{"id":616,"date":"2013-09-20T09:00:41","date_gmt":"2013-09-20T14:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/?p=616"},"modified":"2024-05-05T23:14:22","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T04:14:22","slug":"september-20-september-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/2013\/09\/20\/september-20-september-27\/","title":{"rendered":"September 20 – September 27"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday, September 20<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colossians 4:7-18: As usual at the end of his epistles (and many of the letters that we ourselves send even today), Paul finishes with a series of greetings.<\/p>\n

We now learn that this epistle is borne to Colossae by Tychicus, an Asian Christian who had accompanied Paul to Jerusalem to carry thither the offering taken up for the relief of the poor in that city (Acts 20:4). Tychicus has apparently been in Paul\u2019s entourage ever since and is now dispatched back to Asia to bear this epistle (verses 7-8), a second to the congregation at Laodicaea (Ephesians 6:21), and evidently a third to Philemon, a Colossian Christian.<\/p>\n

This last epistle concerns the runaway Colossian slave, Onesimus, who will accompany Tychicus back to Asia (verse 9). These two will bring to Colossae the latest news concerning Paul.<\/p>\n

Other companions, who will remain at Caesarea with Paul, also send greetings to the congregation at Colossae. These include Aristarchus (verse 10), a Macedonian Christian from Thessaloniki (Acts 19:29), who had also accompanied Paul in his final trip to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4), was with him still at Caesarea (Philemon 24), and would soon travel with him to Rome (Acts 27:2).<\/p>\n

Mark sends greetings as well. Since he had been directly involved in a sharp altercation between Paul and Barnabas some twelve years earlier (Acts 13:13; 15:36-40), Paul mentions Mark especially, making sure that the Colossians are aware that there was no longer bad blood between them (verse 10). We know that Mark is with Paul at Caesarea (cf. Philemon 24), but we lose track of him briefly after this. Shortly before Paul\u2019s death, however, the Apostle instructed Timothy to bring Mark to Rome (2 Timothy 4:11), where we find him as an associate of Simon Peter (1 Peter 5:13). It was in Rome that Mark wrote his Gospel (Irenaeus of Lyons, Adversus Haereses<\/em> 3.1.2; Eusebius Ecclesiastical History<\/em> 2.15.1-2; 3.39.15), before going on to found the Christian church at Alexandria in Egypt (Eusebius, ibid.<\/em> 2.16.1).<\/p>\n

Greetings are also sent from Epaphras, himself an Asian (verse 12), to whose zeal for his countrymen Paul here bears witness (verse 13). One is disposed to think that it was Epaphras who brought to Paul\u2019s attention the concerns that prompted the writing of this epistle.<\/p>\n

Greetings are likewise sent from Luke (verse 14), who has been with Paul since the two joined company at Philippi for the final trip to Jerusalem (Acts 20:6) He will be with Paul till the end (Acts 27:2; 2 Timothy 4:11), though Demas, also mentioned here (cf. Philemon 24), will not (2 Timothy 4:10).<\/p>\n

It is worth remarking that this presence of Mark and Luke at Caesarea at the same time seems to be the only recorded instance of two Gospel writers being together in one place simultaneously. It is not difficult to imagine what they may have talked about!<\/p>\n

The Archippus in verse 17 is known to us from Philemon 2. The cryptic message in this verse was doubtless clearer to the Colossians than it is to us.<\/p>\n

The Colossians are to exchange epistles with the congregation at Laodicea, which is also receiving an epistle in this mailing (verse 16). This latter work is most likely to be identified with the epistle handed down to us as Paul\u2019s Epistle to the Ephesians.<\/p>\n

Saturday, September 21<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 1:1-11: This epistle is addressed not only to Corinth, but also to the Christians of the whole Roman province of Achaia, of which Corinth was the capital (cf. 9:2). In this detail we see already the beginnings of the ecclesiastical structure later known as \u201cdiocesan,\u201d in which Christians in rural areas, smaller towns, and villages were associated with and brought under the pastoral supervision of a larger, usually more centralized church in a given region.<\/p>\n

Paul calls himself an apostle, but it is noteworthy that he does not extend this title to Timothy. Paul normally, as here, restricts the title to those men who had been directly and immediately called by Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:8). However, the application of the title \u201capostle\u201d is not uniform throughout the writings of the New Testament.<\/p>\n

