1 & 2 Chronicles
By Mary Jane Chaignot
At first glance, 1 & 2 Chronicles might seem to be just another version of Israel's history, a corollary to the Books of Samuel and Kings. Indeed, the Greek (LXX) title for 1 & 2 Chronicles is Paraleipomena, a word meaning, "Things left out" or even "left over." Such a title might suggest that reading these books is a bit like getting "leftovers." That might be one reason why these are not wildly popular books. In fact, most Protestant churches do not include citations from Chronicles in their weekly lectionary, which means few sermons, few inspired readings, and few Bible studies emanate from these books. Needless to say, many scholars feel this is a deep travesty.
These scholars are quick to point out that, far from just filling in gaps, these books have a spiritual purpose all of their own. The title of these books in Hebrew is "the events of the days," leading one church father, Jerome, to proclaim them to be "a chronicle of the whole of sacred history." The Mishnah, which is a collection of Hebrew traditions and laws, included Chronicles in its list of books to be read by the high priest on the night before Yom Kippur, for the express purpose of keeping him awake. Obviously, the ancient rabbis found these readings to be exciting and stimulating!
It really isn't necessary to choose one position over the other. But in order to give these books their due, perhaps we might think of them like the synoptic gospels. We have three gospels that tell basically the same story. The Bible is richer for having these three viewpoints. In similar fashion, the history of Israel is given fuller representation by having two historical accounts - reminding ourselves, of course, that historicity was not the primary purpose or focus of any of these books. While they all record facts that are based in history, their main intent is to provide a theological interpretation of the events that happened to the Israelites. The event is never as important as what it means for the people of God. As always, God is the main character in these stories, in control of everything that ever occurs.
It is believed that Chronicles was written perhaps a century or two after Kings. The author(s) of Chronicles already knew the history of Samuel-Kings and had access to what was included there. However, they used those materials very selectively in order to enhance their main themes, which primarily involved the importance of the Davidic line as well as Jerusalem and its temple. The chronicler had the benefit of knowing that there was life after the exile. Unlike Kings, which ended at the point of exile with just a hint that David's line might continue, the author(s) of Chronicles record Cyrus' proclamation that the Lord had appointed him to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Cyrus gave people leave to go up. These books, then, were recorded for that community - the community going back to the land of promise, the restoration community. (For a time, scholars believed that the chronicler might also have written the books of Ezra-Nehemiah, since they pick up the story of the restoration right where 2 Chronicles ends.)
The Chronicler's message, then, is one of hope, of great expectation. Its whole intent is to lead the children of God to repentance, restoration, and salvation. The writer(s) were not immune to shaping the historical details to achieve that end. So it is that they spend a disproportionate amount of time on the reigns of David and Solomon because it is through David that God's eternal kingdom will be realized. Some scholars have criticized the author(s) of Chronicles for skipping over a lot of the scandals involving David (his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the murder of Uriah, and Absalom's rebellion). But in fairness, they also skip over many of the positive statements regarding David's childhood. In truth, they simply weren't interested in these aspects of David's reign. What was important was that David's line would be eternal, and that he established the liturgy of the temple. And even though he was not authorized to build the temple, he showed concern about having a proper place of worship. Plus, he paved the way for Solomon to build it. Another major slant in Chronicles is a lack of evenhandedness regarding the northern kingdom. It's barely mentioned and only when it has a direct impact on events in the south. Kings is clear that the demise of the northern territories was due to their idolatrous behaviour. (Not that the southern kingdom was much better.) But the Chronicler is only interested in Jerusalem and its claim to be the true center of worship for the Lord.
According to the Chronicler, one's only purpose in life is to seek God - in worship and in the written word. God's will is determined less by prophetic speakers than by the written word. Hence the focus on liturgy, the book discovered in the time of Josiah, and codified tradition. There are fewer "miraculous" divine interventions, yet the divine presence is always presumed in the ordinary events of life. So it is that those who seek God will choose to do His will and experience blessings; those who don't will experience judgment. To ignore God is to invite great peril. The Chronicler, then, uses the texts available to him (much like we do) for direction and inspiration. He sometimes struggles with this theology in that some bad kings live long lives and die peacefully while some good kings have short reigns and die violent deaths. But overall, 1 & 2 Chronicles occupy a critical moment in Israelite history as they begin the shift from mythic revelations and interventions to the written word as an indication of God's will. In light of all this, it is no accident that Chronicles opens with a genealogy that begins with Adam and goes to the end of the exile. This, indeed, is "a chronicle of the whole of sacred history."
