1 Chronicles 7-10

YOU DID IT!  You crossed the finish line of a 9 chapter genealogy! Process that!  Would you have done that 120 days ago??

• Click here to read
• Click here to listen

Chapter 7: I know this is hard and I would be lying if I didn’t say I just looked for names I recognized (there were more than I thought I would.  My favorite was:  Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.    Hey I know them!  When the Israelites return from captivity this genealogy is the RECORD that they will use to prove they are a descendant of Abraham.  Super important! So we finish with Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. (Did anyone notice we were missing 2 tribes)  The one to really notice is Dan!  OUCH.  He is also missing in Revelation.   (feel free to click here for a recall)

I talk about the captivity and because we are still leading up to it, it might confuse you.  So here it is in a nutshell:  

• They are IN the land.
• God told them what to do when they go there.
• They DID NOT LISTEN
• God will send Prophet after Prophet warning them to repent and follow God
• They don’t
• God says “I put you in that land-I can take you out of that land”
• HE DOES!!!  He HANDS THEM OVER TO THEIR ENEMIES-they are Captive.  The Captivity.
• When they are released, the temple is a pile of rubble so most scatter to greener pastures…only a REMNANT return.

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Chapter 8 The Benjaminites-Benjamins’ genealogy is related to the fact that is the descendants of Judah and Benjamin will form the core of the Remnant that returns.  (When we divide the Monarchy, Judah and Benjamin will be one side (2 tribes)  and the other 10 tribes will be the other so this makes sense)

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Chapter 9 Ezra the Author of this book,  writes about the Remnant of Israelites that will return after the captivity to rebuild the Temple (What do you mean to rebuild it…how does it get destroyed??….I guess you are going to have to keep reading to find out!)  So chapter 9 is the “Restoration Community”.

9:1 All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. ² Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.

OK, that was tough to get through without skimming (so I clicked the LISTEN option)

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Chapter 10- FINALLY!!!

We get back to History and as we begin the transition to the DAVIDIC MONARCHY.  As much as we love David, like EVERY person we have read about in the Bible that God has chosen for His purposes he will be far from perfect.  The ONLY government that would be perfect is a THEOCRACY (under 1 God)- and the people said: “Yeah, that ain’t working for us…we want a king like our enemies have”.  So God gave them what they asked for….Saul.

We end today with a recap of where we left off last week, but the Chronicler told it from God’s point of view.   So if I asked you “Who killed Saul”? Some might say:

1. The Philistines
2. His Arm bearer
3. His Own wishes (Himself)
4. The Amalekite who brought the crown to David (remember that!)

But as we read the Psalms the one thing we hear over and over is GOD is in control.  David TRULY believed that.  Do we??

After 14 years of running for his life and countless opportunities to kill Saul (and I am sure he could rationalize his actions to his friends), HE TRUSTED GOD….for 14 years!!!

¹³ Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, ¹⁴ and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

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If you want to get ahead at all in your reading:

Apr 30: Ps 102-104
May 1: 2Sam 5:1-10; 1Chron 11-12