Timothy, already well known to the Corinthians (verse 19; 1 Corinthians 4:17), is named as co-author. This identification of Timothy with himself in the authorship of this epistle corresponds quite closely to our own custom of naming others as co-authors of our own letters. Thus, for instance, Lois may write, \u201cLove from Lois and Frank,\u201d or even \u201cFrank and Lois,\u201d at the end of a letter that Frank himself may not even know about. It was Paul\u2019s way of saying, \u201cTimothy is here with me,\u201d but it also enhances the dignity and authority of Timothy in the eyes of the Corinthians.<\/p>\n

Right away Paul introduces the theme of the divine strengthening that accompanies thee trials of the saints. This subject, sustained and thematic throughout the epistle, appears ten times in verses 3-7.<\/p>\n

The afflictions that Paul suffered in Asia (verse 8) seem to be connected to the riot of the Ephesians, recorded in Acts 19:23-34 (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:9-10). It was during that difficult period that Paul learned the strength of Christ which is stronger than death (verses 9-10; Romans 4:17).<\/p>\n

The lesson learned from his experience in Asia heightened Paul\u2019s sense of the difference between divine grace and worldly wisdom (verse 12), a difference about which he had earlier written to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:20; 2:5). By means of the present epistle Paul\u2019s readers will be taught this lesson also (verses 13-14). It is important that they be so, because they endure the same trials as Paul (verse 7). The sufferings endured are, in fact, \u201cthe sufferings of Christ\u201d (verse 5).<\/p>\n

Sunday, September 22<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colossians 1:12—-2:2: Paul begins to correct a misunderstanding. He had disappointed some of the Corinthians by failing to visit them at a time when he was expected. Indeed, he had announced plans for such a visit (1 Corinthians 16:5). In fact, he changed his plans more than once. Recently he had planned to stop for visits twice at Corinth, once going to Macedonia and once coming back (verses 15-16). Even these plans had been changed, to the chagrin of some of the folks at Corinth, who thought the Apostle a bit fickle and irresolute (verse 17).<\/p>\n

St. Paul defends himself, insisting that these changes of travel plans did not indicate a deeper spiritual problem. In his proclamation of the Gospel to the Corinthians he was not fickle or irresolute (verse 18). His readers, therefore, should not interpret his recent behavior as a sign of irresolution.<\/p>\n

Paul uses this occasion to teach a lesson. Steadfastness of purpose, he says, is what characterizes the word that God speaks to us in Christ. It is an enduring affirmation, indicated by the perfect tense of the verb (gegonen<\/em>–verse 19). That word is the same as when Paul and his companions had first preached it among the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:11), because God\u2019s promises are not subject to changes of plans (verse 20). They are always \u201cAmen,\u201d the same word that Christians speak back to God at the close of their prayers in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n

In fact, God has already sealed these promises in the hearts of the Corinthians at the time of their baptism (verses 21-22). This sealing is already a down payment or \u201cearnest money\u201d (arrabon<\/em>) of their eternal inheritance (cf. 5:5; Romans 8:23).<\/p>\n

Paul then returns to his disputed travel plans, saying that it was for the good of the Corinthians themselves that he had failed to show up when they expected him (verse 23; compare 13:2). Things were not yet right at Corinth.<\/p>\n

Paul saw no value in returning yet again to Corinth while feeling distressed at the situation there. Such a visit, he felt, would only have made things worse (2:1-2).<\/p>\n

Monday, September 23<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 2:3-17: Paul had sent the Corinthians a \u201cletter of tears\u201d which seems not to have survived (verse 3). Paul\u2019s decision not to go to Corinth had at least not added further grief to those with whom he ought to share a common joy, and his letter had manifested his love and concern for the Corinthians (verse 4).<\/p>\n

These references to their shared distress point to some troublemaker whom Paul had encountered in Corinth on a previous visit (verse 5). The Apostle here presumes his readers\u2019 familiarity with the case, the particulars of which are, of course, unknown to us. Paul is confident that the Corinthians have adequately dealt with the problem (verse 6), inspired by his \u201cletter of tears\u201d and a recent visit by Titus (cf. 7:6-7).<\/p>\n

Indeed, Paul has now become concerned for the offender, with whom the congregation had dealt somewhat severely (verses 7-8). In any case, the Corinthians have properly met the trial posed by the troublemaker (verse 9), and now it is time to move on (verses 10-1).<\/p>\n

