Other comments on this day's readings can be found here.
Reading 1 - 1Ch 1
Like the Book of Kings, 1Ch and 2Ch were originally one book
according to Jewish tradition. However, the Chronicles are not simply a repeat
of the history already recorded in the books of Samuel and Kings. The Book of
Chronicles was written to remind the nation of their entire history, and of
their position among other nations, emphasizing the history of priestly worship
from the death of Saul to the end of the Babylonian captivity. The Chronicles
contain more of the relationship of the kings to the worship of God, than does
the Book of Kings. The history of the Northern Kingdom is omitted from the
Chronicles because the Northern Kingdom had no bearing on the development of the
true worship of God in Jerusalem.
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The first portion of 1Ch (1:1 through 9:44) consists of
genealogies, of:
The patriarchs: 1Ch 1:1-54
Judah: 1Ch 2:1 -
4:23
Simeon: 1Ch 4:24 -43
The tribes east of the Jordan River: 1Ch
5:1-26
Levi: 1Ch 6:1-81
The six other tribes: 1Ch 7:1
- 9:44
Reading 2 - Eze 14:3
"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and
put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces" (Eze 14:3).
"Idolatry is an attitude of the mind, not a posture of the
body. It [that is, idolatry of the HEART] is the easiest, most subtle form of
idol worship; its danger lies in the fact that it is not seen by others" (Len
Richardson).
Reading 3 - Luk 10:36
"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man
who fell into the hands of robbers?" (Luk 10:36).
"Jesus didn't answer the question 'Who is my neighbor?' (Luk
10:29). Instead, he answered another question -- 'To whom are YOU a neighbor?'
[cp Mat 25:35-46]. It doesn't matter who is good and kind to us. What matters is
to whom we are good and kind. The real lesson of the Good Samaritan is that the
two great commandments (to love God and to love our neighbor) are inseparably
linked. We should love as we have been loved. We should show mercy as we have
been shown mercy. We should serve as we have been served. The inheritance of
eternal life is a gift that must be shared in order to be received" (Kyle
Tucker).
Or, to put it another way, 'If YOU were in trouble, who would
you want to be a neighbor to YOU?' The obvious answer: 'Why, everyone, of
course!' Go, and do thou likewise.