The Books of Chronicles

Title

Hebrew ~ymiY"h; yrEb.DIGreek Paraleipome/non Basi,leon Iou/daLatin Chronicorum Liber

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 Priest2 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 peoples 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 Israels actions, both positive and negative. There also seems to be a strong emphasis on the encouraging chapters of Israels 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 Gods 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 Solomons 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

The Main FiguresThe TempleThe Ark of the Covenant

The Main Figures

The TempleThe 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

Gods dwelling place on earthThe place of worshipThe place of substitutionary sacrificeThe place where man and God come togetherConceived amidst violence (David) but characterized by peace (Solomon)Closely associated with the priests

The TempleJesus is:Gods 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 Temple

Matthew 12:6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. John 2:19-21 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Revelation 21:22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

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

It resides in the house of GodIt is the throne of God on earthIt is closely associated with the priestsIt is the repository of 3 important things:- The Law- Manna- Aarons rod

The Ark of the CovenantJesus is:The Fulfillment of the LawRomans 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 LifeJohn 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 fruitionLife 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.