The Genealogies of 1 Chronicles (Yuck!)
Today we read 1 Chron. 1-6, which is part of the larger section of chaps. 1-9 which contain a long, very long (!), extended genealogy of Israel. It's always a challenge to extract some meaning out of all the "begats," whether here or in the Gospel According to Matthew. (Although the so-called "Prayer of Jabez" occurs in this section, 4:9-10.)

What purpose does all this "begat-remembering" serve? Most scholars believe the Chronicles (originally, one book) was written when Israel had returned from its exile in Babylon. The questions on everyone's mind were: Who are we? Are we still the people of God? What do God's promises to David and Solomon mean for us today? The genealogy section, long as it is, tries to establish the unity of Israel. Israel is one people, God's people, divided as they have become.

I read yesterday on CNN.com that a federal judge in San Francisco has once again ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because of its inclusion of the phrase "under God." This, the court ruled, is an unconstitutional establishment of religion. (Read about it here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/14/pledge.ruling.ap/index.html.) In some ways, I wonder if we, the American people, are asking the same questions as Israel. Who are we? What do the beliefs of the American founding fathers (and mothers) have to do with us? (I recognize that the phrase" under God" was not part of the original pledge, but was added in the 1950's. But still, my questions stand.) Now that we are becoming a country with no majority culture, can we still be "e pluribus unum," out of many, one, as the Chronicler said of Israel?

The Chronicler attempted to answer Israel's questions by saying, "Yes, we ARE still the people of God. God's promises BACK THEN are STILL God's promises to us. We are linked to those promises through this genealogy."

Maybe we need a long American genealogy!