Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.
The sons of Noah:
Shem, Ham and Japheth.
The sons of Japheth:
Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras.
The sons of Gomer:
Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.
The sons of Javan:
Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites.
The sons of Ham:
Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.
The sons of Cush:
Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah and Sabteka.
The sons of Raamah:
Sheba and Dedan.
Cush was the father of
Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on earth.
Egypt was the father of
the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.
Canaan was the father of
Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.
The sons of Shem:
Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.
The sons of Aram:
Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.
Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,
and Shelah the father of Eber.
Two sons were born to Eber:
One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
Joktan was the father of
Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah,
Eber, Peleg, Reu,
Serug, Nahor, Terah
and Abram (that is, Abraham).
The sons of Abraham:
Isaac and Ishmael.
These were their descendants:
Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.
The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine:
Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.
The sons of Jokshan:
Sheba and Dedan.
The sons of Midian:
Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah.
All these were descendants of Keturah.
Abraham was the father of Isaac.
The sons of Isaac:
Esau and Israel.
The sons of Esau:
Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam and Korah.
The sons of Eliphaz:
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz;
by Timna: Amalek.
The sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah.
The sons of Seir:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan.
The sons of Lotan:
Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister.
The sons of Shobal:
Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.
The sons of Zibeon:
Aiah and Anah.
The son of Anah:
Dishon.
The sons of Dishon:
Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.
The sons of Ezer:
Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.
The sons of Dishan:
Uz and Aran.
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:
Bela son of Beor, whose city was named Dinhabah.
When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.
When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.
When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.
When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.
When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.
When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.
When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. Hadad also died.
The chiefs of Edom were:
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

• 1 Chronicles 1:1-54

For a link to 1 Chronicles 2, click HERE.

These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron:
The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;
the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.
These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months.
David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, and these were the children born to him there:
Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel. There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet—nine in all. All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
Solomon’s son was Rehoboam,
Abijah his son,
Asa his son,
Jehoshaphat his son,
Jehoram his son,
Ahaziah his son,
Joash his son,
Amaziah his son,
Azariah his son,
Jotham his son,
Ahaz his son,
Hezekiah his son,
Manasseh his son,
Amon his son,
Josiah his son.
The sons of Josiah:
Johanan the firstborn,
Jehoiakim the second son,
Zedekiah the third,
Shallum the fourth.
The successors of Jehoiakim:
Jehoiachin his son,
and Zedekiah.
The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive:
Shealtiel his son, Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.
The sons of Pedaiah:
Zerubbabel and Shimei.
The sons of Zerubbabel:
Meshullam and Hananiah.
Shelomith was their sister.
There were also five others:
Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed.
The descendants of Hananiah:
Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shekaniah.
The descendants of Shekaniah:
Shemaiah and his sons:
Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat—six in all.
The sons of Neariah:
Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam—three in all.
The sons of Elioenai:
Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani—seven in all.

• 1 Chronicles 3:1-24

For a link to 1 Chronicles 4, click HERE.

For a link to 1 Chronicles 5, click HERE.

For a link to 1 Chronicles 6, click HERE.

For a link to 1 Chronicles 7, click HERE.

For a link to 1 Chronicles 8, click HERE.

For a link to 1 Chronicles 9, click HERE.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

