Paperback
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
- Cover the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles in 12 lessons
- Equip yourself to lead a Bible study
- Imagine the Bible’s historical world
- Study word origins and definitions
- Explore thoughtful questions on key themes
- Go deeper with optional projects
- Add your notes with extra space and wide margins
- Find the flexibility to fit the time you have
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781615217663 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tyndale House Publishers |
| Publication date: | 02/05/2019 |
| Series: | LifeChange |
| Pages: | 132 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d) |
Read an Excerpt
A Life-Changing Encounter with God's Word from the Book of 1 & 2 Chronicles
By The Navigators
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2014 The NavigatorsAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61521-766-3
CHAPTER 1
1 CHRONICLES 1–7
The Heritage of God's People
1. For getting the most from 1 and 2 Chronicles, one of the best guidelines is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, words Paul wrote with the Old Testament first in view. He said that all Scripture is of great benefit to (a) teach us, (b) rebuke us, (c) correct us, and (d) train us in righteousness. Paul added that these Scriptures completely equip the person of God "for every good work." As you think seriously about those guidelines, in which of these areas do you especially want to experience the usefulness of 1 and 2 Chronicles? Express your desire in a written prayer to God.
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
2. In Jeremiah 23:29, God says that His Word is "like fire" and "like a hammer." He can use the Scriptures to burn away unclean thoughts and desires in our hearts. He can also use Scripture, with hammer-like hardness, to crush and crumble our spiritual hardness. From your study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, how do you most want to see the fire-and-hammer power of God's Word at work in your own life? Again, express this longing in a written prayer to God.
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
3. Think about these words of Paul to his younger helper Timothy: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). God calls you to be a "worker" as you study God's word of truth in 1 and 2 Chronicles. It takes work — concentration and perseverance — to fully appropriate God's blessings for us in these books. Express here your commitment before God to work diligently in this study of Chronicles.
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
4. In one sitting if possible, read attentively all of 1 Chronicles 1–7, taking notes and underlining or highlighting as you go. What impresses you overall as the key features and themes of this part of the book?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
The point of the genealogies in chapters 1–9 is to show that the Jews living in the Chronicler's generation are the legitimate heirs of the promise that can be traced from Adam, to Abraham, to Judah and the other patriarchs, to King David. The genealogies sometimes skip generations, sometimes deal with several family lines at once (see 6:1-3), sometimes drop in a story about some event (see 4:9-10; 5:18-22). They deal with all twelve tribes of Israel, but the focus is on the royal family of David and the priestly tribe of Levi. Those two families lead in the secular and the sacred realms.
Genealogies may bore us, but they show how deeply the Jews valued family and how important family was at a time when God's promises passed through bloodlines. Each individual, even if he is only a name on a page to us, is a whole valued piece of the story to God. History, too, matters to God. Our faith is not merely a list of doctrinal propositions. It is rooted in events that happened in particular times and places to particular people.
5. "The opening chapter, drawn almost wholly from Genesis, traces the descent of Israel (Jacob) from Adam and depicts the place of his descendants among the nations." In this first chapter of 1 Chronicles, which of the persons listed are familiar to you from other parts of Scripture?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Adam (1:1). The story of God's covenant of promise begins where human history begins.
Abraham (1:28). Abraham is the center point between Adam (see 1:1) and Jacob/Israel (see 2:1). All of Abraham's descendants are named to show that God kept His promise to make Abraham the father of many nations (see Genesis 17:3-6).
6. In chapters 2–4, the genealogies focus on the tribe of Judah, with special emphasis on the family of David (in chapters 3 and 4). In addition to David, which of the persons listed in chapters 2–4 are familiar to you from other parts of Scripture?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
The sons of Israel (2:1). All twelve tribes are listed in 2:1-2. For the Chronicler, the restoration of Israel will be complete only when all twelve tribes are restored to the land. It's not enough to restore Judah.
The sons of Judah (2:3). Faithful leadership was supposed to come through the tribe of Judah. Her failure to provide that leadership led to the exile, but God isn't finished with Judah. She still has a central role in God's plan.
These were the sons of David (3:1). God promised that the family of David would be the royal line of His people forever (see 1 Chronicles 14:2; 2 Chronicles 2:11). This family is key to God's plan.
In chapter 3, the Chronicler lists the kings from David's line and then the descendants of David who survived the exile. The promised royal line will have to pass through one of those descendants. Ultimately, the Messiah will descend from one of these, so these are important names. They include the two men who led the first and second waves of exiles back to the Promised Land.
7. What theological significance and spiritual instruction do you see in the brief story of Jabez in 4:9-10?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel ... and God granted his request (4:10). The Chronicler often notes that prayer to the God of Israel is answered (see 1 Chronicles 5:20-22; 2 Chronicles 20:6-12). He wants his readers to pray.
8. In focusing on the genealogy of Israel's Transjordan tribes, chapter 5 emphasizes tribes that were exiled by the Assyrians a century before Babylon destroyed Judah (see 5:6,22,26). Which of the persons listed here are familiar to you from other parts of Scripture?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
A ruler came from [Judah] (5:2). King David.
