Reboot Renew Rejoice Bible Study: God’s Powerful Presence in the Chronicles

Unlike most of the New Testament books, we often do not know the authors of the Old Testament books, especially the ones of history. Nothing in the text of the books of Chronicles tells us definitively of the author(s). The Babylonian Talmud identifies Ezra, a priest and scribe who lived within 100 years of the exile, as the author. Most people refer to the unknown writer as “the Chronicler.” Originally written as one book, Chronicles was likely finished around 450 to 425 BC because the last descendant of David listed in the genealogies lived at that time. According to many references within the books, the Chronicler used existing historical records for his book.

God offers every human being a rebooted spiritual life through His gospel message. Trust in Christ for your salvation and begin anew in your relationship with God. A rebooted spiritual life removes all the sin that separated you from God and replaces it with forgiveness for all your sins, redemption from the control of sin in your life, and reconciliation with God so that you are completely loved and accepted by Him. That’s the first reboot every human needs to have in her life. There are other types of rebooting needed in the daily life of a believer. Whenever we are going the wrong way, away from God, God calls us to repentance. Repentance means to change your mind about that behavior and choose obedience to Him instead. Sometimes we must reboot because of an unhealthy situation. That may require a move, a change of relationships, or a change of lifestyle because of health issues. Rebooting is an important tool that God uses to get us going in the right direction with Him. The good news is that we can reboot because we have the power of God’s presence with us to enable that. After any reboot, you can make the choice to stay faithful to God when given the opportunity to go the world’s way. That’s a decision to renew your commitment to God.

The term “renew” can mean “to restore to freshness and vigor,” as in renewing our strength through sleep. That applies to our spiritual life as well. Every day we have the opportunity to enjoy our relationship with God with renewed freshness and vigor. Every day is a new day in which to praise Him and get to know Him better than the day before. But, to renew can also mean to continue something ongoing such as a subscription or membership. It’s a commitment to keep going in the same direction. In the Chronicles, we will see people renew their relationship with God as they stay firmly committed to Him rather than straying away. We have those same choices today. The world continually bombards us with its ways. We are enticed to give in to fit in. We are criticized and persecuted for hanging onto our outdated religiousness. With every attack from the world, we must still choose to renew our commitment to God and not fold. The power of God’s presence with us helps us to make that choice, too.

Reboot Renew Rejoice Bible Study covers the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles in the Old Testament. The Chronicles will show you the value of a reboot. If you own a computer or other digital device, then you probably know that restarting that computer or device is known as a reboot. It clears away whatever was causing trouble and refreshes the operating system so that it works better. Today, the term “reboot” has expanded its usage into other areas of life. A reboot is “an act or instance of making a change in order to establish a new beginning.” God offers every human being a rebooted spiritual life through His gospel message. Trusting in Jesus Christ is the first reboot all humans need to have in their lives. When you experience a reboot in your life or a sense of renewal in your daily relationship with God, our faithful God will fill your heart with His joy.

A study of 1 and 2 Chronicles will give you an overview of what happened in the life of Israel. The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles is the Old Testament Ancestry.com. The Chronicler meticulously researched and included the lineages of the twelve tribes of Israel so that those who were returning to their homeland after the Babylonian exile would know where to go and find their land). David’s descendants are listed several times to make sure everyone knew who was eligible to be king or priest again. The Jewish people trying to resettle their land and reboot their lives needed to know their identity. Who were they? Why were they a people? What was their purpose? They found the answers in Chronicles as they discovered their rich heritage and their unbroken connection with their God-ordained beginnings as a people. You will see that, too. Most of the Chronicles (after the first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles) is in narrative form, making it easy to read even for anyone new to the Bible.