1 and 2 Chronicles, Remember

As we journey through the books of the Bible we now come to an interesting place that not many people know what to do with. So far, from Genesis through 2 Kings, there has been one continuous narrative. Everything has flowed together and has pushed the story of God and his people forward. Not so with the book of Chronicles.

Chronicles is, in many ways, a repeat of all that has come before. It begins with Adam and, through extensive genealogy work, makes its way to David. From there it rehashes many of the stories we see in Samuel and Kings, finally ending where Kings ended; with Judah in exile.

Most people simply skip over Chronicles when studying Scripture. They believe that it is simply a retelling of things they have just read. The first eight chapters are also nothing but genealogies, everybody's favorite reading material.

So what is the point of reading Chronicles? Well, a little background information will go a long way in establishing the importance and unique message of these two books.

Background

The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles were originally one book, once again split apart to help make it easier on the scroll readers. Chronicles was most likely written by Ezra, a major figure in the history of Judah. The book itself does not say who wrote it, but there is a lot of evidence that supports this besides tradition. 

Since Ezra is a probable author, this means that Chronicles was written in the post-exilic era. This means that the Jews had already returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, now controlled by Persia. This means Chronicles was written around 430-400 BC. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians took place in 587. So this was written nearly 150 years after the fact. 

Now we come to an interesting question that we haven't really needed to ask before; why was Chronicles written? All the books up to this point we assume were written to record the events of the day. In the case of Chronicles, those events are already recorded. So why write it?

I think this is best answered when we look at the themes of Chronicles.

Themes

Where Samuel and Kings tended to focus more on the human players in Israel's history and their sin, Chronicles focuses much more on God's role in Israel's history and his promises. The book of Kings especially seems to be pointing forward to the inevitability of the exile. Chronicles points to the fact that God's covenant with David remains true despite the exile. 

The book of Chronicles spends more time focusing on the good kings of Judah than Kings does. It shows that despite the sin and hardships faced during those times that God was faithful to his promise to David. It is a firm message to trust in the promises God has made.

Theological Point

Imagine being a part of the Jewish nation around 430 BC. Your parents returned from the long exile and rebuilt the temple, but the glory of YHWH did not fill it like they expected. Now the old problems of idolatry are creeping back into society. Instead of living under your own king, you are subject to a Persian governor. To top it all off there really aren't very many copies of Scripture left, let alone people who know what it says. 

Now imagine gathering around to hear Ezra preach, and what he reads sounds like the same old stories you have always heard. But as you listen closer you realize it isn't quite the same. As goes through the family trees and stories of David and the kings, he keeps coming back to God's promises. No matter the circumstance your ancestors went through, God was always faithful to his promises. 

The message is clear. No matter how things look for the Jewish nation after the exile under Persian rule, God is still faithful to his promises. There will come a king of the line of David who will rule forever and ever. All the Jewish people had to do is look back at their own history and remember how God has always been true to his promises.

Conclusion

One of the biggest mistakes we can make as a church is to forget our history. There is nearly 2,000 years of Christian history that we often ignore. When we do this we lose a very valuable perspective on faith and Scripture. Many of the things we struggle with and fight over are things that have come up before. As we worry over the fate of Christianity in America and around the world, it is encouraging to look back and see how God has remained faithful to promises throughout Christian history.

Remember where you came from. Study the past and learn from it. There are 2,000 years worth of our brothers and sisters who have thought, written, debated, lived, served, and often died for Jesus. By connecting with them we not only put our own situations and struggles in perspective, we also see the overwhelming faithfulness of our God.