The battle was God's (5:22). The Chronicler's faith about warfare is that God helps His people win battles and that their prayers are crucial (see 1 Chronicles 12:19; 15:26; 2 Chronicles 20:15; 25:8; 32:10).
9. What theological significance and spiritual instruction do you see in how the historical record is presented in 5:24-26?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
10. In chapter 6, the genealogy focuses on the tribe of Levi. Which of the persons listed here are familiar to you from other parts of Scripture?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
11. What responsibilities and duties of the Levites are mentioned in chapter 6?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
The sons of Levi (6:1). The Levites get lengthy treatment because they led the nation's worship and the Chronicler placed a high value on worship. Many interpreters think he was a Levite himself. His readers would have known some of the names — Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Nadab, Abihu, and more — from other stories in the Bible. The mention of these names would have reminded his readers to learn from these people's virtues and sins.
The men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord (6:31). The Chronicler gives much attention to music in worship, and the men who led it. See 1 Chronicles 6:31-47; 9:33; 15:16-24; 23:5; 25:1-31; 2 Chronicles 5:12-13; 7:6; 29:25-30; 34:12.
Heman (6:33). A music ministry leader from the time of David (see 6:31; 15:16-19). He played the bronze cymbals when the ark of the covenant was brought into Jerusalem (see 15:19) and at other times (see 16:42). The superscription of Psalm 88 says Heman wrote it.
Asaph (6:39). Asaph too played the cymbals in David's day (see 15:19). The guild of Asaph wrote a dozen psalms (Psalms 50; 73–83), including the psalm for the ark's entrance into Jerusalem (see 1 Chronicles 16:7).
Ethan (6:44). Another cymbal player (see 15:19). The superscription of Psalm 89 says he wrote it.
Making atonement for Israel (6:49). The priests were Levites from the line of Aaron, and this was their most important task. "The word 'atonement' essentially means 'to cover.' God ordained that sin be 'covered' by means of animal sacrifice, whether offered for individuals (as in Leviticus 4:29,31) or the entire nation of Israel on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16). The sacrificial offerings were symbolic of atonement since 'it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin' (Hebrews 10:4)."
12. In chapter 7, the genealogy focuses on the northern tribes of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. Which of the persons listed here are familiar to you from other parts of Scripture?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
13. What would you say is the main point being made in chapter 7 by including the incident described in 7:21-24?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
The story of Ezer and Elead in 7:21-24 does not come from elsewhere in the Bible. The Chronicler adds it to exhort his readers that a temporary loss can be overcome by God's grace and human action. Likewise, the great loss of the exile was temporary and is being overcome.
14. Imagine that you were an Israelite living in Judah after the return from Babylonian exile. What overall impressions and lessons of your national and spiritual heritage would you gain from these genealogical chapters at the beginning of 1 Chronicles?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
15. In 1 Chronicles 1–7, what would you select as the key verse or passage — one that best captures or reflects the dynamics of what these chapters are all about?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
16. List any lingering questions you have about 1 Chronicles 1–7.
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
For the group
In your first meeting, it may be helpful to turn to the front of this book and review together the "How to Use This Guide" section.
You may want to focus your discussion for lesson 1 especially on some of the following issues, themes, and concepts (which are recognized as major overall themes in 1 and 2 Chronicles). Which of these are dealt with in some way in chapters 1–7, and how are they further developed there?
• The meaning and significance of God's covenant relationship with His people
• God's nature, especially as revealed by how He acts in the details of His people's history
• The importance and meaning of worship
• For God's people, the continuity of the present with the past
• The importance of obedience to God's Word and His laws, and our personal responsibility in that regard
• How sin brings disaster and judgment from God
• God's continued blessings and grace for His people
(Continues...)
Excerpted from A Life-Changing Encounter with God's Word from the Book of 1 & 2 Chronicles by The Navigators. Copyright © 2014 The Navigators. Excerpted by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
How to Use This Guide, 5,Introduction—The Books of 1 and 2 Chronicles: A Chosen Nation, a Privileged Mission, 11,
One—The Heritage of God's People (1 Chronicles 1–7), 15,
Two—The Rise of David (1 Chronicles 8–12), 25,
Three—The Reign of David (1 Chronicles 13–20), 33,
Four—David's Later Days (1 Chronicles 21–27), 43,
Five—The Rise of Solomon (1 Chronicles 28-29 and 2 Chronicles 1–5), 53,
Six—The Reign of Solomon (2 Chronicles 6–9), 63,
Seven—The Kingdom Divided (2 Chronicles 10–16), 71,
Eight—The Reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17–20), 83,
Nine—Further Crises (2 Chronicles 21–24), 91,
Ten—Further Decline (2 Chronicles 25–28), 99,
Eleven—The Reign of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29–32), 107,
Twelve—The Kingdom's Fall (2 Chronicles 33–36), 117,
Study Aids, 129,