Two Tales of a City
The Old Testament has an interesting feature. It tells Israel’s history twice. The first version starts at creation in Genesis and ends in 2 Kings with Israel’s southern kingdom in exile. When you turn the page from 2 Kings’ conclusion to 1 Chronicles, the story starts over with Adam and goes through the end of exile. The question is, “why two versions?” The Kings’ history tells the “How did we get ourselves into the mess of exile” version, while Chronicles comes at the end of exile and answers the question “How do we live and tell our story now? Comparing the two histories helps us to see the different purpose for each narrative. In this short survey, looking at David and his immediate family in each version will provide one place for comparison. The second comparison is on the macro level, contrasting how the whole nation of Israel is handled between the two accounts. David is a key figure in Israel’s history. The nation’s hopes rested on God’s enduring promise to his