Welcome to this special remotely recorded episode of the Bible Book Club. We are kicking off Chronicles. Welcome to the club.

Last episode in the overview of Chronicles, we discussed that Chronicles was actually the last book in the Hebrew Bible.

It was a message of hope for the returned exiles and anyone who came after them

written specifically to remind them of their identity as Abraham's descendants.

To build a case to convince the people of their identity, the chronicler takes them back to the

beginning of man. And he was nothing,

if not thorough, starting with Adam and the 10 generations to Noah, then continuing with Noah's

son, Shem, and the 10 generations to Abraham. Okay, so our chronicler is just getting started

with his evidence to build this case.

And know that despite all his detail, his heart is in the right place.

He is concerned for these people he's living with.

He sees their condition and their discouragement because after years immersed in foreign culture, they're confused.

And they need to believe the promises of

God. They need to choose to covenant with God in faith. And they need to trust that God will work

all things together even when it seems impossible. That is the chronicler's game. He is

strategically building a case for the lost remnant to believe in the impossible.

In this episode, he continues building his case by proving their history, the people's history,

through a long list of ancestors. It's the Israelites' old school DNA tracking. The genealogy

of God's people continues with Abraham's descendants.

Now, this genealogy that Heather's about to read can also be found in Genesis 25.

But before we jump in, you may not have known this, but Abraham actually had eight sons,

so don't get confused about it. And the author is going

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