Paul proceeds to tell of his recent missionary trip to Troas (on the western coast of Asia, the region of ancient Troy), thus taking up the narrative broken off at the beginning of this chapter. He had hoped to meet Titus at Troas, to learn from Titus what had transpired in Corinth. Paul\u2019s disappointment at failing to find Titus at Troas caused him, reluctantly, to abandon his ministry there and to sail over to Macedonia (verses 12-13). We readers find Paul\u2019s distress understandable. Until he should meet Titus and learn what had transpired at Corinth, Paul would be distracted, uncertain how the congregation reacted to his \u201cletter of tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

But why did Paul go over to Macedonia? This is not difficult to discover. If we think of him languishing at Troas for some days, perhaps even weeks, we imagine it would have been natural for him to sail over to Macedonia, from which, after all, Titus was expected. We should bear in mind that the currents and wind patterns between Troas and Macedonia made an eastward voyage longer and more difficult than a westward voyage. Because the Black Sea is normally colder than the Mediterranean Basin (on the average of ten degrees), the faster evaporation in the latter causes a strong southwest current to run through the Dardanelles, seriously influencing the speed of travel between Asia and Macedonia. A trip from Troas required only two days (Acts 16:11), whereas the reverse might take more than twice that long (20:6).<\/p>\n

Paul proceeds to bless God for this fortunate outcome (verse 14), typical of the divine solicitude for man\u2019s salvation. That is to say, in the recent difficulties at Corinth, the Lord had displayed the power of the Gospel itself (verses 15-17). For both Paul and the Corinthians the Gospel had become a matter of empirical evidence and concrete experience. God had \u201ctriumphed over\u201d them (thriambevonti hemas<\/em>–verse 14). This note touches the epistle\u2019s major theme: God\u2019s power made perfect in man\u2019s weakness. Paul will speak incessantly of this \u201cmanifestation\u201d (phaneroein<\/em>–verse 14; 3:3; 4:10,11; 5:10,11 (bis<\/em>); 7:12; 11:6).<\/p>\n

Tuesday, September 24<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 3:1-18: The chapter begins with two rhetorical questions, the anticipated answer to both being \u201cno.\u201d Paul speaks of commendatory letters, to which there are other references in the New Testament (Romans 16:-12; 1 Corinthians 16:10-11; Philemon passim<\/em>; Acts 15:22-31; 18:27). Paul asserts here that his relationship to the Corinthians renders such letters superfluous (verses 1-3).<\/p>\n

In the Greek text the expression \u201cnot in ink but in the Spirit\u201d is more melodious: ou m\u00e9lani alla Pn\u00e9vmati<\/em>. Paul\u2019s imagery here evokes Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:26-27)<\/p>\n

Paul has \u201cconfidence before God\u201d (pepoithesis pros ton Theon<\/em>–verse 4, an expression that has no linguistic equivalent elsewhere in the Bible). He has this confidence \u201cthrough Christ,\u201d not from any self-sufficiency (verse 5). The infinitive logisasthai<\/em> is better translated \u201cto claim\u201d than \u201cto speak\u201d: \u201cWe are not sufficient to claim anything\u201d (compare 2:17). Paul\u2019s competence comes from the God who commissioned his ministry (verse 6).<\/p>\n

The Apostle introduces here his contrast of letter and Spirit (cf. Romans 2:27-29), which he will elaborate through the rest of this chapter.<\/p>\n

What is perhaps most surprising in the first six verses of this chapter is Paul\u2019s confidence in the Corinthian church, where he sees the activity of the Holy Spirit as the fulfillment of the prophetic promises in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The Corinthians themselves are a testimony to the power and fruitfulness of his own ministry.<\/p>\n

Paul them proceeds to contrast the Gospel ministry–the ministry of the Spirit–with the ministry of the Mosaic Law, a theme that runs through the rest of this chapter. Because \u201cthe letter kills\u201d (verse 6), he calls the Mosaic ministry \u201ca ministry of death\u201d (verse 7). For someone that spent all his previous life in the study of the Torah, this is a very strong assertion.<\/p>\n

The Apostle also introduces now the expression \u201cglory,\u201d which as a noun or a verb (\u201cglorify\u201d) appears thirteen times in the remainder of this chapter. Even the ministry of the Law, he says, was possessed of glory. How much more the ministry of the Spirit? (verses 8-9. Compare the same form of argument in Romans 8:32).<\/p>\n

