Day 216: Matthew 10

The calling of the twelve apostles is such a fascinating story. In Matthew, we aren't given much detail about how any of the apostles but Matthew are called. However, Matthew writes down the name of each apostle and even includes the instructions that Jesus gave them when he sent them out.

1. They were not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans--only the Jews.

2. They were to announce that the kingdom of God is near.

3. They were to perform acts on people: heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons, to give as freely as they have received.

4. They were not to take any money with them or a suitcase. They were to accept hospitality from people because "they deserve to be fed."

5. When they enter a place, they were to search for a worthy person and stay there until they left the town. They were to bless the home. If the home turns out to be worthy, then the blessing stands; if, however, it does not, they were to take back the blessing. For those households or towns that doesn't welcome them or listen to their message, they were to shake its dust from their feet as they leave.

Jesus was preparing his apostles for the journey. The mission was not an easy one, and the journey would be long, tiring, and hard. These men were going to be like "sheep among wolves (v. 16), and Jesus wanted to warn them what they were getting themselves into--floggings, whippings, hatred, persecution, loneliness. These are not easy things, but Jesus also offers them hope when he tells them:

"But everyone who endures to the end will be saved."
 
"But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!" 
 
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 

This journey was not going to be easy, but they believed in Jesus, his teaching, his mission. And they followed him. In spite of all the hardship they would suffer--and they all suffered for their faith--they still obeyed and left their old lives behind. It was all for the sake of Christ. What amazing trust and faith they had in Jesus.

Why don't we act like these apostles did. We don't--at least in America--suffer like these people suffered. We are selfish and individualistic. We may try to be an example and to tell others about Jesus, but our fear of rejection usually reminds us that we're too weak, too insignificant. But through Jesus, we can. When we trust ourselves, we have these feelings of insecurity and inferiority, but God can deliver us from these feelings. He just wants us to trust him. To give our lives to him. It's a lot to ask, and the journey won't be easy, but the reward, oh the reward, will be great.

Day 209: Matthew 1-2

I think it's interesting that the New Testament begins with the genealogy of Jesus. The book of Matthew gives us an account of Jesus' ancestry, going all the way back to Abraham. Many of the names are familiar to us because we've just read about them in the OT. Five women are mentioned--Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba (or the "wife of Uriah") and Mary. These women have their own unique stories. Francine Rivers has even written fascinating reads over the lives of each of these women, which I recommend reading.

This genealogy serves an interesting purpose, I think--to connect the Old to the New. This strategy on the part of the compilers of the Bible--and on Matthew whose book it is that does this--reminds us that this story that's about to unfold of Jesus and the church connects to all those other stories before it. It doesn't come from nowhere but is inherently connected to all that's come before it. To the stories of the Israelites. To the lives of the non-Jews. To the stories of all people on earth. Here we have the greatest story ever told about to unfold. And Matthew connects this story to the Israelite history. What this does for us is show us that the story of Jesus has a context. It didn't just appear out of nowhere but rather was prophesied about beforehand. Jesus's ancestors are God's people, and God sends Jesus to save the world. Welcome to the world, Jesus. What an entry you had.

Day 201: Micah 1-4

I have heard the following arguments throughout my life:
     *Individuals, not the government, should give to the poor, the oppressed, the needy.
     *My money is my money, and I don't want the government taking my money and giving it someone else.
     *I already give my money to noble causes, and the government has no right to take my money and give it away to someone who doesn't have any.

At certain points in my life, I, too, believed that the government didn't have a right to take money away from an individual. Individuals who work hard and earn money shouldn't be penalized by those who don't work hard and don't earn money. At the times I believed these things, I was a giver. I gave money to churches and other organizations, and I also gave of my time. Still, I believed that we shouldn't have so many government programs that help people who aren't working hard, like I was.

I hope you can see that I don't believe this creed anymore. While I still believe that hard work and hard effort can pay dividends, I also believe that people "without" are not necessarily "without" because they aren't working hard. Instead, many other factors are at work, including family background, educational opportunities, race, and gender. 

