The Background of 2 Chronicles

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Author and Date

The text nowhere directly identifies its author, but traditionally he has been called “the Chronicler.” He was either a priest or Levite who was employed in the service of the temple during the Persian period (539–332 BC). He had scribal training and access to the temple records.

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Basic Chronology of 1–2 Chronicles

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Theme

The central theme of Chronicles is God’s covenant with David as the basis of Israel’s life and hope. The Davidic covenant is expressed in two institutions: the monarchy and the temple. These institutions are related (1 Chronicles 17:10b–14), and together they represent God’s kingdom in Israel (2 Chronicles 13:5, 8). The Davidic covenant does not replace the Mosaic covenant but builds on it for the new age of the monarchy and the temple.

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Purpose, Occasion, and Background

Judah and Benjamin, the only surviving tribes of Israel, had returned to the land after the Babylonian exile. They had rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. But in many ways it seemed like they were still in exile (see Ezra 9:6–15; Nehemiah 9:32–36). There were questions about Israel’s place in God’s purposes and the meaning of his ancient promises to David. With such questions in mind, the Chronicler wrote his books to promote spiritual and social renewal. He presented an interpretation of Israel’s past, drawing mainly on the books of Samuel and Kings. He showed how the nation’s unfaithfulness to God had led to disaster but also how its faithful kings and people had experienced God’s blessing.

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Key Themes

1. The Davidic Covenant

God’s covenant with David preserved the nation and enabled Solomon to build the temple. God is committed to preserving the line of David’s descendants even through spiritual unfaithfulness (2 Chronicles 21:13) and exile (1 Chronicles 3:17–24). Being heirs of God’s covenant with David also involves living according to God’s earlier covenant with Moses.

2. The Temple

The temple is an expression of the Davidic covenant. David provided for the construction of the temple and organized its personnel. His faithful successors should ensure that the worship is maintained, and that the building is kept in repair and is purified after defilement. The temple personnel should come to the aid of the Davidic dynasty in times of crisis. The Levites played an essential role in maintaining the whole system of worship, and in many ways they are the forerunners of the Christian ministry.

3. The People of Israel

The Chronicler sought to address some urgent questions of his day concerning the identity of Israel. He wanted to instill fresh confidence in the people. The genealogies of Israel that begin the work (1 Chronicles 1–9) start by tracing the people’s ancestry back to Adam, a striking reminder that Israel was at the center of God’s purpose from the very beginning of creation.

Second, the genealogies makes it clear that all 12 tribes were descended from Jacob’s sons (1 Chronicles 2:1). The Chronicler’s history of the divided kingdom (2 Chronicles 10–36) focuses mainly on Judah and Benjamin. But he tries to show that the northern tribes are still a part of Israel, even though they rebelled against the rightful Davidic king (2 Chronicles 13:5).

While the Chronicler does focus on the nation’s kings and its priesthood, he also includes many stories that highlight the participation of ordinary people in the life of the nation.

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Outline for 1–2 Chronicles

I. A Genealogical Presentation of the Tribes of Israel (1 Chronicles 1:1–9:44)
A. Adam to Esau (1:1–54)
B. The sons of Israel (2:1–2)
C. The tribe of Judah (2:3–4:23)
D. The tribe of Simeon (4:24–43)
E. The Transjordanian tribes (5:1–26)
F. The tribe of Levi (6:1–81)
G. Other northern tribes (7:1–40)
H. The tribe of Benjamin (8:1–40)
I. The resettlement of Jerusalem (9:1–34)
J. The genealogy of Saul (9:35–44)

II. The United Kingdom of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 10:1–2 Chronicles 9:31)
A. David’s rise to power over Israel (1 Chronicles 10:1–12:40)
B. David’s transfer of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem (13:1–16:43)
C. The dynastic promise to David (17:1–27)
D. David’s wars (18:1–20:8)
E. David’s census and preparation for the temple (21:1–29:30)
F. Solomon’s temple preparations (2 Chronicles 1:1–2:18)
G. Solomon’s building of the temple (3:1–5:1)
H. The dedication of the temple (5:2–7:22)
I. Solomon’s other accomplishments (8:1–16)
J. Solomon’s international relations and renown (8:17–9:31)

III. The Kingdom of Judah down to the Exile (2 Chronicles 10:1–36:23)
A. Rehoboam (10:1–12:16)
B. Abijah (13:1–14:1)
C. Asa (14:2–16:14)
D. Jehoshaphat (17:1–21:1)
E. Jehoram and Ahaziah (21:2–22:12)
F. Joash (23:1–24:27)
G. Amaziah (25:1–28)
H. Uzziah (26:1–23)
I. Jotham (27:1–9)
J. Ahaz (28:1–27)
K. Hezekiah (29:1–32:33)
L. Manasseh (33:1–20)
M.Amon (33:21–25)
N. Josiah (34:1–35:27)
O. The last four kings (36:1–21)
P. Restoration (36:22–23)

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The Extent of David’s Kingdom

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The Extent of Solomon’s Kingdom

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Comparison of 1–2 Chronicles with 2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings

The Global Message of 2 Chronicles

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Second Chronicles, Redemptive History, and the Nations

The book of 2 Chronicles picks up the story of kingship where 1 Chronicles leaves off (see the “Global Message of 1 Chronicles”). While 1 Chronicles focuses on David, 2 Chronicles covers the much longer period from David’s son Solomon until the last kings in the Davidic line. But a description of these kings for history’s sake is not the aim of 2 Chronicles. Instead the narrator draws our attention to episodes which show God’s desire for his kings to rule differently from those of the nations.

