1 Chronicles 1-9
These chapters, which at first sight appear to be a mere wilderness of names, are see on closer inspection to contain an orderly arrangement, like a garden divided into separate beds. The writer begins with the line of descent from Adam to Noah, and then gives the descendants of each of Noah’s three sons (1:1-27).Arriving thu8s at Abraham, he lists the sons of Ishmael, and of Keturah, and Isaac’s tow sons, Israel and Esau, with a list of the descendants of Esau (1:28-54). With chapter 2 begins the list of Israel’s sons, with their descendants. Judah comes first and is given the largest space (2:3 – 4:23), then Simeon(4;24-43), Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh (chapter 5), Levi (chapter 6), Issachar (7:1-5), Benjamin (7:6-12), Naphtali (7:13), Manasseh (7:14-19), Ephraim (7:20-29) and Asher (7:30-40). It will be noticed that two tribes are omitted. In chapter 8 the descendants of Benjamin are given more fully, leading up to the family of Saul and his descendants; chapter 9 gives a list of innabitants of Jerusalem, and repeats the genealogy of Saul as an introduction to the story of his death in chapter 10. Amidst these lists of names are a number of passages that may be spiritually applied with profit to ourselves.
- Red 4:9, 10 and 5:18-22.What do you learn for your own life from the examples of: (a) Jabez, and (b) Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh about success and victory? Cf. Ps. 81:10; Col. 4:2; 1 John 5:4.
- Build for yourself a mental picture of the lives and service of the Levites, as described in chsapter 6. Are there lessons to be learned from this passage about the nature of true worship?
1Chronicles 10 & 11
- Chapter 10 is a sad story of failure. To what is Saul’s failure ascribed? Are our own lives free from the sins which brought about Saul’s downfall? Cf. Is.8:19, 20.
- What instances are given in chapter 11 of the valour and loyalty of the men who followed David? What may we learn from the story concerning the nature of true fellowship, love and Christian service? Cf. Acts 20:22-24.