Paul felt the \u201cboldness\u201d (parresia<\/em>) displayed in what he had just written with respect to the Mosaic Law (verse 12). After all, he had just referred to the dispensation of the Torah–the ministry of Moses himself–as \u201cthe ministry of death\u201d (verse 7) and \u201cthe ministry of condemnation\u201d (verse 9). This was certainly bold speech for a rabbi who had spent his whole life in the study of the Torah!<\/p>\n

Nor do these words of Paul convey the entire truth. Indeed, Paul was still working his way through this subject when he wrote 2 Corinthians. A year or so later he would give a more developed, nuanced treatment of this matter in his dialectical argument in Romans 9\u201411.<\/p>\n

This boldness in speech Paul contrasts with Moses, who veiled his face so that the Israelites could not behold the fading glory of his countenance (verse 13; Exodus 34:30-35). In this context, in which the word \u201cveil\u201d (k\u00e1lymma<\/em>) appears four times (verses 13-16), the \u201cunveiled face\u201d serves as a metaphor for boldness.<\/p>\n

The expression eis to telos<\/em> (verse 13) should not be understood as expressing purpose (\u201cin order that\u201d) but as expressing effect (\u201cwith the result that\u201d). Otherwise Paul would be accusing Moses of deceiving the people.<\/p>\n

The fault, however, was not of Moses but of the Israelites (verse 14). Here Paul has in mind less the Israelites of Moses\u2019 time than the Israelites of his own day, those from whose synagogues, all over the Mediterranean basin, he and his companions had been expelled. These were the Israelites to whom the true face of Moses remained veiled. Satan, \u201cthe god of this world\u201d (4:4), continued to harden their thoughts (noemata<\/em>–verse 14). This veil has become, in Paul\u2019s argument, an internal covering of the mind, which prevents the correct understanding of \u201cthe Old Testament.\u201d This is the only place in the Bible, we may note, that uses this last expression.<\/p>\n

The \u201cabolishing\u201d (katargeitai<\/em>) of which Paul speaks here refers to the veil, not the Old Testament. This is clear in verse 16, where Paul refers to the removal of the veil from the heart (verse 15). No part of God\u2019s Word is ever abolished or \u201cout of date\u201d (Matthew 5:17; Romans 3:31).<\/p>\n

The Septuagint text of Exodus 34:34 throws light on this removal of the veil. It speaks of Moses taking the veil from his face when he \u201cwent in before the Lord to speak to Him.\u201d It was in turning to the Lord that Moses\u2019 veil was removed. Thus, says St. Paul, as soon as a man turns to the Lord, the veil is removed (verse 16). This interpretation is important as it indicates Paul understood Jesus to be \u201cthe Lord\u201d to whom Moses went in to speak. The Lordship of Jesus is, in fact, at the base of all Paul\u2019s reflections here (cf. 4:5).<\/p>\n

To speak of Christ, however, is concretely to speak of the Holy Spirit. We do not get the One without the Other (verse 17). They are necessarily, or at least practically, concomitant. It is as though a foreign diplomat were to say, \u201cWashington is<\/em> the United States,\u201d or as if an epicure should remark, \u201cBaltimore is<\/em> crab cakes,\u201d meaning that the one implies the other. With Christ comes the Holy Spirit; when a man turns to Christ, he receives the Holy Spirit. (Indeed, even this affirmation is oversimplified, because a man cannot even turn to Christ except through the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit.)<\/p>\n

Contrasted with the veiled Israelites are the unveiled Christians, beholding and being transformed by the glory of the Lord (verse 18). Like Moses in God\u2019s presence, their faces are uncovered, because there is freedom in the new covenant (verse 17). To Christians, then, it is given to share in the doxological transformation accorded to Moses, as they are transformed progressively into the image of Christ.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, September 25<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 4:1-18: Paul\u2019s comments are partly biographical, of course; he is implicitly remembering his own experience of conversion to Christ and the glory on the road to Damascus, the experience that led to his radical reassessment of the Torah. This is why he shifts to the \u201capostolic we\u201d in the next verse (4:1). It is this \u201cwe\u201d that proclaims the Lordship of Jesus (4:5). The apostolic preaching is the means by which others contemplate the revelation of God\u2019s glory on the face of Christ (4:6).<\/p>\n

