Today’s reading is 1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17, Romans 1:1-17, Psalm 9:13-20, Proverbs 19:4-5.
We are well into the first book of Chronicles and by now you will have noticed a repeating of stories which have already appeared in the books of Samuel and the books of Kings. Originally, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles were written with no division. Each were one book. But when the Word was translated from Hebrews into Greek, these were each divided into two books: 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, and now, 1st and 2nd Chronicles. Though they may seem to be the exact same stories, each give a different perspective on what happened in those days. In fact, 1st and 2nd Chronicles was written long after the books of Samuel and Kings. And for that reason, if we read carefully, we can see subtle differences which come after time has passed and perspective has changed. The story is the same, but the perspective is a bit different which allows us to glean even more information and insight into the character of God, the holiness of God, and the purposes of God. And such is the case in life, is it not? Time is a gift. Time gives us more life, but time also allows us to see more clearly the life we have already lived. I recently read a verse which has latched onto my heart.
Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
Psalm 107:43
They will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. I love those words. And I find them to be true in my own life. When we look back at our life history, we can see traces of God’s faithfulness which we may have missed when we were actually living our historical moments. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. We can see more clearly when we look back than we can when we are very close to a situation. And this is where faith comes in.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
Trust the Lord, my friends. God’s got this. You may not see that right now, but it is true. And in time, your perspective will change. In time, you will see that God was there all along, weaving a wonderful story of your life, your personal history—a story of ups and downs, of highs and lows, of mountains and valleys, but a story with the overarching faithfulness of the Lord.
Keep reading! Even though the stories may repeat themselves. Ask the Lord to show you the unique historical perspective of 1st and 2nd Chronicles.
