Notes on

2 Chronicles

2025 Edition

Dr. Thomas L. Constable

Introduction

For an explanation of the title, writer, date, scope, purpose, and distinctive characteristics of this book, see my comments in my notes on 1 Chronicles. Second Chronicles continues the historical narrative begun in 1 Chronicles.

Outline

(Continued from notes on 1 Chronicles)

III.      The reign of Solomon chs. 1—9

A.            Solomon's wisdom and prosperity ch. 1

1.            Solomon's sacrifice and Yahweh's response 1:1-13

2.            Solomon's power and wealth 1:14-17

B.      The building of the temple 2:1—5:1

1.      Preparations for building the temple ch. 2

2.      The temple proper 3:1-9

3.      The temple furnishings 3:10—5:1

C.      The dedication of the temple 5:2—7:10

1.      The installation of the ark 5:2-14

2.      Solomon's address 6:1-11

3.      Solomon's prayer 6:12-42

4.      The descent of God's glory 7:1-3

5.      The celebration of the people 7:4-10

D.      God's blessings and curses 7:11-22

E.      Solomon's successes chs. 8—9

1.      Solomon's political success 8:1-11

2.      Solomon's obedience to Yahweh 8:12-16

3.      Solomon's wealth and wisdom 8:17—9:28

4.      Solomon's death 9:29-31

IV.     The reigns of Solomon's successors chs. 10:1—36:21

A.      Rehoboam chs. 10—12

1.      The division of the nation ch. 10

2.      Rehoboam's kingdom ch. 11

3.      The invasion by Egypt ch. 12

B.      Abijah ch. 13

C.      Asa chs. 14—16

1.      Asa's wisdom ch. 14

2.      Asa's reform ch. 15

3.      Asa's failure ch. 16

D.      Jehoshaphat chs. 17—20

1.      Summary of Jehoshaphat's reign 17:1-6

2.      The strength of Jehoshaphat's kingdom 17:7-19

3.      Jehoshaphat and Ahab ch. 18

4.      Jehoshaphat's appointment of judges ch. 19

5.      Victory over the Moabite-Ammonite alliance 20:1-30

6.      Jehoshaphat's failures 20:31-37

E.      Jehoram ch. 21

F.       Ahaziah ch. 22

G.      Athaliah ch. 23

H.      Joash ch. 24

I.       Amaziah ch. 25

J.       Uzziah ch. 26

K.      Jotham ch. 27

L.      Ahaz ch. 28

M.      Hezekiah chs. 29—32

1.      The cleansing and rededication of the temple ch. 29

2.      Hezekiah's Passover ch. 30

3.      Re-establishment of proper worship 31:1-21

4.      The invasion by Sennacherib 32:1-23

5.      Hezekiah's humility and greatness 32:24-33

N.      Manasseh 33:1-20

O.      Amon 33:21-25

P.      Josiah chs. 34—35

1.      Josiah's reforms ch. 34

2.      Josiah's Passover 35:1-19

3.      Josiah's death 35:20-27

Q.      The last four kings 36:1-21

1.      Jehoahaz 36:1-4

2.      Jehoiakim 36:5-8

3.      Jehoiachin 36:9-10

4.      Zedekiah 36:11-21

V.      The edict of Cyrus 36:22-23

Message

Even though 1 and 2 Chronicles give one continuous story, the emphasis in 2 Chronicles is somewhat different from that in 1 Chronicles.

In 1 Chronicles, the emphasis is the importance of the temple in national life. However in 2 Chronicles, the emphasis is the impotence of the temple in national life.

First Chronicles condemns rationalism in national life: the idea that we can get along without God.  Second Chronicles condemns ritualism in national life: the idea that what satisfies God is external conformity rather than internal reality.

First Chronicles emphasizes the importance of recognizing God in national life. Second Chronicles emphasizes the importance of following up that formal recognition with actual recognition in attitudes and actions. Second Chronicles is a negative lesson because in it we see that the Israelites' recognition of God was, for the most part, only formal, not actual.

In the first part of 2 Chronicles (chs. 1—9), we have the story of Solomon. It is a demonstration of the impotence and uselessness of merely formal religion. This comes through in four respects:

First, Solomon's inheritance was more than the throne of Israel. His throne only gave him the opportunity to fulfill God's purpose for his life. That purpose was to facilitate the people's knowledge of Yahweh's rule over them, which the temple symbolized. This had been David's great passion in life. He wanted the people to realize that national strength came from submission to God's heavenly throne. Solomon appreciated that fact. When he offered his first sacrifice as king to God, he did so at the old tabernacle at Gibeon, not at the temporary tent where the ark resided in Jerusalem. He realized that Israel's strength lay in her relationship to God, which the tabernacle facilitated. His temple was to become the tabernacle's successor. Solomon's real inheritance, therefore, was his opportunity to build the temple as a reminder to the people of how important it was for them to recognize Yahweh as their real Ruler.

Second, Solomon's greatness was not really his wealth and political influence. These were the results of his greatness. His real greatness lay in his humility before God and in his intercession for the people with God. He later got away from these things, but when he first began to rule, he had the essentials of greatness.

Third, Solomon's service was not most importantly the administration of Israel, though he did that well. His primary service to the nation was the erection of the temple, which the writer emphasized.

Fourth, Solomon's failure was worse than his oppression of the people that set the stage for the division of the kingdom. It was essentially the fact that he stopped recognizing Yahweh's rule over him and his kingdom, the very thing that the temple he had built symbolized. His life became self-centered rather than God-centered. He stopped submitting to the Word of God. For Solomon the temple became only an outward symbol, not the expression of his inward life. It became an object of ritual rather than a place of real worship. In the years that followed, what had become true of Solomon became true of the whole nation of Israel.

In the second part of the book (chs. 10—36), we have the history of the nation that Solomon ruled. It is an illustration of the impotence and uselessness of merely formal religion. We can observe this in four respects:

First, the division of the kingdom resulted because Rehoboam did not acknowledge Yahweh's sovereignty over the nation in reality, even though he did so formally. Rehoboam continued the true form of worship in Judah, whereas Jeroboam substituted a new form of worship in Israel. In both cases, the worship became only a matter of formal observance, not a matter of heartfelt reality. That is why both nations eventually failed.

Second, the degeneracy of the kingdom of Judah, as well as Israel, continued because most of the kings and people that followed Solomon continued worship only as a matter of formal observance. This resulted, too, in increasing neglect of even the form. People unfortunately continue to observe a form of worship that is devoid of power. But mere formalism will be judged eventually, as it should be. The real issue in Judah was apostasy: infidelity to Yahweh, departure from their previously held beliefs and practices.

Third, the reformations in the kingdom of Judah began at the temple. Asa restored the altar. Jehoshaphat sent messengers throughout the land to read the Word of God to the people. Joash renovated the temple. Hezekiah reopened it and revitalized worship in it. And Josiah repaired it. In each case, conditions were appalling when these reformations began: In Asa's day, the altar was in disrepair. In Jehoshaphat's day, the people were ignorant of God's Word. In Joash's day, Athaliah had desecrated the temple. In Hezekiah's day, no one came to the temple. Its doors were shut and its worship was abandoned. And in Josiah's day, not one copy of the Law was available. When the king heard the copy read aloud, which someone had found in the rubble of the temple, he was completely unfamiliar with it. Throughout this period of history, about 350 years in chapters 10 through 36, Judah moved further and further away from God.