There are five primary sections in 1 & 2 Chronicles: 1 Chronicles 1:1-9:44 - Genealogies; 1 Chronicles 10:1-29:30 - the reign of David; 2 Chronicles 1:1-9:31 - the reign of Solomon; 2 Chronicles 10:1-36:21 - the kingdom of Judah; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 - the edict of Cyrus.
1:1-9:44 -- Genealogies
- 1:1-2:2
- From Adam to the Sons of Israel
- 1:1-27
- 1:28-33
- 1:34-54
- 2:1-2
- 2:3-4:23
- The sons of Judah
- 2:3-55
- The descendants of Judah
- Since Judah was dominant in the south, his line was recorded in great detail
- 3:1-24
- The Davidic line
- David's line was principle interest for Chronicler
- Naming of many sons was probably due to pride of ancestry as opposed to picking Davidic successor
- 4:1-23
- Miscellaneous material involving Judah's line
- 4:24-9:44
- Genealogies of the Ten Tribes (For whatever reason, the tribes of Dan and Zebulun are not on list)
- 4:24-43
- Simeon
- Very brief, descendants were absorbed by Judahites early on
- 5:1-10
- Reuben
- Mention of his sin with Bilhah given as reason why
- Judah was dominant
- Early on, Reuben settled east of the Jordan
- 6:1-81
- Levi -- Israel's religious leaders
- 6:1-15
- 6:16-30
- 6:31-48
- 6:54-81
- Cities set aside for Levitical use
- 7:1-9:44
- Northern Tribes
- 7:1-5
- Summary of Issachar' descendants
- 7:6-12
- Summary of Benjamin's sons
- 7:14-19
- 7:20-29
- 7:30-40
- 8:1-40
- Additional information on Benjamin
- Tribe of Benjamin remained with the south when kingdom was divided
- 9:1-34
- Genealogy of the citizens of Jerusalem after the exile
- Important for chronicler to demonstrate continuity with ancestral tribes
- They were able to reestablish the presence of Israel in Promised Land Included were a few references to representatives of northern tribes
- 9:35-44
- Genealogy of Saul From the tribe of Benjamin
10:1-29:30 - The Reign of David
- 10:1-14
- Death of Saul
- No information, moved directly from Saul's genealogy to his death
- Saul was simply a stepping-stone to David's monarchy
- Saul's entire house was wiped out, thereby paving the way for David
- 10:13-14
- Reason given for Saul's death
- Was unfaithful to the Lord
- The Lord "put him to death and gave the kingdom to David"
- 11:1-12:40
- David was established in Jerusalem; David's heroes
- 11:1-3
- 11:4-9
- David captured Jerusalem
- Established as new political capital
- 11:10-47
- David's mighty men (the Heroes)
- Military leaders and tribal officers who supported him
- Indication of David's popularity
- 12:1-22
- Names of those who supported him while Saul was king
- 12:23-40
- List of those rallying to support David
- Numbers were quite high; David's army likened to the "army of God"
- 13:1-16:43
- Transfer of the Ark to Jerusalem
- 13:1-14
- First attempt
- (Philistines had captured it during the reign of Saul, had sent it to Abinadab's house)
- Indication of David's attention to piety
- On the way Uzzah touched the ark, was immediately struck down
- David was afraid to return the ark, sent it to house of Obed-Edom for 3 months
- Lord blessed Obed's house
- 14:1-5
- King of Hiram offered to send craftsmen to build proper palace
- Offer validated David as head of State
- David took many more wives and had many more sons
- 14:6-17
- Philistines tried to attack
- David inquired of the Lord, received the go-ahead to fight them
- Philistines were defeated
- "David's fame spread; the Lord made all the nations fear him"
- 15:1-16:43
- Bringing the ark to Jerusalem
- Began the transformation of Jerusalem as religious capital of Israel
- Fulfillment of promise to Moses - Lord will choose a place to dwell
- People were to come to Jerusalem for worship and sacrifice
- David prepared a place for the Ark in Jerusalem
- Only the Levites were assigned to accompany Ark
- Huge procession, accompanied by singing and dancing, i.e. worship
- Worship would now be continuous; Levites in charge
- 17:1-27
- Nathan's prophecy
- David desired to build proper temple for Ark (He lived in nice palace)
- Lord prophesied to Nathan - The Lord would build house for David
- David was not to build a house for the Lord
- Lord would make David's name great; his kingdom would prosper
- David's son would build temple
- Lord stated David's "throne will be established forever"
- David prayed, accepted blessings and affirmed eternal outcome
- 18:1-27
- Conquests and administrative matters
- David defeated Philistines, Moabites, Arameans
- Offered booty to the Lord