1 Chronicles 1-9 ‘Genealogy’: “This abbreviated genealogy summarizes the divinely selected course of redemptive history: (1) from Adam to Noah (1:1-4; Gen. 1-6); (2) from Noah’s son Shem to Abraham (1:4-27; Gen. 7-11); (3) from Abraham to Jacob (1:28-34; Gen.12-25); (4) from Jacob to the twelve tribes (1:34—2:2; Gen. 25-50); and (5) from the Twelve Tribes to those who had returned to Jerusalem after the seventy-year captivity (2:3—9:44; Ex. 1:1-2 Chr. 36:23). This genealogical listing is unique to the purposes of the chronicler and is not intended necessarily to be an exact duplication of any other lists in Scripture.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Chronicles 1:19 ‘days … divided’: “Peleg, which means ‘divided,’ apparently lived when the Lord divided, or scattered, the human race because of Babel (cf. Gen. 11:1—9).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Chronicles 1:43 ‘kings … Edom’: “Esau’s children settled in Edom, east and south of Israel, and are included among the Arab nations.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Chronicles 2 ‘Reflections’: “Difference of moral standards between the once-born and the twice-born, and their opposite ways of life, may be contributing causes of this hostility; but the real cause lies deeper. There are two spirits abroad in the earth: the spirit that works in the children of disobedience and the Spirit of God. These two can never be reconciled in time or in eternity. The spirit that dwells in the once-born is forever opposed to the Spirit that inhabits the heart of the twice-born. This hostility began somewhere in the remote past before the creation of man and continues to this day. The modern effort to bring peace between these two spirits is not only futile but contrary to the moral laws of the universe.
“To teach that the spirit of the once-born is at enmity with the Spirit of the twice-born is to bring down upon one’s head every kind of violent abuse. No language is too bitter to hurl against the conceited bigot who would dare to draw such a line of distinction between men. Such malignant ideas are at odds with the brotherhood of man, says the once-born, and are held only by the apostles of disunity and hate. This mighty rage against the twice-born only serves to confirm the truth they teach. But this no one seems to notice.
“What we need to restore power to the Christian testimony is not soft talk about brotherhood but an honest recognition that two human races occupy the earth simultaneously: a fallen race that sprang from the loins of Adam and a regenerate race that is born of the Spirit through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
“To accept this truth requires a tough-mindedness and a spiritual maturity that modern Christians simply do not possess. To face up to it hardly contributes to that ‘peace of mind’ after which our religious weaklings bleat so plaintively.
“For myself, l long ago decided that I would rather know the truth than be happy in ignorance. I cannot have both truth and happiness; give me truth. We’ll have a long time to be happy in heaven.”

