Read: 1 Chronicles 1:6-28; Romans 15:4
Adam, Seth, Enosh . . . the sons of Abraham . . . (1 Chron. 1:1, 28)
The book The Great DeChurching reports that in the United States more than forty million people left their local Christian congregations in the last forty years. In other countries, persecution of believers is rampant. When we look at the challenges to the gospel in any place, it’s easy to become discouraged and disappointed.
In the time that the books of Chronicles were written, the people of God had returned to Jerusalem from exile about four hundred years before the birth of Christ. They felt pressure from pagan people, and the temple had less grandeur than the first temple before the exile. Through an extensive list of Old Testament saints that have gone before them, the writer of 1 Chronicles reminds God’s people that despite their current challenges, they’re part of a great story that begins with creation, then moves to Adam, to Abraham, to King David, and beyond. The book of Matthew begins the New Testament in a similar way, starting with Abraham and leading to the birth of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:1).
By giving us an impressive list of people who have gone before us, the Chronicler is reminding us that we too are part of a great story of faith. In the words of the apostle Paul, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).
As you pray, ask the Lord to remind you that you’re part of God’s story of salvation from the creation to the coming of Christ.
About the Author
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland Michigan.
