Day 186

1 Chronicles 1:1–2:17; Acts 23:11-35; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 18:14-15

TODAY WE BEGAN the books of Chronicles. We’re not sure who authored or collected these Chronicles, but Jewish tradition suggests that the scribe and priest Ezra was involved. There isn’t consensus about timing among biblical scholars, but the books were penned about four and a half centuries before the Common Era, which would make them contemporary with Ezra.

First and 2 Chronicles will cover a lot of the same territory that we’ve covered in the books of Samuel and Kings, but from a different perspective: Chronicles looks at the same history through the eyes of the priests.

We ended the books of Kings yesterday with the conquest of Judah and the exile to Babylon, which effectively ended the ancient era of the Promised Land. The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles were written from this exile.

As we discussed when the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17), exile was an empire-building tool, forcing assimilation by mixing people groups together so their individual histories would be forgotten over time. The books of Chronicles were written to remind the children of Israel who they were, where they came from, and who God is.

The first nine chapters cover a lot of genealogy (as we saw in today’s reading). This is the part of the Bible where we read a lot of hard-to-pronounce names, and we might wonder what the purpose is of including them. But once we understand why the names are there, they tell a very moving story: Families had been split apart; community groups had been displaced; and parents, siblings, and even spouses would never see each other again as they were carried away to unknown lands. These names —these genealogies —were knit together so the people could remember where they came from and who they were. Each name held behind it a story of life and loss.

Of course, this wasn’t the last time the Jewish people faced displacement and hardship. We’ve all learned of the horrors of World War II. A visit to any Holocaust museum will offer name after name of those who were lost. So these genealogies matter. Don’t just blow through them.

The books of Chronicles will again show us God’s long-suffering and kindness toward His people when they walk with Him. It will also show us how things disintegrate when we walk away. Whether thousands of years ago or last night, people’s choices are writing the story of our lives —and they matter.

PRAYER:

O LORD, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.