Many people I know--good people, Christian people--still believe that the government "should not take my money and give it away." Just last week, for instance, I heard a friend of mine say, "I don't want my money going to pay for someone else's healthcare." This comment came from a Christian. She is a good person, but I think she misses the point.

First, my money isn't really my money to begin with. The Bible tells us that everything we have comes from the Lord, so it's really not ours in the first place. It's God's money. He's given it to us. We haven't earned it. He's given to us. So when we start becoming possessive about our money and everything else we have, we need to remember that it's all God's to begin with. He can give, and he can take away.

Second, and I think more important, is something I have learned in my journey through reading the Old Testament prophets: that this notion of mine and yours is less biblical than the notion of "what I have can be given to you"--not only in the Jesus sense but also based on God's relationship with Israel.

We are an individualistic culture. Everything is about me and my. But God's relationship with Israel was communal. They were all responsible for the mistakes of everyone else. The entire nation was responsible for taking care of the least among them. As a nation, they were even responsible for not oppressing and taking advantage of lesser nations, weaker nations.

These prophets, including Micah, talk about how Israel will be judged and condemned because of their oppression. Those with the money and power will be judged because of their oppression of those who don't have money or power. The nation as a whole is judged, not just individuals who have money and give. It seems that God, through these prophets, condemns how the tax system is unfair, how it privileges the wealthy and exploits the poor. For these reasons, I no longer can believe that God doesn't have a side on taxes--how the rich should have higher taxes so the poor can live a better life. God punishes Israel--he judges and condemns them--for not taking care of the oppressed and the poor, and God might punish America, too, for these same reasons, especially if Christians do not start fighting for the poor.

I know this subject is a sensitive one. All sides think they are doing right and that their values and beliefs coincide with God. What scripture tells us again and again is that God cares for the weakest amongst us. My question here is: "Do we?" And if we do care about these people like we say we do, then what does this mean in terms of how we think about our money?

What's mine is mine?
What's mine is God's?
What's mine is yours?

Day 196: Amos 1-4

Amos, oh Amos. Another book of prophecy about the judgment and redemption of Israel. I would say by now that this has been a consistent theme throughout, but if you've been reading my blog consistently, you would already know that.

One thing that does strike me, though, is how forgiving--and patient--God is. He tells the people--through Amos--that for three sins, even four, He will not turn his back on them. This shows a compassionate God, a forgiving God. A God that loves people.

God also tells the Israelites:

"You only have I chosen
       of all the families of the earth;
       therefore I will punish you
       for all your sins." 

Because God chose them, He had expectations of how they would act. He even thought that they should remain faithful to Him. When they didn't fulfill his expectations, He vowed to punish them for their sins.

Another poignant passage about God comes from Amos 4:13. 

He who forms the mountains,
       who creates the wind,
       and who reveals his thoughts to mortals,
       who turns dawn to darkness,
       and treads on the heights of the earth—
       the LORD God Almighty is his name.

Day 195: Joel 1-3

The book of Joel isn't very long. Three chapters in fact. Fewer chapters than my daily reading. But Joel is another prophet. He witnesses a plague of locusts (I'm not sure if it's the one recorded in Exodus or a different plague) and a lengthy drought and calls on everyone--all Israelites--to repent. He tells the Israelites that they will be judged for their unfaithfulness and, unlike other prophets who focus on the redemption of Israel and Judah, Joel focuses on their punishment. The book is a bit dismal and gloomy, but that's because his purpose seems to be to condemn the Israelites for their naughty, sinful behavior. However, Joel does end with a description of the bountiful blessings God will give his people if they return to Him.

A well-known verse is recorded in Joel. Here's Joel 2:13:

Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

This description of God is beautiful. Slow to anger and abounding in love. Gracious and compassionate. Forgiving. Our God is and has always been a loving, forgiving God. How wonderful to know that who He was then is who He is now.