• A. W. Tozer, Man, the Dwelling Place of God

1 Chronicles 3:1 ‘David’: “The chief reason for such detailed genealogies is that they affirm the line of Christ from Adam (Luke 3:38) through Abraham and David (Matt. 1:1), thus emphasizing the kingdom intentions of God in Christ.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Chronicles 3:16 ‘Jeconiah’: “God’s curse resulting in no royal descendants from the line of Jeconiah (Jehoiakin), as given by Jeremiah (Jer. 22:30), was enforced by God. Even though Jeconiah was in the line of Christ, the Messiah was not a physical child of that line, thus affirming the curse, yet sustaining the legality of His kingship through Joseph, who was in David’s line. His blood birthright came through Mary, who traced her line to David through his son Nathan, not Solomon (cf. Luke 3:31).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Chronicles 4:10 ‘Jabez’: “He was called Jabez because his mother bore him with sorrow. It will sometimes happen that where there is the most sorrow in the cause, there will be the most pleasure in the sequel. As the furious storm gives place to the clear sunshine, so the night of weeping precedes the morning of joy. Sorrow the forerunner; gladness the prince it ushers in. Cowper says, ‘The path of sorrow, and that path alone, leads to the place where sorrow is unknown.’ As for this Jabez, whose aim was so well pointed, his fame so far sounded, his name so lastingly embalmed—he was a man of prayer. The honor he enjoyed would not have been worth having if it had not been vigorously contested and equitably won. His devotion was the key to his promotion. Those are the best honors that come from God, the award of grace with the acknowledgment of service. The best honor is that which one gains in communion with the Most High. Jabez, we are told, was more honorable than his brothers, and his prayer is recorded, as if to intimate that he was also more prayerful than his brothers. He prayed for God’s blessing. Perhaps in this place Jabez may have put the blessing of God in contrast with the blessings of people. People will bless us when we do well for ourselves; they will praise the one who is successful in business. Nothing succeeds like success; nothing has so much approval of the general public as one’s prosperity. They do not weigh people’s actions in the balances of the sanctuary but in other scales.  We will find those about us who will commend us if we are prosperous or, like Job’s comforters, condemn us if we suffer adversity. Perhaps there may be some feature about their blessings that may please us because we feel we deserve them; they commend us for our patriotism, for our generosity. But after all, what is there in the verdict of people? At a trial the verdict of the policeman who stands in the court or of the spectators who sit in the courthouse amounts to nothing. The only thing that is of importance at all will be the verdict of the jury and the sentence of the judge. So it will little avail us, whatever we may do, how others commend or censure; their blessings are not of any great value, but, ‘If only you, Lord, would bless me, that you would say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Commend the feeble service that through your grace my heart has rendered; that will be to bless me indeed.’ ”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Chronicles 4:23 ‘in service to others’: “All labor is honorable. No one ever needs to be ashamed of an honest calling. Whether a potter or gardener, or whatever else one‘s occupation may be, the workman need never blush at the craft or toil by which he earns his honest wage. The sluggard may well be ashamed of his sloth but not the diligent person of his industry. The Word of God does not disparage the humblest calling. There is scarcely a trade or occupation that is not mentioned in sacred Scripture. The rough hand and the rugged face of the peasant are to be preferred before the dainty finger and the sleek form of the Pharisee. And the election of grace has comprised people of all sorts—herdsman and fisherman, brick maker and tent maker, those who plowed the soil and those who plowed the sea. From all ranks and classes and conditions of people, God has been pleased to call forth his own. And he has loved them, nonetheless, because they have had to soil their hands with potter’s clay or bend their backs to till the field. Wretched is the clown who sits in the shade while his comrades work in the sun. There is an honor then and a dignity, too, in humble, honest toil. The Bible itself does not disdain to record the humble craftsman’s name. To serve a king always was and still is deemed a thing to be desired. But there is a King it is real honor to serve—an honor angels appreciate—which archangels delight in. That King is the King of kings.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Chronicles 4:43 ‘Amalekites’: “Longstanding enemies of Israel whom God purposed to exterminate. Another branch of the Amalekite family tree had appeared in Persia, represented by Haman, who attempted to exterminate the Jews (Esth. 3:1ff.).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Chronicles 5:2 ‘Judah prevailed’: “In accordance with Jacob’s blessing (Gen. 49:10), the king of Israel is to come from Judah. This prophecy had historical reference to the Davidic covenant (cf. ch. 17; 2 Sam. 7) with full messianic implications.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

1 Chronicles 6 ‘Reflections’: “We need not fear that in seeking God only we may narrow our lives or restrict the motions of our expanding hearts. The opposite is true. We can well afford to make God our All, to concentrate, to sacrifice the many for the One.
“The author of the quaint old English classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, teaches us how to do this.
“ ‘Lift up thine heart unto God with a meek stirring of love; and mean Himself, and none of His goods. And thereto, look thee loath to think on aught but God Himself. So that nought work in thy wit, nor in thy will, but only God Himself. This is the work of the soul that most pleaseth God.’
“Again, he recommends that in prayer we practice a further stripping down of everything, even of our theology. ‘For it sufficeth enough, a naked intent direct unto God without any other cause than Himself.’ Yet underneath all his thinking lay the broad foundation of New Testament truth, for he explains that by ‘Himself’ he means ‘God that made thee, and bought thee, and that graciously called thee, to thy degree.’ And he is all for simplicity: if we would have religion ‘lapped and folden in one word, for that thou shouldest have better hold thereupon, take thee but a little word of one syllable: for so it is better than of two, for even the shorter it is the better it accordeth with the work of the Spirit. And such a word is this word Goo or this word Love.’
“When the Lord divided Canaan among the tribes of Israel, Levi received no share of the land. God said to him simply, ‘I am thy part and thine inheritance,’ and by those words made him richer than all his brethren, richer than all the kings and rajas who have ever lived in the world. And there is a spiritual principle here, a principle still valid for every priest of the Most High God.
“The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately, and forever.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