Since the nations recognized that the God of Israel was incomparable among the gods (e.g., Exodus 8:10; Joshua 2:10), Israel’s leaders also needed to embody this unique justice and righteousness among the nations. Thus 2 Chronicles offers a thematic history of Israel which addresses two questions: How would the nations be drawn to God when they saw the splendor that he bestowed on Israel’s kings? And could God show himself sovereign even when his people lost what Christopher J. H. Wright has called their “missional magnetism,” becoming no different from the world around them?

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God’s Reputation and Israel’s Faithfulness

Second Chronicles describes how God gives splendor to his kings in order for the nations to recognize his greatness. This is evident in the conversations between King Solomon and two foreign rulers: Hiram king of Tyre (2 Chronicles 3–4), and the Queen of Sheba (ch. 9).

Hiram of Tyre

As Solomon prepares to build his palace and the temple in Jerusalem, he tells Hiram of his desire to exalt the God of Israel above all other gods: “The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods” (2 Chronicles 2:5). Hiram affirms the connection between God’s greatness and Solomon’s splendor: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them. . . . Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding” (2 Chronicles 2:11–12). Hiram’s acknowledgment of the true God is not unusual in the broader context of 2 Chronicles. Solomon later dedicates the temple as a welcoming place for any foreigner who hears of the Lord’s greatness and “comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm” (2 Chronicles 6:32). God is asked to answer the foreigner’s prayer “in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel” (2 Chronicles 6:33).

The Queen of Sheba

In a similar way, the Queen of Sheba recognizes that the kingdom of Solomon is an earthly expression of the kingdom of God: “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness” (2 Chronicles 9:8). Elsewhere Solomon prays that his kingdom would glorify God by reflecting God’s own justice and righteousness (Psalm 72:1–4).

These and many other Old Testament passages demonstrate that God delights in placing godly leaders in authority over his people when their conduct brings honor to him. These leaders attract nonbelievers to seek after the God who inspires such honorable leadership.

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God’s Reputation and Israel’s Unfaithfulness

When God’s leaders dishonor him through their lives, however, God directs the nations of the world to assume a quite different role in restoring honor to his reputation. Second Chronicles repeatedly describes how the kings of Israel stopped reflecting the ways of their God by following the pagan ways of the nations (e.g., 2 Chronicles 25:14–16; 33:2–9; 36:11–14). These sins lead to a major shift in how the nations relate to Israel. Rather than being co-worshipers of God with Israel, they are now commissioned as his agents to punish Israel’s disobedience. God sends Shishak king of Egypt to defeat Rehoboam king of Judah (2 Chronicles 12:1–5). The Philistines and Arabians come to oppose King Jehoram for the same reason (2 Chronicles 21:16–17). The Edomites, Philistines, Assyrians, and Syrians each humiliate King Ahaz in various ways (2 Chronicles 28:19–25). Even Hezekiah and Josiah, two of the most godly rulers of God’s people (chs. 29–32; 34–35), are punished by the hand of foreign nations for succumbing to pride later in life (2 Chronicles 32:25–31; 35:20–24).

Since the best of Israel’s kings are unable to stay faithful, what hope remains for God’s promise of an eternal throne for David (1 Chronicles 17:10–14)? How will God accomplish his desire for “missional magnetism” to flow from Israel to the nations and back again (e.g., Isaiah 2:1–4)?

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Hope of Restoration

Second Chronicles offers only a preliminary answer to these questions. The story of global redemption does not end here but continues in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah and on into the New Testament.

The last chapter of 2 Chronicles, however, hints that the nations will again assume a pivotal role in fulfilling God’s promises to Israel. Jeremiah the prophet predicts that after a foreign nation (Babylon) takes Israel into exile (2 Chronicles 36:21), another foreign nation (Persia) will be moved by God’s mighty hand to reverse this exile (2 Chronicles 36:22). The book then concludes with an imperial Persian decree for the Jews to go home and worship the only true God: “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” (2 Chronicles 36:23). Much like Hiram and the Queen of Sheba before him, King Cyrus declares that the God of Israel is unique among the gods and worthy of honor. It is a great irony that 2 Chronicles ends with a Persian king’s acknowledgment of the true God of Israel, since Israel herself usually forgot these truths!

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God’s Sovereign Global Work Unhindered

The God described in 2 Chronicles shows himself sovereign in the relationship between his people and the nations. The rulers of this world may be ignorant of or even opposed to him. Cyrus was only dimly aware of his place in God’s plans (Isaiah 45:4–5), and the leaders who executed Jesus did not grasp the significance of their actions (Luke 23:34; 1 Corinthians 2:8). But the God who uses the nations in mysterious ways to deal with the disobedience of his people is still at work today—God has creatively bound together the fate of his people and the nations for the sake of his redemptive purposes in Christ (Romans 15:8–12).