10/05/2020 – Day 220 – 1 Chronicles – Chapters 1 – 4 // Genealogies – Why can’t we just skip this?
Genealogies – The Reign of David:
I’m going to the well once again with “Halley’s Bible Handbook” again, he is hard to beat when it comes to introductory excerpts in a book.
”The Twelve preceding Books of the Bible ended with the Hebrew nation in Captivity. These two books of Chronicles retell the same story, and end at the same point. They are a Recapitulation of all that has gone before, with special attention to the reigns of David, Solomon, and subsequent kings of Judah.
1 Chronicles is, in part, the same as II Samuel. It has to do with he story of David, prefaced with 9 chapters of Genealogies. The Genealogies cover the period from Adam to the Jews’ Return from Captivity; a sort of epitome of all previous sacred history.”
Author:
“1 and II Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, were originally, one series of works. Jewish tradition had it that Ezra was the author.
Frequent reference is made to other histories, … (multiple instances in Chronicles of references to outside book sources)…
Thus, it is seen, the author had access to journals, diaries, and public records that are not now known. He also had access to previous Old Testament books. Guided by God, he transcribed that which suited the purpose of his own writing. So, In this part of the Old Testament we have a double narrative.”
Significance of the Double Narrative:
”Believing, as we do, that the whole Bible is the Word of God, designed for Universal use, we wonder if God had some purpose other than Ezra’s immediate need in resettling the land in thus repeating TWICE over this part of the sacred story.
Repetition means Importance. At least, it is a caution not to neglect this part of the Bible. Even though we think of Kings and Chronicles as rather dry reading, yet they contain the story of God’s dealings with His people; and , now and then, in reading, we find therein some of the finest jewels of Scripture.”
Difference between Kings and Chronicles :
”Kings gives a parallel account of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, while Chronicles confines itself to the Southern Kingdom. Chronicles seems to be concerned primarily with the Kingdom of David, and bringing his line down to date.”
Chapters 1 to 9. The Genealogies:
“These genealogies seem to have had for their immediate object the resettling of the land according to the public records. Those who had returned from the Captivity were entitled to lands formerly held in their own families. In the Old Testament land had been apportioned to families, and could not be sold in perpetuity out of the family (see under Leviticus 25 / (Jimmy note – Our reading yesterday))
So the Priesthood was hereditary in families. A priest was to be succeeded by his son. This was the law of the land.
So w, with the Kingly Line of David. The most important and precious of all promises was the World’s Savious would come in David’s family. The central interest of these genealogies is their tracing the descent of David’s line. ( See further on page 415. (Jimmy note – Matthew chapter 1))
Most of the genealogies are incomplete, with many breaks in the lists. But the main list is there. They were probably compiled from many records which had been written on tablets, papyrus or vellum; partly copies from preceding Old Testament books.
The nine chapters of genealogies from the generation-to-generation tie-up of all preceding Biblical history. They need not be read, for devotional purposes, as often as some other parts of Scripture. But in reality these, and similar genealogies, are the skeleton framework of the Old Testament, the thing that binds the whole Bible together, and gives it unity, and makes it ok like real HISTORY, not legend.”
Soli Deo Gloria!
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My notes on our scripture reading text:
- Of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah, Seth’s line produced Abram (Abraham), fifteen generations later by my quick count. So, that would be around 500 years, by a metric I saw years ago – roughly 33 years on avg. per generation.
- 2: 1-2 – Of course, we are given the 12 sons of Jacob (“Israel”), and the 12 tribes.
- 2: 13-17 – We are shown the children of Jesse, including David the 7th and youngest son. Check me on this, I’m being lazy here: I think Joab, David’s nephew, is one of the supreme commanders of David army.
- I was fascinated by 4:9 – 10. Amidst all this rote genealogy, we are told Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and, God granted his request to keep him from harm so that “I will be free of pain.” We have emphasized the scriptural calling to share in the sufferings of Christ. My takeaway thought: God loves us uniquely beyond our wildest imagination, not to say that God loved him more than those who suffered. No? Personally, that takeaway for me was worth the entire “dry” reading. And there is more I expect that I missed. There is never a point where I have a handle on God’s blessings. Do y’all have any to share?
Always connected through prayer and by His grace,
Your brother in Christ,
Jimmy