The expression of faith? Love
1Chronicles 3-5 / Galatians 4-6
How to get the most out of Hungry Bible
OT
4:10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and extend my lands! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!’ And God granted him his request.
5:1-2 The oldest son of Israel was Reuben. But since he dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, his birthright was given to the sons of his brother Joseph. For this reason, Reuben is not listed in the genealogy as the firstborn son. It was the descendants of Judah that became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation, but the birthright belonged to Joseph.
:20 They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated.
:25 But they were unfaithful and violated their covenant with the God of their ancestors. They worshiped the gods of the nations that God had destroyed.
NT
4:1-7 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves great wealth for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were slaves to the spiritual powers of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.
OT Flash Points
Simeon wipes out Ham’s descendants in Gedor
Reuben, first born, lost his birthright to Joseph
Eastern tribes Reuben, Gad and 1/2 the tribe of Manasseh exiled by Assyria
NT Flash Points
What? Are you going to turn back to slavery?
An heir is only given authority as a leader in the family when he comes of age
Until then he is like the slaves
Perspective
If you belong to Christ, walk in the freedom of the Holy Spirit to love one another
Faith expressing itself is love [note: use God’s definitions, not culture’s]