1 Chronicles 1:1-34
Now that man has utterly failed on the ground of his responsibility, we are about to see the God of grace retracing everything from the very beginning in these books of the Chronicles. The history of the human race is in a way recapitulated here, no longer with the accent on the evil that man has brought about (as in the books of Samuel and the Kings), but emphasizing the goodness conceived and accomplished by God in response to this evil. So we see this history of humanity retold, going back to Adam in the genealogy! It has been noticed that the meanings of the first ten names taken together make up a sentence for us to read which is like a summary of the gospel. Adam: man – Sheth: took the place of – Enosh: mortal, incurable – Kenan: weeping – Mahalaleel: God well pleased – Jered: descended – Henoch: anointed, learned – Methuselah: his death brings – Lamech: (to) the transgressor – Noah: consolation (and) rest.
We have here in the first place a conclusion of all that has gone before: that is to say, the declaration of the irremediable ruin of the creature. And, at the same time, we see an admirable introduction to the unfolding of the counsels of God, which we shall follow as a golden thread, throughout the course of these two books!