Fourth, the ultimate disaster in the kingdom was the burning of the temple and the captivity of the people. All through the years, Solomon's temple had stood as a reminder to the people to recognize God's rule over them as a nation. It had become a hollow symbol, the symbol of a formal ritualism, rather than the symbol of a vital relationship. It was only fitting that when the nation ceased to exist, and the people left their land, the Babylonians destroyed the temple.

If 1 Chronicles teaches that it was necessary that the people recognize God, 2 Chronicles teaches that if that recognition is only formal and ceremonial, it is not only useless but impotent. That is the message of this book: If our recognition of God is only formal and not real, that recognition will be useless for us and impotent in us.

The message of this book is applicable to the church.

First, note the similarity that exists between Christians and the Israelites. The Israelites had a physical, material temple. Christians are a spiritual temple (1 Cor. 3:16; cf. 1 Pet. 2:4-10, esp. vv. 5, 9-10). As the presence of God filled Solomon's temple at its beginning, God's presence filled the church at its beginning (2 Chron. 5:13-14; Acts 2:1-4). As Solomon's temple was the center of national spiritual life in Israel, so the church is to be the center of international spiritual life in the world. As God intended Solomon's temple to remind His people of His heavenly rule over them, so God intended the church to remind all people of God's rule over them. As Solomon's temple became simply a symbol of a form of worship, so can the church. Christians must remember what we are here to do, namely, to call people to recognize God's gracious and beneficent rule over them that can result in their blessing.

Second, notice some manifestations of formalism in the church today: One of these is insistence on doctrinal orthodoxy without a corresponding vital spiritual life. This is what James called "useless" faith (James 2:20).[1] This can mark individual Christians and local churches. I do not mean to suggest that doctrinal orthodoxy is unimportant. I am not suggesting that we tear down the "temple." But we must make sure that our theological edifice is having its full effect and not merely giving us a false sense of God's approval. It is possible to argue for the correctness of our views and to curse the person who does not share them. That is an evidence of formalism. It is possible to go to church faithfully and yet to live outside of church as though there were no God. That is ritualism. It is possible to worship God passionately and then slack off at work. That is formalism, ritualism, empty hypocrisy.

Third, let us observe the consequences of formalism: The most serious consequence is not only that a church will fail to be what God wants it to be. It is also that it will fail to do what God has placed it on the earth to do. As Israel failed to bring the light of God's revelation to the world, the church can fail to do so too. Our nation and our world can rush headlong toward godlessness if Christians are content merely with "playing church." We Christians can bear the marks of unworthy conduct, cowardice in the face of wrong, and carelessness about what is right. If we do, we will be useless and impotent. Why is the modern church so often unlike the Jerusalem church in Acts 2? It is often different because of formalism, ritualism, lack of reality. Why are so many local churches not growing? Often they are stagnant because the Christians in them are just going through motions. There is no evidence to others that they are anything but useless and impotent.

Is your Christian life vital, or are you just going through motions? Watch out for what I used to call “the second year syndrome” when I taught at Dallas Theological Seminary: just going through the motions without a vital relationship with Christ. Two kinds of students emerge in the second year of seminary: spiritually vital and spiritually dead. The difference is their personal relationship with Christ, not their brains, or grades, or study habits. The great Polish politician and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski is reported to have said, "If I fail to practice one day, I notice it. If I fail to practice two days, the critics notice it. If I fail to practice three days, everybody notices it." As Christians we must cultivate our walk with the Lord daily so that it does not degenerate into simply going through motions.[2]

Exposition

III.     THE REIGN OF SOLOMON chs. 1—9

The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign in 1 Chronicles focused on the Davidic Covenant, with God's promises to David and his descendants, including instructions for building the temple. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign, the writer proceeded to emphasize the temple that Solomon built. Almost everything that he mentioned about Solomon ties in with the temple somehow. The writer of Kings, on the other hand, emphasized many different aspects of Solomon's reign, though his interest was particularly Solomon's fidelity to the Mosaic Covenant (1 Kings 1—11). In the rest of 2 Chronicles, the writer likewise pointed out how the kings who succeeded Solomon cared for the temple and perpetuated temple worship.

When the Chronicler wrote his history, there was controversy over the second temple (i.e., the temple that Ezra built). Some of the residents in and around Jerusalem opposed its construction (Ezra 4:4-24; Hag. 1:2-4). If the returned exiles were to renew their (Mosaic) covenant relationship with God, they had to have a temple. There they could obey the laws regarding atonement for sin, worship, and fellowship with God (cf. Exod. 25:8).

Furthermore, when the Chronicler lived, the Israelites realized that God had not fulfilled the promises concerning David's son completely in Solomon's day, or during any of his successors' reigns. They looked for a Messiah to appear who would be both a king and a priest. The prophets had given revelation that such a person would come someday. He would be a perfect king who would rule the whole world, not just Israel (Ps. 2; et al.). Moreover he would be a priest, not of the Aaronic order, but of the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110). David was the first king of Israel who served as a faithful priest after this order. He personally offered sacrifices and led the people in worship as well as in government. David's successors on the throne did the same things.

The prophets promised that Messiah would build a spiritual house (temple) for God. He would give attention to His people's worship of God and their fellowship with God. He would be a Man of peace compared to David, who was a man of war (1 Chron. 22:7-9). David's rule was the kind of rule that the coming King would establish. Consequently, the writer of Chronicles measured all of David's successors by the standard of David and his kingdom.

Concern for temple worship marked David's rule (cf. 1 Chron. 17—29). The King who would fulfill God's covenant promises to David would have to possess similar zeal for temple worship (cf. John 2:17). The writer viewed Solomon as a second David and compared him to David, like Joshua compares to Moses.[3] He also viewed Solomon and Huram (Hiram) as the new Bezalel and Oholiab, who were the builders of the tabernacle.[4] The Chronicler reviewed the histories of David's successors to see if any one of them was that King. He showed in 2 Chronicles that none was. He was yet to come.

When Solomon began to rule, he stepped onto a political stage in the ancient Near East that God had prepared. There were no major empires reaching out to conquer surrounding territories, because the empires of the time had internal problems that demanded the attention of their leaders. Some of these empires were experiencing harassment from their neighbors. Consequently, Solomon was free to solidify David's gains in an atmosphere of peace.

