Bible 101 - 1 Chronicles Chapters 1-9

Presented April 11, 2005 by Phyllis Gilbert

Review: Having finished I and II Samuel, and I and II Kings, we have had a panoramic view of Israel's history from Samuel, as the last judge and anointer of the first two kings, through a heroic and successful reign of David, the ideal king, to Solomon's building of the Temple, and then the falling off of faith and obedience as demonstrated by the split into two kingdoms: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. In all, 39 kings reigned from 930 B.C. to 586 B.C.: 19 in the north, all bad, with the last occupying the throne in 722 B.C., and 20 in the south, some good, the last on the throne in 586 B.C. Both kingdoms are carried off by military might (Assyria and Babylon), but their defeat and exile comes as the cost of their sin. God allowed two nations to wipe them out as a consequence of their idol worship - a slap in God's face and a reversal of his plan for them to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6). They've broken every one of the 613 laws, but more than that, they've decided their wisdom and that of their kings is much greater than God's wisdom, and their military power is greater than God's. In all ways, they were wrong. Sadly, they, like most humans, had to learn the hard way. And in the study we are about to begin, of these books called the Chronicles, we'll see this history from God's point of view.

Introduction to I and II Chronicles: Here's what J. Vernon McGee says about these two books (originally a single book just as I and II Samuel, and I and II Kings, were single books):

I Chronicles: What will strike you first about this book are the genealogical lists which form chapters 1 through 9. The writer begins with Adam, and continues to Abraham, and then the 12 tribes of Israel are shown in their clans and families. Thus, the book becomes a historical record to which later generations can refer. It is valuable to us in many ways. For example, Luke 3:23-38 is Jesus' genealogy beginning with his legal father, Joseph, all the way back to Adam, "the son of God." In I Chron. 1:1, we read that Adam had other sons besides the ones Luke lists; this is true of many other ancestors. A genealogy is selective, but those in Chronicles are the most complete in the Bible. We can fill in blanks which occur in other lists by referring to these first nine chapters.

I Chronicles 1: As we go through these names, you'll recognize most of them because we met them first in Genesis. Of special interest in v. 8, the descendants of Ham which includes Canaan. It is Ham's descendants Noah cursed, and which God specifies as nations whose practices were so evil that he intended to replace them in Canaan with his own people. We know now that his own people disappointed him, and they, too, are gone, and for the same reasons that the original residents were ejected.

In Abraham's genealogy, v. 28ff: We read the names Isaac and Ishmael in that order; however, we know Ishmael was born 13 years before Isaac. Isaac was called "your only son" when God told Abraham, in Gen. 22, to take Isaac to a place God would show him and there offer him as a burnt offering. Gen. 22 and this test of faith is one of the pivotal chapters of the entire OT. It is referred to often in the NT because of Abraham's demonstration of faith. And of course, if Isaac were dead, the promised Messiah (Gen. 12:1-3) would not come from one of Abraham's descendants. Paul in Romans 4 makes very clear that Abraham's faith was the key to the righteous standing God gave him. And, Paul says, it is our faith in Jesus' sacrifice which provides our righteousness (Rom. 4:18-25). In Heb. 11, the writer spends 12 verses explaining Abraham's faith - highlighting his willingness to sacrifice Isaac believing that, if necessary, God would bring him back from the dead. James also refers to Abraham's faith (James 2:21-24). Also in Abraham's genealogy, we see that while he and Sarah had only one son, his second wife Keturah bore him 7 sons. And we recall that Abraham provided for each of them, while making clear that the inheritance of the covenant promise was for Isaac alone.

One bit of history which is of interest to us today because of our presence in Iraq, our concern with the entire Middle East and Israel's struggle with Islamic nations: Note I Chron.1:29 the list of Ishmael's sons. Ishmael, the son of Abram and his concubine Hagar, is sent away when Isaac, the son of the promise, is weaned (at about age 3; this makes Ishmael 15 or 16). God promises Abraham that he will bless Ishmael, and indeed, he has 12 sons, just as Jacob, Abraham's grandson does, and those sons of Jacob are the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel. Ishmael's sons are the patriarchs of the Arab peoples, and Kedar, his second son, was the ancestor of Mohammed (born 570 A.D.).

I Chronicles 1:35-54: This passage is of interest because it's a list of Esau's descendants. Often, beginning in Numbers, and continuing through I and II Samuel, and I and II Kings, we read of the Edomites. They were a constant thorn in Israel's side. And in the NT, the most famous Edomites begin with Herod the Great, the king who tried to kill Jesus when an infant; his son Herod Antipas was one of the few people Jesus said nothing to (Luke 23).

I Chronicles 2: Now the genealogy begins to concentrate on Judah, the third son of Jacob; in fact, Judah's descendants will be listed through ch. 4. It is Judah from whom David comes, and David's royal son, Jesus. Note vv. 13-16, and we'll see familiar names such as Joab, Abishai and Asahel. These nephews of David were his military leaders. Look also at v. 38: Attai was the father of Nathan; Nathan was the prophet who told David "you are the man" following his sin with Bathsheba.

