Synopsis of "[First and Second Chronicles] appear to have emerged at the very end or shortly after the exile, and were written to be placed into the hands of the exiles either on their way back to Judah or freshly returned. These returning exiles would need a link with their past in order to guide them as they returned to the land. Therefore, 1 and 2 Chronicles do not provide a comprehensive history of Israel. Rather, the chosen material is more selective, aiming to guide them in resettling the land and rebuilding the temple, to encourage them with God s faithfulness to his promises to Abraham and Jacob and David, and to remind them that God s blessings require obedience to his ways. The Message of the Old Testament, Location 6813 Two driving purposes seem to provide the writer of Chronicles with the reason for his composition of these books: (1) to trace the line of David all the way back to Adam and focus on that reign in its military supremacy and his vital interest in worship, and (2) to take the programmatic statement of 2 Chronicles 7:14 ( If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land ) as a basis for the five recorded revivals in the history of Judah. The Promise-Plan of God, Location 5611 As one reads, it is obvious that the books cover much of the same ground as 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. So what is going on in regards to this seeming repetition? Comparisons between Chronicles and Samuel-Kings frequently fail to recognize the very different contexts of the two works. Samuel-Kings sought to answer the pressing questions of exiles who had experienced the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar II, the destruction of the temple, the end of Davidic rule, and deportation to Babylon in 587/6 BCE. Chronicles, however, addresses the postexilic community that, following the Persian defeat of the Babylonians under Cyrus in 539 BCE, had returned from Babylon to live under Persian rule and worship in the rebuilt Jerusalem temple. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Location 1514 But why retell the same events? There are two basic answers to that questions. (1) The writer wanted to give his readers another version of those events. Anyone who has both witnessed an event an read a news report of it knows how much the meaning and sense of that event lies in the reporting. By providing a second pictures of Israel history, therefore, a fuller appreciation and understanding of those events is given by the Chronicler. In that respect, his purpose can be compared with the four gospels in the NT...(2) The author intended not simply to retell these events but to explain and expound on their meaning in the context of Israel's history. These two books form a sort of commentary on the other historical books. The NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 273 Author: Tradition speaks of Ezra, but ultimately the author is unknown Time Period Covered: From Adam to the return from Exile FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 1
1 Chronicles 1 Chronicles has two major parts: the development of the genealogies leading to David and the reign of King David. I. The Genealogies (1 Chronicles 1-9) The genealogies of Chapters 1-9 is for many an annual bible reading plan graveyard. Like parts of Leviticus and Numbers the reader can go through chapters of information wondering why they are a part of God s Word. However, the genealogies and especially these in Chapters 1-9 serve a vital role to display the sovereignty of God and the development of His plan. This message had a larger audience in mind than the Israelites themselves, for the total purpose of the genealogical lists in 1 Chronicles 1 9 was not satisfied when it served merely to authenticate those uncertain about their lineage and who wished to be included in the priesthood of Zerubbabel s day. It also exhibited the connection of the nation with the whole human race and thus addressed all descendants of Adam. The Promise-Plan of God, Location 5696 All these lists serve an important purpose in 1 Chronicles, indeed, in the histories generally. They remind us that these books are not just philosophy. They do not simply recount somebody s way of looking at the world. No, these books present themselves as history, and history is far pushier than philosophy. The Message of the Old Testament, Location 6798 Deftly, through the use of genealogy as a telescoping device, the author has demonstrated agreement with the canon's conviction that the Lord is Creator, sustainer, covenant maker, judge, giver of the land and restorer of the chosen people. Above all, the Lord must rule human history for all these ideas to be correct. Old Testament Theology, Pg. 527 Having placed the line of David firmly within the context of the families of humankind, the author now begins to mark off the line of promise. The line of the promise is that elect nation through whom God intended to bring blessing and salvation to a lost world. He takes great pains to tell us that the nation is Israel, the descendants of the sons of Jacob. The NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 274 II. David s Kingdom is Established Forever (1 Chronicles 10-29) FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 2