Raymond Dillard pointed out the chiastic (crossing) structure of the account of Solomon in 2 Chronicles, which follows:[5]

A       Solomon's wealth and wisdom 1:1-17

B       Recognition by Gentiles/dealings with Hiram 2:1-16

C       Temple construction/Gentile labor 2:17—5:1

D       Dedication of the temple 5:2—7:10

D'      Divine response 7:11-22

C'      Other construction/Gentile labor 8:1-16

B'      Recognition by Gentiles/dealings with Hiram 8:17—9:12

A'      Solomon's wealth and wisdom 9:13-28

"The center of a chiasm is ordinarily the peak moment of dramatic tension or the central interest of the writer … His [this writer's] account does not focus on the building itself, but rather on the dedicatory addresses of Solomon and the divine response. In Chronicles particularly these speech materials constitute the 'charter' for the remainder of the Chronicler's historiography [history writing]; the author will seek again and again to demonstrate the realization in Israel's history of the principles announced in Solomon's prayer and in God's response."[6]

A.     Solomon's Wisdom and Prosperity ch. 1

"In chap. i., before the history of the temple building, we have an account of the sacrifice at Gibeon by which Solomon inaugurated his reign (ver. 1-13), with some short notices of his power and riches (vers. 14-17)."[7]

1.     Solomon's sacrifice and Yahweh's response 1:1-13

Solomon had some serious weaknesses that the writer of Kings pointed out. However, the Chronicler presented a generally positive picture of this great ruler, because Solomon did well regarding Yahweh worship at the temple. His people's spiritual life was one of Solomon's primary concerns. He devoted himself to making worship and fellowship with God possible for the Israelites. In this, he was similar to David and to the anticipated ideal King.

Solomon's sacrifice at Gibeon 1:1-6

Verse 1 is a general introduction to and a summary of Solomon's reign.

"V 2 provides a brief but important glimpse into the military and tribal organization of early monarchic Israel. The military units were composed of 'hundreds' and 'thousands' raised by a levy along ancient tribal and clan lines and led by the 'heads of the families'; beyond this force raised by clan conscription, David and Solomon also had a standing army of professional soldiers [cf. 1 Chron. 27:1-15]. The units 'hundreds' and 'thousands' presumably represented divisions along clan and phratry [kinship group] or subphratry lines; the number of men at arms in each unit would be a function of the size of the clan and need not correspond in a literal way to the number one hundred or one thousand."[8]

One of Solomon's first official acts as king was to worship Yahweh (v. 3). This happened at Gibeon, where Israel's central sanctuary stood (cf. 1 Kings 3:4). David had taken the ark into Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15:25-29), but the Mosaic tabernacle at Gibeon was still a legitimate place of worship. It was the only place where the priests could offer sacrifices on the bronze altar that apparently remained from the wilderness wanderings.

"There is no direct evidence for the tabernacle's having been moved to Gibeon, although the move may have been made after the slaughter of the priests at Nob (1 Sam 21:1-9; 22:6-23)."[9]

The writer emphasized the legitimacy of Solomon's act of worship (vv. 3-6). Other "high places" were contaminated by association with Baal worship and were, therefore, under God's ban, even if the Israelites used them to worship Yahweh (cf. Num. 33:52; Deut. 12:2).

"The second book [of Chronicles] begins, theologically and not just geographically, at Gibeon, for 'the bronze altar … was there' (1:5a). The previous two chapters [1 Chron. 28 & 29] focus on what God does; these two [2 Chron. 1 & 2] turn our attention to what man will do in response."[10]

God's response to Solomon 1:7-13 (cf. 1 Kings 3:5-15)

1:7             That very night God appeared to Solomon and asked him what he wanted from Him. When people submit to God's authority over them, as Solomon did by worshipping Him at the bronze altar at Gibeon, God blesses them, as He blessed Solomon by allowing him to make a request of Him.

1:8-10        Solomon first acknowledged Yahweh's faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to David to place him (Solomon) on David's throne. Solomon's reference to the Israelites as "a people as numerous as the dust of the earth" (v. 9) recalls God's promise to Abram and Jacob to make their descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:16; 28:14).

Solomon then requested the wisdom that he needed to understand and obey the Mosaic Law by which Israel's kings were to shepherd the LORD's people (v. 10; cf. Deut. 4:5-8; 17:18-20; Matt. 7:7; James 1:5). Solomon acknowledged that the Israelites were primarily God's people, not primarily his people. Thus he needed God's, not his own, wisdom and knowledge to rule them effectively. Solomon's heart was right, as David's had been. He wanted to serve God faithfully and to honor Him above himself. He was off to a good start as Israel's shepherd.

"Solomon's repeated reference to his father, David, shows that he was in a sense praying in David's name. That is, he was relying on his relationship as David's son for favor with God."[11]

1:11-12      The promise of wisdom and knowledge, plus vast riches, wealth, and honor, that God then gave Solomon was the basis of God's dealings with him thereafter.

We should pay special attention to God's promises in our study of Scripture. They are essential to understanding why God behaves as He does.

1:13           Solomon then returned to Jerusalem from Gibeon and proceeded to rule over all Israel.

"The central teaching of chapter 1 … lies in Solomon's selfless prayer for wisdom, which was the precise characteristic that his father David had already invoked for him (1 Chron. 22:12)."[12]

"The right place to begin was with God. His favor and direction alone could give health and peace to the nation. Once again, therefore, the king is portrayed in a favorable light not in order to obscure his sins but in order to make the point that the good things he did are what we should imitate."[13]

2.     Solomon's power and wealth 1:14-17 (cf. 1 Kings 4:21)

Solomon evidently amassed so many horses and chariots, not only for Israel's defense, but to sell to neighboring nations for profit. However, the Law specifically commanded that Israel's king was not to multiply horses for himself, specifically, horses from Egypt (Deut. 17:16).

"As the Syrians, who were fond of the Egyptian breed of horses, could import them into their own country only through Judah, Solomon early perceived the commercial advantages to be derived from this trade, and established a monopoly."[14]

Kue (v. 16; Que, NET2; Coa, NEB; Keveh, NKJV) is probably an ancient name for Cilicia, which lay to the north and a little west of Israel.[15] It was a city known for its horses.[16] Cilicia later became the name of the Roman province in which the city lay.[17]

"Hittites [v. 17] were the peoples of the ancient nation of Hatti in central Asia Minor. They reached the height of their power at about 1350-1300 B.C., but were nearly exterminated by the Sea Peoples in about 1200 B.C. There were pockets of Hittites in Solomon's day, mainly north of Israel among the Syrians."[18]

Ironically it was the Arameans, to whom Solomon sold horses and chariots (v. 17), who later went to war against the Israelites (cf. ch. 18; 22:5-6; 24:23-24).

B.     The Building of the Temple 2:1—5:1

Solomon was a model temple builder. Consequently the writer gave his temple construction much attention. This was Solomon's major accomplishment from this writer's point of view.

1.     Preparations for building the temple ch. 2 (cf. 1 Kings 5; 7:13-14)

Though he gave some attention to the building materials that Solomon used in the temple construction(vv. 7-8), the writer's primary interest was the communications that took place between Solomon and Hiram (1 Kings 5:1; et al.).

2:1-2          These verses record Solomon's decision to build a temple to honor Yahweh and a royal palace for himself.[19] And they record the number of workmen who were involved in these projects (cf. v. 18).

2:3-10        Solomon appealed to the king of Tyre, to the north of Israel, to provide him with building materials and workmen to build the temple. "Hiram" (2 Sam. 5:11; 1 Kings 5:1; et al.) is translated "Huram" in some translations of Chronicles (NASB, RSV, NRSV, AV, NET2, NEB).[20] Solomon's message to Huram reveals that he had a sincere desire to glorify God (v. 5). He also had a humble attitude (v. 6). He did not regard building the temple as a duty that David had imposed on him. Furthermore, his conception of Yahweh was appropriate and realistic (vv. 5-6). Solomon promised to send Huram 125,000 bushels (3,750 tons) of ground wheat, the same amount of barley, and 20,000 baths (115,000 gallons) of wine, and the same amount of olive oil (v. 10).

