"Chronicles I" is the first book in the Bible that leaps backwards and begins rehashing certain things in history. The very first word is Adam. It starts there and works its way back to David who is the real hero of the book. In many ways "Chronicles I" is the second book of David but from more of a fact collecting perspective.
The first half of the book is simply talking about the lineage that led up to David, and then it goes over his acts as king in a straightforward, yet somewhat passionate manner. It's hard to explain. Ezra seemed compelled to write what he did, and what narrative that exists in this book has some punch to it. He seemed pretty inspired.
I even like the almost poetic manner in which he starts the book, simply saying the names of the first humans without explanation, before going into more detail as the story went on. He just says Adam with no explanation. I thought it was cool.
The book also has a few prayers by David which were quite good. These were not available to read in previous books. It goes over his sins as well, but the finale is all about the planning of the first house of God, which David was not permitted to build. The whole scene where he hands down the right to his son Solomon was surprisingly touching. I kind of felt like I was in the audience when it all happened.
God did not want someone who had shed blood to build his temple. This made me think about the old saying, "You have blood on your hands." I think God may actually see it this way. Very interesting.
"Chronicles I" is hard to recommend in its entirety for the purposes of entertainment. Much of it is just information gathering. But where there is narrative, the narrative is strong and powerfully written. And the coronation of Solomon is not to be missed!
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David was a singer, a musician and a poet. He was artsy, thus creative. It seems his artful side was where he truly appreciated his awesome Creator. The attempt to make the book poetic seems to also be artistic. God is the Artist, so it is all appropriate.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that makes sense. I actually did like how it began. It was certainly better written than "Kings."
DeleteDavid was favored by God but he was not the one to build his Temple. Someone with blood on his hands would not do, it is God's Temple after all. It is cool that David handed the right down in a coronation.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the blood thing was fascinating. It is another window into how god views us.
DeleteDavid was a warrior, while Solomon was more of an administrator. When the time came to build the temple, the latter was the preferred choice. When decisions need to be made, it is best to choose someone who excels in making them.
ReplyDeleteIt was more than that, I think. If Solomon had blood on his hands, his administrative abilities would not have been good enough.
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