Day 192: Hosea 1-4

God tells Hosea to marry an "adulterous wife." So what does Hosea do? He marries Gomer. I'm not sure if she is a prostitute or not, but basically she provides a metaphor for the relationship between God and Israel. Israel is unfaithful, yet God is continuously faithful. The metaphor of the unfaithful wife can also be applied to us today and how often we turn from God. I'm just now into the beginning of the book, but the key thing to understand here is that God is always faithful--no matter how we respond. God loves us unconditionally. He always will. But he wants us to turn to him and live the life that he has envisioned for us. The New Testament discusses how we are the brides of Christ. May we all become more faithful to the Lord God and Jesus.

Day 187: Ezekiel 40-44

Ezekiel has a vision of a specific temple, and these chapters detail what the temple will look like. The temple Ezekiel envisions includes a wall, many different gates, outer and inner courts, rooms for the priests and for preparing sacrifices, a sanctuary, an altar, and the most holy place. It doesn't appear that this temple was ever built, and I'm not quite sure of the significance of this temple. Perhaps Ezekiel's detailed explanation about the temple is to serve as a message to Israel about the holy people they are supposed to be. The temple gives Israel a place of worship and might encourage them to return to holiness, to renew their commitment to the Lord.

It's interesting to me--and I know I've said this before--how much of the Bible reflects the same theme, the same story, just told in different ways. Israel is God's people. Israel leaves the Lord. The Lord pleads for them to repent. Israel repents. Israel strays again. And over and over and over again you have this motif.

But what I also find interesting is that we do the same thing as Israel does. Israel didn't get it, and neither do we. God wants us to pursue him. He wants us to be holy. He has called us. He has named us. But we stray. We sin. We turn our back on the Lord. We look out for our own self-interests. And through scripture, God is calling us to renew our hearts and minds by worshiping him in the temple. He's built this great place for us, and he wants us to come. To sit by His side and listen to Him. To worship Him. To love Him. If we renew our faith, He will make us holy.

Day 178: Ezekiel 5-8

Sickness is plaguing our family right now, and I don't have much energy or brain power to even try to process all that is being said in the book of Ezekiel. There is a lot of talk of God destroying Israel because of their unfaithfulness. This theme has been repeated over and over again throughout the OT. The end has come for Israel (7:6). Israel is doomed (7:7). The Lord will pour out his wrath and anger against them (7:8). God has decided to destroy Israel. He will judge them by the standards they have used against others (7:27).

And then, only then, will they know that God is Lord.

Let us not be like Israel. Let us seek the Lord now. Today. There's no better time than now. Let us know, today, that the Lord is God.

Day 177: Ezekiel 1-4

When I was young, we learned this song about Ezekiel seeing a wheel in the air. I never really knew what that specific reference meant, and after reading these four chapters, I still don't really get it. What I do know, though, is that the glory of the Lord appeared to Ezekiel and called him to be a prophet. The Spirit had a presence in his life, and he responded to it. In fact, the word "Spirit" is used several times here. Ezekiel was to speak to Israel and to deliver to them messages from the Lord.

How will you respond to the Lord's call? Will you say "yes"? Will you hear his voice calling? Will you allow the Spirit to work in your life?

Day 172: Jeremiah 41-46

Just like God spares Jeremiah's life, he also spares Baruch's life. He protects him from harm. God cares for his people.

Listen to this verse. Jeremiah 46:20: "Egypt is a beautiful heifer." Huh? What does that mean? Is that supposed to be a good thing? I don't think that was a compliment back in middle school, but maybe in Bible times, it was.

Day 169: Jeremiah 29-32

Jeremiah 29:10-14: This is what the Lord says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."

I include this passage in its entirety so that you can better understand the context out of which it is written. Jeremiah tells the people that they will be exiled to Babylon for 70 years. After that time, God will come and fulfill all the promises he has made to them. He knows the plans he has for Israel, and they are good plans, hopeful plans.

That passage is very meaningful to me. It shows me more about God's character and how he deals with his people. It shows he's a good God, a loving God, a God who wants to bring hope instead of pain and suffering. This is a God I want to know. This is a God I want to be one with. This is a God that makes me enthusiastic about my life in Christ. Like Israel, God knows the plans he has for us, and these plans are for GOOD. Good plans. A hopeful future.

This makes me smile.