I Chronicles 3: Here is a detailed list of David's many descendants, and in this list, we see names we just read in II Kings (vv. 10-17). We also recognize Absalom, Adonijah and Amnon, all of whom disappointed David in a particularly grievous way. Amnon slept with his half-sister Tamar; Absalom murdered Amnon to avenge his sister's death; Absalom and Adonijah both tried to usurp the throne from their father.

I Chronicles 4: The genealogies of Judah continue, and in v. 9 and 10, we meet Jabez, made famous by the book The Prayer of Jabez. As Bruce Wilkerson wrote in his little but dynamic book, Jabez stands out from all the other names because he asked God for a blessing. And not just a general, all-purpose blessing, but one tailored to him: he asked for more land, God's protection, and God's presence. And we read "And God granted his request." This OT lesson should remind us that prayer is effective when it's in earnest, directed to God and God alone, and is definite. Of course, we want to pray "not my will but thine be done" when making such requests, and we don't want to fall into the trap of thinking "This is what God should do for me and my life will be perfect," asking God, then, for his stamp of approval for our plans. Rather, we need to be open to his will and his plan for our lives. But Jabez wasn't afraid to say "God, here's the kind of blessing I'd like," and in asking, he acknowledges God as the source of all that he has. God responds to such faith.

I Chronicles 4:13: Note in this verse a detail that "Seraiah was the father of Joab, the founder of the Valley of Craftsmen," and later, in v. 18, we read that an Egyptian princess became part of this clan of Judah. Still further on, v. 21, we discover linen workers, and in v. 23, potters, all of whom worked for the king. All this tells us the small details of daily life and the professions that people relied on. In this chapter, also we begin to read of Simeon, and v. 27 is interesting: "Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but none of his brothers had large families. So Simeon's tribe never became as large as the tribe of Judah." Was it their land apportionment? Were the women afflicted with miscarriages or like Sarai and Rachel, considered barren? We do find that they searched for and found peaceful land for their flocks (v. 40).

I Chronicles 5: Reuben's family is listed, and in the first verse, we're reminded of his sin against his father Jacob, a failure that cost Reuben, the oldest son, his full inheritance. Reuben might have thought his father was in the dark about the incident until Jacob was dying, and then he revealed that he'd known all along (Gen. 49:2-4). Jacob gives him nothing in his "last will and testament" except a character summary: "you are as unruly as the waves of the sea." From the genealogy in I Chron. 5, it's clear that Reuben did not prosper. Gad follows, and his family, too, is given only a brief mention. In the NT, the Gadites are on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus encountered a demon-possessed man there living among the tombs. Jesus cast out the demons, a legion of them, and they asked to go into the pigs. Jesus sent them there, and the whole herd crashed over a cliff into the sea. The people in the Gadarene region asked Jesus to leave, apparently valuing their herds more than they did the Messiah (Luke 8:26).

I Chronicles 5:18: Warriors from Gad, Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh, who lived on the east side of the Jordan, were fierce, and successful at defeating their enemies. And we read that they asked God for help, "and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him."

I Chronicles 6: Here the priestly line is introduced. All the priests and temple assistants were from the tribe of Levi. And we learned in Numbers that Levi had three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, and from Kohath we read of Amram, who was father to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, all of whom had leadership roles in the desert journey. Only Aaron's descendants, we're told in v. 49, served as priests.

I Chronicles 6:31: Here the musicians, also from Levi's tribe and the Kohathite clan (originally the bearers of the Tabernacle furnishings), are listed. It was, we're told, David who organized them once the ark was brought to Jerusalem. David organized all the Levites into various ranks of duties (I Chron. 23-26) and we'll read about it in detail later. Ch. 6 ends with a summary of the Levites' cities, assigned by Joshua in the original allotment of the land. Recall that God had told the Levites, "I am your inheritance" (Num. 18:20) and that they'd be given cities and pasture land within Canaan so that their ministry could be available to all the people.

I Chronicles 7: Here are listed the families of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim and Asher with their territories and numbers.

I Chronicles 8: Here Benjamin is given more detail, and by v. 29, God has focused our attention on the line that produces Saul (v. 33), and proceeds on through succeeding generations. No mention is here made that Saul was Israel's first king; it will be covered in ch. 9 and in ch. 10, Saul's death is recorded. This focus (or lack of focus) on Saul previews the rest of I and II Chronicles: God is concentrating on the altar and the Temple; Saul was "fired" by God because he did not follow God's law, nor seek God's help. It is David on whom God's spotlight falls.

I Chronicles 9: Here are lists of those who return from exile in Babylon. Remember that Ezra wrote this book and the next; he is with the first group which returns to Jerusalem. It's important to see the number of Levites who returned; without them, there could be no Temple sacrifices or worship. God preserved a faithful remnant.

Next week: we'll begin with Saul's death and then concentrate on David for the rest of I Chronicles.

Homework for those who want to go deeper:

Let's close in prayer.