Why It Matters

Why It Matters

Q: First Chronicles 1–9 pertains to

• a. genealogy.
• b. the reign of David.
• c. the reign of Solomon.

Much of what is in 1 and 2 Chronicles is the same as 2 Samuel and 1 Kings and 2 Kings. You read of David’s reign, Solomon’s reign, and the kingdom of Judah. However, Chronicles is written from a different point of view by Ezra, a scribe who was also in exile in Babylon. The book wasn’t finished until the southern kingdom was taken captive (because of their constant idolatry and turning away from God) and then released to go back to their homeland years later.

The book of 1 Chronicles starts with nine chapters of genealogy. You might be tempted to just skip over all those names, but they were very important at the time. The list is the family records compiled after Judah was taken captive to Babylon. The people probably wondered if they’d ever return to their homeland, and they may have been fearful that family history would be lost.

The genealogy was also important to the people because they wanted to prove they were descendants of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. Then they could claim the blessings God promised to Abraham and his descendants. The genealogy was also important to show that Jesus was part of both Abraham and David’s family line.

When you read a long list of names in the Bible, you may not give much thought to each one, but each person listed played a role in Jewish history, some more important than others. God knew each person on the list personally, and he had a plan for each one.

For You

You may feel lost in the crowd, but just like the people on the long list of names, God knows you personally. He knows your name and the number of hairs on your head.

Answer: a

So all Israel was listed in the genealogical records in The Book of the Kings of Israel.   1 Chronicles 9:1

(The Whole Story: 1 Chronicles 1–9)