Day 114. 1 Chronicles 1-2

There is no reason to disguise the fact that the first eight chapters of 1 Chronicles are very tedious reading, and we can move over them rather quickly. Ancient people found this kind of material more interesting than we do. For them genealogies placed families and individuals in history and gave their lives meaning in a larger context. They represented "roots" in the profoundest sense. Notice that this genealogy goes all the way back to Adam, the first ancestor. It is rooted in God's act of creation. Then it leads us through the characters in the stories of the Book of Genesis to bring us at last to Abraham, the father of the People of the Promise.
But in each generation there is a Child of Promise upon whom the attention of the LORD is focused. And in each generation the descendents of that child are listed last, emphasizing God's choice. For instance 1:34 reads, "The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel. Jacob is always called Israel in this genealogy—it is about the ancestry of the nation and not any single individual—and the descendents of Israel are listed last, as befits the Child of Promise. They are on the "right" side of humanity's family tree.
But there is justice and forgiveness at work in this genealogy as well, though we have to look for it. The descendents of Judah are listed first because Judah is the royal clan (2:3). But his eldest son, Er, does "what is wicked in the sight to the LORD" and is put to death (2:4). So the promise passes through Perez, one of the twins born of Judah's incestuous union with his daughter Tamar. Though he was conceived on "the wrong side of the blanket" God chooses to make Perez the ancestor of King David and ultimately of Jesus.
When we reach we reach Jesse (2:13-14), David is mentioned last among his sons not only because he is youngest, but also because he is the Child of Promise. David's descendents will be very fully listed in chapter 3, which we will save for tomorrow's exciting reading.