“First and second Chronicles, originally one book, was written sometime after Judah began to return from the Babylonian exile in 538 B.C. It focuses primarily on the history of Judah, the southern kingdom of divided Israel.
First Chronicles begins with several genealogies, with special emphasis on David and Solomon. The “chronicler” moves next to the history of the kingdom under David, stressing David’s deep interest in worship and his detailed plans for the construction of the temple–which would be built by his son Solomon.
First Chronicles was probably written to reassure the returned exiles of God’s faithfulness toward his people. Its author is unknown, although many have thought that Ezra was the principal writer.”
“First Chronicles tells the same stories as Second Samuel. Think of them as coming from a different “camera angle.” The interest is focused more on the religious history rather than the political history.
Much is focused on David’s line, as such it is somewhat a more sanitized version, offering a generally positive spin on the events and people involved.
The chronicler, intending to unite the returning exiles with a more hopeful spin on their past, omits the stories that demonstrate David’s failings.”
Today’s entire reading focused on the genealogy and descendants of different people, by listing names after names starting with Adam.
The chapters and family lines reviewed were:
- From Adam to Abraham
- From Abraham to Jacob
- A Genealogy of David
- Descendants of David
