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Day 224 – Thru the Bible
Today we continue First Chronicles.
1 Chronicles 22 – When God established Israel as a nation, he did so in two phases—first with David, the man of war, and then with Solomon, the man of peace. These verses identify and summarize this pattern. By recognizing this important pattern in redemptive history, perhaps we can understand the confusion of the religious leaders and the disciples in Jesus’ day. As Jesus repeatedly proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom of God (kingdom of heaven), they would have naturally expected the Messiah to begin with war (stage 1) and then usher in peace (stage 2). Quite unexpectedly, Jesus brought forth his kingdom by first coming as the man of peace (in the Gospels) and he will come as the man of war who secures our peace at the end of history.
In the Old Testament era, Israel lost its kingdom because, though their land had been secured by God, their sinfulness continued. However, when Jesus ushered in his eternal kingdom, he subdued our sin as the man of peace, securing our place in his kingdom by paying the price for our sin and imputing his own righteousness to us. Thus, it is now impossible for the believer to forfeit this kingdom. What good is citizenship in a kingdom that can be lost or surrendered through sin or death?
1 Chronicles 23 & 24 – Chapters 23–27 at first glance the detailed recounting of David’s organization of the temple (chapters 23–26) and civil administration (chapter 27) appears odd and perhaps out of place to modern readers. In fact, one might even wonder what relevance this type of information would have had for the post-exiled community living hundreds of years after the events recorded. How should we understand this information in light of the work of Jesus and the new covenant?
We should remember the focus of the genealogies in chapters 1–9. In those genealogies, two tribes garnered special attention, Judah and Levi. These tribes represented the royal and priestly families in Israel. Thus, the emphasis at the beginning of 1 Chronicles is the same as the emphasis at the end of 1 Chronicles—the worship of Yahweh, and His reign through an earthly, Davidic king. The significance of worship and Yahweh’s royal dominion over His people are two themes that span both the Old and New Testaments. What the author of Chronicles sets before us in these chapters was succinctly summarized and thereby affirmed by Jesus hundreds of years later, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
From the garden of Eden in Genesis 2 to the city of God in Revelation 21, we are reminded of the significance and centrality of Yahweh’s kingship and our worship of Him. It is good for us to remember that from the beginning of time, and then stretching into eternity, the centrality and significance of these two biblical themes will never change or fail to satisfy God’s people.
How do these chapters help you see Jesus throughout the Bible?
What other thoughts or questions does today’s reading bring up?
Some of these notes are from the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible study notes. We highly recommend this study Bible.
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