TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14
Acts 27:21-44
Psalm 8:1-9
Proverbs 18:23-24
1 Chronicles 9:1 — Sin has consequences. Have you caught that message yet? The transgressors are contrasted with Phinehas who the LORD was with.
1 Chronicles 9:34 — In the previous verses we saw the records of the porters (1 Chronicles 9:22), the door openers (1 Chronicles 9:27), those in charge of the vessels (1 Chronicles 9:28), the bakers (1 Chronicles 9:32), and the singers (1 Chronicles 9:33). As we read earlier, the Chronicles were written during the Return after the Exile. As Grace to You (GTY) points out:
The chronicler’s selective genealogy and history of Israel, stretching from Adam (1 Chr. 1:1) to the return from Babylon (2 Chr. 26:23), was intended to remind the Jews of God’s promises and intentions about: 1) the Land; 2) the nation; 3) the Davidic king; 4) the Levitical priests; 5) the temple; and 6) true worship, none of which had been abrogated because of the Babylonian captivity. All of this was to remind them of their spiritual heritage during the difficult times they faced, and to encourage them to be faithful to God.
1 Chronicles 10:1 — We leave the genealogies and jump right into the death of Saul. We see the history in Chronicles starting with the fact that Saul died for his transgression. Immediately afterwards, we return to the Kingdom of David (1 Chronicles 10:14).
Acts 27:21 — Paul brings a polite “I told you so” to the crowd; his response was in contrast to the centurion who believed the ship’s owner to his own hurt. Paul believed God (Acts 27:25) because the Creator of time can see the future as well as the past. Paul, having predicted what would happen, had an “ethos” (credibility) with those onboard. He offered a “logos” (argument) to them which reminded everyone that the One who gave Paul his wisdom has a new message for those in the boat. His new message was amplified by the “pathos” (emotion) of his appeal (“be of good cheer”).
Acts 27:35 — Paul didn’t utter a discreet prayer … he gave thanks to God in the presence of them all! Yet, he did it in such a way that they were all of good cheer.
Acts 27:43 — Paul earned favor in the eyes of the centurion and was able to save not only his own life but also those of the other prisoners. Sounds a bit like Acts 16.
Psalm 8:1 — Every time I read this psalm, I think of Ron Hamilton and his song “How Majestic is Thy Name”:
Proverbs 18:24 — No friends? Be a friend!
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