The Expositor's Bible: The Books of Chronicles — John Shaqi
The Expositor's Bible: The Books of ChroniclesBennett, W. H. (William Henry)
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Books of Chronicles
Bennett, W. H. (William Henry)
Bible. Chronicles -- Commentaries
Later on we see the pedigree of our race dividing into countless branches,
all of which are represented in this sacred diagram of humanity. The
Divine working not only extends over all time, but also embraces all the
complicated circumstances and relationships of the families of mankind.
These genealogies suggest a lesson probably not intended by the
chronicler. We recognise the unique character of the history of Israel,
but in some measure we discern in this one full and detailed narrative of
the chosen people a type of the history of every race. Others had not the
election of Israel, but each had its own vocation. God’s power, and
wisdom, and love are manifested in the history of one chosen people on a
scale commensurate with our limited faculties, so that we may gain some
faint idea of the marvellous providence in _all_ history of the Father
from whom _every_ family in heaven and on earth is named.
Another principle closely allied to heredity and also discussed in modern
times is the solidarity of the race. Humanity is supposed to possess
something akin to a common consciousness, personality, or individuality.
Such a quality evidently becomes more intense as we narrow its scope from
the race to the nation, the clan, and the family; it has its roots in
family relationships. Tribal, national, humanitarian feelings indicate
that the larger societies have taken upon themselves something of the
character of the family. Thus the common feelings and mutual sympathies of
mankind are due ultimately to blood relationship. The genealogies that set
forth family histories are the symbols of this brotherhood or solidarity
of our race. The chart of converging lines of ancestors in Israel carried
men’s minds back from the separate families to their common ancestor;
again, the ancestry of ancestors led back to a still earlier common
origin, and the process continued till all the lines met in Noah. Each
stage of the process enlarged the range of every man’s kinship, and
broadened the natural area of mutual help and affection. It is true that
the Jews failed to learn this larger lesson from their genealogies, but
within their own community they felt intensely the bond of kinship and
brotherhood. Modern patriotism reproduces the strong Jewish national
feeling, and our humanitarianism is beginning to extend it to the whole
world. By this time the facts of heredity have been more carefully studied
and are better understood. If we drew up typical genealogies now, they
would more fully and accurately represent the mutual relationships of our
people. As far as they go, the chronicler’s genealogies form a clear and
instructive diagram of the mutual dependence of man on man and family on
family. The value of the diagram does not require the accuracy of the
actual names any more than the validity of Euclid requires the actual
existence of triangles called A B C, D E F. These genealogies are in any
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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