2:11-16      Huram's reply shows that in Solomon's day, Israel was drawing some Gentiles to Yahweh and blessing them because they blessed Abraham's descendants (cf. Gen. 12:3). Drawing people to Himself was part of God's purpose for Israel and was something that the ideal Son of David would also accomplish (cf. Exod. 19:5-6; Hag. 2:7; Zech. 8:22-23). Hiram showed great respect for Yahweh as well as for Solomon. Verses 11 and 12 are not in the parallel passage in 1 Kings 5.

The Chronicler also mentioned the lead craftsman: Huram-abi (vv. 13-14), whose other name was also Hiram. He was of mixed Danite and Tyrian ancestry (cf. 1 Kings 7:13-14).

"The Chronicler … fashioned his account of Solomon as temple builder, with his helper Huram-Abi (2 Chr 4:16), on that of Bezalel, the tabernacle supervisor of building, and his helper Oholiab (Exod 36:1-2). Solomon is seen as the new Bezalel and Huram-Abi as the new Oholiab."[21]

2:17-18      Solomon used many of the thousands of foreigners who lived in Israel as carriers, quarriers, and supervisors. The repetition of these numbers from verse 2 may have been done to draw attention to the huge workforce that Solomon employed, which reflects on the importance of this project.

2.     The temple proper 3:1-9 (cf. 1 Kings 6:1-22, 29-38)

3:1-2          The mention of Mount Moriah as the site of the temple recalls God's provision of a substitute sacrifice for Isaac on that very spot (Gen. 22:2, 14).[22] The temple would later stand there, and the high priest would offer a substitute sacrifice for Israel on the Day of Atonement each year there.

"At the same place that Abraham held a knife above his son, David saw the destroying angel with sword drawn to plunge into Jerusalem (1 Chr 21:1—22:1 …)."[23]

Temple construction began on the site in the fourth year of Solomon's sole reign as king of Israel, namely, in or about 967 B.C.

3:3-9          The glory of the temple was not so much its size as its great value and stunning beauty. The writer stressed the gold that overlaid it and its general magnificence. Solomon used 600 talents of gold (about 23 tons) to overlay the holy of holies alone. The significance of the temple was that it represented the glory of Yahweh, the greatest of all so-called gods (2:5). In the ancient Near East, a god's house (temple) represented the god and supposedly reflected that god's glory and greatness. This section of text describes the temple foundations (v. 3), the porch (v. 4), the holy place (the main room, vv. 5-7), and the Most Holy Place (the holy of holies, vv. 8-9).

3.     The temple furnishings 3:10—5:1 (cf. 1 Kings 7:13-51)

3:10-14      The cherubim represented angelic beings (cf. Gen. 3:24). Probably they looked more like the sculptured combination human-animal-bird creatures that archaeologists have discovered in the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian capitals than like pudgy-winged children, which is how some artists have portrayed them. The child image is traceable back to medieval Christian artists. The cherubim evidently stood against the back (west) wall of the temple and faced east toward the ark.[24] They were twice as high as human beings. There were two freestanding cherubim facing the ark, as well as two smaller cherubim mounted on top of the ark (Exod. 25:18), for a total of four in the holy of holies. The veil in view (v. 14) was the veil that separated the holy of holies from the holy place.

3:15-17      The two pillars, while not furnishings in the usual sense, were evidently freestanding objects on the porch of the temple that served as visual aids that were designed to emphasize God's faithfulness and strength in establishing Israel (cf. 1 Kings 7:21; 2 Chron. 7:16). They were probably 18, rather than 35, cubits high (cf. 1 Kings 7:15; 2 Kings 25:17; Jer. 52:21). The whole temple façade was 30 cubits high (45 feet; v. 4; 1 Kings 6:2). One explanation for this unusual "35 cubits" reference (v. 15) is that it is the result of a scribal confusion of the Hebrew numeral letters.[25]

4:1-10        God designed other temple furnishings to enable the priests to carry out the instructive ritual that the Mosaic Law prescribed. These furnishings and ritual taught lessons about God, people, and the relationship between them that God's grace had made possible. These furnishings included: a bronze altar (v. 1), a Sea (large reservoir; vv. 2-5), 10 basins (v. 6), 10 golden lampstands (v. 7), 10 tables for bread (v. 8), and the courtyard (vv. 9-10).

Since the bronze altar (v. 1) would have been 15 feet high, assuming a cubit equaled 18 inches, there must have been a ramp or stairs for the priests to use in placing sacrifices on it. Stairs were forbidden to be used leading up to the bronze altar in the wilderness tabernacle (Exod. 20:26). Perhaps stairs were no longer forbidden after the introduction of the official costume for the priests (Exod. 28:42).[26]

The capacity of the bronze Sea (vv. 4-5) was 3,000 baths. First Kings 7:28 says that its capacity was 2,000 baths. One solution to this apparent discrepancy is that the lower figure describes the capacity of the Sea itself, and the higher figure the capacity of the Sea plus the other 10 basins in the courtyard (v. 6).[27] Another view is that the Sea normally held 2,000 baths, but its total capacity was 3,000 (cf. 1 Kings 7:23-26).[28]

4:11-22      Chapter 4 concludes with a summary catalogue of the temple utensils and furniture. Verses 19 through 22 each mention the gold that was used.

5:1             When all the work on the temple as complete, Solomon brought all of David's contributions into the temple (cf. 1 Chron. 29:2-5). The whole temple was a tribute to the greatness of Yahweh. It enhanced His reputation ("name," 2:4).

The following diagram of the temple complex is not drawn to scale.

C.     The Dedication of the Temple 5:2—7:10 (cf. 1 Kings 8)

The dedication ceremony consisted of four parts: the installation of the ark in the temple, Solomon's address to the people, Solomon's prayer, and the celebration of the people.

"There can be little doubt that this ceremony, together with God's response which immediately follows it, marks one of the major climaxes in the Chronicler's presentation."[29]

1.     The installation of the ark 5:2-14

5:2-10        The temple was now finished and all of its furniture and treasures had been set in their places with the exception of the ark and its utensils.

Solomon summoned all the leaders of Israel to witness the bringing of the ark from the tent in which it had been resting in the city of David (Zion) into the Most Holy Place in the temple. This took place during the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles, Lev. 23:34; 1 Kings 8:2), which was held on the fifteenth through the twenty-first days of the seventh month (Ethanim, our September/October). The priests carried the ark, as the Mosaic Law prescribed (Num. 4:15), along with the tent of meeting and the utensils that were used in the service of the ark. Perhaps the tent of meeting was stored in the temple since it was apparently not used again. The temple site was just north of, and slightly higher than, the city of David, where the Jerusalemites lived. Countless sacrifices of worship accompanied the installation of the ark. The only items inside the ark were the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there. They contained the Ten Commandments (Deut. 10:1-5).

The statement in verse 9 that the poles of the ark were visible "to this day" suggests that someone wrote Chronicles before the destruction of the temple. However, most scholars believe the evidence for a postexilic date of composition is overwhelming, and that this reference is a copyist's mistake. Probably it came into this text from 1 Kings 8:8.[30] Evidently the veil between the holy place and the Most Holy Place did not extend the full width of the sanctuary, so the poles could be seen from the holy place.