1 Chronicles 6:8 ‘Zadok’: “By the time of David’s reign, the high priestly line had wrongly been shifted to the sons of Ithamar as represented by Abiathar. When Abiathar sided with Adonijah rather than Solomon, Zadok became the ruling high priest (1 Kin. 2:26, 27) and restored the high-priesthood to the Levitical line through Phinehas (cf. Num. 25:10-13).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Chronicles 9:1 ‘all Israel’: “Even though the northern kingdom of Israel never returned from dispersion in 722 B.C., many from the ten tribes which made up that kingdom migrated south after the division in 931 B.C. The result was that Judah, the southern kingdom, had people from all tribes, so that when returning from captivity ‘all Israel’ was truly represented.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

 

My Thoughts

This starts a new Bible Study Series.  I intend to go through 1 & 2 Chronicles and Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

This first study covers nine chapters, but the chapters are all genealogies.  Rev. MacArthur’s quote at the beginning of the quotes is the most important thing.  It shows the genealogy from Adam to the remnant that returned to Judah after the 70-year exile.  This sets the stage for the genealogy of Jesus to show his lineage back to King David.

But my late wife always wanted to know what life was like in the biblical times so that she could think about whether she would have either made the same good decision or messed up in the same way.

But, I like to think about odd characters in the Bible and where they came from.  For example, Egypt and Cush were sons of Ham.  Thus, the Egyptian nation that factors heavily in the Bible from Abram escaping to Egypt during a famine to the Egyptian Pharoah enslaving the Israelites to Joseph and Mary escaping the wrath of Herod the Great by going to Egypt.

As for Cush, there are people throughout the Bible that are identified as Cushites or from Cush.  Often, the scholars speak of their dark skin.  Moses’ wife was the focal point of Aaron and Miriam bickering with Moses.  Topaz is mentioned in Job as coming from the land of Cush.  Nimrod was a son of Cush.

Ophir is a descendant of Shem, not in Abram’s line.  The fine, pure gold used in Solomon’s temple was from Ophir.

For those that are interested in putting the pieces together, the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles are useful tools.

But what of the warnings against genealogies?

In 1 Timothy 1:4 and in Titus 3:9, Paul warns his young pastors against arguments regarding genealogy.  With the Pharisees and the church leaders, they knew their genealogy,  They knew from whom they had descended and they used that as their authority, along with the standing of their teacher, but authority comes from Jesus and the workings of the Holy Spirit.  Bloodline means nothing.

It means nothing that my ancestor was a first cousin of a former president of the USA.  That was hundreds of years ago.  And if that ancestor was not a believer in Jesus, why would I cling to my genealogy? It only matters whether I do God’s Will or not.  It only matters if Jesus is in my heart.  Thus, wasting time searching through court records to find a familial connection is just that, a waste of time.  Of course, there are a lot of time wasters, but there are some time wasters that are used to puff us up as being better than someone else.  And that is what Paul was warning his young friends about, those friends that would carry on the ministry after Paul was gone.  They should not fall prey to someone using the authority of their ancestry to override what Timothy and Titus were teaching regarding the Gospel.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Note: While the nine chapters can be discussed in concept in a simple lesson, the Serendipity Bible for Study Groups discusses each chapter in detail and sometimes breaks down those chapters.  The discussion goes far afield of the genealogy to discuss the history of each tribe of Israel.  If there is one person or one tribe or a subject of interest, you could go to the questions that interest you.  Or the study group leader could pick and choose the best questions that would be of interest within your study group.  Or you could take the time to discuss them all.  They are all available as a reference.

