1 Chronicles: Who is Your First Father?

1:1-31, 17:11-14, 29:11 (Pastor Heo)

Historical Records From Adam to Abraham
To Noah’s Sons

1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. 4 The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

The Japhethites
1:5-7pp — Ge 10:2-5

5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim.

The Hamites
1:8-16pp — Ge 10:6-20

8 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on earth. 11 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 12 Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites. 13 Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 14 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 16 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.

The Semites
1:17-23pp — Ge 10:21-31; 11:10-27

17 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. 18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber. 19 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan. 20 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah 27 and Abram (that is, Abraham).

The Family of Abraham

28 The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael.

Descendants of Hagar
1:29-31pp — Ge 25:12-16

29 These were their descendants: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

…

11 When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ “

…

11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

Today = 1 Chronicles

Up to last Sunday, we finished the monarchy history of Israel. Let’s briefly summarize the last 4 Sundays.

1/2 Samuel + 1/2 Kings, we saw roughly the whole monarchy of Israel from the first king Saul.

1. Because of his disobedience, the kingdom was turned over to David.
2. Then, Solomon inherited it, but because of his sin, it declined.
3. His son Rehoboam oppressed the people to such an extent that the kingdom divided.
4. The Northern kingdom rebelled against David’s family, and the Southern remained loyal to David. (930 BC)

• Northern lasted 219 years until 722 BC when Assyria captured them.
• Southern lasted 322 years until captured by Babylon in 586 BC.
• In all, Israel’s kingdom lasted 466 years, less than 500 years.

Chronicles now is a repetition of the same history from a different perspective. In Latin “chronicorum ribel” = “chronological record” of sacred history. “Chronicles” means literally “annuls, diary, historic events, etc.”

Like 1/2 Samuel was originally one book, and 1/2 Kings was originally one book, so 1/2 Chronicles was originally one book.

This one book was divided into two books by the Septusion (Greek) old Bible.

In our Bible, there are 39 books in the OT following the Greek version (Genesis to Malachi). In Hebrew Bible, 36 books because Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are ONE book each.

The order of the books also differs between English and Hebrew Bibles. Malachi is LAST in English; Chronicles is LAST in Hebrew Bible (this should be the LAST book in the Hebrews Bible).

Chronicles is largely a retelling of events recorded in Samuel and Kings – the history of the monarchy from its rise to fall. It covers the same period of Israel’s history described in Samuel and Kings. WHY? Why repetition?

1. It’s so important – it reminds us of something important. Those of us who are teachers know that repetition, practice, and continuation is incredibly important for learning.
   1. Also, many verses from the OT are repeated in the NT.
   2. Also, the 4 gospels repeat each other in many stories (from different perspectives).
2. This is a repetition of the same stories from a different viewpoint.

Differences:

1. Sam + Kings = BOTH kingdoms; Chron = ONLY David + his line.
2. Sam + Kings = wars prominence; Chron = temple prominence;
3. Samuel + Kings = political history; Chronicles = religious history;
4. 1. Samuel + Kings are written from a prophetic perspective; Chronicles is priestly.
   1. In 1 Samuel – there is Samuel, Saul, David;
   2. 2 Samuel – only David;
   3. 1 Kings – Solomon + division;
   4. 2 Kings – divided kingdom until destruction
   5. In Chronicles – ONLY David and his family are mentioned – there is NO mention of the Northern kingdom.
5. Samuel + Kings = a continuation story of Israel; Chron = a continuation of David’s family
6. Samuel + Kings = focused on man’s failure and mistakes; Chron = focused on God’s faithfulness, mercy, compassion
7. Kings = history of Israel from within exile; Chron = POST-exile history.

Therefore, Chronicles is written to the returning exiles POST exile after their 70 years in Babylon. Therefore, this shows the unbroken connection to the original Israel’s history.

1 Chronicles, chapters = 29 – divided into 2 parts (chp 1-9 + chp 10-29)

Part one: Full of NAMES, names, names, genealogy (can you finish reading up to chp 9? you need some time…)

Genealogy part. Each family has his own genealogy.

• Do you know your father’s name? Of course.
• Grandfather? Yes.
• Great grandfather? Maybe.
• Great, great grandfather? Well…
• Great, great, great grandfather? Probably not.

Who is your FIRST Father? What is his name? Adam.

• Chp 1 = Adam → Abram → Jacob
• 2 = Jacob → David
• 3 = David → captivity
• 4-8 = genealogy of 12 tribes (sons of Jacob)
• 9 = genealogy of Remnant (those who returned to Israel) + genealogy of Saul added to the last part (because he was the first king)
• Genesis 5 = Genealogy Adam → Noah
• Genesis 10 = Genealogy Noah → ALL nations (from his three sons)
• Matthew 1 = genealogy of Jesus from Adam → Abram → David → Jesus
• Luke 3:23-38 = genealogy of Jesus from down → up – “the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

Why is genealogy so important?