5:11-14      The evidence that God approved Solomon's construction of the temple was that a cloud filled it at its dedication (5:13-14). Fire also fell later and consumed the sacrifices (7:1-3).

"When the singers and musicians praised God, then the house was filled with a cloud. This is very observable; it was not when they offered sacrifices, but when they sang the praises of God, that God gave them this token of his favour; for the sacrifice of praise pleaseth the Lord better than that of an ox or bullock, Ps. lxix. 31."[31]

The descent of this cloud (the shekinah) signified that God's presence now abode in the Most Holy Place in a localized sense (cf. Exod. 40:34-35).[32] From then on God dwelt there among His people until the Babylonians destroyed the temple in 586 B.C. (cf. Ezek. 10). His presence was the basis for Solomon's address to the people and his prayer that followed. God had previously dwelt in the thick cloud on Mount Sinai (Exod. 20:21), as well as among His people in the wilderness (Exod. 13:21; 40:34-35). This cloud again represented God's presence among His people (cf. 2 Sam. 22:7-18; Ps. 97:2; et al.).

2.     Solomon's address 6:1-11

Solomon began his address and ended it with poetry (vv. 1-2, 40-42).[33] He proceeded to repeat some of the promises in the Davidic Covenant publicly (vv. 6, 9). His completion of the temple fulfilled part of what God had promised David. Complete fulfillment required Solomon's continued faithfulness to God (1 Chron. 28:9). Unfortunately, Solomon was not completely faithful, so some of those promises remained unfulfilled. Since God is always faithful to keep His promises, another Son of David (Messiah) would have to fulfill them later.

God's choice of Jerusalem as His place of dwelling, and David as His vice-regent (v. 6), would have encouraged the returned exiles. They were back in Jerusalem, and the descendants of David lived among them. God had commended David's desire to glorify Himself (v. 8)—another incentive for Solomon's hearers, for the restoration community, and for us, to glorify Him.

3.     Solomon's prayer 6:12-42

In his prayer Solomon explained the significance of God coming to indwell His temple. God had come to empower, to have fellowship with, and to judge, if necessary, His people. God was present among His people, so He would hear their prayers when they obediently called out to Him.

6:12-17      Solomon stood on a raised bronze platform that he had built for this occasion before the bronze altar in the temple courtyard and spread out his hands in blessing as he addressed the assembled Israelites. He then knelt submissively and lifted his hands to God in a posture of supplication for Yahweh's blessing. He then acknowledged that God had fulfilled some of the promises of the Davidic Covenant already (v. 15), but he also saw that there were others yet unfulfilled. He called on God to fulfill them too (vv. 16-17).

6:18-21      Solomon's view of God was that He was both transcendent (above all) and immanent (at hand, v. 18). Even though God is everywhere at once, He can and does localize—but not limit—His presence as well (e.g., the incarnate Christ, cf. John 2:20-21). At this period in history, He localized His presence in the temple. Nevertheless, in heaven, He would hear the prayers of His people wherever they might be whenever they called out to Him. Solomon asked the LORD to keep watch over the temple continually and to listen to and grant the prayers that His people would address to Him as they prayed toward the temple (i.e., to Him, since that is where He dwelt).

6:22-39      Solomon named seven specific situations in which he asked the LORD to intervene in answer to His people's prayers for His help, seven being representative examples of whenever they prayed. These were when the people swore an oath in the temple (vv. 22-23), when they suffered defeat and exile from an enemy (vv. 24-25 when they lacked rain (vv. 26-27), when they experienced disease or other disasters (vv. 28-31), when foreigners would come to pray toward the temple (vv. 32-33), when the Israelites were at war (vv. 34-35), and when they were in captivity due to sin (vv. 36-39).

In this prayer there is plenty of evidence that Solomon understood God's purpose for Israel. He referred to God's name 14 times, showing his concern for the reputation of Israel's God. His concern for foreigners (vv. 32-33) shows that he realized that Israel was to reach out and share the knowledge of Him and His blessings with Gentiles. His concern for Israel's restoration and cleansing, following sin, shows that he realized that Israel would need forgiveness in order to return to fellowship with God and fruitfulness as His servant.

6:40-42      Solomon closed his prayer by asking God to give careful attention to his petitions on Israel's behalf. He then called on Yahweh to take up residence in temple on the ark, to cover His priests with salvation (i.e., to deliver them from all sin), and to bless the godly in Israel with all that is good.

This prayer is similar in its structure to Abraham's prayer recorded in Genesis 18:22 through 33. It also recalls Elijah's prayer on Mount Carmel in that God responded to both of these prayers with fire from heaven (7:1; cf. 1 Kings 18:38-39).

"In 2 Chr 6 Solomon is performing the duties of a king toward the cult [formal worship] and takes on almost a priestly role through his officiation. It is interesting to compare this prayer with John 17, a passage popularly called the 'high priestly prayer of Jesus.' Both prayers are concerned with the glory of God, manifest in the cloud at the temple and in the presence of the Son of God (John 17:1, 5, 10, 22, 24); both prayers constitute somewhat of a 'charter' for the subsequent history of the people of God and are basically oriented to generations to follow (John 17:6, 9, 20). Both prayers occur at the completion of work undertaken by divine appointment (5:1; 6:10-11; John 17:4); both are concerned to solicit divine protection for those who follow (John 19:11-12, 15). But for all of their similarities, two prayers could hardly contrast more as representatives of the old and the new covenant[s]."[34]

4.     The descent of God's glory 7:1-3

At the conclusion of Solomon's prayer fire fell from heaven and consumed the offerings. Evidently smoke filled the temple, which the people associated with God's glory (cf. Exod. 19:18). There was so much smoke and cloud that the priests could not enter the temple proper. This spectacular demonstration caused the people to fall on their faces and praise God for His goodness and everlasting lovingkindness.

Years later, Ezekiel saw, in a vision, the glory of the LORD depart from this temple, when the Babylonians took Judah captive (Ezek. 9:3; 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23). But Ezekiel also saw, in the future, the glory of the LORD return to His future temple (Ezek. 43:2-5; 44:4).

5.     The celebration of the people 7:4-10

Celebration followed God's descent to His temple and His people. This celebration consisted of a seven-day dedication of the bronze altar, followed by the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. The very large number of sacrifices that Solomon offered seems incredible, but there are records of other large sacrifices such as this one that scholars have discovered from ancient times (cf. 1 Kings 8:63).[35]

"To anyone who thinks they were slaying too many animals for sacrifice, how many animals are slain in this country every day? There are thousands of animals slain every day in the packing houses of our country. No one raises a voice or does anything to protest that. After all, that is to satisfy us. But when something is done for the glory of God, there will always be people who will object."[36]

"The double attestation of the temple, in 5:13, 14 and 7:1-3a, reminds one of the twofold divine endorsement of Jesus, with a voice from heaven at his baptism and a voice from the cloud of glory at his transfiguration (Mark 1:11; 9:7)."[37]

This record of the dedication of the temple emphasizes both the importance of the temple and the character of Israel's God who indwelt it. Solomon reunited the ark, the symbol of God's grace, and the altar, the symbol of human sacrificial response to that grace. It was now possible for Israel to fulfill the purpose for which God had created her as never before in her history (cf. Exod. 19:5-6). The temple was the key to this possibility. That is one reason the temple was so important in the national life of Israel.

