Join Alan J. Huth as he delves into the genealogical lists within 1 Chronicles Chapter 1. Learn how these names, though seemingly a list of ancestors, underpin the fulfillment of divine prophecies, linking Jesus to the tribes of Israel. Reflect on the precious legacy of faith in family lines, whether you’re a custodian of a longstanding Christian heritage or the first in your family to embrace the faith. As we explore these genealogies, be inspired to make godliness a priority for future generations.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we are going to begin the books of 1st and 2nd Chronicles. We’re going to cover these two books in 31 days. I’m going to use my English Standard Version Study Bible book introduction to help us understand 1st and 2nd Chronicles. Though the text nowhere identifies a specific author, Jewish tradition assigned the work to Ezra the scribe. Evidence from the text itself suggests the author was a priest or a Levite with scribal training who was employed in the services of the temple and had access to temple records. The books were written around 400 BC. The Hebrew title of the word Chronicles means… the events of the years. The Greek translation means the things omitted, indicating it was a supplement to the books of Samuel and Kings. The English title is more directly related to the Latin translation, the Vulgate, meaning the chronicle of the whole sacred history. The historical context of Chronicles is after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 586 BC. That conquest ended the Davidic monarchy. It ended the northern tribes in Israel and the southern tribe in Judah. Jerusalem is repopulated and repaired by Nehemiah and the temple is rebuilt and functioning again about 516 BC. But questions remained, like God’s purposes for Israel and the ancient promises to David about his continuing kingdom. With such questions in mind, Ezra the Chronicler wrote to commend a positive prescription for the spiritual and social renewal of his community. He presents a view of Israel’s past, drawing mainly from the books of Samuel and Kings, and recasts and supplements those books, showing how the nation’s unfaithfulness to God led it to disaster, but also to point out how its faithful kings and people experienced God’s blessings. 1 Chronicles is not just a rehash of Samuel and Kings, it is a more statistical and analytical accounting of the history of Israel and Judah. The central theme of Chronicles is the significance of the Davidic Covenant as the enduring basis of Israel’s life and hope. The Davidic Covenant is expressed in the two institutions that derive directly from it, the monarchy and the temple. The two are intimately related and together they represent God’s kingdom in Israel. Ezra refreshes the minds of a new generation returning from captivity in Babylon about the genealogy of David and the promise of Israel’s future king, David’s heir, King Jesus. Chronicles is about seeking God or forsaking God and sets out the consequences that flow from that choice for kings and people. Did you know the northern kingdom, Israel, had 19 evil kings and no good kings? The southern kingdom, Judah, had 12 evil kings and 8 good ones. 80% of the kings who ruled the people of Israel chose not to follow the God of Israel. We’ll see this as we move through 1 and 2 Chronicles. Our guest reader for 1 and 2 Chronicles is Senator Kevin Grantham. I met Kevin over a decade ago as a member of the state cabinet of the Gideons International in Colorado. Kevin lives in Canyon City, Colorado, where he and his brother have a real estate sales and appraising firm. In 2011, Kevin decided to try his hand in politics. He ran for a state senate seat and won. In 2014, he was re-elected and currently serves as the President of the Colorado State Senate. He is term-limited, so he has just wrapped up his final legislative session as President of the Colorado State Senate. I had not seen or talked to Senator Kevin Grantham for about 10 years, but when I decided to ask him to be a guest reader for AdBible, he jumped at the opportunity, volunteering for the Book of Judges, and Chronicles. Pray for Senator Grantham as he transitions now, as he looks beyond his public service as a state senator, to what God has next in his life. To get through both First and Second Chronicles in 31 days, sometimes we’ll take one chapter, sometimes two, and sometimes three a day. So we’ll begin with First Chronicles chapter one, as recorded by Faith Comes by Hearing.
