[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]
Today: Proverbs 18:7-16; Romans 10:5-21; Romans 11:1-10; 1 Chronicles 2:18-55; 1 Chronicles 3; 1 Chronicles 4:1-8
Romans 10
God starts small. He gives us examples to teach us His ways. The Jews were His example to the rest of the world. God chose one man, Abraham, and his descendants to show us His way to live. Remember that God first pursued relationship with the Israelites. For generations He reached out toward them, talked to them, guided, protected and blessed them – through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph… It wasn’t until Moses hit the scene that God finally gave them the law, after they spent decades chasing after false gods. He gave them chance after chance after chance, generation after generation He attempted to draw them to Himself through kindness.
But they were a fickle, obstinate, wayward people (just like the rest of us). They couldn’t keep their hearts away from their neighbors’ false gods, evil practices, or their women. Finally God said ENOUGH. And the law was given, hundreds of tedious rules to live by, to keep them inline and away from wickedness.
But the law was always only meant to be temporary, to tide them over until Jesus arrived.
Jesus’ death and resurrection perfectly fulfilled the law of Moses. He lived a perfect life, never broke a single rule, and so became the holy sacrifice that covers all of our sins. Now salvation was available to EVERYONE! Now the Jews no longer needed to be our example of God’s favor. Jesus opened up God’s favor to ALL of us! Hallelujah!
“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12-13
Chronicles
Chronicles 1 and 2 might seem like a review because it is! These two books cover the same time period as the books of Samuel and Kings. Chronicles was written by a different writer with an emphasis on bloodlines from Adam until the Jews’ return from exile.
Don’t let all the ‘begats’ bog you down. They are an extremely important component of the Bible. The bloodline succession from Adam, through the Israelites, and eventually to Jesus is an integrally necessary part of God’s master plan.
But it isn’t really crucial for a general reader to spend much time on. Don’t feel guilty if you prefer to skim the begats.