One of the differences between the accounts in and 2 Samuel & 1 Kings is that the Chronicles accounts do not deal specifically with the sins of David (i.e. Bathsheba) and Solomon (i.e. wives leading him to worship other gods). This is not due to a desire to sweep sin under the rug, since the kings following are both praised and made examples of for either their righteousness or sin respectively. However, David and Solomon were the kings who kept the nation unified, planned for, and built the Temple, the central place of worship and sacrifice for the nation of Israel. It is also clear that the reader is expected to have knowledge of more detailed events even though not recounted by the Chronicler (e.g. the mention of the prophecy of Abijah in 2 Chronicles 9:29) David is a central figure of in 1 and 2 Chronicles. The theme of salvation and blessing were personified in his reign over Israel. As a result, David became the standard by which all future kings were measured. A good king was one who did just as his father David had done (2 Ch 29:2). The NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 276 The recounting of David s reign is broken into the return of the Ark of the Covenant, God s covenant with David, successes in battle, and the planning for the construction of the temple. a. Ark of the Covenant i. 1 Chronicles 13:3 (ESV) 3 Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul. ii. 1 Chronicles 13:7, 9-10 (ESV) 7 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart 9 And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. The first stage of David's moving the ark to Jerusalem teaches an awesome lesson: the seriousness and reality of God's holy presence among His people...his presence was real and was not to be treated as merely symbolic. God's holiness can never be treated with mere empty ritualism. The NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 278 iii. 1 Chronicles 15:1 3 (ESV) 1 David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 3
forever. 3 And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. So let s make sure we understand this. Why is Jerusalem central in the Old Testament and particularly here in 1 Chronicles? Jerusalem is central because the temple is located in Jerusalem. Why is the temple central? The temple is central because the ark is located in the temple. Why is the ark central? The ark is central because it symbolizes the presence of God. And God is at the center of everything. In short, the ark and the temple are central to 1 Chronicles because God is central. The Message of the Old Testament, Location 6940 b. God s Covenant with David i. 1 Chronicles 17:11 15 (ESV) 11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever. 15 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. The Chronicler s focus on David and God s covenant with him is to remind the Israelites that God has a much bigger plan in mind that is not thwarted by bad kings, sin, and even exile. c. Success in Battle i. 1 Chronicles 19:19 (ESV) 19 And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Syrians were not willing to save the Ammonites anymore. This is only one verse of many that display the military prowess the God has given to David. David was successful in battle like none other in Israel s history. d. Planning for the Temple David wanted to build God a house in Jerusalem, but God did not allow him to do so. Instead God revealed to David that this would be Solomon s task. However, David spent his closing days planning for the construction temple so that Solomon could move forward with the construction per God s promise. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 4
i. 1 Chronicles 22:2 5 (ESV) 2 David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. 3 David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, 4 and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. 5 For David said, Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it. So David provided materials in great quantity before his death. In a dramatic and climatic way, the purpose of the building of the temple was given. It was not to be a religious shrine, but the place where sinful human beings would meet with a righteous and holy God and where God would genuinely show that his mercies were great. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 282 ii. 1 Chronicles 22:6 10 (ESV) 6 Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever. By including the charge of David to Solomon, the Chronicler has added to the reasons David himself was not to build the temple. The temple was to be built by a man of peace, not by one who had shed much blood (v. 8). Therefore his son Solomon, a man of peace (shalom), was to build the temple. The NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 283 2 Chronicles 2 Chronicles cover much of the same time period covered by 2 Kings. However, there is a difference in focus. 2 Kings focuses mainly on the Northern Kingdom while 2 Chronicles focuses primarily on the Southern Kingdom. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 5
I. The Construction and Dedication of the Temple (2 Chronicles 1-7) Solomon is now the King of Israel and Chronicles recounts how God greatly blesses Solomon just as recounted in 2 Kings. The Chronicler s main focus on Solomon s reign is the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. i. 2 Chronicles 3:1 (ESV) 1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The site of the temple, Mount Moriah, is identified both with the threshing floor of Ornan, which David purchased and with the mountains where Abraham offered up his son Isaac. Since in Ge 22:14 the theme is God's provision of a substitutionary sacrifice, the Chronicler is reminding the readers that Solomon's temple site was on the same mountain. For sinful humanity to come into God's presence, a sacrifice was necessary. By grace, God provided the sacrifice. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 288 ii. 2 Chronicles 7:11 22 (ESV) 11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, You shall not lack a man to rule Israel. 19 But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 6