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First Chronicles. First Chronicles 1. Adam, Seth, Enosh. Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech. Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The sons of Japheth. Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshach, and Tyrus. The sons of Gomer. Ashkenaz, Ripheth, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan, Elisha, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. The sons of Ham, Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush, Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Rehema, and Sabteca. The sons of Rehema, Sheba, and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man. Egypt fathered Ludum, Annamim, Lahabim, Naphtahim, Pethursim, Kaslahim, from whom the Philistines came, and Kaphtorim. Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth. And the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemurites, and the Hamathites. The sons of Shem, Elam, Asher, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshach. Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. To Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleth, Hazer-Maveth, Jerah, Hadorim, Uzal, Dikla, Obel, Abimiel, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobeb. All these were the sons of Joktan. Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Sirig, Nahor, Terah, Abram, that is Abraham. The sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael. These are their genealogies, the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaoth, and Keter, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Duma, Mesa, Hadad, Tema, Jeter, Naphish, and Kedema. These are the sons of Ishmael. The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, Shebor, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shua. The sons of Jokshan, Sheba, and Dedan. The sons of Midian, Ephah, Ephur, Hanak, Abida, and Eldaiah. All these were the descendants of Keturah. Abraham fathered Isaac. The sons of Isaac, Esau, and Israel. The sons of Esau, Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalem, and Korah. The sons of Eliphaz, Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatim, Kenaz, and of Timnah, Amalek. The sons of Reuel, Naath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizah. The sons of Seir, Lotan, Shobal, Zibion, Anah, Dishan, Ezer, and Dishan. The sons of Lotan, Ori, and Hemam. And Lotan’s sister was Timnah. The sons of Shobal, Alvin, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibion, Eah, and Anah. The sons of Anah, Dishan. The sons of Dishan, Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Kiran. The sons of Ezer, Bilhan, Zeabin, and Achan. The sons of Dishan, Uz, and Aaron. These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel. Bela the son of Beor, the name of his city being Deneba. Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Basra reigned in his place. Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. Husham died, and Hadad, the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Aveth. Hadad died, and Samlah of Masraqa reigned in his place. Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place. Shaul died, and Baal-hanan, the son of Achbor, reigned in his place. Baal-hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pi. And his wife’s name was Mehedabal, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. And Hadad died. The chiefs of Edom were Chiefs Timnah, Alva, Jetheth, Aholabamah, Elah, Pinan, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom.
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To guide us through the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, I’ve selected three of my personal Bible reading journals. 1983, the first journal I ever wrote. And then we’ll jump to 1997, 14 years later when I read the Old Testament. And another 12 years later in 2009 when I read the Old Testament. So we’ll look at journals when I was 28 years old, 42 years old, and 54 years old. Some various perspectives in various decades of my life. In 1983, after reading 1 Chronicles 1-3 on the same day, I wrote genealogies from Adam to Zedekiah, the final king of Judah. Then I wrote a note, Make my family a priority. Pass godliness on through the generations. In 1997, I read 1 Chronicles 1 through 7 on the same day. And I wrote, not much excitement here in Chronicles unless you’re into genealogy. And in 2009, I read 1 Chronicles 1 and 2 on the same day. And I wrote names, fathers, sons, genealogy, family tree. Very little description of most of these people. Why is this important? Fulfillment of prophecy. The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham and David from the tribe of Judah. So Ezra, most likely the author of Chronicles, records genealogy to provide proof Jesus is Messiah. Concerning chapter 1 of 1 Chronicles, I’d like to read my footnote from my English Standard Version Study Bible. It says the genealogies of chapters 1 through 9 are intended to show the chronicler’s own generation, now existing as the small providence of Judah in the Persian Empire, that they are still God’s people, Israel, and retain their central place in God’s purpose for humanity. 1 Chronicles chapter 1 is the first genealogy of the story of Adam, the first human, through Abraham and Isaac, and then it focuses on Isaac’s son Esau and the kings who descended from him. So what’s our application from 1 Chronicles chapter 1, this long list of genealogies? Well, I may have captured that in my journal when I was 28 years old back in 1983. My journal note said, “…make my family a priority, pass godliness on through the generations.” I don’t know if you’ve come from a Christian family or you’re a first-generation Christian, but this chapter might make you think about your family today. If Christianity has been passed down to you, praise the Lord and give thanks. If you’re the first Christian in your family, praise the Lord and give thanks. Either way, may we make Christianity a priority in our families and pass it on to the generations that follow us. Father, we bow our heads now and we pray to you. We’re thankful that in the Bible it’s very specific and detailed about the history of your family, the nation of Israel. It’s amazing that you chronicle from the first man, Adam, right up to the kings in Ezra’s era. Surely, you still keep track of life today. Our lives, our families. the generations to follow us. You blessed Adam. You blessed Abraham. You decided to continue your family line through Isaac. And the genealogies will continue for a few chapters here in 1 Chronicles. Lord, open our eyes to what you want us to see as we read your word. You chose to include all these names, all these genealogies in your word for a reason. Help us open our eyes to the reasons you have for this. Teach us, even through books like 1 and 2 Chronicles. In Jesus’ name we ask it. Amen.
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