Ok Buckle up. This morning I opened my Bible fully expecting another day of reading names I couldn't pronounce. And it is. So when I saw today's reading was another genealogy list, I caught myself wanting to read a little faster.
Genealogies can feel that way sometimes.
You know there's a reason they're there, but you're not always sure what you're supposed to be seeing. So before I kept reading, I prayed Lord, don't let me miss what You want me to see today. In the middle of this list of names what am I supposed to see. And I'm so glad I did. Because tucked away in the middle of all those names, God introduced me to someone I had somehow never noticed before.
Her name was Sheerah.
I have read through the Bible before, but somehow I had completely missed her. I was probably skimming quickly over that list of names. :) I don't remember ever hearing a sermon about her or hearing anyone mention her name. Isn't that amazing? Even after years of reading God's Word, there are still hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Have you ever heard of her? And it's not the Sheerah from the 80s who hung out with He-man. Although that's the only Sheerah I've ever known.
Stay with me though because as I kept reading, I noticed what came before her story.
Ephraim's sons are killed. "...the men of Gath...killed them, because they went down to seize their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days, and his relatives came to comfort him." (1 Chronicles 7:21–22) In the middle.of a genealogy list it stops to point this out. A father is grieving the loss of his sons.
Then Scripture tells us another son is born, and Ephraim names him Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his household. Then, almost hidden between the names, we read "His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon as well as Uzzen Sheerah." (1 Chronicles 7:24)
That's it.
That's her whole story.
One verse.
I know it's just one verse because I stopped to research it. I wanted to know more about this woman. I wanted to know more of her story. Women were not typically listed in genealogy lists like this because the line was passed down through the sons and usually the first born sons. So for her to be there in the middle of it all had to mean something. But this is the only place in the bible we ever see her name.
But She isn't remembered because she married someone important. And she isn't remembered because she gave birth to someone famous. She is remembered because..
She built.
But she didn't just build a few houses or a forgotten village. Scripture tells us she built Lower Beth Horon, Upper Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah. And as I kept digging a little deeper, I realized these weren't ordinary towns. Hold on to your hats because this is where it really gets good.
Beth Horon sat on one of the most important routes in Israel, connecting the coastal plain to the hill country and eventually to Jerusalem. It was a strategic mountain pass that would become the site of battles, trade, protection, and victory for generations to come.
And Then I found another connection...Yep it just keeps getting better. Because We've been here before. Do you remember our study through Joshua?
It was on the ascent of Beth Horon that Joshua pursued the Amorite kings, and God sent hailstones from heaven to fight for Israel. Look back...."As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon... the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them..." (Joshua 10:10–11) There it is Beth Horon.
The very place Sheerah helped build would later become one of the places where God displayed His power and gave His people victory.
I love that so much. And I wonder if Sheerah had any idea what God would do through the work he called her to do. Probably not. She just built what was needed at the time.
But Isn't that how God works?
We don't usually get to see the whole story while we're living it. We don't know who will be impacted by our obedience years from now.
We don't know what future victories God might bring because we chose to faithfully build today.
As I continued studying, I found something else that made me smile. One accepted understanding of the Hebrew name Sheerah (שֶׁאֱרָה) connects it with "kinswoman," "remnant," or "flesh and blood," from a Hebrew root associated with what remains.
Now That caught my attention.
A woman whose name is connected with what remains, Who appears in Scripture immediately after a family's devastating loss,
Who is remembered for building something that would bless generations she would never live to see. Took my breath away.....
Now, I want to be careful not to say more than Scripture says. The Bible doesn't tell us that Sheerah built because of her family's tragedy. It doesn't tell us what she was thinking or feeling although I wish it told us so much more. But I do think it's worth slowing down and noticing the order of the scriptures.
First we read about mourning. Then we meet a builder. Now whether that's just the order of the genealogy or an intentional literary emphasis, the picture is beautiful.
It reminded me that God often continues His story through people who remain faithful quietly in the background.
The Builders.
People who don't pretend the mess isn't there.
People who don't deny the heartbreak.
People who just pick up another stone and trust God with the outcome and keep building.
And I couldn't help but smile because for a while now, one word has echoed in my own heart.
Build.
Ark Builders. Building faith. Building hope.
Helping restore what life has torn down.
Maybe that's why God wouldn't let me rush past Sheerah today. Not because she preached an amazing sermon that was written in the bible for everyone to look back at for generations to come. Not because she performed any miracles. But because one little verse reminded me that God sees the builders. Even the ones history almost forgot.
And maybe you feel a little forgotten today too. Maybe you're faithfully building your family, your ministry, your marriage, your classroom, your business, or just rebuilding your own life one day at a time.
Be encouraged today. The God who made sure one verse about Sheerah would be preserved for thousands of years still sees builders today. He sees every act of faithfulness. Every unseen sacrifice. Every stone you lay in obedience. None of it is wasted. And Sheerah has now become my favorite Woman in the Bible.
Love Pastor Mandy
MandiesDandies / Ark of Hope
Daily Reading 1 Chronicles 7-8
P.s. an in depth study in Sheerah is coming.
Add comment
Comments