Chronological Bible Study – April 29
What I Noticed Today (1 Chronicles 7-10)
1 Chronicles 7
1 Chronicles 7 lists the genealogies of the six northern tribes.
- Verses 1-5 the genealogy of Issachar.
- Verses 6-12 the genealogy of Benjamin.
- Verse 13 the genealogy of Naphtali.
- Verses 14-19 the genealogy of Manasseh.
- Verses 20-29 the genealogy of Ephraim.
- Verses 30-40 the genealogy of Asher.
Note: Of these, very few are called out with special notations:
- Azariah was the priest in the house of the Lord that Solomon built (1 Chronicles 6:10).
- Jehozadak went into exile when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar (1 Chronicles 6:15).
- A list of the men of Levi who ministered in the Tabernacle and the house of the Lord (1 Chronicles 6:31-49).
- A list of Aaron’s descendants who ministered in the Most Holy Place (1 Chronicles 6:49-54).
- The sons of Tola who were mighty warriors (1 Chronicles 7:2).
- The sons of Uzzi who were all chiefs (1 Chronicles 7:3).
1 Chronicles 8-9
1 Chronicles 8-9 traces the lineage of the tribe of Benjamin and the returned exiles.
1 Chronicles 8
1 Chronicles eight lists the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin (first covered in less detail in 1 Chronicles 7:6-12):
- Verses 1-5 the genealogy of Benjamin and his five sons.
- Verses 6-28 the genealogy of Ehud (the great-grandson of Benjamin, and the son of Gera).
- Verses 29-40 the genealogy of the Gibeonites (Saul’s line).
Note: The Gibeonite line of Benjamites cannot be linked directly back to the genealogy listed in verses 1-28 because the first Gibeonite mentioned is Jeiel, the father of Gibeon, and great grandfather of Saul.
Note: Of these, very few are called out with special notations:
- The sons of Ehud, who were heads of houses, and carried into exile (1 Chronicles 8:6).
- The sons of Ulam, who were Benjamites, mighty warriors, and bowmen (1 Chronicles 8:40).
1 Chronicles 9
In verses 1-2, the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness to God.
Note: The reference to Israelites in verse 2 is specific to the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh.
In verses 3-34, a list of the exiles returned by tribe:
- The sons of Zerah 690 (1 Chronicles 9:6).
- The four lines of Benjamites 956 (1 Chronicles 9:7-9).
- The six families of priests 1,760 (1 Chronicles 9:10-13).
- The seven families of Levites (1 Chronicles 9:14-16).
- The gatekeepers 212 (1 Chronicles 9:17-22).
Note: A similar list of returned exiles is provided in Nehemiah 11:4-9.
In verses 35-44, the genealogy of Saul is repeated (similar to 1 Chronicles 8:29-40).
1 Chronicles 10
1 Chronicles 10 recounts the death of Saul and his sons.
In verses 1-7, the Philistines fought against the Israelites and killed Saul and his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua.
- An arrow wounded Saul, then killed himself so it would not be said that he died at the hand of a Philistine.
- When the army saw that Saul and his sons were dead, they fled in retreat.
In verses 8-13, the Philistines cut off Saul’s head and stripped off his armor, and put them in the temple of their God Dagon.
- When the men of Jabesh-Gilead heard about what had been done to Saul, they gathered up the bodies of Saul and his sons and buried them in Jabesh.
- Ultimately, Saul died for his breach of faith with God; he did not keep God’s commands; he consulted mediums and did not seek God’s guidance. Because of these failings, God took the kingdom away from him and gave it to David.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- There is a three-stage progression in Saul’s failure. First, he failed to follow God’s commands fully. Second, he looked to advise from pagan sources that were outlawed. And third, Saul stopped seeking God and His wisdom.
- It seems so obvious today why God would take the kingdom away from Saul and give it to someone more righteous. But it strikes me that it easy for us to slide into the same progression away from God that Saul experienced. First, we stop trusting and following God faithfully. Then we seek wisdom from sources other than God. Then, we stop seeking God altogether, even to the point of rejecting God’s wisdom because of the hardness of our hearts.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.