One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Sunday July 10th
The Returning Exiles
The tribes of Judah: Benjamin, Judah and Manasseh were allowed to return after being exiled into Babylon in 586 B.C.
But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness: In one sentence, the Chronicler reminds us that it was not the clash of empires or the intrigues of the geopolitical scene that doomed the kingdom of Judah. It was their unfaithfulness to God. If they had remained faithful, God would have protected them amid the rise and fall of a hundred powerful empires. - Guzik
The Returning Priests
Priests, Levites, and the Nethinim: These were three categories of workers at the temple, who had the work of restoring the temple and its worship in the days of Ezra.
· Priests were the descendants of Aaron who had the right to offer sacrifice and take care of the Holy Place in the temple.
· The Nethinim were special servants given to the temple. - Guzik
The Returning Levites
Levites were the much broader class of religious workers, who served in many ways: practical, artistic, and spiritual.
And the gatekeepers were: This describes the re-institution of the organization of the temple work and workers in the early days of the second temple. They were anxious to organize things in the same manner as King David did originally. - Guzik
King Saul’s Family Tree
Since Saul was the first king of Israel, it makes sense that his family tree would be of utmost importance.
For emphasis, some of the genealogy of the line of Saul (both before him and after him) is listed. This was to emphasize the fact that God did not wipe out the line of Saul, and that his descendants lived to the days of Ezra and the return from exile. (Guzik)
“Since the genealogy continues for twelve generations after Saul, the fact that his dynasty crashed and his kingship was transferred to David did not remove his family’s place in Israelite history. They too had lived in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 9:38), and though we do not know whether this continued after the exile, even for them there were signs of hope.” (Selman)
1 Chronicles 10 - The Death of King Saul
“Having established Israel’s historical setting and ethnic bounds in the preceding genealogies, the Chronicler now enters on his main subject, the history of the Hebrew kingdom, with its theological conclusions.” (Payne)
Eventually Saul's sons and he were chased down by the Philistines, who killed 3 of Saul's sons, including Jonathan, best friend of King David. When they were closing in on King Saul, he asked his armor bearer to kill him so nobody could say he was killed by the Philistines. When he wouldn't do it, Saul fell on his sword by himself.
I can't imagine the courage it took for Saul to do that!
“The flower of his army lay strewn around him; the chivalry of Israel was quenched in rivers of blood. Then, leaving all others, the Philistines concentrated their attack on that lordly figure which towered amid the fugitives, the royal crown on the helmet, the royal bracelet flashing on his arm.” (Meyer)
So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together: So was the tragic end of this first king of Israel, who started with great promise but ended his reign in disaster for himself, his sons, and his kingdom.
Despite the fact that the captain had not listened to Paul's voice, he gathered the crew of the ship to encourage them. Paul knew he was going to Rome by God's will, and if he was going to make it, they were going to make it too. This was also a testimony to the men of Paul's faith in God. Then, Paul predicted they would be shipwrecked which happened!
The Shipwreck
In the middle of the night, the crew sensed they were nearing land but because of the storm they could not see. When they dropped a weighted line, they saw it was 120 feet, and then 90 feet. The men wanted to jump ship, but Paul told them they would die if they did.
Then men listened to Paul and were saved of certain death. I wonder who is the captain of the ship now?
Paul urged the men to eat, as they hadn't eaten in the 14 days since the storm started. He took bread and gave thanks and 276 men were fed. Hmmm... that sounds familiar. It sounds like Jesus giving thanks and breaking bread and there was enough to feed everyone.
They saw a bay with a beach, and the plan was hopefully to sail ashore, but they hit the sand early, and the bow of the boat stuck in the sand, while the stern was getting smashed by the waves. The soldiers want to kill the prisoners, so they wouldn't run to shore and escape. But the commanding officer didn't want to kill Paul, so all the prisoners were saved. They jumped into the sea and held onto planks of wood. Hence, everyone made it back to shore safely.
Once again, we see God's providence working thorugh Paul. There is a good chance this ship would have wrecked and all the men might have died, but through Paul, God saved them. Paul's timely and wise advice was seen by the commander, who then had mercy on Paul and the others before they went ashore.
Where do you need to trust in God's wisdom in your life? When others close to you see you trusting in God and how He delivers you, they will see your faith and the goodness of God!
The words of this psalm had been used for popular hymns and praise songs in worship!
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