“1 Chronicles 1:1-27 Historical Record from Adam to Abraham: 1. Which of those listed were ‘household names’ to you?
“2. Likely some important names listed here are virtual unknowns. For example, Seth: Like a substitute player, he takes the field in a world burned by murder and greed (see Ge 4:24). Yet through him, God establishes a chosen nation! For all who live fairly humble, non-descript lives, why should we think our life still counts for something?
“3. What is on your list of concerns forgetting acquainted with this ‘book of lists’?
1 Chronicles 1:22-54 The Family of Abraham: 1. All groups of people sort the world into good guys and bad guys. Sometimes it’s playful, as in competing football teams; other times it‘s dead serious. Of all the groups (teams, associations, families) you belong to, which two most define who you are? Which one helps you decide which downtown service agency to help with Thanksgiving meals? Which will help you decide what neighborhood to live in? Or how much income to declare on your income tax forms‘? Which groups influence your choice of clothes, hairstyle, leisure pursuits?
“2. How might the strange listing of the Edomites make you think twice about which people you view as offensive, unattractive, outside your circles?
“3. Do you think marriage was taken more seriously in Abraham’s day than today? Why or why not? Today we have ways of dissolving marriages which insure that the parties of a previous marriage are cared for. By today’s standard of equal rights, would Abraham’s effort to provide for Hagar have passed muster? If the exiled Hagar and her brood had moved next door to you, would you or your church be ready to assist her? Why or why not?
1 Chronicles 2: 1. Either Ashhur was born into a single-parent family (v.24 of the NIV translation), or he‘s the product of incest (as suggested by the RSV translation of v.24). Either way, what would Ashhur‘s lot in life have been like? How many ‘Ashhur’s’ have you known—chiIdren of one parent or of mixed-up parentage? What resources today help such children grow to maturity? How can churches or Bible study groups help?
“2. Of what profit to the Ashhur‘s of this world would be a chronicle of their family history?
“3. How has your family overcome disadvantage or hardship in giving birth to their children? ln giving birth to their dreams of making a ‘name’ for themselves?
“4. How have the gifts and talents been distributed among your clan? How have they been used? Or abused?
“5. Who in your family is like Bezalel—filled with the Spirit of God and with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts? How do you respond to those who ‘have it all’?
“6. In the composite picture of your group, do you have more ‘Ashhur‘s’ or ‘Bezalel‘s’? Any with the shenanigans of ‘Sheshan’?
1 Chronicles 3: 1. If you had been a court advisor at Hebron when David had six kids all under the age of eight, what advice would you give him on child-rearing? On family planning?
“2. As did many of the Israelites after Solomon died, what legacy of family troubles did you inherit? What have you in turn passed along to others?
“3. When facing conflicts such as these sons of David and kings of Judah must have faced, what kind of bird are you: (a) Hawk, flying above it all and ready to pounce on mistakes? (b) Dove, waging peace instead of war? (c) Ostrich, with your head in the sand, waiting for the conflict to blow over? (d) Turkey, easily ruffled, always squawking?
“4. What troubles have you tried tackling this year: Any of your own making? Any you’ve inherited? Any you‘ve seized upon as a cause celebre? What help have you had? What disappointments? What will you do differently from here on?
1 Chronicles 4:1-23 Other Clans of Judah: 1. How have family relations and social institutions changed since grandparents, parents and children all lived and worked together? Did your mom or dad want you to follow in their footsteps family-wise, careerwise or otherwise? How so?
“2. Mixed marriages violated instructions given to the people entering the Promised Land, yet evidence here suggests that all kinds of family units make up the chosen kingdom people. What ‘odd’ families do you admit to your chosen circle of friends (group or church)?
“3. What expectations do you have of your children and their careers? If you joined together to maximize your resources, focus expenses, and train successive generations to do likewise, what might you specialize in? What might you achieve in the end?
1 Chronicles 4:24-43 Simeon: 1. For your group or church to adopt ‘outsiders’, what attitudes are required on each side’? What difference does knowing God make?
“2. How would you feel if all your heritage was ‘lost’ in a bigger crowd, as was Simeon’s? What would you do to recover your lost identity?
1 Chronicles 5:1-10 Reuben: 1. How has your spiritual inheritance been affected, for good and for bad, by your actions? By your parents’ decisions?
“2. Like the Reubenites, your family may also have felt cut off by natural boundaries: How so?