D.     God's Blessings and Curses 7:11-22 (cf. 1 Kings 9:1-9)

7:11           God's self-revelation to Solomon on this occasion followed the completion of the building and dedication of the temple and the building of Solomon's palace.

7:12-18      God responded to Solomon's prayer with a special revelation. He promised to grant the petitions of the people, as Solomon had requested, if they manifested a true heart for Him (vv. 12-14). Verses 13 and 14 are a short summary of the message of Chronicles.

"This verse [v. 14] is of vital significance for the Chronicler's theology. Four avenues of repentance are mentioned that will lead God to forgive and restore. Each of these is taken up at appropriate places in the later narrative of Chronicles, often in connection with one of the remarkable interventions of God."[38]

This passage shows how to avoid the consequences of disobedience: submit to God, pray, and repent (i.e., change direction, not just feeling; v. 14). This remedy is as applicable today as it was in postexilic Israel and in the days of Israel's monarchy. The promise that God would "heal their land" ties in with His earlier promise to bless the Israelites' land with rain and fertility if they obeyed His commandments in the Mosaic Law (Deut. 28:11-12). God has not promised specifically to heal the land of other believers who obey His will for them. But He has promised to bless generally those who do so (Ps. 1; Matt 6:33; Gal. 6:7-8; et al.).[39]

"Remember the old adage that 'all Scripture is written for us, but not all Scripture is written to us.'"[40]

God would establish Solomon's kingdom if he fully obeyed God's Word (vv. 17-18).

7:19-22      However, if Solomon proved unfaithful, the nation might go into exile, and Israel's enemies might destroy the temple.

"Solomon's prayer and God's response form the center of the author's Solomon narrative; the Chronicler will remain through the rest of his history concerned to show that God did indeed keep his promise to Solomon to answer with favor the prayers and repentance of his people."[41]

"Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple and God's response to that prayer (2 Chron. 6:1—7:22) constitute a kind of 'charter' for the subsequent history of the nation."[42]

E.     Solomon's Successes chs. 8—9

This section of the text is similar to 1 Chronicles 18 through 21. Those chapters showed how God kept His promises to David that the Chronicler recorded in 1 Chronicles 17:8 through 12. These chapters (8—9) show how God kept His promise to Solomon in 1:12 and 7:17 and 18. Chapter 8 parallels 1 Kings 9:10 through 28.

1.     Solomon's political success 8:1-11

This pericope (section of verses) describes Solomon's cities (vv. 1-6), his labor force (vv. 7-10), and his wife's (Pharaoh's daughter's) house (v. 11).

8:1-6          It took Solomon 20 years to complete the temple and his palace. After this he renovated certain cities that Huram, king of Tyre, had given him and settled Israelites in them. God blessed Solomon by giving him good relations with King Huram (Hiram) of Tyre (cf. v. 18). Huram evidently returned the cities that Solomon had previously given (or mortgaged) to him (cf. 1 Kings 9:10-14). Then Solomon developed these towns. Solomon also captured more territory and fortified several cities. Verse 3, which is very brief, is the only reference in Chronicles to Solomon's aggressive military activity. Everywhere else his image is that of a peaceful king (1 Chron. 22:9). Solomon was a great builder.

"It seems safe to say that, following this action, Israel controlled more territory than at any other time in its history. In his day, Solomon was probably the most powerful and influential ruler in the Middle East."[43]

8:7-10        Moreover, Solomon controlled the native Canaanite population that his predecessors had allowed to live in the land. He made these people forced laborers.

8:11           Solomon probably should not have entered into a treaty with Pharaoh by marring his daughter, in view of the negative spiritual influence of foreign wives (cf. 1 Kings 11:8: Ezra 10:10). Building her a house of her own in Jerusalem seems to have been a compromise: having her yet keeping her at a distance.

"Compromise is pathetic in that it always witnesses a conviction of what is the high and the true, and attempts to ensure its realization while yielding to the low and the false. It is evil, for its invariable issue is that the low and the false ultimately gain the ascendance and the high and the true are abandoned. To build a house for Pharaoh's daughter outside the Holy City is to open its gates sooner or later to Pharaoh's gods."[44]

2.     Solomon's obedience to Yahweh 8:12-16

Solomon was faithful to perform what the Mosaic Law and David required in ritual worship (vv. 12-15). In this he succeeded, though in his heart he later departed from the LORD. The Chronicler gave him credit where credit was due and did not draw attention to his failings. Verse 16 is a summary of Solomon's work.

"This verse [v. 16] represents an important literary mark in the story of the Chronicler, concluding the long section that began at 2:1. A similar phrase to 'so the temple of the LORD was finished' occurs in 29:35, as the Chronicler concluded his account of the restoration of the temple service under Hezekiah."[45]

3.     Solomon's wealth and wisdom 8:17—9:28

8:17-18      God gave Solomon great wealth as He had promised (1:12). The location of Ophir is uncertain. Scholars have suggested India, Somalia (on the east coast of Africa), West Arabia, and South Arabia.[46]

9:1-12        The Queen of Sheba testified to Solomon's wisdom and wealth (9:1-12; cf. 1 Kings 10:1-13).[47] God's purpose for Israel was that His people should draw the nations to Yahweh (Exod. 19:5-6). We see Israel realizing this purpose partially in this queen's visit to Solomon (see also v. 23). She came to listen to him, and she brought gifts to him (cf. Isa. 2:3; 60:3, 5-6; Hag. 2:7).

"Negotiations with Solomon concerning trade in aromatic resins were to be expected. Frankincense and myrrh were in high demand for use in pharmacopoeia [books about drugs] and cosmetics, embalming and religious offerings (Isa 60:6; Jer 6:20). Frankincense and myrrh ranked alongside gold for trade and as gifts for a king."[48]

"The Queen of Sheba who came to Jerusalem with much wealth and found that she had only imagined the half of the king's wisdom gives a dramatic picture of the hope that the Chronicler, along with the prophets, had vested in the Davidic kingship."[49]

"The impression made upon the Queen of Sheba shows the power that belongs to the children of God to bring God to those who are, figuratively speaking, 'far off'."[50]

8:13-16               "Solomon's annual income in gold through taxes alone amounted to 25 tons [v. 13]. Since king and state were identified, this figure reflects the annual revenues of the entire nation through taxes."[51]

"In biblical Hebrew, when the unit of weight is not specified with the amount, as in … verses [15 and 16], the shekel is ordinarily assumed."[52]

8:17-21      These verses describe Solomon's fabulous throne, his gold tableware, and his merchant marine force.

8:22-24      Solomon became the wealthiest and wisest king of his generation. Other kings sought his wisdom, beside the Queen of Sheba. They too brought him all kinds of valuable gifts (vv. 22-24; cf. 1 Kings 10:14-29).

8:25-28      Solomon disobeyed the LORD by amassing large numbers of horses and chariots (cf. Deut. 17:16).

