Archive for July 2024

 1 Chronicles 15-16,  Psalm 130-131,  Luke 8:40-56,  Colossians 3:15-25   1 Chronicles 15-16: The ark now in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15), David prepares a place for the ark, as well as houses for himself (15:1). He makes various arrangements for the worship of God, and the narrator tells us how it was with “rejoicing” that the…

1 Chronicles 12-14,  Psalm 129,  Luke 8:26-39,  Colossians 3:1-14   1 Chronicles 12-14:   The description of David’s greatness continues. Throughout these chapters, two themes begin to emerge that distinguish David as a godly and great man. To begin with, though, we are told of all the “mighty men” who flock to David’s standard (1 Chron. 12).…

 1 Chronicles 10-11,  Psalm 128,  Luke 8:16-25,  Colossians 2:16-23   1 Chronicles 10-11:   Having listed the genealogies, and given the lesson that they went into exile because they breached faith with God (9:1), now we come to the story of Saul, who stands as an example of one who breached faith with God (10:13). He did…

1 Chronicles 7-9,  Psalm 127,  Luke 8:1-15,  Colossians 2:8-15  1 Chronicles 7-9:   More genealogies, and it is tempting indeed to skip over them! The beginning of chapter 9, though, reminds us of the purpose of these particular records of names and forebears:  So all Israel was recorded in genealogies, and these are written in the…

1 Chronicles 5-6,  Psalm 126,  Luke 7:36-50,  Colossians 2:1-7   1 Chronicles 5-6: The chronicler continues to intersperse into his genealogy moral and spiritual lessons that he wants his readers to learn from his chronological survey of Israelite history via the names of the individuals and their family trees. Unlike modern family trees, these ancient genealogies…

1 Chronicles 3-4,  Psalm 125,  Luke 7:18-35,  Colossians 1:15-29  1 Chronicles 3-4: The genealogies continue—precious records for those wanting to trace their lineage back beyond the exile and so authenticate their God-given promise to the land, and establish their own connection to that promise in their particular families and persons. David’s family, especially exalted, is…

1 Chronicles 1-2,  Psalm 123-124,  Luke 7:11-17,  Colossians 1:1-14   1 Chronicles 1-2:   These two chapters are unlikely to furnish the bestseller portions of Scripture (if such were allowed to be), and they seem to be hard work even for the most dedicated student of the Bible. But they are here for a reason—not purposelessly preserved…