1 Chronicles 5:11-22 Gad: 1. Are periods of prosperity or lack of it a part of your family‘s life cycle? How so? How would you feel about working hard only to have someone take (or tax) it all away?
“2. From what self-imposed or personal ‘exiles’ have you had to recover? How did you recover?
1 Chronicles 5:23-26 The Half Tribe of Manasseh: 1. How do the virtues and vices of Manasseh compare to those your own neighbors?
“2. What would you do if a ‘Manasseh’ moved in next door?
1 Chronicles 6:1-30 Levi: 1. Levi’s descendants had the responsibility of instilling the family values learned from a long genealogy such as this one. This was to prepare them for their priestly duties in the years and centuries ahead. What attitudes, strengths and experiences come to mind by the mere mentioning of your distant relatives, especially your namesake?
1 Chronicles 6:31-81 The Temple Musicians: 1. If your country’s leader was intent on directing all the nation‘s professional music groups, what skills and ideas would you expect in the candidate of your political party? Would you like to live in a nation where most all music was performed by clergy and church workers? Or not? Why?
“2. Given the generations of training in music built into Heman, Asaph and Ethan, what kind of pressure from the laity are they laboring under? When have you laced similar pressure to perform and live up to your family name?
“3. The priests led Israel in making atonement in their daily worship and ritual. By comparison, how fine-tuned is your sense of God‘s awesomeness, and your frailty?
“4. The Levite’s resources were widely known (once the chronicler published them). For what resources have you been given stewardship duties? Would you mind making them public to your church or even your small group? Why?
“5. If the church is to continue the Levites‘ role in providing sanctuary, what role would your church be prepared to take regarding criminal refugees? Child abuse refugees? Political refugees?
“6. The armed tribes of Israel were to give a portion of their property to the Levites (and possibly also do battle for them), causing some indebtedness and resentment. We see this today in similar laity and clergy tensions. Which of today’s abuses need attention where you live and worship? Why would you share your gains with your ‘Levite’ minister?
1 Chronicles 7: 1. With this chapter reading like a military roster or draft lottery, the protection function surely dominates the chronicler‘s concerns. How willing are you to be counted among the protectors of your people? Who in your town could use ‘fighting men’ to escort them? How can you help others ‘feel safe’ where you live?
“2. How have you learned, like Makir and other descendants of ‘unforgettable’ Manasseh, to forget the troubles of the past (no sons, no eligible women) and make the best of the hand you are dealt?
“3. What grief-stricken families does Ephraim’s clan bring to mind for you? How might their ‘Beriah’ (child of misfortune) find a home in your group or church fellowship? What are you all doing to help families recover a sense of hope after suffering loss and grief?
“4. How would this chapter help ancient Israel (and you) answer the age-old question, ‘ls God still interested in us’?
1 Chronicles 8: 1. Who do you know who has changed his or her given name? What purpose does a pseudonym serve? Under what conditions would you change yours?
“2. The fortunes of families often change rapidly, being just ‘one generation’ away from extinction. In the line of King Saul, this is true career-wise, biologically, spiritually. How is that true of your family: Who will inherit the family business? Any male heirs to pass along the family name? Any spiritual heirs to spread God’s name?
“3. What’s in a name, yours or your children‘s? How can one overdo the meaning of a name and saddle a kid for life? What modern ‘gods’ are namesakes today?
1 Chronicles 9:1-34 The People in Jerusalem: 1. Why did the Israelites take such precautions about guarding the ‘Tent of God’? Today, what sacred buildings are guarded heavily?
“2. In what sense have you inherited ‘charge of the key’ to the house of God? Who are you letting in… or keeping out?
“3. What special offerings and activities does your church reserve for weekly observance?
“4. Who carries responsibilities for rules, rituals, receipts and recipes in your place of worship? Who do you exempt from such duties and why?
“5. Why is movement from town to town (such as the weekly Israelite platoon system afforded) important to the life and health of Christians today? How does your fellowship encourage delegation of its leadership roles and full participation by its members? What ‘re-entry’ points do you have for people disoriented by great personal and material loss?
1 Chronicles 9:35-44 The Genealogy of Saul: 1. What well-known persons in our day need help in rewriting the public view of them? As with Israel and Saul, how do we overcome the ‘people we love to hate’ syndrome?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

These nine chapters of 1 Chronicles have been divided into fifteen sets of question(s)as shown above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.