Commuter Bible OT John Ross

In our reading from 1 Chronicles, David is established as king, and the author takes his coronation as an opportunity to chronicle the exploits of David’s men who had been with him in the wilderness, and who continued with him in his new kingdom. Now that David has been recognized as king, it’s time for him to begin to establish his kingdom. In 2 Samuel 5, David consults the Lord before he goes into battle, and the Lord responds to each request for guidance. This may seem unremarkable, but remember that the Lord stopped responding to Saul’s requests for guidance, and it drove him to madness and desperation. When the Lord answers David’s prayers, it’s a sign that the Lord is truly with him.

We’re still working through a list of names, but thankfully things get a little more interesting this week as the lists are broken up by historical accounts and records of what people did and when. Part of our reading covers the genealogies following the exile, which, admittedly, doesn’t fall within the chronological timeline, but that’s not our aim. Remember, we began 1 Chronicles with Adam, Seth, and Enosh, which also don’t fit. We’re not trying to fit things in verse by verse, and that’s especially true as it relates to these genealogies, because that would actually be pretty confusing. Having said all of this, we will be switching back and forth between 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles starting with our next episode.

We’re reading through the genealogies handed down over the centuries that trace God’s people from Adam & Eve all the way through the exile to Babylon. Remember that each name represents a lifetime and a family: real people with real lives who either trusted in the Lord or who were stiff-necked and rebelled against the Lord. One day you and I may just be names on a list to those who come after us, but what the Lord accomplishes in us and through will not be forgotten by the One who formed us, redeemed us, and called us His own. How sweet it is to know that the Lord remembers His people by name.

Wait, weren’t we just in 2 Samuel? YES! This is where we’ll start alternating back and forth between Old Testament history books as we seek to read chronologically. We won’t be aligning historical events verse by verse, but we will be trying to align chapters so that the overall historical context is understood. That means we’re going to spend some time in 1 Chronicles as well as 2 Samuel for a bit. So about today’s episode: alright, real talk: this episode probably isn’t going to change your life, but there are some interesting little nuggets to be found in between the names and genealogies. Though your time in God’s Word is up to you, here’s a friendly reminder that most podcast apps allow for listening at 2x speed. Alright, let’s read some names, shall we?

In our last episode, we covered the aftermath of King Saul’s death, including a scramble for power and position by Abner, the commander of Israel’s army. After losing a battle against David’s men, Abner fled on foot and was chased down by Asahel. Abner killed Asahel, but escaped to live another day. Today, Asahel’s brother Joab seeks revenge against Abner, but he does so without David’s approval. Later, two assassins cut off Ish-bosheth’s head and bring it to David. David is grieved by both incidents and he makes his grief and mourning public.

After Saul’s death, an Amalekite man comes to David claiming that he is the one who killed Saul, thinking he will be rewarded for his deed since Saul pursued David for so long. To say that David is displeased with this report, however, is an understatement. After a period of mourning for the house of Saul, David is anointed king in Judah, but Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, has other plans. He crowns Saul’s son Ish-bosheth as king, accumulates power for himself, and fights against David’s soldiers. After losing a battle to David’s soldiers, Abner flees, only to be chased down by Asahel, one of David’s men, but the conflict doesn’t end there.