- David did "what was right and just for all his people"
- 19:1-20:3
- War with the Ammonites
- Wars were described, but no mention of Bathsheba or Uriah's death
- 20:4-8
- 21:1-30
- Taking the census
- Commander Joab thought this was a bad idea
- David went ahead anyway
- Numbers were astronomical - over a million men who were fighters
- David was punished for his acts
- Chose the punishment - a plague
- David confessed his sin, offered himself in punishment
- The angel of the Lord told David to buy a threshing floor, sacrifice there
- Plague was staunched
- 22:1-19
- Preparations for the temple
- David accumulated materials for building the temple
- The temple was a place of peace; therefore David (a man of war) would not be given authority to build it
- Solomon was given words of encouragement to build it
- God was the authority behind all of it
- 23:1-26:32
- Organization of the temple
- David appointed Solomon as king
- List of the Levites who were to perform duties in the service of the temple
- Care of the place, on continuous duty
- List of the Priests (Aaron's line)
- List of musicians - 4000 Levitical musicians
- Music was to play an important part in worship services
- List of "Gatekeepers" -- more Levites, temple guards and treasury
- Remaining Levites were made overseers of Transjordanian area
- 27:1-34
- Civil organization
- Principle officers in charge
- Showed that David was well organized; glory days of his kingdom
- Numbers were 24,000 for each division, one division for each month
- Not clear whether all twelve tribes were represented
- Important to include all tribal traditions
- 28:1-29:30
- Final preparations and final words
- David's final words to all the leaders of his people
- Reiterated his kingdom would be forever; Solomon would build temple
- Charged the people and Solomon to dedicate themselves to this task
- Portrayed David like Moses; Solomon like Joshua N
- either David nor Moses completed their task
- Solomon built the temple; Joshua led the people into the Promised Land
- God determined all these events
- Both Joshua and Solomon received God's promise
- "The Lord goes with you." "He will never leave you nor forsake you." David died; Solomon was his successor
2 Chronicles 1:1-9:31 - the reign of Solomon
- 1:1-17
- Solomon became King
- 1:1-13
- God appeared to Solomon, offered to grant any wish
- Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge; God granted it
- Also gave him wealth, riches, and honor
- Tradition has it that Solomon was the greatest of wise men
- 1:14-17
- Historical evidence that God's promises were fulfilled
- Much material wealth verified fulfillment
- 2:1-7:22
- Preparations for the Temple
- 2:1-18
- Temple overshadowed all aspects of Israelite life
- Symbol of God's presence
- Rites of atonement brought Israel into reconciliation with God
- Solomon needed to organize the labor force
- Gets technical assistance from Hiram, King of Tyre
- Resident aliens conscripted for forced labour
- 3:1-17
- Building of the Temple
- Construction was described
- 4:1-22
- Furnishing the Temple
- When construction was completed, he deposited all the treasures in the storehouses of the house of God
- 5:1-7:22
- Dedication of the Temple
- People gathered; Priests brought the Ark
- A cloud enveloped the temple: the glory of the Lord filled the temple
- God had accepted the Temple and His place in it
- 6:12-42
- Prayers of Solomon
- Praised the Lord for his faithfulness to covenant; asked for its preservation
- Gave seven concrete examples of need
- 7:1-22
- The Lord responded by sending fire from heaven
- Another sign of God's presence, acceptance
- 8:1-9:31
- Solomon's achievements during his kingdom
- Major building programs, shipping revenues were great
- Visit from Queen of Sheba
- Accumulation of much wealth
- Nothing was said about Solomon's many wives, apostasy
- He was succeeded by his son, Rehoboam
2 Chronicles 10:1-36:23 - The Kingdom of Judah
Division of the kingdom, but because no wrong doing on Solomon's part had been mentioned, the separation of the north appeared to be rebellion against God's chosen one
- 10:1-11:19
- Division of the kingdom (See 1 Kings 12:1-19)
- Rehoboam refused to grant reforms
- (The Lord was working to separate the godly in Judah from the ungodly in Israel, therefore north must divide from south) Jeroboam ruled over all Israel (tribes of Judah, Benjamin became south)
