Timeline of Peter's Life and Ministry
It is through Abraham, the spiritual father of faithful Christians (Romans 4:16) and "Friend of God" (James 2:23), that God started what would become the nation of Israel through his grandson Jacob (the founder of the twelve tribes of Israel).
Abraham was originally named Abram (Genesis 17:1-5). He left his home in Ur of the Chaldees to live in Haran, but soon moved from there to live in the land of Canaan. Sarah, whose original name was Sarai, was the wife of Abraham. After God healed her so that she could have a family, she gave birth at 90 to Isaac. Sarah is the only woman in the Bible where her age at death, one-hundred and twenty-seven (127), is recorded.
The First Son
Hagar was an Egyptian woman who was the handmaid of Sarah. Because she could not have children Sarah gave her to Abraham. Soon after this occurred Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Keturah, the second wife of Abraham, likely married him after the death of Sarah. Keturah bore him six boys.
Miracle Children
Isaac, Sarah's only child, was miraculously born after God healed Sarah of being unable to produce children. Isaac's wife Rebekah bore him two sons. He lived longer, at 180 years, than either his father (175 years) or his son Jacob (147 years). Rebekah, wife of Isaac, was healed of being barren after the couple prayed to God for a miracle. She gave birth to twin boys Esau and Jacob.
Esau, also called Edom, received his name from the fact that he was born red and hairy (Genesis 25:25). He sold his birthright, and the blessings that came with it, to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup. He is the founder of the Edomites that lived in the land of Canaan.
The Grandson
Jacob was the twin-brother of Esau and grandson of Abraham. He stole Esau's blessing from their father by pretending to be him when Isaac was old and unable to see very well. To escape the wrath of his brother, Jacob flees to a relative named Laban. Jacob works fourteen years for Laban and marries his daughters Leah and Rachel.
After wrestling with a man all night (who was actually Jesus is human form) Jacob's name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32). The children born through Jacob, in their birth order, are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, Joseph and Benjamin.
Slave Wives
Bilhah was a slave girl Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. Because Rachel could not have children she gave Bilhah to Jacob. Two sons were produced out of this arrangement. Leah was the oldest daughter of Laban and sister to Rachel. Laban, although he agreed to have Jacob marry Rachel after he worked for him for seven years, deceived Jacob into marrying Leah first (Genesis 29). Leah and Jacob produced six boys and one girl.
Zilpah was a slave girl given to Leah by her father. When Leah believed she could bare no more children she gave the slave girl to Jacob (Genesis 30). She produced two of Jacob's sons. Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban.
Jacob, because of Laban's deception, had to work fourteen years to earn the right to marry Rachel. After God miraculously healed her of being unable to bare children she gave birth to Joseph. She later died giving birth to Benjamin. Rachel is the first woman recorded in the Bible as dying in childbirth.
King David
David represented the 13th generation from Abraham in the family tree (the 33rd Biblical generation on earth). He was the youngest of Jesse's eight sons. The prophet Samuel anointed David Israel's new king c. 1025 B.C. when he was roughly fifteen years old. He would not end up ruling, however, until he turned thirty years old in 1010. At thirty he was made sovereign only over the tribe of Judah.
David reigned over Judah for about 7 1/2 years before finally being accepting as the sole king of all the tribes of Israel. He began his united rule over God's people when he was 37.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah (2Samuel 5:4 - 5, KJV).
David, arguably the greatest human king over God's people, reigned from 1010 to 970 B.C. His son Solomon succeeded him on the throne and built the "house of God" or temple he had longed to construct. David was a man after God's own heart. Although he had his own sins and weaknesses that cost him dearly, he was much beloved by the Lord. After he is resurrected from the dead, an awesome event that will commence with the return of Christ, he will be honored with a position of power and authority in the world tomorrow.
For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them (Jeremiah 30:8 - 9, KJV).