"Flight 1CHR1" 1 Chronicles 1-29 I. Introduction A. Originally, 1 and 2 Chronicles were one book in the Hebrew Bible—Diḇrê Hayyāmîm, which means the words of the days or the journal of the journey of the nation B. This is far more than just a reporting of events 1. It's a divine editorial—the events are recorded from a different angle 2. 1 and 2 Chronicles cover some of the same material that was already included in 2 Samuel through 2 Kings 3. This is not just the history of the nation; it's the history of the nation from a spiritual vantage point—the history of God working through the nation of Israel C. The author of these books was most likely Ezra the priest 1. The style of the writing—words used, sentence structure, etc.—is similar to the construction of the book of Ezra 2. Both Chronicles and Ezra seem to be written from the perspective of someone in the priesthood of Israel 3. The last paragraph of 2 Chronicles is the same, with only a few minor changes, as the first paragraph of the book of Ezra (see Ezra 1:1-4) 4. The topics covered in this book would be the focus of someone in the priesthood— the temple, the priesthood itself, and the theocratic dynasty of the lineage of David D. The book of 1 Chronicles is centered around King David; his name is recorded more than 180 times in the book E. 1 Chronicles can be divided into two sections: 1. Chapters 1-9: David's rightful ancestry (a 3,000-year period) 2. Chapters 10-29: David's royal activity (a thirty-year period) II. David's rightful ancestry (1 Chronicles 1-9) A. This section of the book covers 3,000 years of genealogical record—from Adam to David 1. The shortest verse in the Old Testament is 1 Chronicles 1:25 2. This is the most extensive genealogical record in all of Scripture—Adam to David, David to Jesus B. However, this is a highly selective genealogy 1. If a certain lineage is not important to the main story, it's not included in this record 2. If it's an important lineage, it continues through—to point you in a specific genealogical direction—to trace the lineage of David from the creation to the captivity of Israel to Christ C. The New Testament genealogical records follow the same pattern: God is at work through human history to isolate a particular nation and to preserve that nation so that nation can receive the Messiah 1. The first seventeen chapters of the New Testament start out like this—presenting a thorough genealogical record 2. All of Scripture is inspired by God—including this (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17) 3. If you have a Jewish background, you understand the importance of genealogy a. It was all-important in ancient Israel to know your genealogical background b. If you wanted to sell land, you had to make sure the land wouldn't leave the tribe allotment c. To serve in the priesthood, you had to prove you were from the tribe of Levi— if you couldn't prove it, you couldn't serve d. Genealogy was vital to support claims of being the Messiah—tribe, family, lineage, etc.; specific prophecies require specific proof 4. The genealogical record of 1 Chronicles is not meant to be interesting or exciting— it's meant to be an accurate record that goes all the way back to the beginning, as a source of reference III. David's royal activity (1 Chronicles 10-29) A. Chapter 10 records the end of Saul's reign 1. We are given a glimpse of the divine editorial 2. Saul died for his unfaithfulness (see vv. 13-14) B. The thirty years of David's reign over the united kingdom of Israel begins in chapter 11 C. The Israelites showed an allegiance of unity and loyalty under David (see 1 Chronicles 11:1-2) 1. The New Testament counterpart of the Old Testament directive: Hebrews 13:7-9, 17 2. It is unprofitable for everyone involved if a leader isn't properly respected D. "Even when Saul was king…the LORD your God said to you, 'You shall shepherd My people Israel'" (1 Chronicles 11:2) 1. Why was David anointed, even though Saul was still on the throne? 2. Because Saul was an unfaithful ruler (see 1 Samuel 13:14) E. David is the only man in Scripture who is described as "a man after [God's] own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14) 1. He was not perfect by any means 2. Other translations of this phrase are: a. "A man after God's own mind" b. "A man to fulfill God's purposes" 3. God didn't see David in his sin; rather, He saw David with the potential to be something more than his sin a. Think of your potential, no matter your past—what God can do with you if you will seek after Him solely b. "The world has yet to see what God can do through one man [or woman] totally devoted to Him" —Author unknown c. To have spiritual influence, you must first be spiritual F. The rest of 1 Chronicles records David's reign up until the next transition—the ascension of Solomon G. If you were to compare this book with 2 Samuel, you would find some differences: 1. Nothing of David's struggle with Saul, which took place over a decade 2. Nothing of David's sin with Bathsheba 3. Nothing of Absalom's rebellion against David 4. This is because of Ezra's audience, the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity a. Ezra was writing something to encourage them, not to remind them of the humiliations of the past b. The extraneous issues were removed, but the historical integrity was maintained H. History is one thing, but His story is another; God takes your history and weaves your story into His 1. "The LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7) 2. God chose David and chose to portray him in the best light, as a man after God's own heart I. Chapter 12 provides another example of the divine editorial 1. The different tribes of Israel started to align themselves with David, rather than Saul 2. Hundreds of men started to move from Saul's army to align themselves with David (see vv. 21-22) J. The ongoing animosity between Israel and the Philistines can be seen throughout the next few chapters K. Ezra provided insight into David's prayer life—David was still seeking the Lord (see 1 Chronicles 14:10) L. Chapters 13-16: the process of moving the ark into Jerusalem M. Chapter 17 is the key chapter in the book and one of the most pivotal chapters in the Bible 1. This chapter corresponds with 2 Samuel 7 2. David wanted to build the house of the Lord 3. God countered and promised to build David a house dynastically—spiritually and physically (see vv. 9-14) 4. The covenant: a. David will have a son who will build the temple—Solomon, the son of David b. The throne of David will be established forever—Jesus, the Son of David 5. The covenant was fulfilled in immediacy by Solomon and will be fulfilled in eternality by Jesus a. Revelation 17:14 b. Revelation 19:16 6. David's dynasty was interrupted by captivity, but then Jesus would come—first to save people from sin, then to rule with those whom He saved 7. You won't understand the New Testament unless you understand this chapter and the Davidic covenant a. The New Testament authors played off this passage to show the connection between Jesus and this covenant b. In Acts 2, Peter began his sermon at Pentecost by speaking about the Davidic covenant N. Temple worship is laid out in the rest of the book; David prepared the materials and plans for building the temple 1. David charged Solomon to build a house for the Lord (see 1 Chronicles 22:6) 2. Even though it's called Solomon's temple, it was really David's—he gathered the materials, created the blueprints, etc. O. Chapters 23-24: the divisions of the priests P. Chapter 25: the musicians and singers Q. Chapter 26: gatekeepers and treasuries 1. Some of the gatekeepers were from the house of Obed-Edom 2. After Uzzah died, the ark was left in the house of Obed-Edom, "and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household" (2 Samuel 6:11) R. Chapter 27: chief officers and captains of the tribes S. Chapter 28: a public leadership meeting to announce the temple plans T. Chapter 29: David took an offering for the temple 1. "And King David also rejoiced" (v. 9) 2. "All the assembly blessed the LORD God" (v. 20) 3. Celebration and coronation of Solomon a. "The second time" (v. 22) b. The first was in secret at the Gihon spring, because of Adonijah's revolt 4. The summary of David's reign (see vv. 26-30) a. "So he died in a good old age" (v. 28) b. David died at age seventy c. He lived a hard life, and sin and fighting will age you; he probably looked older than he actually was IV. Conclusion A. The entire book of 1 Chronicles has King David as its human focus; the overarching focus is the kingdom of Israel B.