1 Chronicles 1

Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. v.32

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Why does the book of Chronicles sound like a daunting task to read for most people?  I mean one of the most read books today by all ages is The Chronicles of Narnia and I know people that have read the series multiple times too.  Maybe it's because the first chapter doesn't grab you to want to keep reading more of what's next as it is a list of genealogies.   The word chronicles means words of the days or a historical account of events arranged in order of time usually without analysis or interpretation (according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  1st and 2nd Chronicles follow the same time line as the books of 1st and 2nd Kings, but we will notice slight differences as we read, yet these slight differences are huge keys to unlocking more truths in scripture.  The books of the Chronicles are histories from the Divine standpoint whereas the books of the kings seem more from the human standpoint.  This first chapter of First Chronicles is a list of genealogy from the first man Adam through the sons of Edom (Israel's brother).  It's easy (or hard) to read the names very quickly and pass over any details or differences than what you may have read before in the book of Genesis where all these men listed appear.  So stop for a minute and look at verse thirty-two.  Keturah is called Abraham's concubine.  We know from Genesis 25:1 that Keturah was Abraham's second wife after his first wife Sarah died.  God allows widows to marry again as death breaks the contract of marriage, so why would He call her a concubine instead of wife here?  Perhaps it's in reference to focus on the genealogy of the the promise that was through his son Isaac who was the son of Sarah as we will see the book of First Chronicles follow the kingdom of Judah (instead of the Northern tribe) because Christ was proclaimed as the successor of David.  Makes you wonder about your own life in wanting to see not just our human point of view on our life and our history, but what's the Divine standpoint...