Paul then returns to the dominant theme of this epistle—power made perfect in infirmity (verse 7). The clay jars means \u201cin our body\u201d (verse 10), \u201cin our mortal flesh\u201d (verse 11), \u201cin us\u201d (verse 12). Human beings, according to Genesis, are framed from the clay of the earth. Nonetheless, Paul\u2019s references here do not indicate a spirit\/material contrast. The whole human person suffers the pangs of mortality, the soul as well as the body. Of himself, and considered entirely within his own resources, man is like the clay jars in which Gideon\u2019s army carried the victorious flame. The contrast here in Paul is between human weakness and divine power, not between the body and the soul.<\/p>\n

For Paul the apostolic experience was like a sustained sense of being put to death, but not quite (verses 8-12). This sense of mortality, repeated in so many circumstances of Paul\u2019s life and travels, is seen through the interpretive lens of the \u201cdying\u201d (nekrosis<\/em>) of Jesus (verse 10). The death and resurrection of Jesus are the paradigm of power made perfect in weakness (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:25-31).<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s preaching is based on that faith (verse 13). He understands what happens in his life through his deep communion with Christ (1:5; 13:4; Galatians 6:17; Philippians 3:10-11). This is the source of his \u201cboldness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verse 16 is the only place in the New Testament where the expression \u201cday by day\u201d occurs. All that Paul has been writing, particularly his comments about going from glory to glory, is a matter of daily<\/em> Christian experience.<\/p>\n

The Christian\u2019s \u201couter man\u201d means the vessel of clay, man in his daily encounter with his mortality. The \u201cinner man\u201d means his communion with Christ.<\/p>\n

With respect to the contrasting images of lightness and gravity in verse 17, it is instructive to remember that the Hebrew noun for \u201cglory,\u201d kavod<\/em>, is derived from the Hebrew verbal root kavad<\/em>, meaning \u201cto be heavy.\u201d The great weight of gold perhaps explains this derivation. \u201cGlory\u201d in Holy Scripture is a very substantial and enduring thing, compared with which our afflictions seem light and are certainly transitory.<\/p>\n

Thursday, September 26<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 5:1-11: At the beginning of this chapter Paul outlines a theme he will treat in more detail in Romans 8\u2014the longing that the Holy Spirit prompts in the hearts of Christians with respect to the final glorification of their bodies (verse 5). Indeed, he speaks of this longing as a \u201cgroaning\u201d (verses 2,4; Romans 8:23). It is death, not the body itself, that will be swallowed up in life. This longing is appropriate, because we are, even as we are weighed down by our mortality, the temples of the Holy Spirit, the guarantee and down payment of our final salvation.<\/p>\n

Even our present union with Christ, moreover, does not eliminate the fact that in our mortal condition we are still separated from the Lord (verse 6). This is simply the difference between faith and sight (verse 7; 1 Corinthians 13:12).<\/p>\n

This is a bold way to live. Twice Paul uses the verb \u201cdare\u201d (tharreo<\/em>–verses 6,8), which takes up the \u201cboldness\u201d of the previous chapter. It is a courage given by the Holy Spirit, because few men would willingly part with their bodies to attain a better goal (Philippians 1:21-24). What is more important than either state, however, is to be pleasing to the Lord (verse 9), whether living or dying. This is what will count at the tribunal at which the value of our lives will be assessed (verse 10; Romans 2:16-26).<\/p>\n

Meanwhile believers live by the first-fruits of immortality that abide in their mortal flesh\u2014namely, the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling power their bodies will in the end be covered over in glory.<\/p>\n

Standing even under the divine judgment, Paul endeavors to convince others of this truth (verse 11).<\/p>\n

1 Chronicle 3: We now begin the royal line of David, which this chapter extends to at least the beginning of the fourth century before Christ. This latter fact does not necessarily prove anything about the date of the composition of Chronicles, because it is very conceivable that a later editor or copyist of Chronicles may have extended this list of the Dadivic descendents. In this respect one does well to bear in mind that Chronicles was \u201ccanonized\u201d into the Old Testament rather late in Jewish history, so that no earlier editor or copyist would have scrupled to augment the text. In fact, the ancient Greek translation (Septuagint) of this chapter extends the list all the way to about 250, exactly the period in which the Septuagint translation was being made.<\/p>\n

The Sacred Text names the mothers of the six sons that David fathered in Hebron, before the removal of his capital to Jerusalem in 993 (verses 1-4). This detail is curious, because Chronicles otherwise omits the fact that David\u2019s reign was not recognized by the northern tribes for the first seven years (cf. 2 Samuel 5:5). This omission, in turn, is consistent with the Chronicler\u2019s general disregard for the politics of the northern tribes.<\/p>\n