- "Northern tribes were in rebellion against the house of David"
- Rehoboam was established as king in Jerusalem
- Planned to fight against Israel, but the word of the Lord prevented it
- All the priests and Levites abandoned Israel and went to Jerusalem
- Rehoboam carried out God's will and prospered
- Loyalty of military, religious leaders; took many wives, had many sons
- 12:1-16
- Rehoboam failed to remain loyal to God
- After five years, Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord
- Was attacked by Egypt; a quick repentance averted total destruction
- He reigned for 17 years; he "did what was wrong"
- Constant fighting existed between Rehoboam and Jeroboam
- 13:1-14:1
- Reign of Abijah
- Matters between Abijah and Jeroboam came to a head in one big battle
- Abijah called on people of Israel to affirm God's covenant with David
- Condemned Jeroboam's rebellion and apostasy
- Despite being outnumbered 2 to 1, Abijah declared, "God is on our side"
- Pleaded for the unity of all tribes
- In battle, northern forces were resoundingly defeated
- Abijah lived well with many wives and sons, but died young
- Jeroboam never regained his power and "the Lord struck him down"
- 14:1-16:14
- 14:1-15:19
- Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
- Very prosperous
- When threatened by Cushites, he asked for Lord's guidance
- Cushites were delivered into his hands, along with much plunder
- The prophet, Azariah, affirmed the theme of Chronicles
- "The Lord is with you while you are with him"
- Asa responded by instituting great reforms - end of idols
- Worked on temple repairs; had covenantal renewal ceremony
- Judah, under Asa, lived in peace for the next twenty years
- 16:1-14
- But then… Asa turned away from the Lord
- Israel attacked Judah and Asa turned to king of Damascus for help
- Sent treasures to sweeten request; seen as faithlessness against God
- Hanani, the seer, rebuked Asa: said he would have wars from then on
- Asa put Hanani in stocks
- The armies of Israel were defeated, but not destroyed
- Asa died of gangrene three years later "because he did not seek the Lord"
- Death by disease was an indication of God's disfavor
- 17:1-20:37
- Reign of Jehoshaphat
- 17:1-20:30
- Jehoshaphat did "what was right in the eyes of the Lord"
- He sent Levites out throughout Judah to teach the law of the Lord
- Israel was afraid to attack Judah because of the "dread of the Lord"
- Many nations brought tribute to him (sign of divine favor)
- Then he joined forces with Ahab (their children married)
- Ahab asked for his help in war with Aram
- Jehoshaphat asked Ahab to seek the counsel of the Lord
- Ahab trotted out 400 prophets who all agreed in predicting victory
- Macaiah, another prophet, was brought in who agreed with others
- Ahab was suspicious, asked him to tell "truth"
- Macaiah said God put "a lying spirit in his mouth"
- Purpose was to entice Ahab into fighting - would be his death
- Macaiah was slapped and imprisoned
- Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to battle despite Macaiah's warning Ahab was killed despite attempts to disguise himself
- Jehoshaphat came to his senses, prayed to the Lord, was saved
- Jehu (Hanani's son) told Jehoshaphat same message his father gave to Asa
- Jehoshaphat took message to heart, instituted reforms
- Installed system of Levitical judges to oversee adherence to law
- No longer trial by village, but now under royal officials
- Reforms were tested by attacks from south and east (Moab and Ammon)
- Jehoshaphat led nation in prayer, told to gather army and "watch"
- Attackers fell on each other; war was averted
- Collected the booty, returned home singing
- 20:31-37
- Jehoshaphat's downfall
- Reigned for 25 years, but did not take down all the shrines
- Allied himself with the king of Israel, not God
- Built ships for trade with Tarshish - ships were wrecked
- Seen as sign of God's disfavor
- 21:1-23:21
- Three kings who "did evil in the eyes of the Lord"
- 21:1-20
- Reign of Joram/Jehoram (Married to Ahab's daughter)
- Eliminated all his younger brothers upon taking the throne
- God remained faithful to the covenant he had made with David
- Did not destroy the Davidic Kingdom
- Edom rebelled against Judah, and prevailed
- Elijah (prophet of Israel) prophesied against Jehoram
- Prophesied a plague on Jehoram's house and death by disease
- Words were fulfilled
- 22:1-9
- Reign of Ahaziah
- Also followed the ways of Israel, helped them in war against Aram
