1 Chronicles 9:35-44--Ancestry and Descendants of Saul

1 Chronicles 9:35-44
English Standard Version
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Saul's Genealogy Repeated
35 In Gibeon lived the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, and the name of his wife was Maacah, 36 and his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth; 38 and Mikloth was the father of Shimeam; and these also lived opposite their kinsmen in Jerusalem, with their kinsmen. 39 Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 40 And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal, and Merib-baal fathered Micah. 41 The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz. 42 And Ahaz fathered Jarah, and Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. And Zimri fathered Moza. 43 Moza fathered Binea, and Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. 44 Azel had six sons and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

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This is the end of the story of Saul.  Though God still preserved his family, they would never be kings in Israel ever again unless they married into the kingly line that came from David.  There is the son of Jonathan called Mephibosheth that was taken into the king's palace and treated like one of the king's sons for the sake of his father Jonathan, David's best friend and son of King Saul (I'm not sure why Mephibosheth is not mentioned alongside the other sons of Jonathan here).  I believe these descendants that we get to at the end are the ones who were alive when the priests took records after the return from the Exile.  God has been faithful to this family, even though Saul was not faithful to the LORD.  He abused the gifts, authority and responsibility that was given to him by God and used these things for himself.  Instead of obeying the law, he acted as if the Law didn't apply to him (he was lawless) and he well could be one of the people talked about in Matthew 7 who asks, "Did we not prophecy in your name?" to whom the Lord will reply, "Depart from Me, I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness."  The consequences of Saul's selfishness were long-lasting and far reaching.  It affected all of his immediate family, and it affected his whole extended family and all of his descendants.  That stigma and stain would forever be associated with their family.  We need to be careful to not be so self-centered that we think that our sin only affects us and no one else.  It affects everyone around us, and it will have generational impacts--just look at the sin of Ham in the book of Genesis and how all his descendants, even to this day are those who are opposed to God and His people.  The bad character and behavior of one man that led him to turn to idolatry and all kinds of iniquity have led billions, if not trillions of people to live in darkness and to hostile to the gospel (and we still see the results of some of those decisions in our world today as these families are still often at war with one another).  It is only through Jesus that enemies can become brothers through adoption (like what happened with Mephibosheth).  We who were once enemies and far off because of our rebellion have been made sons and daughters of the king and invited to sit at the king's table and have our ever need taken care of, because we cannot do anything to take care of ourselves.