Friday, September 27<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 5:15-21: As in 3:1, Paul again fears lest his comments be understood as self-promotion, which would be most unseemly (verse 12). He wants the Corinthians to know his heart, nonetheless, and not emulate those who judge by appearances. The Apostle is implicitly admitting here that he has not always \u201clooked good.\u201d Some of his experiences have been ecstatic (verse 13; 12:1-7), a point on which, it would appear, certain opponents have been critical of him. No matter, says Paul, such experiences have been God-ward. When, however, he speaks rationally, it is man-ward. Paul made the same distinction the previous year (1 Corinthians 14:2,28). It is not clear in the present text whether Paul has been criticized for his ecstatic experiences or for his apparent lack of them. Either sense will fit the context.<\/p>\n

Verse 14 means, \u201cthe love of God grabs us\u201d (or \u201cgrips\u201d us–synechei<\/em>). This is the love manifest in his dying for us (Galatians 2:20). \u201cAll have died\u201d in the sense that those who are gripped by the love of Christ no longer live for themselves but for Him who purchased them with His blood (verse 15; Romans 5:10).<\/p>\n

What we have in Christ is a new existence, no longer \u201caccording to the flesh.\u201d Before his conversion Paul had known Christ \u201caccording to the flesh\u201d\u2014that is, not according to faith. All that, however, is now gone. Paul will not know anyone except in the faith of Christ (verse 16). The love of Christ gives the believer a new way of knowing people. Being \u201cin Christ\u201d is a new mode of existence (verse 17; Galatians 6:16). Paul\u2019s vocabulary here seems borrowed from the second part of the Book of Isaiah (for example, 43:18-19; 48:5; 65:17; 66:22), which he will cite presently in 6:2 (Isaiah 49:8).<\/p>\n

The Christian ministry is essentially a ministry of reconciliation, in which the reconciliation effected on the Cross is applied and brought to bear on the lives and hearts of human beings (verses 18-19; Galatians 1:12-16). Paul makes such an application now (verse 20).<\/p>\n

The expression that Christ was made \u201csin [hamartia<\/em>] for us\u201d is open to more than one meaning (verse 21). It may mean that Christ, though not a sinner, assumed the condition of a sinner in order to represent all sinners. It may also mean that Christ became a \u201csin offering\u201d (which is the meaning of hamartia<\/em> as it appears in the Greek text of Leviticus 4). In either case the meaning is soteriological. By Christ\u2019s becoming \u201csin,\u201d we become \u201cthe righteousness of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

1 Chronicles 4: The genealogies in Chronicles are vastly more detailed for the tribes of Judah and Levi than for any of the others. The present chapter (verses 1-23) on the tribe of Judah illustrates the point.<\/p>\n

To grasp the historical reason for this emphasis, it is sufficient to reflect that the southern kingdom, the realm of Judah, had an unbroken succession of a single dynasty (the six years of Athaliah\u2019s usurpation being only a blip on the screen) from about 1000 to 587 before Christ. During more than four centuries, beginning in 993, it had its capital in a single city, Jerusalem. This stability and continuity of Judah contributed in no small measure to the better preservation of its historical memory through archived records.<\/p>\n

In these respects Judah is to be contrasted with the Northern Kingdom, Israel, which was governed by a series of dynasties, some of them very short, over a period of only two centuries (922-722). Its capital, moreover, did not remain in a single place during that time. Israel\u2019s instability and impermanence are reflected in the relative paucity of its preserved records. Sometimes, indeed, even the identity of individual Israelite kings was lost from the stories about their reigns. For example, 2 Kings 5 does not tell us the name of the Israelite king to whom the Syrian king sent Naaman in order to be cleansed of his leprosy.<\/p>\n

In short, the final and dominating perspective of the Old Testament is that of Judah, not the Northern Kingdom. Judah\u2019s own records, therefore, are far better preserved, Judah\u2019s history being more immediate and proximate to the Bible\u2019s composition. Judah, then, and not northern Israel, represents the true continuity of biblical history, and nowhere is this fact more evident than in Chronicles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday, September 20 Colossians 4:7-18: As usual at the end of his epistles (and many of the letters that we ourselves send even today), Paul finishes with a series of greetings. We now learn that this epistle is borne to Colossae by Tychicus, an Asian Christian who had accompanied Paul to Jerusalem to carry thither … Continue reading September 20 – September 27<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2195,"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions\/2195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touchstonemag.com\/daily_reflections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}