Day 71 Reading Schedule: 1 Chronicles 3-7

1 Chronicles 3: Descendants of David

[Overview]

This chapter deals with the genealogy of David, the central figure in Chronicles. This chapter introduces the genealogy of King David's father, Jesse, which is listed in Chapter 2. The first half introduces all the sons born to David from his wives and concubines (verses 1-9), and records the kings of David's family from Solomon to Jechonias and Zedekiah (verses 10-16). Then, the descendants of Jechonias, the grandson of Zerubbabel after the fall of Jerusalem, are recorded (verses 17-21), and finally, the descendants of Shechaniah, who continued for four generations (verses 22-24). In this way, this chapter focuses on the Davidic dynasty, because the Davidic dynasty has great significance in terms of redemptive history.

[Explanation]

After listing the genealogy of the descendants of Judah in detail, this chapter records the descendants from David. In other words, this chapter records the descendants from B.C. The genealogy from David’s reign around 1000 B.C. to Zerubbabel’s grandson around 400 B.C. is introduced. While recording the genealogy of the descendants of Judah (see 1 Chronicles 2:3-1 Chronicles 4:23), the fact that David’s genealogy is introduced over one chapter shows that the blessings given to David were realized. 

1 Chronicles 4: Descendants of Judah and Descendants of Simeon 

[Overview] 

If the previous chapter was a genealogy from Adam to David in terms of showing the genealogy of the Davidic dynasty, this chapter introduces the 12 tribes of Israel one by one. These 12 tribes are not only core to the history of Israel, but also members of the Israelite people themselves. In particular, the tribe of Judah was a tribe that had a great influence on the establishment of the unified kingdom. The first half of this chapter records a fragmentary genealogy of Judah (verses 1-23), and the second half records the genealogy of the tribe of Simeon (verses 24-43). This chapter has the characteristic of the first half and the second half being symmetrical, contrasting the prosperity of the descendants of Judah and the weakness of the descendants of Simeon. This shows that the future of these two tribes was fulfilled according to the prophecy of God. 

[Explanation]

This chapter presents ancient fragmentary genealogies that supplement the genealogy of Judah already covered in Chapter 2. It also introduces the descendants of Simeon among the twelve tribes other than Judah. ​​The genealogy of the tribe of Judah is fragmentary and scattered, while the genealogy of the tribe of Simeon is systematically introduced along with the place of residence, creating a contrast. 

1 Chronicles 5: Genealogy of Two and a Half Tribes 

[Overview]

This chapter introduces the tribes of Israel that lived east of the Jordan. Namely, the descendants of Reuben and their places of residence are introduced (verses 1-10), and the genealogy of the descendants of Gad and their places of residence are mentioned (verses 11-17). And these three tribes joined together to defeat their enemies, but soon these three tribes were punished for their spiritual betrayal and were scattered to a place from which they would never return, and they were taken captive by Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria. These three tribes were mentioned together not only because they all lived east of the Jordan River. They not only received the same geographical area as their inheritance, but also fought together against their enemies and built altars to worship God. What this chapter emphasizes is that the rise and fall of these three tribes was determined by whether they were close to God or far from Him. Ultimately, these three tribes were judged by Assyria because they fared far from God. 

[Explanation]

This chapter records the descendants of the tribes who received inheritance east of the Jordan River. These are the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Due to their geographical location, they were far from the orthodox Jehovah faith and eventually became influenced by the surrounding pagan religions, and as a result, they were forcibly relocated and ended up in a miserable state. 

1 Chronicles 6: Genealogy of the Tribe of Levi 

[Summary] 

This chapter mentions the genealogy of the tribe of Levi and its cities. The previous chapter describes the genealogy of the tribes east of the Jordan and their corruption, and chapter 7 describes the tribes that lived west of the Jordan. The chapter mentioning the genealogy of the tribe of Levi is written between these two chapters. This is because the author of this book had a priestly perspective and treated the Levites specially. This chapter records the genealogy of the high priests from Aaron to the time of the captivity (verses 1-15) and the descendants of the three sons of Levi (verses 16-30). Next, the genealogy of Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, who were in charge of the ministry of praise (vv. 31-48), and the genealogy of the high priests (vv. 49-53), are repeatedly recorded, and finally, the residence of the tribe of Levi is described (vv. 54-81). 

[Explanation]

This chapter, which mentions the genealogy of the descendants of Levi, is also a chapter that shows the writer's interest in those who serve in the temple. Judah and Joseph shared the glory of the firstborn that Reuben had lost, but Levi enjoyed an even greater glory. That is, they were given the office of priests. This chapter records the lineage of the descendants of Levi who were in charge of this work, their respective duties, and their cities. 

1 Chronicles 7: Genealogy of the Six Tribes

[Summary]

The tribes listed in this chapter were located on the west side of the Jordan River. This is the same place where northern Israel was located. This chapter, which records the genealogy of the six tribes in the north of Israel, includes the genealogy of the tribe of Issachar (verses 1-5), the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin (verses 6-12), the genealogy of the tribe of Naphtali (verse 13), the genealogy of the half-tribe of Manasseh (verses 14-19), the genealogy of the tribe of Ephraim (verses 20-29), and finally the genealogy of the tribe of Asher (verses 30-40). This chapter, although it is from the northern tribes of Israel, is a genealogy written for the group that became members of Ezra’s religious community when the captives returned to Israel. 

[Explanation] 

This chapter introduces the genealogies of six tribes that were not mentioned among the twelve tribes of Israel. It is also noteworthy that the genealogies of these tribes are listed along with statistical figures.