Day 167: Jeremiah 21-24

Jeremiah contrasts the corrupt leaders of Israel to Jesus, the coming Messiah. He will be righteous, come from the line of David, will rule with wisdom, and will do what is just and right throughout the land. How hopeful that seems! That someone, who is called "The Lord Is Our Righteousness" will do what is right and just. He will save. Jeremiah 23:6b says, "In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety." Wow. Israel will be saved. We will be saved. Jesus will save.

Day 166: Jeremiah 17-20

Jeremiah 17:7-8.
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." 

The Bible often uses evocative language to communicate ideas. In this passage, a simile is used to compare trust in the Lord to trees planted along a riverbank. I love the imagery of those verses. Just imagine trees along a riverbank, roots extended deep into the ground, into the water. These trees survive all sorts of conditions, and what's more, is that they never stop producing fruit. These trees not only survive; they flourish. They sustain us and give us food. So, too, does God sustain us. When we place our hope and faith in Him, we are nourished; we are fed.

God uses concrete examples, such as the trees, to demonstrate abstract and complex principles, such as what it means to trust and hope in the Lord. Thank you, God, for understanding our needs and providing us words with how we can think about you.

In Jeremiah 18-20, Jeremiah delivers a message from the Lord to Judah and Jerusalem. He tells them that the Lord will destroy them if they turn to evil and refuse to obey God. God will even withhold blessings from them. The people respond back to Jeremiah that they will continue to live as they want. They don't care. It doesn't matter that God tells them he is the potter, and they are the clay, and He can do with them what they want. They will continue to follow evil and reject the Lord. So, as a result, the Lord will destroy them, if He so chooses.

God deals with us the same way. He can destroy us if he want; he sure does have the power. He can bless us if he wants; he has the power to do this, too. He can upset our plans, just like he did with Judah and Jerusalem. He could allow us to be slaughtered, leaving our bodies as food for vultures and wild animals, just like he promises to do to Israel. He can destroy our cities, us. He can shatter us.

And He probably would shatter us....except for one thing. Jesus. God sent Jesus to earth, and now Jesus is the one who intervenes on our behalf. Jesus is our Savior. Whereas God wants to destroy us because of our wickedness and refusal to be blessed by him, Jesus pleads on our behalf. Jesus is the only reason we have hope in coming into the presence of God. What a mighty story we are a part of!

The lifeblood of Jesus allows us to produce fruit. It allows us to be like sustainable trees. May we continue to put our trust and hope in the Lord.

Day 126: Psalm 111-114

There is so much to praise the Lord about. He is so good. I'm amazed by how these writers of psalms never run out of enough things to praise the Lord about. Sometimes I am at a loss for words, but these writers--wow--they think of new metaphors, names, descriptions, and ideas about which to praise the Lord. I have learned so much through their understandings of God and how they express their gratefulness to Him.

Although much of the psalms is about praising the Lord, there's still quite a lot of text dedicated to repeating the story of Israelite history--the story of what God has done in the lives of His people.
Praising God and thanking him for what he's done is a repetitive format appearing in the psalms. And I think this format is especially powerful in communicating more about the nature of God.

Day 93: Esther 5-10

The saga of the book of Esther continues as Haman decides to hang Mordecai out of his lack of submission to him. But he doesn't get to because King Xerxes decides to honor Mordecai for saving his life earlier. And what's ironic is that the same pole that Haman had constructed for Mordecai was actually used on Haman. Xerxes ordered him to death because of his plot against the Jews. In the end, King Xerxes issues decrees that the Jews are allowed to gather together and they could kill anyone who tried to attack them. Purim, the day when Jews got relief from their enemies, was also established. Mordecai became a great man and was known for taking care of his people. Esther and Mordecai were there at the right time and the right place to help take care of their people.

Nowhere in the book of Esther is the word God mentioned.

Day 92: Esther 1-4

Esther. The second book in the Bible named after a woman (the first was Ruth).