Verse 26 has led some Bible students to conclude that God's promise of land for Abraham's descendants was completely fulfilled in Solomon's day (cf. Gen. 15:18). However, this verse, and 1 Kings 4:21, only say that Solomon ruled over all the kings who inhabited the territory between the Euphrates River and the border of Egypt. The Israelites did not occupy all of this territory. The complete fulfillment of God's promise of land for the Israelites has not yet been fulfilled.

4.     Solomon's death 9:29-31 (cf. 1 Kings 11:41-43)

The Chronicler omitted any reference to Solomon's apostasy (departure from God) that resulted in the division of the kingdom (cf. 1 Kings 11:9-11). By doing so, he was not trying to whitewash Solomon's 40-year reign. The Book of Kings was available to the postexilic community, as were other records of Solomon's reign, to which he referred his readers (v. 29). Iddo was a seer (cf. 12:15) and prophet (13:22) whose ministry apparently consisted primarily in writing books. No references to him depict him as involved in any other activity.

The writer chose to present only those aspects of Solomon's career in which he provided a positive example of trust and obedience—and consequent blessing. His purpose was to encourage his readers with a good example and to build hope for the future Davidic King, not to lament the past. The purpose of Chronicles thus emerges quite clearly. It was to preach a message for the present generation from earlier historical records. It was not primarily to provide a parallel or supplementary historical record to what existed in Samuel and Kings.

Solomon was a model of the ultimate Davidic temple builder. He was wise and prosperous. He built and dedicated the glorious Jerusalem temple, and he received the wealth of the Gentiles who sought his wisdom.[53] David's ultimate Son would do all of these things too. Solomon proved not to be the Son of David who would rule forever—by his apostasy. Nevertheless, his reign helped the Jews of the restoration period know what they needed to do, and to what they could look forward.

"The Chronicler's aim in his portrayal of Solomon is to show how God governed the events of history to impart to the kingdom of Israel, at least once, a splendour [sic] which was fit to symbolize his own … The Kings and Chronicles accounts, taken together, become another testimony—alongside the whole biblical picture of David—to the way in which God deigns to use great sinners in the work of his kingdom, so much so that the OT's latest picture of Solomon does not even remember his sins."[54]

"The study of typology is an approach to the Bible that can readily be abused. But nothing could be more biblical than to hold that the Davidic monarchy is a type of the rule of Christ."[55]

IV.    THE REIGNS OF SOLOMON'S SUCCESSORS chs. 10:1—36:21

"Though the history of research in Chronicles has been characterized by vigorous debate surrounding the author's theology, date, and purpose, on one theme of his historiography there is a near consensus. The Chronicler's adherence to a 'theology of immediate retribution' provides his dominant compositional technique, particularly formative in his approach to the history of Judah after the schism. 'Retribution theology' refers to the author's apparent conviction that reward and punishment are not deferred, but rather follow immediately on the heels of the precipitating events. For the Chronicler sin always brings judgment and disaster, while obedience and righteousness yield the fruit of peace and prosperity. Even a cursory reading of the text reveals the contours of the writer's convictions; they are both (1) specifically articulated [cf. 1 Chron. 28:8b-9; 2 Chron. 7:14; 12:5; 20:20] and (2) demonstrated in his reshaping of narratives."[56]

"Of the twenty-six chapters devoted to this period, about half of the material is unique to the Chronicler, without parallel in Kings; the vast majority of this nonsynoptic material is directly in the service of retribution theology as the Chronicler seeks to provide the theological rationale for the events he narrates."[57]

"The Chronicler has not reduced the principle of retribution to its logical extreme, such that it is a barren and unalterable law in his writings. Punishment does not always follow hard on the heels of transgression, not until the prophets come with their warnings and offers of mercy from God. Not every attack of an enemy army is due to transgression (2 Chr 32:1; 16:1; 25:13)."[58]

The reason for this approach seems to be that the Chronicler wanted to encourage and warn his audience that both obedience and disobedience usually have immediate consequences. The Book of Job deals with the fact that retribution is not always immediate.

"With the close of Solomon's reign we embark upon a new phase in Chr.'s account of Israel's history. That account can be broadly divided … into the pre-Davidic era, the time of David and Solomon, and the period of the divided monarchy up until the Babylonian exile."[59]

"… the Chronicler never regarded the northern monarchy as anything but illegitimate and a rebellion against God's chosen dynasty. As far as he was concerned, all Israel had one and only one ruling family."[60]

The writer continued his "sermon" (1 and 2 Chronicles) by evaluating each of Solomon's successors with the same yardstick he had used on Solomon, namely, the example of David. His intent appears to have been to show that none of David's descendants measured up to him, much less surpassed him. Consequently, the promised Son of David was yet to appear. The relationship of each king to temple worship showed his heart commitment to God. So there is much in what follows that deals with the kings' relationship to the temple and temple worship. The subject of spiritual revival is a notable theme of this part of 2 Chronicles.[61]

A.     Rehoboam chs. 10—12

This writer selected three things to stress in regard to Rehoboam's reign: the division of the kingdom of Israel (ch. 10), characteristics of both the northern and southern kingdoms, but especially Rehoboam's southern kingdom (ch. 11), and Egypt's invasion of Rehoboam's kingdom (ch. 12).[62]

1.     The division of the nation ch. 10 (cf. 1 Kings 12)

This account is very similar to the one in 1 Kings 12. However, in Kings the reason for the schism that is given was Solomon's sinfulness, but in Chronicles the reasons are Jeroboam's lust for power and Rehoboam's folly. Solomon's son Rehoboam did not act wisely and therefore lost his kingdom.

The chapter unfolds as follows: the people's request (vv. 1-5), Rehoboam's options (vv. 6-11), Rehoboam's answer (vv. 12-15), and the people's revolt (vv. 16-19).

10:1-5                 "Rehoboam represented the third generation of the Davidic dynasty, and so often it's the third generation that starts to tear down what the previous generations have built up. The people of Israel served the Lord during Joshua's days and during the days of the elders he had trained, but when the third generation came along, they turned to idols, and the nation fell apart (Judg. 2:7-10). I've seen this same phenomenon in businesses and local churches."[63]

10:6-11               "It is at least possible that qtn', 'my little thing ["finger," v. 10],' is euphemistic for the penis, a sense which would add rash vulgarity to the charge of foolishness against the young men."[64]

10:12-15    The Chronicler added that a prophet had foretold this situation (v. 15; cf. 11:1-4). The division of the kingdom looked like a tragedy, but it was part of God's plan for His people, because of Solomon's sins. That would have given hope to the original readers since the captivity looked like a tragedy, but prophets had foretold it too. It was part of God's sovereign will. Furthermore, it was not the end of the nation (cf. Ezek. 37:11-13).

10:16-19             "Jeroboam stands forever as a caution against the danger of becoming passionately angry about a rightly perceived evil, yet blinded by that passion to such an extent that all measures taken against it seem right. When this happens there is almost inevitably a failure, ironically, to distinguish between right and wrong."[65]

"Despotism is seldom transmissible."[66]

Specifically, Solomon's despotism was not transmissible when Rehoboam sought to perpetuate it.