house? 22 Then they will say, Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them. So even though Solomon s Temple is magnificent, God will use its destruction as much as it glory to a testimony of His greatness and glory. However when God s people sin, He tells Solomon all they have to do is repent and He will show His compassion on them. For the Jews returning from the Exile, this is the powerful message that resonates throughout all of 2 Chronicles: turn back to God through repentance and He will restore His people. II. The Kingdom is Divided & Four Revivals Even a disastrous situation like the division of the kingdom and the loss of the ten tribes of Israel was not without its place in God's plan for his people. By making that point, the Chronicler is giving his readers basis for understanding the Exile...The Exile did not mean the end of God's plan. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 291 Judah was led by both righteous and unrighteous kings leading up to the Exile to Babylon. The rest of 2 Chronicles recounts these reigns, and gives great emphasis to the righteous kings and the revivals they led. The formula for these revivals among God s people is always centered on a return to a focus on the worship of God alone and the proclamation of His Word. a. King Asa i. 2 Chronicles 14:2 4 (ESV) 2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. ii. 2 Chronicles 15:12 15 (ESV) 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around. b. King Jehoshaphat FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 7
i. 2 Chronicles 17:3 5 (ESV) 3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, 4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. ii. 2 Chronicles 17:7 10 (ESV) 7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. 10 And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. The blessings of God follow after the teaching of his Word. It has always been that way. Put the faithful preaching of God s Word in the middle of someplace and watch life appear! Not because some mechanical property produces life, but because God receives glory when his name is exalted, when his character is lifted up, when his truth is explained and expounded; and so then he gives life. The Message of the Old Testament, Location 7595 c. King Hezekiah i. 2 Chronicles 29:2 3 (ESV) 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. ii. 2 Chronicles 29:28 30 (ESV) 28 The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. 30 And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped. Although much material is devoted to Hezekiah's reign, the main point of the narrative is simple: when the son of David cares for the temple and the FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 8
worship of God there, God brings peace to his kingdom. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 298 d. King Josiah i. 2 Chronicles 34:3 (ESV) 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. ii. iii. 2 Chronicles 34:19 (ESV) 19 And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 2 Chronicles 34:31 33 (ESV) 31 And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles closes with the following verses: 2 Chronicles 36:22 23 (ESV) 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up. The last two verses of 2 Chronicles ultimately determine the mood of both books. They are not about human failure, but about the power and promises of God. Out of the ruins of human effort, the Chronicler shows that God's purposes can never fail and that all he intends to do will be accomplished. The Exile and the destruction of the temple may have seemed to put an end to the promise that God would rule his people through the house of David, but the Chronicler's purpose has been to show that God is still at work and that the hearts of the mightiest rulers are in his hand. NIV Compact Bible Commentary, Pg. 301 The covenant has not been revoked. It has just moved through its most drastic means of effecting redemption and creating a remnant. The same God who forgave individuals who had FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 9
been chastened will also pardon the whole nation if the people will humble themselves, pray, seek the Lord and turn from their sins. Old Testament Theology, Pg. 534 Takeaways from : God s pattern of blessings and curses for obedience and disobedience are highlighted once again in Scripture even among Judah. While the Northern Kingdom has been dispersed, God is still protecting the line of the Messiah through the return of Judah to the land. While the promises of 2 Chronicles 7:14 do not specifically apply to the NT believer, the concept of repentance does. It is only through repentance that perfect fellowship with God can see restoration. Seeking Christ in the Old Testament Hope seemed dashed when Judah was sent into exile, but it became clear that this had not voided God s plan. He was still establishing His eternal Kingdom through the line of David. The fulfillment of this plan reaches a new step when Judah is returned to the land rather than being dispersed among the nations like the Northern Kingdom. God s people are still lacking the perfect leader, and the Messiah will be the only fulfillment of this need. Works Cited Dever, Mark. The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006. ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Sailhamer, John. NIV Compact Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament: a Book-by-Book Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008. Walton, John H. Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 10
Appendix A Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament, Pg. 44-45 FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 11
Appendix B Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament, Pg. 42-43 FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 12