Theological Commentary: Click Here
The
Chronicler now begins with the Transjordan tribes. These are the tribes that preferred to stay
on the East side of the Jordan River when Joshua was leading the people into
the promised land. The men went over to
fight, but the women stayed behind and established their society.
We are told
about their military prowess as well as their large flocks. They were a prosperous people. For a time, they had a great reputation. They were traders, herdsmen, and crafters who
were skilled at defending themselves.
They seemed to have life going well for them.
They had one
issue. Their issue isn’t solely
theirs. Their hearts were as flawed in
the same manner as ours. They chased
after foreign gods. They lost their
connection to our Creator. They turned
to their own greatness and embraced ways that allowed they to live as they
wanted, not as they should.
Thus,
Tiglath-pileser III comes. Assyria comes
to take them into captivity. God isn’t
impressed with their greatness, their wealth, or their power. Those are things that human hearts lust
after. God is angered by their
selfishness and the is repulsed by their inability to live in a godly way. Their wealth, their power, and their ability
could not save them from judgment.
Judgment isn’t
the end of the story, however. Remember
that the Chronicler is telling the story of the whole people. The Hebrew people are returning from exile under
the Persian influence. The people of
Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh may have been judged, but they
were not forgotten. They are among the
exiles and their story lives on. So long
as we are repentant, forgiveness follows judgment. We must go through the judgment, but we who
repent will find God waiting on the other side to restore us.
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