Some of the Old Testament books seem like a slog at times. Take 1 and 2 Chronicles, for example. These books retell many of the same stories as the books of Samuel and Kings. The nine chapters of genealogies within them can feel like nothing more than a long list of names.

But, as Carmen Joy Imes points out in a recent CT article, retellings and genealogies are not all that the books of Chronicles have to offer. In fact, half of the material is brand new. Through both repeated and newly told accounts, 1 and 2 Chronicles provide keen insights into the heart of God.

1 and 2 Chronicles urge the Israelites to prioritize building the temple. "If we skip over the books of Chronicles, assuming they’re on ‘repeat,’" writes Imes, "we may miss God’s call to our own generation to prioritize temple-building."

Imes explains that Christians today face a similar task to that of the Israelites in Chronicles.

"How can the church rebuild after a global pandemic?" she asks. "How can we be restored after so many public scandals and deep divisions? Yet our generation’s task is not to rebuild a physical temple but to lean into our collective identity as the body of Christ."

As we read the Bible and perhaps find ourselves tempted to skip certain books, may we remember that all Scripture is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16) and shines a light on how we can live in godly ways today.