1 Chronicles 1

The history of God's deliverance of mankind begins with Adam. This is the second telling of that important story, but the priestly author of this account, who we will call the Chronicler, presents his material in a very different way than the author we have been reading in First Samuel through Second Kings. The Chronicler uses all of this prior work written by another, but he omits and augments according to his own purposes.

The Chronicler starts his narrative with nine chapters of genealogy. Genealogies provide a shorthand method of communicating what would otherwise be a very long and complex account. The writer makes decisions of what to include and what to exclude. With one word he can draw upon the reader's knowledge of a wealth of information. For instance, the entire narrative of Genesis 1 through 10 comes to mind through the mention of only 13 names. We are taken very quickly from Adam to the sons of Noah and beyond. From those sons of Noah come the nations that play such a significant role in the history of Israel, nations like Egypt, Canaan, Philistia, Asshur (Assyria), and Aram (Syria).

Through the line of Noah's son, Shem, we quickly move to the Jewish patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob). The Chronicler will spend the remaining eight chapters of genealogies on the tribes of Israel including a particular focus on the heritage of Saul and David. In this first chapter we have the record of the brothers of the patriarchs that were not the chosen line. Instead of the details of the line of Isaac we have the sons of Ishmael and the other sons of Abraham through his concubine Keturah. In the next generation we read the names of the sons of Esau and of the leaders that ruled in Edom rather than the account of Jacob.

Even though many of these names appeared in Genesis 36, we are as unaware of them here as we were there. Though we know so little of the clans that descended from these individuals, they had their place in the history of the world according to God's plans. They are not familiar to us because their lines did not lead to the Savior of the world.

These other siblings and their descendants provide the sometimes hostile context within which God would cause Israel to live, to thrive, to fail, and to somehow return to the land. The Chronicler was very aware that God had made promises of blessing to Israel that would come through a descendant of David. He wrote this account so that those who were coming back into Canaan after the time of exile would see where their forefathers had gone astray and would seek the Lord's blessing. He was looking to see the fulfillment of the Lord's promises to Israel.

We are very interested in the story of Israel because we have been adopted into the chosen people through Jesus Christ. God's plan for the descendants of Adam included a chosen nation from whom would come a Redeemer. Through the shorthand of these opening genealogies we have reviewed many centuries of providence taking us all the way from Adam to Jacob. There would have been no reason for a chosen people at all if God did were not committed to His own promises. Salvation would come from the Jews. (John 4:22) Their story has become our story.