Old Testament I: Law & History Week 12 1 & 2 Chronicles€¦ · Old Testament I: Law & History Week 12 1 & 2 ... The Message of the Old Testament, ... Old Testament I: Law & History

Old Testament I: Law & History Week 12

1 & 2 Chronicles

FBC Durham – Bible For Life Page 1

Synopsis of 1 & 2 Chronicles

"[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 1 & 2 Chronicles, 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


1 & 2 Chronicles


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)


1 & 2 Chronicles


One of the differences between the accounts in 1 & 2 Chronicles 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


1 & 2 Chronicles


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.


1 & 2 Chronicles


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.


1 & 2 Chronicles


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


1 & 2 Chronicles


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


1 & 2 Chronicles


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


1 & 2 Chronicles


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. 2 Chronicles 34:19 (ESV) — 19 And when the king heard the words of the

Law, he tore his clothes.

iii. 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


1 & 2 Chronicles


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 1 & 2 Chronicles:

• 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.


1 & 2 Chronicles


Appendix A

Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament, Pg. 44-45


1 & 2 Chronicles


Appendix B

Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament, Pg. 42-43

Documents

Old Testament I: Law & History Week 12 1 & 2 Chronicles€¦ · Old Testament I: Law & History Week 12 1 & 2 ... The Message of the Old Testament, ... Old Testament I: Law & History