Introduction to 1 Chronicles

We are used to the Bible presenting its characters with all of their defects clearly reveled.  The book of First Chronicles is clearly and exception to this tendency.  Here we have much of the story of David as recounted in Samuel and Kings, but this time it is presented without making mention of David’s major failures and challenges.  The reason for this may simply be found in the fact that this account was recorded about the time that the children of Israel were returning from Exile under the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra.  The fact of disobedience and the results of idolatry had been clearly experienced by these original readers.  They needed a history that inspired hope for the future not an explanation of the exile of the past.  David’s failures and heartaches had been clearly recorded already; there was little need to repeat them all here.  Ezra is more than likely the author of this book and He wants to make sure his readers understand the rich heritage of their nation as they prepare to rebuild the ruins that sin had brought upon the nation.

THE HISTORY OF DAVID’S ANCESTORS: The book starts off with a quick genealogy of David’s ancestors going all the way back to Adam.  When we read these genealogies today they seem rather boring and irrelevant especially since they are repeated several times throughout Scripture.  It is important for us to keep in mind that the original readers did not likely have access to the previous accounts and for a group of people who were getting ready to return from exile these accounts of their history would have been very meaningful and important for them to remember.  Besides the account of David’s genealogies; We are also given an account of each of the twelve tribes of Israel which would have allowed the current readers to identify exactly to which tribe they belonged.  During the years of exile it would have been possible for the people to have lost track of their heritage.  Many may have given up hope of every becoming a distinct nation again.  The content of these records demonstrates God’s commitment to the nation and His intention to both restore them as well as preserve them for His intended purposes.  God is clearly in control of the events of this earth and we can be assured that nothing that occurs here is out of His control.  He is aware of all the events of history and is orchestrating those events to accomplish His purposes on the earth.

THE HIGHLIGHTS OF DAVID’S REIGN: All of the information that we have in this account has been included in the previous books.  However, it is very interesting that Ezra chooses to leave out the majority of the negative information about David and his reign.  We start out with the death of Saul and the consolidation of the kingdom behind David.  There is a very clear focus on David’s concern with the Ark of the Covenant and all that surrounds the worship of the Lord.  Ezra is clearly attempting to demonstrate to the people that their nation was founded on worship and that the Ark and Temple were central preoccupations of David and so they should be the focus of this generation as they return to Jerusalem and reestablish the nation in its homeland.  God’s instructions to David and His assurances that the right to reign over Israel would always remain with the descendants of David is also a very significant theme that is emphasized.  God has established a plan of succession for the leadership of the nation and He established a covenant with David in order to demonstrate His commitment to fulfilling that plan.  The only failure of David recorded in the book is his decision to take a census of the nation.  It seems that the reason for choosing this particular issue is the fact that it demonstrated David’s desire to trust in his own army as opposed to trusting in the Lord.  This truth is vital to the nation as they begin the process of rebuilding the nation.  There would be much opposition before them and they were in no way capable of defending themselves or accomplishing the tasks that confronted them.  However, it was important that they realize that Israel has never had to depend on those things.  God was their Protector and Provider.  He would defend them as well as equip them to do the many tasks that He would place before them.  The same is true of us today.  God will not leave us on our own.  He is with us and we can trust Him to give us the strength as well as the resources we need to accomplish His will.  We must never fall into the trap of self-reliance.

THE HELP OF DAVID’S PREPARATIONS: David’s heart’s desire was to build a temple for the Lord and a place to house the Ark of the Covenant.  David felt guilty about his own comfort when the Lord had not place to “live.”  God makes two things very clear to David.  First, God does not need a place to “live” He is spirit and does not require a home and He certainly does not require the assistance of man in the construction of a place to abide.  Second, He  makes it clear that David’s history of war and bloodshed disqualified him from the construction that needed to be done.  A place of worship would never be for the purpose of God’s comfort; however, it was an important aspect of man’s relationship with God.  The desire to build a temple was not wrong on David’s part, it was simply not what God wanted him to do.  God revealed to David that his son Solomon would be the one He would use to accomplish this important task.  David accepted this decision and set out to make all the possible preparations for this job.  He prepared for this construction by amassing huge quantities of building materials from all over the world.  He donated many materials himself as well as mobilized the citizens of the nation to do the same.  The generosity of the king as well as the people is what made this project possible.  A similar type of dedication would be needed to accomplish the reconstruction of the temple.  David also made sure to prepare his son, Solomon for the job that was ahead.  He challenged him to be faithful in this job and gave him clear instruction as to how the job should be done.  Anytime we are passing from one generation to another, this type of instruction is vital.  David also did much preparation for the construction by organizing the work force and the leadership that would oversee both the construction and the services to be rendered.  The success of any venture requires materials, leadership and organization.  David did all that he could be make sure that this job would be accomplished.  Ezra, like David, would have a similar task so these lessons from the past would be vital to remember just as they are vital to us today.