The Cast of Characters:
Queen Vashti. She was the wife of King Xerxes and in chapter 1, she is dethroned because she refuses to dance naked in front of the king, nobles, and other men for whom King Xerxes was throwing a party. How dare she! The king wanted to show of her beauty (um, objectify her) to his friends. I'm proud of Vashti for standing up to her misogynist husband whose request was oppressive and demeaning. She lived in a culture in which women had few rights, yet she chose to do the right thing and not objectify herself in this way--even when it cost her security, wealth, honor, and privilege. The men didn't want other women behaving like Queen Vashti, so the king ordered a law saying that men are the heads of household and women should do everything they say (Note that this is not God saying this.).

King Xerxes. He really comes across--at least to me in this day and age--as a misogynist pig. In a queen, he only looks for someone with beauty and he holds a competition for queen. This book reads like a reality show in some places, especially when Xerxes is involved and asks the women to promenade in front of him like a Miss America pageant.

Esther. A Jew. Mordecai's beautiful cousin who participated in the Miss American pageant, um, the competition to became the next queen. She completed 12 months of beauty treatments before appearing to the king. Xerxes becomes attracted to Esther more than any of the other women (why not, right?), so she becomes queen. Esther did not tell Xerxes she was a Jew. (You can hardly blame Esther for participating in this pageant--she lived in a culture where she had few rights, and with her belief in God, this would provide quite an opportunity for her).

Mordecai. A Jew who raised his cousin Hadassah (Esther) because she didn't have parents. When Esther becomes queen, he uncovers an assassination plot against King Xerxes and saves Xerxes' life. He does not bow down to Haman and, as a result, Haman orders the annihilation of all Jews.

Hanan. He was elevated to the highest position in King Xerxes' court and because Mordecai would not bow down to him and pay him honor, he plotted to kill the Jews. King Xerxes gave his approval to kill all the Jews, even women and children.

To be continued...

Day 91: Nehemiah 9-13

The Israelites are slaves in Assyria, and they have gathered together. They are fasting and wearing sackloth. During this time, they read aloud from the Book of Law, confess their sins, and worship the Lord. They also thank and praise God for all that he has done for them and their ancestors. They praise God for keeping his promise. They tell him that they love him, and they tell him why: "But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." They also tell him he is just and faithful, forgiving and merciful. They remind themselves of all that God has done for them, and they make promises to God. They tell him they will stay faithful, they will give him the best they have to offer. They "will not neglect the house of God."

The Israelites impress me, and I can learn a lot by the way they interact with God. Their whole approach to communicating with God (some of which I mentioned above) can teach me about how I, too, can approach and interact with God. I'm always looking for ways to talk to God and ways to be in relationship with God, and the reading from today gives me several ideas.

1. Prepare: The Israelites approach God with humility.
They wear sackcloth and ashes. They fast in preparation for meeting God and for communing with him. They prepare. They don't just show up and talk. They spend a lot of time readying for meeting God. They recognize that they are unholy and that God alone is holy, and their countenances and actions reflect this understanding. They are humble, and they don't take God for granted.

2. Praise God with specifics.
The Israelites, like us, praise God. However, I notice one key difference between how they praise God and how we (oftentimes, unfortunately) praise God: they use specifics. The Israelites don't just say, "We love you God," or "God, you are so good" (over and over and over again); rather, they tell God why they love him, and they tell him why He is so good.

Being specific has several benefits: 1) It allows them to process what God has done. They can remind themselves about why they love God and what God has done for them. They can remember specific instances in their lives when God has acted--when he has shown them grace, forgiveness, mercy, love, etc. Then, they can thank God for what he has done--all the while remembering for what they are thanking God. They are thinking in specifics rather than generalities. 2) Being specific encourages reflection. This one kind of goes with the previous one, but it's a little different in that reflection breeds remembrance and appreciation. Remembrance of the actual events and circumstances in your life in which God acted, and appreciation for him and who he is in these instances in your life. 3) Being specific in prayer and praise reminds them who God is--his characteristics and his nature. As the Israelites re-tell their story to God in prayer, they also interweave the characteristics of God during these times, which becomes a form of praise to God.

3. Promise: The Israelites tell God what they are going to do as a result.
The Israelites promise God that they, too, will act. They will love the Lord, be faithful to Him, and sacrifice offerings to Him. They have prepared, they have praised God for the specific things he has done for them, and now they make promises to God about what they will do, how they will act, live, and behave.