1. In a kingdom, what is important is dynasty. To prove the legality of his dynasty, genealogy is essential. That’s why Chronicles begins with a genealogy (David’s line) and the NT begins with a heavenly king’s genealogy (Jesus through David). This is essential.
2. To show all the records of the Bible are true, real, actual stories. This is not a story, fiction, novel. All stories from Genesis to Revelation are ACTUAL events – happened in the past, happening now, or will happen soon in the future.
3. Chron = written for the Jews returning from exile to their old land – it was essential to teach them their roots, their history to encourage them. (It’s hard to know where you’re going if you are unclear about your identity.)

Chp 10-29 – this is the story of the kings

Remember Samuel, Saul’s story takes 23 chapters. But only ONE chapter in Chronicles (chp 10) about his (shameful) death. Chp 10:13-14 = final evaluation on Saul “he died because of his unfaithfulness to God. He did not keep the Word of God, he consulted a fortune teller, therefore, God killed Saul and turned his kingdom over to David.”

Fortune tellers are DETESTABLE before God. Do not go to them, go to GOD.

Chronicles = David’s story is seen in an entirely DIFFERENT perspective (omissions + additions). In Samuel + Kings, there are many sad, shameful stories about David. Chronicles omits these stories (completely omits Saul and Bathsheba and his sorrowful family relations with his sons).

In Chronicles, David’s story starts with his coronation as king over Israel. The first thing he did was capture Jerusalem from the Jebusites and make it his capital city – from that time on it became the religious/political center for Israel. This was a good choice because it was on a hilltop and easy to defend. It was centrally located between northern and southern tribes. This was his first task – to unite the 12 tribes of Israel under his leadership.

Chron emphasizes his spiritual integrity and commitment to God – including his returning the Ark of the Covenant to the city and his STRONG desire to build the temple of God.

Chp 21, there is only ONE mistake of David (sin). This looks not serious to us, but is VERY serious to God. The sin was counting (numbering) the fighting men. Satan incited him to take a census of the nation and he did, but this was evil in the eyes of God. He immediately confessed and repented. God gave him 3 options as penalty (which would you choose?):

1. Three years famine
2. Three months of fleeing from enemies
3. Three days of plague (the sword of the Lord)

David chose the third option – so God sent the plague and 70,000 men were killed. David fell prostrate on the ground and cried out, “I sinned! I deserve to be killed – please do not let the plague remain on these people.” Since then, David became MORE sincere and diligent before God.

The rest of the book (22-29) = David’s concern for God and his preparation for the temple and worship for it.

David had a VERY strong desire to build the temple for God but could not because he had bloody hands. He had fought too much and shed too much blood. So, David called his son Solomon and appointed him to do so (Solomon is a man of peace and rest.)

1. David gave Solomon a very detailed blueprint for the building of the temple.
2. He prepared all the workers, all the materials (gold, silver, wood, stone), all the soldiers, the whole choir and musicians, and all stewards, and the site for construction.
3. Then, he ordered strongly all the leaders of the nation to help Solomon build the temple.

Yes, Solomon is famous for building the temple, but what he ACTUALLY did was assemble the Lego blocks his daddy David prepared for him (it still took 7 years, though).

Closing Chronicles = David’s final prayer before God and his death.

David’s Prayer

29:10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18 O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.” 20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the LORD your God.” So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king.

Amen, this is not only David’s prayer, but also our own.

Lessons (due to constraints of time, only a few):

#1 Davidic Covenant is about Jesus

In 2 Samuel = Davidic Covenant – the SAME sentence 2 Sam 12:13-16 + 1 Chronicles 17:11-14

• What are the contents of the Abrahamic Covenant? All people on earth will be blessed through you.
• Davidic Covenant? Your kingdom will be established forever and ever. (many times repeated)

The promise of the eternity of David’s throne can ONLY point to the coming of the Messiah (the physical kingdom only lasted 466 years).

#2 In genealogies, Judah (4th brother) is listed first

In the genealogy of 12 tribes, Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judah (this tribe is placed FIRST because the monarchy, kingdom, temple, Messiah, will come from here). Genesis “The scepter shall not depart from Judah” Jesus came from Judah as King of Kings, Lord of Lords.

#3 The genealogies in 1-9 are a preamble to genealogies in Matthew 1

3. In Hebrew Bible, this is the last book of the Bible. Because of this, the genealogies from 1-9 is a preamble, introduction to the genealogies in Matthew 1. You said, “Adam is your first father, yes, mine is too.”

Human genealogy begins with Adam;
Spiritual/heavenly genealogy begins with Jesus.

Acts 17:26 “From one man (Adam), God made every nation. God determines the time set for them and the places where they should live.”

Romans 12:5 “Just as sin entered the world through one man, Adam, death came to all men because all sinned in that one man Adam.”

1 Cor 15:22 “Just as in Adam, all die, in Jesus Christ, all will be made alive.”

We have no choice in our birthday, in our home place, in our immediate parents, nationality, skin color. So, we have NO CHOICE but to belong to Adam by our first, physical birth. How can we disconnect from the line of Adam? We cannot escape sin, death, hell in the line of Adam. So, how can we cut the line of Adam? There is only one way to disconnect from this line – to be BORN AGAIN through faith in Christ.

Jesus “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Do not be surprised by my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3?)

There is only one way:

John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Children not born of natural descent or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

So THAT’S WHY genealogies are SO important.

Let’s pray.