1 Chronicles 1-9/1 Corinthians 1-7

1 Chronicles
The first part of this book is genealogies. Yes...all of it. Don't kill yourself. Just move through it as painlessly as possible.

1-2 Chronicles will seem familiar. It retells the stories you first read in Kings. In fact, several sections are very close retelling of some of the events. However, the story does diverge in places. The writer(s) of Chronicles is more interested in the Southern Kingdom of Judah than the Israel in the north. We also get the occasional detail filled in. Perhaps it's not a bad thing to re-read the most complex part of the story of God's people from different perspective.


1 Corinthians
Corinth was a bustling city in 1st century Rome. Paul founds the church in one of his missionary journeys which we just read in Act 18. The church itself seems to have been a hotbed of controversy and scandal. They seem to languish under pagan hedonism and in fighting. Paul pleads for unity, and, in one of the most inspired passages of Pauline writing, takes an entire chapter (13) to explain what love looks like. Apparently the Corinthians needed the lesson.

After an introduction and thanksgiving, he launches into their first problem which is unity. This comes up again and again and is a major theme in the book. He speaks of his own ministry with them and defends the truth of the message he proclaimed.

He then turns to more practical matters, obviously ones which were troubling the Corinthians - lawsuits; sexual issues. Then in chapter 7, one of the most confusing and double-talking passages of scripture Paul tries to explain how he thinks Christians should live with one another when it comes to marriage and and sex. It is important to note that for most part Paul is here giving his own advise, not proclaiming the Gospel. The best part of the advise probably comes in verse 32: I want you to be free of anxieties.