1 & 2 Chronicles – Page 16

1 Chronicles 10:1-14 – Unfaithful Saul

Read 1 Chronicles 10:1-14

The story of Israel’s kings begins with Saul. You’ll recall the genealogies ended with reference to Saul’s family. But right before that the Chronicler had been speaking about those returning from Exile. To get our “bearings,” so to speak, this reading goes back many generations from the time of those returning from exile.

There’s a lot more to Saul’s story that can be read in 1 Samuel. The Chronicler glosses over Saul’s life, but in terms of lineage, we’ve been told Saul was descended from the tribe of Benjamin, Jacob’s youngest son.

In this passage, we see Saul under attack by the Philistines. This rivalry had been ongoing but now turns deadly for Israel’s leadership. The Israel people find themselves without a king or an heir to the throne. How did God let this happen?

1 Chronicles 9:1-44 – Connecting the Dots

Read 1 Chronicles 9:1-44

This is the final chapter of the genealogies compiled by the Chronicler. While we see some repetition in the data, this chapter connects the dots between the families before and after the exile. We’re told what happened to these families in the first verse. “The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the Lord.”

The decline in faithfulness took years, but it was the descendants we’ve just read about in the first part of this book who ended up in exile. The rest of 1 Chronicles will tell the story of King David’s reign, and we’ll see how God was moving at that point in history.

1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40 – The Rest of the Family

Read 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40

That was a much longer reading than normal, but I’m ready to find out what the Chronicler has to say to us now that the lineage issues are more than cleared up for us.

It seems one of the important elements on the Chronicler’s mind here was the military strength of the tribes. There are other notable differences in this passage as well. Did you notice more females were mentioned? How about the fact Benjamin’s descendants are recorded twice, in chapter 7 and chapter 8. I still marvel at the different stories the chronicler chooses to include–almost like little vignettes.

1 Chronicles 6:1-81 – The Priestly Line

Read 1 Chronicles 6:1-81

By now, you are probably wondering when we will be done with all the genealogies. Soon, very soon. We’ll have a couple of long readings over the next couple days, and then we’ll get into the historical account from the priestly viewpoint of Chronicles.

Again, we encounter a lot of names, most of them hard to pronounce, all descending from Jacob’s son, Levi. We are given a lot of information in this chapter about Levi’s descendants, some of whom became priests. We’ll likely encounter some of these names again when we read the historical accounts of the kings. It’s good for us to keep in mind that the priests served right alongside the kings leading the people in matters of faith and obedience to God’s laws.

1 Chronicles 5:1-26 – God’s People Aren’t Perfect

Read 1 Chronicles 5:1-26

Is it helpful to recognize the flaws in God’s people? Perhaps it makes us feel better when we fall short. This reading is more than genealogies because we see examples of how God deals with those who fall into the temptation of sin. For Reuben, he lost his birthright. The tribes who bowed down to other gods were taken away into captivity.

We were also given insight into ways God rewards those who trust him. While I am not a fan of war, it is always refreshing to see leaders trusting God in those times. What sorts of conflicts are going on in your life that God can help you with?