1 CHRONICLES 1–7

The Heritage of God's People

1. For getting the most from 1 and 2 Chronicles, one of the best guidelines is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, words Paul wrote with the Old Testament first in view. He said that all Scripture is of great benefit to (a) teach us, (b) rebuke us, (c) correct us, and (d) train us in righteousness. Paul added that these Scriptures completely equip the person of God "for every good work." As you think seriously about those guidelines, in which of these areas do you especially want to experience the usefulness of 1 and 2 Chronicles? Express your desire in a written prayer to God.

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2. In Jeremiah 23:29, God says that His Word is "like fire" and "like a hammer." He can use the Scriptures to burn away unclean thoughts and desires in our hearts. He can also use Scripture, with hammer-like hardness, to crush and crumble our spiritual hardness. From your study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, how do you most want to see the fire-and-hammer power of God's Word at work in your own life? Again, express this longing in a written prayer to God.

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3. Think about these words of Paul to his younger helper Timothy: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). God calls you to be a "worker" as you study God's word of truth in 1 and 2 Chronicles. It takes work — concentration and perseverance — to fully appropriate God's blessings for us in these books. Express here your commitment before God to work diligently in this study of Chronicles.

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4. In one sitting if possible, read attentively all of 1 Chronicles 1–7, taking notes and underlining or highlighting as you go. What impresses you overall as the key features and themes of this part of the book?

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The point of the genealogies in chapters 1–9 is to show that the Jews living in the Chronicler's generation are the legitimate heirs of the promise that can be traced from Adam, to Abraham, to Judah and the other patriarchs, to King David. The genealogies sometimes skip generations, sometimes deal with several family lines at once (see 6:1-3), sometimes drop in a story about some event (see 4:9-10; 5:18-22). They deal with all twelve tribes of Israel, but the focus is on the royal family of David and the priestly tribe of Levi. Those two families lead in the secular and the sacred realms.

Genealogies may bore us, but they show how deeply the Jews valued family and how important family was at a time when God's promises passed through bloodlines. Each individual, even if he is only a name on a page to us, is a whole valued piece of the story to God. History, too, matters to God. Our faith is not merely a list of doctrinal propositions. It is rooted in events that happened in particular times and places to particular people.

5. "The opening chapter, drawn almost wholly from Genesis, traces the descent of Israel (Jacob) from Adam and depicts the place of his descendants among the nations." In this first chapter of 1 Chronicles, which of the persons listed are familiar to you from other parts of Scripture?

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Adam (1:1). The story of God's covenant of promise begins where human history begins.

Abraham (1:28). Abraham is the center point between Adam (see 1:1) and Jacob/Israel (see 2:1). All of Abraham's descendants are named to show that God kept His promise to make Abraham the father of many nations (see Genesis 17:3-6).

6. In chapters 2–4, the genealogies focus on the tribe of Judah, with special emphasis on the family of David (in chapters 3 and 4). In addition to David, which of the persons listed in chapters 2–4 are familiar to you from other parts of Scripture?

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The sons of Israel (2:1). All twelve tribes are listed in 2:1-2. For the Chronicler, the restoration of Israel will be complete only when all twelve tribes are restored to the land. It's not enough to restore Judah.

The sons of Judah (2:3). Faithful leadership was supposed to come through the tribe of Judah. Her failure to provide that leadership led to the exile, but God isn't finished with Judah. She still has a central role in God's plan.

These were the sons of David (3:1). God promised that the family of David would be the royal line of His people forever (see 1 Chronicles 14:2; 2 Chronicles 2:11). This family is key to God's plan.

In chapter 3, the Chronicler lists the kings from David's line and then the descendants of David who survived the exile. The promised royal line will have to pass through one of those descendants. Ultimately, the Messiah will descend from one of these, so these are important names. They include the two men who led the first and second waves of exiles back to the Promised Land.

7. What theological significance and spiritual instruction do you see in the brief story of Jabez in 4:9-10?

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Jabez cried out to the God of Israel ... and God granted his request (4:10). The Chronicler often notes that prayer to the God of Israel is answered (see 1 Chronicles 5:20-22; 2 Chronicles 20:6-12). He wants his readers to pray.

8. In focusing on the genealogy of Israel's Transjordan tribes, chapter...