Next time you are in church and you sing a "praise" song, remember back to the Israelites and how they approach God: they prepare, they praise with specifics, and they promise. Maybe this can be a model for you as to how you can talk to God. I know it helps me concretize something that often seems so abstract.

Day 87: Ezra 1-4

The Israelites are in captivity in Babylon, and the book of Ezra opens with the Babylonian King Cyrus making plans to build a temple in Jerusalem. We read at the end of 2 Chronicles that Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple, too, and my first thought is, "Why is this king going to rebuild the temple?" Does he worship God? And, yes, I soon find out that he worships God and he will allow the Israelites and all those who worship God to have a role in rebuilding the temple.

Listen to this passage about the reaction of the Israelites as they are rebuilding the temple:
"And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away" (vv. 11b-13).

Isn't the reaction of the older people interesting? That as they see the foundation of the new temple of God being laid, they weep. The second to last sentence suggests that they are weeping from sadness. Sadness over the former temple and its glory. Sadness over the time when they were free from exile and captivity. Sadness over the fact that this new temple will not be meticulously-made by Solomon like the other one. Sadness. Regret. Nostalgia.

Regardless, these elderly people are sad. Over my lifetime, I've attended church with many, many "old" people (notably, my definition of "old" has gotten older and older as I have gotten older and older!). But how often do we wonder what emotions they feel about church today? Things have got to be extremely different from when they were young--and when what they thought and what they believed and how they worshiped was a certain way. Even when they thought they were "right." Today, all this has changed has changed for them. They no longer look on these times as "the good old days." Those days have long past and some (if not most) of them tend to gripe and complain about the way things are. In many churches, the elderly are the most vocal because it seems that they have the most to lose with change. 

You've probably heard an elderly person talk about how too many churches are just about entertainment" or how "young people today are _______" (fill in the blank with a negative word), or how this world is going to hell in a handbasket. They view today's society as worse than when they were growing up (I admit this is a major stereotype), and they are resistant to these changes.

Whether they are right or wrong is not the point; rather, what I want to point out here is that they have emotions--real, true emotions--and they do not often get to express them. Either we don't listen to them--or we don't want to hear them--or we dismiss them as irrelevant to church business. This attitude of young people towards old people can, I imagine, be disheartening. Here you have people who have spent their lives giving to churches only to see the temple they helped build destroyed. And while young people are rejoicing that a new temple is being built, we must still remember to grieve with the elderly people who are sad about former times, times that appear lost to them--destroyed. Times when they were secure in their identity, in church, and in what they believed.

Day 86: 2 Chronicles 32-36

At the end of 2 Chronicles, God has finally had enough with the Israelites. They have disobeyed him over and over again; they have defiled him and worshiped idols; and they have not been faithful to the Lord. As a result, God sends them to Babylon into exile for 70 years. The Holy City of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, and the Israelites were now under Babylonian rule. This is an historic moment in the life of the Israelites. What will they do? How will they respond? I'm excited to find out.

Day 74: I Chronicles 1-4

Uh oh. Houston, we have a problem.

I've just now read through the first four chapters of I Chronicles and am realizing that maybe the lists of kings in Second Kings wasn't so bad. I should have known from the title of this book that this book would have to do with chronicling something. Hence the name. But I didn't even consider it. All this book has been about is chronicling all the descendants of the various people we've read about up to now. Adam and Eve. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc. etc.

Genealogies. Chronicles. Lists.

I'm guessing that this was written down because it's part of Israel's history, but I'm not sure why it's part of the Bible. We already read about all these people and learned the narrative of their lives, but I'm not sure how all these genealogies are relevant. I'm sure people have found some small parts of these lists to be significant (Who knows? Perhaps Jabez comes up here.), but it seems to be more important for the Israelites than it does for us today. And maybe that's OK. I don't know.

We can learn, though, that we learn a lot about who we are from our past, and maybe these generational lists can be meaningful in that way. Either way, I'm not sure what I can say about these if both I and II Chronicles are like this for the entire book! Let's all hang in there together.