Knowledge of history helps us understand the present. In today’s passage, the Chronicler takes us to his own day, drawing out the significance of the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1–8 for his post-exilic contemporaries. He begins with the exile of Judah (the former Southern Kingdom) in Babylon (1 Chronicles 9:1), and then takes the story further, listing those who returned from exile and resettled around Jerusalem: lay Israelites, priests, and Levites (v. 2).

By continuing the genealogies to his own day, the Chronicler presents the post-exilic generations as legitimate successors of those who lived before the exile. Addressing a community that probably thought itself to be insignificant and under threat, his message is this: your future can be as glorious as anything in Israel’s past!

In chapter 9, we read about Israelites from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (vv. 3–9), priests (vv. 10–13) and other Levites (vv. 14–34). The duties of the Levites who acted as gatekeepers are described at length, reflecting a concern that entry into Jerusalem and the rebuilt temple should be carefully monitored. References to Phinehas, David, and Samuel (vv. 20, 22) remind us that all these Levites were heirs to a noble tradition of service.

Note the mention of Ephraim and Manasseh in verse 3. The post-exilic community was drawn almost entirely from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi; the rest of chapter 9 mentions only Israelites from these tribes. But the Chronicler here holds open the door for Israelites from the tribes of the former Northern Kingdom: they, too, are welcome to share in the task of rebuilding after the exile.

The Chronicler also traces the genealogy of Saul’s family over 12 generations in 9:35–44, repeating material from 8:29–40. In chapter 8, this material was part of an account which described the settlements of the three main Benjaminite families; here, the point is to lead into the account of Saul’s death in chapter 10. Even though Saul’s kingship ended in disaster, his family line continued to play a part in Israel’s history. Tragedy can be redeemed.

To conclude what we have studied so far, chapters 1–9 remind us of Israel’s calling to be a blessing to the nations, paint a picture of Israel as a 12-tribe worshipping community, and insist that the post-exilic Israelite community stands in continuity with pre-exilic Israel. Unlikely though it may have seemed to the Chronicler’s audience, they were the heirs of the promises given to previous generations. The brief narratives in 1 Chronicles 2–8 sketch for us many themes that will be developed in the chapters following. In particular, the detailed treatment of David’s line (2:1–17; 3:1–24), along with other references to David (such as 4:31; 6:31), prepares us for a lengthy treatment of David and Solomon.

So, as chapter 9 ends, the exile is over and Israel is back in the land, once more offering worship to God. By implication, the Chronicler encourages others who have not made the journey back from exile to do so. With God, there is always a way back.