Hebrew: 

Dibh're Hayyamim

דברי הימים

1 and 2 Chronicles1 and 2 Chronicles

TITLE• Though  the  books  of  1  and  2  Chronicles  cover the  same  period  of  Jewish  history,  the perspective  is  very  different.  So  while  the content is similar, it is not a mere repetition, but more of a spiritual editorial of the history of the people of Israel. The Kings give man’s viewpoint while the Chronicles give God’s perspective.

• Originally one book with 2 Chronicles (until 180 B.C.), the book’s Hebrew title means “the affairs of the days,” i.e., the annals of Israel from Adam to  the  Babylonian  captivity  and  Cyrus’  decree allowing the exiled Jews to return. In a sense it is  a  “miniature  Old  Testament”,  tracing  in capsule form the flow of Old Testament history.

AUTHOR

EzraThe author of Chronicles is anonymous, but the Jewish tradition again sets us in good standing. They have long held that the author is Ezra the priest and this belief does seem to hold up well to scrutiny. Chronicles is definitely written from a priestly perspective, with its heavy emphasis on genealogies, the temple, the priesthood in general, and the true monarchy, represented by the Davidic line in the southern kingdom of Judah. There is also a striking similarity between the closing verses of II Chronicles and the opening verses of the book of Ezra. So it is likely that Ezra compiled the book of Chronicles as a background history to the events which he records in the book named after him.

Ezra the Priest

2 Chronicles 36:22-23 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia-- in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah-- the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 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 appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!'"

Ezra 1:1-3 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: 2 "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 'Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah . . . .’”

DATE

Between 450 and 430 BC

THEME

God is Faithful to His PeopleThe books of Samuel and Kings show a nation that reaches its pinnacle in David and Solomon and then deteriorates into an increasingly pagan and unfaithful people who are eventually deported by foreign overlords. Chronicles is written to show the returned remnant that even in the midst of his people’s failures, God is still faithful and keeps his covenant which he made with Abraham and with David. Chronicles focuses largely on the spiritual ramifications of Israel’s actions, both positive and negative. There also seems to be a strong emphasis on the encouraging chapters of Israel’s past, which demonstrate that God is still good to his people. He maintains the people while they are in exile and he brings them back to Jerusalem at the appointed time.

PURPOSE OF WRITING

Chronicles is written to encourage the remnant that had returned from exile in Persia. They are working to rebuild the city with an emphasis on the temple and the walls. They needed to hear encouragement and hope. Chronicles appears to be an attempt to show God’s faithfulness to his covenant so that the people will be motivated to continue in their faithfulness to him. Chronicles also spends a lot of space talking about Solomon’s temple, which would have provided the workers with a link to their past and a reason to be diligent in their work rebuilding the temple. The other purpose of Chronicles is to provide an introduction to the events that Ezra describes in the book which bears his name.

CHRIST IN CHRONICLES

1.The Main Figures2.The Temple3.The Ark of the Covenant

THE MAIN FIGURES

THE TEMPLE

The temple plays a major role in the planning of David in I Chronicles and in the construction by Solomon in II Chronicles. It is also an image of Jesus Christ. This is true for a number of reasons.

THE TEMPLE

1. God’s dwelling place on earth

2. The place of worship3. The place of substitutionary

sacrifice4. The place where man and

God come together5. Conceived amidst violence

(David) but characterized by peace (Solomon)

6. Closely associated with the priests

THE TEMPLEJesus is:- God’s dwelling amongst humanityJohn 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and

dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

THE TEMPLEJesus is:- The veil which was torn open so that we might come to God.

Matthew 27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

THE TEMPLEJesus is:- Born  in  the  midst  of  violence  but  is  Himself the Prince of Peace.

Matthew 2:18 "A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE."

Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

THE TEMPLEJesus is:- Our great High Priest

Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

The ark of the covenant plays a major part in the story of David in I Chronicles. The ark is a symbol of Christ in a number of ways.

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

1. It resides in the house of God

2. It is the throne of God on earth

3. It is closely associated with the priests

4. It is the repository of 3 important things:- The Law- Manna- Aaron’s rod

THE ARK OF THE COVENANTJesus is:

The Fulfillment of the Law

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

THE ARK OF THE COVENANTJesus is:

The Bread of Life

John 6:30-35 So they said to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'" 32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." 34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. “

THE ARK OF THE COVENANTJesus is:

Authority brought to fruition

Life brought forth from death

PLACE IN THE CANON

Historically,  Chronicles  is  a  good  precursor  to  the histories  of  the  Gospels  (Chronicles  is  the  last book in the Hebrew Bible and thus its genealogies flow naturally into the genealogy of Matthew 1).  

Theologically,  Chronicles  demonstrates  that  true reformation  and  righteousness  come  from  the grace of God.  

Devotionally, Chronicles reminds us that since God is the  source  of  reformation,  without  the reformation that flows from him we are doomed to disaster and destruction.