Introduction to
1 & 2 Chronicles
11 November 2007
1
1 & 2 Chronicles
 Originally one book in the Hebrew O.T.
 Split into two books in the Greek Septuagint
 Organized as the last book of the Hebrew
Bible
2
Author of 1 & 2 Chronicles
 Talmudic tradition says it was written by the
priest, Ezra
 Perhaps it was written by one of Ezra’s
contemporaries
 It is quite similar in style to the book of Ezra
 Chronicles and Ezra may have been one
consecutive history, like Luke and Acts
 The author(s) compiled the information from
many sources
3
Sources Used for Chronicles
1. The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah
2. A Commentary on the Book of the Kings
3. Chronicles of Samuel the seer
4. Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet
5. Chronicles of Gad the Seer
6. The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite
7. The Visions of Iddo the Seer
8. Records of Shemaiah the Prophet
4
Sources Used for Chronicles
9. Records of Iddo
10. The annals of Jehu the Son of Hanani
11. The Acts of Uzziah by Isaiah the Prophet
12. The Vision of Isaiah the Prophet
13. The Records of the Hozai
14. The Account of the Chronicles of King David
15. The Writing of David and His Son Solomon
16. Genealogical lists and documents, such as
the message and letters of Sennacherib
5
3 Historic Accounts Compared
Men God used
Eli
Samuel
Saul
David
Solomon
19 kings of Judah
19 kings of Israel
Elijah
Elisha
Samuel




Kings Chronicles










6
Comparison of 2 Histories
Samuel and Kings
Israel’s history from the
united kingdom to the two
captivities
Political history
Prophetic emphasis on
moral concerns
Written soon after the
events
Chronicles
Southern kingdom’s
history, especially the
Davidic line
Religious history
Priestly emphasis on
spiritual concerns
Written many years after
the events
7
Comparison of 2 Histories
Samuel and Kings
More negative – about
rebellion and tragedy
Message of judgment
Man’s failings
Emphasizes kings and
prophets
Chronicles
More positive – tells of
apostacy, but offers hope
in spite of tragedy
Message of hope
God’s faithfulness
Emphasizes the temple
and the priests
8
Emphasis of Chronicles
 The temple / tabernacle
9
Emphasis of Chronicles
 The temple / tabernacle
 Two purposes:
 Sacrifices
 Communication with God
10
Emphasis of Chronicles
 The temple / tabernacle
 Symbolism:
 God’s presence among His special,
chosen people
 Spiritual link between Israel’s past and
future
 Shadow of heaven
11
Emphasis of Chronicles
 The temple / tabernacle
 Chronicles omits northern kingdom’s
kings because they had no ties with the
temple
 Special mention is made of Jewish kings
who restored the temple:
 Asa
 Hezekiah
 Jehoshaphat
 Josiah
 Joash
12
First Temple
 A story of the first Jewish temple
 Idea – by David (1014 B.C.)
 Preparation – by David (985 B.C.)
 Construction – by Solomon (982-975 B.C.)
 Dedication – by Solomon (972 B.C.)
 Defiling – by bad kings
 Cleansing – by good kings
 Destruction – by Nebuchadnezzar (586 B.C.)
13
Second Temple
 Briefly mentioned at end of Chronicles
 Idea – 1st prophesied by Isaiah (~712 B.C.)
 Idea – proclaimed by Cyrus (539 B.C.)
 Preparation – elders & priests (539 B.C.)
 Foundation – by Zerubbabel (535 B.C.)
 Completion – by Zerubbabel (517 B.C.)
 Dedication – by priests (516 B.C.)
 Destruction – by Titus (70 A.D.)
14
Temple: Jesus
“In this place there is one
greater than the temple.”
Matthew 12:6
15
Temple: Jesus
“Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up.”
John 2:19
16
Temple: Jesus
“Christ came as High Priest of
the good things to come,
with the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with hands,
that is, not of this creation.
Hebrews 9:11 NKJV
17
Temple: Father & Son
“But I saw no temple in it,
for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are its temple.”
Revelation 21:22
18
Temple: Saints
“You are God’s temple,
and God’s spirit lives in you?”
1 Corinthians 3:16
19
Emphasis of Chronicles
 Priests / the priesthood
 They had to be men from
the tribe of Levi
 Offered gifts and sacrifices
for sins
 Compassionate with
sinners
 Interceded for sinners
 Appointed by God
20
Emphasis of Chronicles
 God’s faithfulness in preserving the
theocratic line of David
“And it shall be, when your days
are fulfilled … that I will set up your seed
after you, who will be of your sons; and I will
establish his kingdom. And I will establish
him in My house and in My kingdom forever;
and his throne shall be established forever.”
(1 Chr. 17:11,14 NKJV ~ 1015 B.C.)
