Image: Footsteps, 2019, Severna Park, Md
1 Chronicles 9:1 (NKJV) 9 So all Israel was recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
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So what we have in 1 Chron. 1-9 is a series of snapshots of Israelite history bringing out important background information prior to getting down to the main narrative starting in chapter 10. We should notice that the last section of ch. 9, vs. 35-44, deals with King Saul's lineage. Chapter 10 will give us a snapshot of his reign.
These "snap-shots" essentially lay out a pathway in the snow if we allow the image above to set the metaphor. They give us just enough info to let us know how "we got from there to here." Buried within the seemingly interminable details of who begot whom and what common lands belonged to which tribes, we find fascinating historical tidbits that connect us with the very real people who populated those times. In 7:21 we are told that the "men of Gath who were born in that land" killed the sons of Ephraim who dwelt there. Ephraim was hard hit by this event and was visited by his "brethren" as comforters. We find ourselves suddenly drawn into the story as we imagine the all to real grief which consumed our ancient brother. Then in chapter 8 we read that the descendants of Benjamin "drove out the inhabitants of Gath." (vs. 13) Again a sense of satisfaction comes over us as we see loose ends tied up and grief avenged.
We also are given glimpses of the ordinary religious lives of the people in chapter 6 as we read not only of the genealogies of Levi but also some comments about their duties. A rich vista opens up before us. We see that the temple service employed large numbers of dedicated servants. There were gate keepers who traced their lineage back to those days in the wilderness when their fathers guarded the entrance to the camp. Their distinguished heritage went back to Phinehas (9:20, cf. Numbers 25:6-13) who had won high honor for his zeal for the Lord's righteousness. These guarded the treasury and the chambers of the Temple and they lived right in the temple precincts. They opened the temple every morning (9:27). In our mind's eye we can picture them, arising from their beds in their turn and going through the morning ceremonies of opening the temple as the priest start the morning sacrifices. Like the military units that guard the tomb of the unknown soldier, I imagine these men displayed high dignity and solemnity as they went about their ritual duties... duties which, in the event of trouble, would have aroused passionate and loyal physical response.
We also are amazed at the numbers of Levites who were dedicated to music. We are invited to imagine what kind of glorious sounds they would have rendered. I have no doubt that the style of music would have been so distant from the lyrical and melodic forms that we have now that it would require some getting used to. We are reminded of "Heman, the singer" (6:33) and we wonder what quality so distinguished his singing that this designation is passed down through the ages. We see Asaph mentioned and we remember his contributions to the Psalms. These verses speak of musicians and that includes all those who played instruments. There must have been daily practices and perhaps worship presentations as the priests went about their daily worship rituals. These Levites were "appointed to every kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God" (6:48) and the sheer number of those so designated fills us with wonder. The ordinary Israelites, especially in Jerusalem, whether just visiting on pilgrimage or residing there, must have been constantly conditioned by events at the temple. The sound of its worship would have rang out over the relatively small city as the bells of Big Ben cover the city of London. There was so much good built into God's design and appointment of His people... only their complacency and boredom with it all could explain how they turned away to other gods.
There are other interesting observations open to us. We wonder why the family of Naphtali gets only one verse (7:13). Why, we think, do we not read of their mighty men of valor? What were their accomplishments? The writers evidently viewed the tribe as essentially insignificant. What a sad picture. How many churches rise up and pass from the scene with no more impact on their communities than did Naphtali? It's something to ponder.
But the overview of history draws to its end in chapter 9. When we step back and look at it, in the big picture, what we gain from this entire section (chapters 1-9) is that the history of Israel was a multi-dimensional, complex, interwoven and organic whole. We see "steps in the snow" as the individual accounts all show us facets of specific points in history. We know that these genealogies do not constitute a complete listing of every one who was born to the various "fathers" who are listed. Some sons are not mentioned (e.g. Cain) and others just passed over. But each person, in all of the different accounts, lived and breathed at the same time as their corresponding brother or sister from other tribes were born and did their "thing." Thus, if we merge the listings along a time line, we see "steps", or "foot-prints", that occupy its space and then the next step is there beyond it.
The ancient reader was being encouraged to see that there was order and purpose behind the history of his people. There were steps that lead "from there to here." These steps each had their own colorful character, their own tragedies and their own mountain tops of victory, but they were not just isolated eons. They were all tied together by the All-Mighty hand of God who was directing the steps of His people to the ends for which they were born, lived, laughed, loved, fell, were raised up or punished and lived a life much as do we (except for technological differences).
1 Chronicles 1-9 reminds us that we are walking on a well defined pathway also... the next step may not be clear to us but it is to our God and that which lies behind us, including the history of 1 Chronicles, is there for our exhortation and edification.
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