Week 18 1 Chronicles
The first nine chapters of Chronicles are one massive list of names – a kind of bible-reader’s Namibian Desert. Fortunately I’ve been here before and I’m not totally surprised.
I notice that the chronicler expands on some things and not others. I noticed that last year when the families of Judah and Levi were spotlighted but the other tribes weren’t.
Now I notice that all along the way the writer makes other selection & de-selection choices that I’m not sure what to do with. For example as soon as I get to Noah’s family – Noah is the tenth name in the book – I see the chronicler starting to skip some things. One of Noah’s sons was Japheth and Japheth had seven sons: Gomer Magog Madai Javan Tubal Meshech and Tiras. The chronicler names Gomer’s three sons and Javan’s four sons. But he doesn’t say anything more about Magog Madai Tubal Meshech and Tiras. So I wonder what’s behind the omissions.
Then in chapter seven the writer tells a story about the Ephraim family: Ephraim’s sons Ezer and Elead were killed trying to steal livestock from the local farmers near Gath…Ephraim mourned for them a long time. Afterward Ephraim slept with his wife, and she…gave birth to a son. Ephraim named him Beriah because of the tragedy his family had suffered. It’s an unhappy family story and I wonder what’s behind the inclusion.
Note: quote from 1 Chronicles 1:5 & 7:20-23 (NLT). My margin note says Beriah means Misfortune.