21
Emphasis of Chronicles
 God’s faithfulness in preserving the
theocratic line of Christ
1 Chronicles 1-9 Matthew 1
Luke 3
Adam to
Abraham to
Jesus to Adam
Zerubabbel
Christ
(75 generations)
(56 generations) (42 generations)
22
Emphasis of Chronicles
 God’s faithfulness in preserving the
theocratic line of Christ
And in the days of these kings
the God of heaven will set up
a kingdom which shall never be
destroyed; and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people; it shall break
in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
(Daniel 2:44 NKJV ~ 604 B.C)
23
Dates of 1 & 2 Chronicles
 The genealogies and events of 1 & 2
Chronicles span approximately 3500 years:
 From Adam (around 4000 B.C.)
 to David (around 1000 B.C.)
 to Zerubbabel (around 500 B.C.)
 Ezra probably completed Chronicles between
450 and 430 B.C., and read it to the remnant
who had returned to the Promised Land.
24
Theme & Purpose
 Reminder of spiritual heritage of returning
remnant and God’s faithfulness to them
 Encouragement to rebuild the spiritual
heritage and the temple with God’s strength
 Hope that all was not lost; God still had a
future for His chosen people
 Warnings by illustration:
 Don’t go back to intermarriage with pagans
 Don’t follow the pagans in their idolatry
25
Contribution to the Bible
 Provides the most comprehensive
genealogical tables in the Bible
 Shows the work of God in preserving
a people for Himself from the beginning
of human history to the period after the
Babylonian exile – more than other books
 Demonstrates God’s keeping His covenant
promises in maintaining the Davidic line
through the centuries
26
Outline of Chronicles
1. The royal line of David (1 Chr. 1-9)
 Genealogy; around 3500 years
2. The reign of David (1 Chr. 10-29)
 History; 33 years
3. The reign of Solomon (2 Chr. 1-9)
 40 years
4. Reigns of the kings of Judah (2 Chr. 10-36)
 393 years
27
Israelite Dynasties
Dynasty = a sequence of powerful leaders
in the same family
The divided kingdom
Israel
Judah
9
1
No. of kings before captivity
19
19
No. of years before captivity
224
359
No. of dynasties
Nation conquered by
Assyria Babylon
Note: Judah also had one female ruler, Queen Athaliah
28
Kings of the Southern Kingdom
Rehoboam
Abijah
Asa
Jehoshaphat
Jehoram
Ahaziah
Athaliah
Joash
Amaziah
Uzziah
bad mostly
bad mostly
GOOD
GOOD
bad
bad
devilish
good mostly
good mostly
GOOD mostly
933-916 BC
915-913 BC
912-872 BC
874-850 BC
850-843 BC
843 BC
843-837 BC
843-803 BC
803-775 BC
787-735 BC
29
Kings of the Southern Kingdom
Jotham
Ahaz
Hezekiah
Manasseh
Amon
Josiah
Jehoahaz
Jehoiakim
Jehoiachin
Zedekiah
GOOD
wicked
GOOD
terrible
terrible
GOOD
bad
wicked
bad
bad
749-734 BC
741-726 BC
726-697 BC
697-642 BC
641-640 BC
639-608 BC
608 BC
608-597 BC
597 BC
597-586 BC
30
Judah’s Downfall
Moreover all the leaders of the priests
and the people transgressed more and more,
according to all the abominations of the
nations, and defiled the house of the LORD
which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
And the LORD God of their fathers sent
warnings to them by His messengers,
rising up early and sending them,
because He had compassion on His people
and on His dwelling place.
– 2 Chronicles 36:14,15 NKJV
31
Judah’s Downfall
But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets,
until the wrath of the LORD arose
against His people, till there was no remedy.
Therefore He brought against them the king of the
Chaldeans, who killed their young men
with the sword in the house of their sanctuary,
and had no compassion on young man or virgin,
on the aged or the weak;
He gave them all into his hand.
– 2 Chr. 36:16,17 NKJV
32
Application
 Be like David and develop a deep and strong
relationship with God
 Remember your spiritual heritage – thank
God for the one who led you to Jesus
 When facing struggles today, remember
how He worked in the past to help you
and / or others
 True worship is offering your body as a
living sacrifice (Romans 12:1)
33
Application
 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 I
will hear from heaven, and will forgive their
sin and heal their land. (2 Chr. 7:14 NKJV)
 Idolatry always brings God’s judgment, and
today idols are anything that replaces Jesus
in the #1 spot in our hearts.
34
Bibliography
Special thanks goes to the following:
 Bruce Wilkinson & Kenneth Boa for their
information in Talk Thru the Bible
 Walt Henrichsen for his wisdom and insight
shared during Bible studies he has led and in
books, articles and e-mails he has written
 Edward Reese for his chronology and dating
in The Reese Chronological Bible