Bible Passage: “Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth.” (1 Chronicles 1:1-4)
Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 1:1-54
It’s not always easy to know where to start a story.
In the book of Chronicles (the “1 & 2 Chronicles” in our Bible were separated for reading ease and topic identification—they were originally written as a single piece), we may be surprised to find it begins, though perhaps a bit on the nose, all the way back at the beginning.
The first word we read in the book is “Adam.” The Chronicler (which is an awesome title!) wants to set the tone for the stories he is about to tell.
Chronicles is, in many ways, a re-telling of a story that had already been told through the books of the Kings. Make no mistake; the Chronicler knew that Kings already existed; he wanted to reassure his readers that the story he was telling was still the story of God and His people.
What better place to begin than with the very first son of God and continue the story right through to the present?
This week, we will look at some of the key events in the book of First Chronicles. To do that, we have to understand why these books exist in the first place.
The books of Chronicles tell the same stories, or at least cover the same period of history, as the books of Kings. Both cover the time of the kings in Israel, from the first days of King Saul, through the fall of the Northern Kingdom and the exile of the Southern Kingdom.
The difference is that the books of Kings were likely written during the period of exile, when Israel had no king and very nearly no Israelites. Chronicles, on the other hand, was written post-exile, after the first Israelites had begun to return to the Promised Land.
This difference in time also provides the reason for a difference in perspective.
While the books of Kings are nearly universally negative, the books of Chronicles portray a far more positive story—one of hope in God’s promises.
Chronicles tells Israel her own story in an effort to stir up hope for the future, showing all of us that even in what, from some perspectives, is a dark night, God’s faithfulness still shines bright.
Prayer: God, it is all too easy to see things from our own limited point of view and forget that You are the God of all history, even the history that is yet to come. Help me to patiently look for You in all my circumstances and to trust that Your work in the present and future is the same as Your work in the past. Amen.
Reflection: What circumstances in your life might you need to try to “retell” to reflect both the truth and a trust in God’s faithfulness?
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