family listing

Week 18 I Chronicles

The subtitle to I Chronicles in my bible is: Genealogy from Adam.
And that’s just what I see in verse one: Adam, Seth, Enosh.
So far so good. I recognize two of the first three names.
Then I recognize the three names in verse three, and the four names in verse four.
But after that things start going downhill.
I flip over a few pages…574, 575, 576…
There are pretty much nine chapters of names. A little over sixteen pages, give or take.
Over 400 verses. Mostly names.
As the chronicler started writing I Chronicles 1-9 he would have known that no one in world bible-reading history would ever choose to read these chapters if he was looking for inspirational reading. The writer didn’t write I Chronicles 1-9 to fire me up.
I start reading quickly, scanning down the page, seeing the words and not really missing anything but not mentally sounding out the names. I look for familiar names. It’s like a radar-scan…looking for a few familiar somethings in a mass of indeterminate nothings.
I Chronicles 1-9 wasn’t likely written to be read. More likely written to be consulted, like a big reference book in the library. And even though it’s not totally 100% names – for example, Sheshan had no sons so Jarha, his Egyptian slave married one of Sheshan’s girls and saved the family name – still, stories are an exception, as rare as pearls at the bottom of the sea.

Note: Sheshan’s story is in I Chronicles 2:34-41.