Day 72 Reading Schedule: 1 Chronicles 8-12

1 Chronicles 8: Genealogy of the Tribe of Benjamin

[Summary]

In this chapter, the tribe of Benjamin, which was mentioned while examining the 12 tribes of Israel, appears again. In other words, this chapter describes the genealogy of Benjamin, which was only briefly introduced in Chapter 7, focusing on a specific person. This chapter, which is the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin, consists of the first half (verses 1-28) that mentions the genealogy of the chieftains of the tribe of Benjamin before the dynasty era, and the second half (verses 29-40) that describes the genealogy of the royal family of Saul. The purpose of describing the genealogy of this chapter was to reveal the genealogy of the royal family of Saul, which is connected to Benjamin, Ehud, and Saul. Therefore, the genealogy presented in this chapter is very complicated, making it difficult to grasp the exact context of the genealogy. This is because it is composed around a specific person. The author's interest in recording the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin is rather because their influence in the community of Israel after the return from captivity was second only to that of Judah. ​​In fact, because they belonged to the kingdom of Judah during the division of the kingdom, they were able to escape the abuse of Assyria in 722 B.C. and were able to return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. 

[Explanation]

This chapter repeats the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin, which was already introduced in 1 Chronicles 7:6-12, in more detail. This is because the tribe of Benjamin played a major role in establishing the unified kingdom and Saul, the first king of Israel, came from the tribe of Benjamin. The genealogy of this chapter is complex and difficult to understand. This seems to be because the genealogy description of this chapter is centered on the patriarchs. 

 1 Chronicles 9: Those Who Returned from Captivity

[Overview]

This chapter, which decorates the last part of the genealogy of the Davidic dynasty, is a contrast to the previous part (chapters 1-8) that mentions the 12 tribes of Israel. This is because this chapter records the status of the residents who returned from the Babylonian captivity and lived in Jerusalem. This chapter, which corresponds to the last part of the genealogy, records the tribes of Benjamin and Judah who lived in Jerusalem (verses 1-9), the list of priests and singers (verses 10-16), the gatekeepers who guarded the tabernacle during David’s time (verses 17-27), and various ministries in the sanctuary (verses 28-34). Finally, the genealogy of Saul’s royal family is recorded (verses 35-44). This chapter emphasizes Jerusalem as a symbol of Jehovah’s presence and rule while recording the genealogy in this way.

[Explanation]

This chapter reveals the purpose of recording the genealogy of the 12 tribes of Israel so far. This chapter categorizes those who returned from the Babylonian captivity by content, job, and origin. It also introduces the genealogy of the Israelites who lived in Jerusalem after the return from captivity, along with their residences and assigned jobs. And Saul’s genealogy is mentioned again in this chapter. 

1 Chronicles 10: Saul’s End

[Overview]

This chapter is a general account of David’s reign. The first half (chapters 1-9) mentions the genealogy of the Davidic dynasty, but the core of this chapter is the story of Saul’s death. In other words, from this chapter on, David’s activities are directly mentioned, and Saul’s genealogy is dealt with. David’s full-fledged reign is foreshadowed through Saul’s death. By instructively mentioning Saul’s death, the writer of this book naturally connects it to David’s ascension to the throne, which continues until 1 Chronicles 12:40. In order to introduce the glorious birth of the Davidic dynasty, this chapter briefly records the tragic fall of the previous Saul dynasty. It consists of Saul and his house who met a miserable end (verses 1-7), Saul’s body being humiliated by the Philistines and the people of Jabesh-Gilead who took him to be buried (verses 8-12), and finally the reason for Saul’s death (verses 13-14). This chapter clearly shows that Saul’s death was not an accidental event but the result of God’s righteous punishment for his rebellious crimes. 

Saul’s suicide. 

Saul, who could not find the light of hope, ended his life by committing suicide. This should be an opportunity to organize our position on suicide. This is because as society becomes more complex and diverse, the people living in it gradually feel more conflict. Then, let’s look at the motive for Saul’s suicide. First, Saul’s suicide was motivated by selfishness. He chose the path of suicide out of fear of being shamed by the uncircumcised barbarians, as a king who enjoyed splendid glory. Second, his suicide was the result of a curse that came from a devastated soul. The traditional position of Christianity has defined suicide as a criminal act. This is because it believed that the master of life is not man himself, but God. In fact, man is not the master of life, but is entrusted with it by God. However, those who commit suicide think that they are the masters who can maintain or end life themselves and attempt suicide. Therefore, their act can be considered at least a crime that does not acknowledge God's sovereignty. Ultimately, those who commit suicide are unable to overcome the mental anguish caused by disobeying God's will or turning away from God, and it is an act of rebellion against God's grace. 

[Explanation] 

This chapter describes the miserable end of Saul's royal family. However, the writer of this book is intentionally silent about the events that occurred during Saul's reign, and only mentions the miserable deaths of the first king Saul and his three sons. And it focuses on the death of Saul, which led to David's ascension to the throne, rather than repeating Saul's political affairs. 

1 Chronicles 11: David's Ascension to the Throne and His Warriors

[Summary]

This chapter mainly describes David's ascension to the throne. It includes David ascending to the throne with the support of all Israel (verses 1-3), King David's conquest of Jerusalem (verses 4-9), and the description of the three most outstanding warriors of King David (verses 10-14), followed by the stories of the second three (verses 15-25) and King David's thirty warriors (verses 26-47). This tells the story of David's kingdom being firmly established by defeating the Jebusites with the help of the warriors who gathered under the banner of David, the hero of Israel. [Kang Hae]

This chapter introduces the story of the conquest of Jerusalem, the story of the warriors who gathered under David's bravery, and the military system, focusing on the second king, David, who succeeded Saul to the throne. However, the seven years that David ruled the tribe of Judah in Hebron are completely omitted. The author of Chronicles focuses on the kingdom of God established through David and does not deal with additional events, but only deals with the outline.

1 Chronicles 12: David's Army

[Overview]

This chapter is the last part of the section that mentions David's ascension to the throne. This chapter, which records the warriors who came to David before he became the king of Israel to make him king, consists of the warriors who came to David when he was suffering under King Saul (verses 1-22) and the warriors of all the tribes of Israel who gathered in Hebron to make David king of Israel after King Saul's death (verses 23-40). This chapter speaks of the warriors who supported David in order to show only the glorious aspect of the Davidic dynasty along with its theocratic excellence. In this way, it was intended to show that there were many forces that supported David as king. 

[Explanation] 

In the battlefield, we learned that the Davidic kingdom was established through the covenant made between David and all the people of Israel. Now, this chapter records two rather long lists: the list of the warriors who came to David before King Saul died, and the list of the warriors who anointed David as king of Israel in Hebron.