be saved. Even the Old Testament people who lived before Jesus had to believe on Him and receive Him as Lord. “For Christ also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,” (1Peter 3:18-19) Jesus preached the Gospel to the righteous ones who died before He was born. They had believed a Messiah was coming, but never saw that promise. They were held in a place until they could be redeemed and go to heaven. Jesus speaks of this place when he tells where the rich man went when he died and where   Lazarus the beggar and Abraham went. (Luke 16:19-31)  Jesus went to them and released them. And believing in Jesus and making Him Lord is also the requirement for us and all in this age or dispensation of God’s grace because of the sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus.

In summary, the tribe of Judah fell into sin and idolatry, desecrating the land and yet even they will be saved when they receive Jesus as Lord. They will be accepted with all of Israel who repent and make Jesus their Lord. They will live and see the Messiah reign for a thousand years because God is faithful to fulfill all of His promises.

Let us pray:

Father God Your faithfulness is known to those who love You and who draw near. Draw me Lord. You are long suffering with me and all who repent. I need You Lord to open my eyes that I may see the areas of my life where I fail You, the weakness and defects of which I am blind. Reveal to me the corners of my heart that are hid from Your light, that I may repent and enter Your Presence and Your glory. Teach me Lord, Your way of righteousness in my everyday walk. Fill me with love for Your Word and Your Presence. Keep me Lord from falling victim to my flesh. Open my eyes that I may see Truth. I thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word. Not one letter will fall short of what You promise. Your Word is hope to me. And I thank You Lord that my salvation rests on the holy work of Jesus. It is sacred and holy to You. It is Your Love and Mercy displayed for the world to see how great and gracious You are. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.