- When Jehu was sent to destroy the house of Ahab (northern kingdom), Ahaziah was included in the purge
- 22:10-12
- Athaliah (Ahab's daughter and mother of Ahaziah) took throne
- Son of Ahaziah was very young, hidden by family members
- Athaliah would have had him killed
- (She has no standing to be leader at this moment -not a Judahite)
- (Promises to David are at risk)
- Joash, the son, was hidden in the temple, raised by the high priest
- 23:1-21
- Jehoiada's coup (Jehoiada was high priest raising Joash)
- When Joash was seven, Jehoiada enlisted help of all priests and Levites
- They stationed themselves around the Temple
- Jehoiada anointed Joash as king
- When Athaliah heard the commotion, she investigated
- Athaliah died at the hands of the priests
- 24:1-27
- 24:1-14
- Divine favour
- Jehoiada mentored Joash; Joash repaired the temple
- Collected taxes from people for repairs
- 24:15-27
- Death of Jehoiada and fall of Joash
- Joash lost moral courage after death of Jehoiada
- Temple was abandoned for idol worship
- The prophet, Zechariah (Jehoiada's son), warned Joash
- Joash had prophet stoned within temple area - great defilement
- Judgment came in the form of war with Aram
- Joash was wounded, was killed by conspirators to avenge Zechariah
- 25:1-28
- Rise and fall of Amaziah
- 25:1-13
- He did what was right, but not whole-heartedly
- Initially was obedient to the prophetic word
- Prepared for war, hired mercenaries from Israel
- Nameless prophet told him to forsake men from Israel
- Despite having already paid for them, Amaziah obeyed
- Amaziah won stunning victory, but mercenaries were upset
- 25:14-28
- Amaziah brought back gods, set them up
- Made threatening overtures towards Israel
- King of Israel retorted with a parable about overreaching
- Amaziah ignored it and entered a war for which he was not prepared
- Israel defeated Judah, brought Amaziah to Jerusalem, took treasures
- Amaziah escaped with his life, but lived on the run for 15 years
- 26:1-23
- Rise and fall of Uzziah (reigned for 52 years)
- 26:1-15
- Uzziah under divine favour
- Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
- He prospered
- Increased land holdings; surrounding kings paid tribute
- 26:16-23
- Uzziah's fall from grace
- Strength and prosperity led to pride, which led to downfall
- Began to usurp the power of the priests and offered sacrifices in the temple; Uzziah was not consecrated to do so
- Priests begged him to leave immediately
- Uzziah ignored them, was stricken with leprosy on the spot
- 27:1-9
- Reign of Jotham
- He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
- Repaired the temple, fortified the cities, received tribute
- Unlike the previous three kings, he stayed the course
- 28:1-27
- The Apostasy of Ahaz
- He did not do right in the eyes of the Lord
- He suffered at the hands of the king of Aram and Israel
- Men of Israel captured many Judahites (200,000)
- Took them back to Israel, but prophet warned Israel about keeping them
- Israel had also displeased God, keeping them would bring more guilt
- Men of Israel let captives return to Judah - shameful moment for Judah
- Ahaz appealed to king of Assyria for help, voluntarily surrendered independence
- Instead of helping, King of Assyria (Tiglath-pileser) also oppressed Judah
- Ahaz turned to other gods even more and died in disgrace
- 29:1-32:33
- Hezekiah
- 29:1-36
- Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
- Called in the priests and Levites, asked them to help restore the temple
- Removed all the idols, pollution, consecrated the house of the Lord
- Celebrated with sacrifices, songs, prayers
- 30:1-31:1
- Invited north to come celebrate Passover - possible reunification
- (The north had recently been conquered by Assyria. Hezekiah was reaching out to those who wanted to return to David's kingdom and God's promises. He saw the destruction of the north as a consequence of their apostasy against the Lord. He offered them a second chance.)
- Sent couriers from city to city throughout Israel
- Most were met with scorn, but some people made the trip
- Passover was celebrated with great fanfare
- Extra lambs were sacrificed for those who were ritually unclean
- At the end of the Feast, it was extended for another week
- "There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, the like of which had not been known there since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel."
