1 & 2 Chronicles

Chronicles (both books) provide us with a sanitized history of the good kings of Israel, (David, Solomon) and of Judah, (Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah). You read of their great accomplishments, their devotion to God, and their efforts to turn the hearts of their people back to God. You will read very little or nothing about their personal and professional failures or character flaws. This abridged and sanitized history was used to inspire the Israelites to live a godly life as they returned to their homeland.

The purpose for writing the Books of Kings was to answer the question, “Why has this disaster come upon us, God’s favorite, chosen people?” The answer was that they were evicted from their land because of their chronic disobedience and failure to live by the Law of Moses. Apparently, many didn’t read the fine print of that covenant. Deut. 28:36, says, “The Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers.” The ownership of the land was never taken away from them. The land was promised to Abraham and his descendants without any conditions attached. This covenant was unconditional. The right to live in the land was conditional, based upon their obedience.

Just as the Israelites were threatened with expulsion from the land if they disobeyed the covenant, they were also promised to be returned to it. Deut. 30:2-3, “When you and your children return to the Lord. . . then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.”

So, the Book of Kings answered the question of “WHY?” to those heading into captivity; Chronicles answers the question, “NOW WHAT?” to those returning to their land. The answer is that they should behave like the righteous kings of Israel and Judah. This is why the wicked kings, those who followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam, are not the focus of Chronicles books. This is also why the less flattering traits and actions of the righteous kings are also largely ignored in these two books. These flattering portrayals of the righteous kings are meant to encourage and inspire the Israelites.

Historians do the same today. If you wanted to write a biography of Winston Churchill, and the purpose was to inspire the reader, you would focus on his successes, rather than failures. You would mention his prophetic insight during the 30’s when he warned the nation against the growing danger of the Third Reich and the folly of appeasing Hitler. You would highlight his inspirational speeches during the Battle of Britain when British cities were being bombed. And you would mention his ability to develop a relationship with President Roosevelt and gain support from the U.S. before it entered the war.

You would leave out his disastrous failure in WWI at the Battle of Gallipoli, and the failed attempt to defend northern Norway during WWII. You would also not mention his opposition to India self-rule based on his view of Indian racial inferiority, and his personal weaknesses of poor money management and drinking in excess.

Tradition credits Ezra as the main author of Chronicles, with some additions being made by Nehemiah. This makes sense since both books were at one time one volume.

There are a few details in Chronicles that were left out in Kings, though I did mention many of them when we went through Kings. Because of this, I won’t go through these books, verse by verse. One commentator wrote, “It seems clear that the writer of Chronicles assumes that his readers have already read the books of Samuel and Kings.” I will do the same so rather than going over the same record of history, I will just comment here and there. Besides, when I taught Samuel and Kings, I oftentimes would bring into the study passages from Chronicles.

The Israelites who left Babylon had a lot of challenges ahead of them. Most of them had never even been to Israel. They were born in Babylon, now Persia. Many of them who were taken into captivity or had grown old in captivity chose not to make the trek to Israel. Probably the great majority of the Israelites chose not to return to Israel (Isa. 6:13). About 42,000 or 10% did. Most of them knew little about the temple or proper worship of the one true God.

Who do you think chose to remain in Persia? Perhaps the elderly would find the return trip too difficult. Some middle-aged people might have remained behind to care for their elderly relatives. Many had created businesses and would lose too much to return. Besides, what would they find in Jerusalem besides rubble and a lot of work? Perhaps those who left in larger numbers were the younger population who were strong and looked forward to the adventure and the challenge.

The return to Israel was made possible by a decree from Cyrus, the king of Persia whose kingdom took over the Babylonian kingdom. Cyrus was a rather benign ruler. Cyrus is the only pagan king mentioned positively in the Old Testament and he is even referred to by the title Messiah (Isa. 45:1). Messiah means “anointed one.” This is someone who has been set apart for a special purpose, such as a priest, prophet, king, or liberator such as King Cyrus. It can also refer to God’s chosen people, the Israelites. And of course, the ultimate savior or liberator would be Jesus (Dan. 9:26).

Persians didn’t usually deport the people that they conquered like the Babylonians did. They usually allowed locals to rule and gave their conquered people greater independence than other empires. Nor did they impose their religion on them. I guess it was cheaper for them to treat their conquered people kindly than to be oppressive have to have a large army stationed there to suppress an uprising.

The first nine chapters of the book of 1 Chronicles consists largely of genealogies. This might not be of much importance to us today, but for them, back then, it was necessary to determine who among the Israelites would do certain jobs. Who would carry out the religious duties as priests and Levites, the gatekeepers (security), the musicians and the singers? Who would carry out the royal duties? Many of these positions were inherited, so they needed these genealogies.

Starting in chapter 11 is a sanitized account of the reign and life of King David. David is portrayed as the ideal king; the kind of hero that people could emulate and be encouraged by as they rebuilt their temple, city and nation. There is nothing said about Bathsheba and Uriah nor is there anything about his son Absalom’s rebellion, etc. If you just read Chronicles and not 2 Samuel, you might think that David could have been nominated for “Husband or Father of the Year.”

We see David portrayed as a great warrior and a devout man. David conquered Jerusalem (chapter 11), defeated the Philistines (chapter 14), and he brought the ark to Jerusalem (chapter 15).

How was David described in one statement? 1 Chron. 18:14 says, “David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.” It says he was just and did what was right, it doesn’t say that he was perfect.

David also made preparations for the temple that his son Solomon would build. David even got involved in the plans for administration and worship and organizing the Levites (chapter 23). I imagine David delegated many of these duties, rather than being a micro-manager.

The duties of the Levites had to be defined. They were to assist Aaron’s descendants in the service of the temple. They were in charge of caring for the building and grounds, side rooms, and basically doing everything except the priestly duties. They were also the singers (chapter 25) and the gatekeepers (for security) in chapter 26. The Levites were there to support the priests much like the support staff at a hospital who are involved in everything except direct patient care. David could add “Human Resource Manager” to his resume.

The book goes on to list many of David’s administrators in his government. It included Hushai the Arkite (1 Chron. 27:33). He is described as the king's friend. Everyone in a leadership position needs a friend who can encourage him in times of conflict and stress, which is most of the time. A friend can also “speak truth to power” without fear of losing his job. David needed someone who he could trust, someone who put the king’s wellbeing first, rather than their own personal gain. President Harry Truman didn’t have many people in Washington who he could trust, like an old friend. He has been quoted as saying, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”

Chapter 28 describes David’s planning for the temple that Solomon would build. This was followed by the inauguration of Solomon as his successor. This was followed by a warning to follow the commandments of God and it ended with a big party, where “they ate and drank with great joy” (1 Chron 29:22). Then David died (1 Chron. 29:28).