Topic: Why Read First Chronicles?
Starting any book with nine chapters of genealogies (1 Chron. 1-9) isn’t the best way to grab a modern reader’s attention. However, once you understand how 1 and 2 Chronicles are a work of literary genius that’s in conversation with the rest of the Old Testament, you’ll come to see these books as one of the many gems in the Bible.
The first word of 1 Chronicles is “Adam.” From there, the Chronicler has woven the entire story of Abraham’s family leading up to David and beyond into a series of elaborately arranged genealogies. For ancient Israelite readers, these genealogies weren’t just a matter of family lines but a shorthand way of retelling the stories of all these characters in an annotated form. These names would have provoked whole memories of earlier scriptural stories. They are the introduction to a retelling of Israel’s entire story, focusing on the future hope of a messianic king like David, who will restore the temple and God’s kingdom over the nations.
The Chronicler was living at a time when the Jewish people had long resettled in Jerusalem after returning from the Babylonian exile. Things were okay (read Ezra and Nehemiah or Malachi for a flavor of daily life in this period), but there was a growing awareness that God’s ancient covenant promises to Abraham, Moses and David, which were reaffirmed by the prophets, had not yet come to pass. They awaited a messianic king of Isaiah who would rebuild the temple and invite all the nations into God’s kingdom (see Isaiah chapters 2, 9, 11 and 60).
One of the main goals of the Chronicler was to reshape the stories of Israel’s past to rekindle hope for the future. He had before him most of the books of the Old Testament and he retells the stories of David and Israel’s kings in a way that turns them into models and portraits of the future king they hope for. The book of Chronicles is kind of like the Reader’s Digest of the Old Testament. This author has reflected on the Scriptures and offers an interpretation of Israel’s past that highlights their future hope. These books were designed to sustain the hopes and prayers of God’s people as they wait for God to fulfill his ancient promises.
- The information above is from a longer article from bibleproject.com. titled “Chronicles: Not Just a Repeat.”
As for us, the reading of Chronicles encourages us to retell the gospel with the assured hope of the return of Christ.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem