11/20 Reading (1 Chronicles 7-9; Romans 7)

1 Chronicles 7: Focus of this chapter is on more of Israel’s sons: Issachar’s line, the lies of Benjamin and Naphtali, Manasseh’s line, Ephraim’s line, and Asher’s line.

1 Chronicles 8: Focus of this chapter is on Benjamin’s line.

1 Chronicles 9: This chapter focuses on the exile and return (the 40 years with Moses) and ends with Saul’s line. The text points out that those who settle in Jerusalem include people from the following tribes: Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. We also see discussion of the priests and Levites who end up there as well as the gatekeepers at the king’s gate and the meeting tent entrance. Finally, the text focuses on Saul’s line.

Romans 7: Romans 6 really delved into a discussion of sin. Paul reminds us that sin is taken care of through the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul begins this chapter telling that we are free from the ancient Law presented during the times of Moses because of Jesus. He then goes into a bunch of stuff on the law and sin:

But I wouldn’t have known sin except through the Law. I wouldn’t have known the desire for what others have if the Law had not said, Don’t desire to take what others have. But sin seized the opportunity and used this commandment to produce all kinds of desires in me. Sin is dead without the Law. I used to be alive without the Law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life, and I died. So the commandment that was intended to give life brought death. Sin seized the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and killed me. So the Law itself is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. (CEB study bible; Romans 7.7-12)

I started to get a little lost here in this part. To me Paul is saying that people didn’t know what sin was until they were introduced to the ancient Law. Yet, it wasn’t the fault of the Law that led to sin. There were good intentions behind the development of the Law because God created the law. I’m thinking then that what made sin appear was our (humans) interpretation of the Law. Paul goes on to add that this all changed once Jesus died and rose from the dead.