Chronicles - Background
There is much we don’t know about Chronicles. We don’t know when it was written, although
it is likely written after the Hebrew people return from exile as a reminder to
the people about God’s faithfulness to His promises. That’s why we put off reading it until this
point in the reading plan. We also don’t
know who wrote it, although many have speculated that the author was Ezra the
priest as he was returning to the land and looking to inspire the people. We also don’t know why it was split up into
two books as originally this book was a unified whole.
So what do we know? We know
that the Davidic line is important to the chronicler. We know that this book focuses on God’s
promises to the people through the line of David. We also know that the book focuses primarily
on the history of Judah while leaving out much of the detail of the northern
kingdom of Israel. We also know that the
temple and the priesthood were important themes to the chronicler.
Genealogy
The first two chapters of 1 Chronicles are devoted to moving us
from Adam to David. I know what you are
thinking. Back to genealogies? Didn’t we happily leave these behind in the
Pentateuch? Well, the answer is no. We have them here for a mighty purpose!
Remember that this book was written to a people who are returning
home from captivity. For the past few
decades – or in some cases centuries – they have had their status pulled out
from under them. They have become
nothing on the face of the earth. They
were dragged away into captivity and their identity as God’s chosen people was
forgotten.
Therefore, as the people return to the land it is important to
reestablish who they were. They were a
people who could trace their lineage back to Adam. Of course all people are of Adam’s line, but
how many people can trace it back? These
people were also a people of Noah.
Again, all people are of Noah’s line, but how many people can trace it
back? Furthermore, these two
genealogical notes give the Hebrew people claim to the promise of dominion over
the earth through Adam as well as the promise of never being destroyed through
Noah. This promise would be especially
potent as the remnant indeed returns from exile.
From Noah, through Shem, we then move to Abraham. Abraham brings about a status that not all
people can claim. It is in this lineage
that we have divergence from the Gentiles.
While all people can claim relation to Noah and Adam, not everyone can
claim lineage to Abraham.
What is it that Abraham brings to the people? Abraham brings the covenant. God told Abraham that his descendants would
be in number like the stars of the sky or the sand of the earth. Abraham is told by God that his people will
be special among the people of the world.
Abraham is told that his descendants would be a blessing to the people
of the earth.
Again, these promises would bring incredible peace to these
exiles. Although they had been treated
like captives under the Babylonians, they were actually a blessing to the
people. The Babylonians didn’t know what
they had in their midst until God’s judgment wrenched it away out of their
hands! Although the Hebrew people had
been forgotten by the Babylonians as just one of the people who were conquered,
God proved that they were still special to Him by bringing them alone out of
captivity and reestablishing them in the world.
From Abraham we move to Jacob.
Jacob is important primarily for the remembrance of the twelve tribes of
Israel. It also explains the appearance
of Judah, from whom the kings of the Hebrew people would arise. In focusing in on Judah, we see that the chronicler
is indeed interested in the Davidic line and the promises that come from God
through David.
In chapter 2 we focus on David’s family. The Chronicler brings us to David and that
line follows the path outlined in the book of Ruth. The point here is that God has fulfilled His
promise to lead His people. There would
be a king, and through that king there would be an even greater Messiah.
However, we also have a fair amount of text on the family tree of
David. Honestly, this text doesn’t
really do much for us. There isn’t any
great wisdom here except for genealogical knowledge. However, what it does do is to remind us of
the context of family. David was a great
king. He was a powerful man. He sired a great line of leaders. But the truth is that he came from a humble
beginning with normal family just like the rest of us. What made David great was his devotion to
God, not the uniqueness of his lineage.
The same would be true for the exiles returning from Babylon. The same is true for us, too.
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