'For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.'
By any standards 1 and 2 Chronicles are an important part of God’s Word. Originally one book, they form a monumental history of God’s people from the creation of the world to the year 539 BC. Yet 1 and 2 Chronicles are also a neglected part of the Bible, especially 1 Chronicles. I think the reasons for this are twofold.
First, a third of 1 Chronicles is just lists of names. Second, much of the history recorded in the twin books merely repeats what we find in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings. However, it would be a mistake to ignore these books. They contain unique material, and the chronicler arranges the material carefully and deliberately.
Purpose
1 Chronicles starts with Adam but soon zooms in on the descendants of Israel. The book focuses further on two family lines – the royal line and the priestly line. At the end of the book, the author centres attention on King David, the worship of God, and the preparations for building the temple.