- At the end of the festivities, the men of Israel cleansed the land from idols
- 31:2-21
- Additional reforms by Hezekiah
- Set aside the priests and Levites for respective duties in the temple
- Provided sacrificial animals out of king's treasury
- Livelihood of priests dependent on people's generosity
- People shared too much. Required the building of storehouses
- Hezekiah and all the people prospered
- 32:1-33
- Test of Hezekiah
- 32:1-23
- Invasion of Assyrians
- Following death of Sargon I (king of Assyria) Hezekiah buttressed defenses Sennacherib (king of Assyria) invaded Judah
- Put Jerusalem under siege
- War of words; tried to intimidate Judeans by mocking God
- Called for surrender
- Hezekiah paid tribute; siege ended and army returned home
- Seen as great victory by the Lord
- 32:24-33
- Hezekiah's illness
- Illness barely mentioned (see 2 Kings 20)
- Initially Hezekiah was liable to pride, but then submitted to the Lord
- Hezekiah was blessed for his religious reforms
- 33:1-20
- The wickedness of Manasseh
- Longest reigning king even though he did "evil in the eyes of the Lord"
- Went back to having idols in the land, practiced divination, sorcery, etc.
- King of Assyria captured Manasseh, took him to Babylon
- Then Manasseh repented, the Lord had him brought back to Jerusalem He instituted many reforms, but could not undo all the evil he had done
- (Kingship has to be somewhat reformed since he reigned the longest and died peacefully - generally a sign of God's favour)
- 33:21-25
- Reign of Amon
- He brought back all the images of his father
- Quickly assassinated by his courtiers
- 34:1-35:27
- Josiah and religious reform
- 34:1-7
- Purified Jerusalem and Judah
- 34:8-33
- Finding the book of Deuteronomy
- Instituted temple repairs
- Hilkiah, the priest, found the book of the Law hidden in the Temple
- Book was taken to Josiah
- Josiah read the book, realized they had not observed the commands Inquired of Huldah, the prophetess, whether this was the divine word
- Words were encouraging in that Josiah's reforms were recognized
- But ultimately, the curses described would come to pass
- Josiah read the book to the people, reaffirmed the covenant
- 35:1-19
- Josiah's Passover
- Priests and Levites prepared everything for the sacrifices
- Everything was done in accordance with customs
- 35:20-27
- Death of Josiah
- (Unlike good kings who turned bad, Josiah disobeyed God at the end)
- Egyptian king determined to go to aid of Assyria.
- Had to march through Judah
- Josiah intercepted him and would not let him pass
- King spoke at God's command asking to be allowed to pass through
- Josiah ignored the will of God, engaged in battle
- Was wounded in battle, soon died
- Upon the death of Josiah, any prospects for unified nation died
- (Because Josiah died a violent death, chronicler has to find fault with his regime in keeping with Deuteronomistic teachings - Goodness brings blessings; disobedience brings judgment)
- 36:1-21
- Decline and fall of Judah
- 36:1-4
- Josiah's son was deported to Egypt
- 36:5-8
- Egyptians picked Jehoiakim to rule, Judah was now Egyptian vassal
- At some point, Jehoiakim switched loyalties from Egypt to Babylon
- (Babylon defeated Egyptians in battle; Egyptians withdrew from area)
- Babylonians marched against Jehoiakim and took him to Babylon
- 36:9-10
- Jehoiachin reigned only three months before he went to Babylon
- 36:11-21
- Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah as king in Jerusalem
- Zedekiah rebelled against God, Jeremiah the prophet, and Babylon
- He reigned for eleven years and followed all the abominable practices
- He refused to listen to the word of the prophets
- Result: People were slain, temple was defiled, destroyed, looted
- Walls of Jerusalem were toppled and burned
- Those who escaped were taken to Babylon
- It lay desolate "seventy years in fulfilment of the word of the Lord by the prophet Jeremiah"
- 36:22-23
- The Decree of Cyrus
- Verses are virtually identical to opening verses of Ezra
- Cyrus decreed, "The Lord the God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he himself has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. To every man of his people now among you I say, the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up."
With these words, the books of Chronicles have come full circle. The temple that was built by Solomon has been destroyed due to the faithlessness of God's people. But now it is to be rebuilt. The ancient traditions will be celebrated once again. The invitation has been issued. It will, of course, be up to the community to respond and to fulfil this commission. The books end without any indication of how or whether this comes to pass. The one thing that is clear is that God has chosen Cyrus to be his instrument for restoration. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah will continue the story from this point.
Bibliography
Alter, Robert and Frank Kermode. The Literary Guide to the Bible. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press. 1987.
Mills, Watson and Richard Wilson. Mercer Commentary on the Bible. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1995
McConville, J.G. "I & II Chronicles." The Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1984.
Payne, J. Barton. "1, 2 Chronicles." The Expositor's Bible Commentary. Gaebelein, Frank, ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishers, 1988.
Tuell, Steven. "First and Second Chronicles." Interpretation. Atlanta: John Knox Press. 1996. |
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