"'So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day,' 10:19, defines much of the tension that is destined to characterize the stories of the Judahite kings, down to the last."[67]

2.     Rehoboam's kingdom ch. 11

This chapter is unique to Chronicles. It divides as follows: civil war avoided (vv. 1-4), projects completed (vv. 5-12), migrations from Israel to Judah (vv. 13-17), and Rehoboam's family (vv. 18-23). This chapter contains an evaluation of both Northern and Southern Kingdoms.

11:1-4        Dillard believed that the large numbers of troops should be taken literally (v. 1; cf. 1 Kings 12:21; 2 Kings 14:7; 1 Chron. 21:5; 27:1; 2 Chron. 25:5).[68]

"According to G. Schaefer (Seeking, 28-29), of the 165 speeches in Chronicles, 95 have parallels in Samuel/Kings; many of the nonparallel speeches tend to be longer. Of these the speeches of prophets and kings are particularly important as vehicles for the Chronicler's own theological assessments."[69]

11:5-12      These verse list Rehoboam's civil and military accomplishments.

11:13-17    Jeroboam set up a humanly devised form of worship (v. 15). This resulted in many of the faithful followers of Yahweh traveling from Israel to Judah so they could continue to worship God as He had specified (vv. 14, 16). Many faithful worshippers of Yahweh from the northern tribes thus populated Judah.

"Some priests and Levites merely 'sided with Rehoboam' (v. 13) and remained in Israel, but others gave up their property in Israel and moved permanently to Judah (v. 14). A third group stayed in Israel but traveled to Jerusalem three times a year for the annual feasts (v. 16). (To some extent, we have these same three groups in the churches today.)"[70]

"Just as the forced exile of hundreds of thousands of godly French Huguenots brought incalculable blessing to surrounding nations in the seventeenth century A.D., so this influx of spiritually-minded Israelites 'strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years' (II Chron. 11:17) and modified God's otherwise negative evaluation of his entire reign: 'in Judah there were good things found' (II Chron. 12:12)."[71]

The true Israel ("all Israel") was now in Judah (cf. v. 3; 12:1).[72] The faithfulness of these northern Yahweh worshippers lasted only three years, however (v. 17).

"One way the Chronicler demonstrates the cycles of obedience and blessing or sin and punishment that are the basis of retribution theology is by introducing chronological notes [v. 17] into his record."[73]

11:18-23    Rehoboam, like Solomon, was not entirely faithful. In spite of Rehoboam's foolish decision in the last chapter, the Chronicler gave him credit for acting wisely in this one (v. 23). However, the Chronicler was harder on Rehoboam than was the writer of Kings, and the Chronicler regarded the prophets highly.[74]

"Each of the three short paragraphs which make up this section [11:5-23] uses a motif (building; defection of the faithful from the north to the south; large family) which the Chronicler regularly uses to demonstrate God's reward for faithfulness."[75]

3.     The invasion by Egypt ch. 12 (cf. 1 Kings 14:21-31)

This chapter divides as follows: Rehoboam's apostasy and repentance (vv. 1-6), the LORD's judgment (vv. 7-8), Shishak's invasion (vv. 9-12), a summary of Rehoboam's reign (vv. 13-14), and the writer's sources for Rehoboam's reign (vv. 15-16).

12:1-6        This chapter gives another example of Rehoboam's lack of wisdom: "he and all Israel with him abandoned the Law of the LORD" (v. 1; cf. ch. 10). The writer pointed out clearly the connection between Rehoboam's unfaithfulness and Shishak's invasion (vv. 1-5; cf. Prov. 3:12).

"The inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah are here [vv. 1, 6] called Israel, to hint at the contrast between the actual conduct of the people in their defection from the Lord, and the destiny of Israel, the people of God."[76]

"After three years of stability, Rehoboam led Judah into apostasy. There are conscious parallels with Saul. The 'unfaithfulness' of v. 2 is the same term as that which was applied to Israel's first king (1 Chr. 10:13). Rehoboam, therefore, has entered upon what might be termed a 'Saul' period in his reign, which contrasts with the early phase, in which he 'walked … in the way of David and Solomon' [11:17]."[77]

"The Lubim [v. 3] were the Libyans. The Sukkiim were other desert tribes, perhaps from western Libya. Ethiopians: Sometimes referred to as Cushites, these famous warriors originated in the land south of Egypt."[78]

Verse 6 contains one of the infrequent references to Israel's king and leaders humbling themselves and admitting that God's judgment was justified.

"Perhaps the most important theological statement in this entire account is 12:6, 'Righteous is Yahweh!' Even in humbling himself at Shemaiah's reproach, this meant that Rehoboam could not escape Shishak. The principle of divine righteousness governs Chr[onicler]H[istorian]'s entire pattern of coming punishments on apostasy."[79]

12:7-8        The LORD responded because the leaders' humbled themselves. and He gave them some deliverance from Shishak. But He still punished them by putting them under Shishak's authority because they had abandoned His Law. Rehoboam's repentance caused God to spare Judah from the Egyptians' destruction, but Judah became a vassal state of Egypt (vv. 6-8, 12; cf. Ps. 51:17).

"The major thrust of the [Egyptian] campaign was against the Northern Kingdom, suggesting a punitive expedition against a recalcitrant Jeroboam."[80]

The date of Shishak's invasion was recorded in Egyptian history and is available to us. Consequently, there is a relatively solid comparative date available for the Israelite chronological system.[81]

12:9-12      Shishak proceeded to strip the temple and the royal palace of their treasures. Rehoboam replaced the gold ceremonial shields with cheaper bronze ones. His humility before the LORD resulted in Him not destroying Israel completely. Consequently, "conditions were … good in Judah" (v. 12).

"The passage makes use of terms that are characteristic of the Chronicler's theology of divine retribution, namely, 'forsake' or 'abandon' (vv. 1, 5), 'be unfaithful' (v. 2), and 'humble oneself' (vv. 6-7, 12). The Shishak incident provided a model of the sort of thing that could happen again."[82]

"In his emphasis on immediate retribution, the Chronicler is warning the restoration community against any complacency or presumption that punishment might be deferred as it had been in the past."[83]

12:13-16    Overall, Rehoboam failed to set his heart on the LORD (v. 14). This resulted in his doing evil, namely, not leading the people to follow Yahweh as David had done.

"The case of Rehoboam has shown particularly clearly how much the Chronicler is concerned to show that obedience and blessing, disobedience and impoverishment are closely linked."[84]

"The destiny of any country depends to a great extent on the character of its leaders; and this was particularly the case among the Hebrews, into whose history God chose to intervene more directly than he has for other nations."[85]

B.     Abijah ch. 13 (cf. 1 Kings 15:1-8)

Abijah generally did not please God (1 Kings 15:3). However there was the instance that the Chronicler recorded here in which he spoke out in favor of the Davidic dynasty, the Levitical priests, the system of worship prescribed in the Mosaic Law, and against the apostate King Jeroboam of Israel.

13:1-3        This is the only place in Chronicles where the writer mentioned both the reigns of the southern and northern kings (vv. 1-2). He may have done this to identify the occasion on which Abijah made his speech, since he and Jeroboam were constantly fighting. Jeroboam's army outnumbered Abijah's by two soldiers to one (v. 3).

13:4-7        Since the town of Zemaraim lay within the territory of Benjamin (Josh. 18:22), this battle must have taken place near the border between Ephraim (Israel) and Judah.

"Mount Zemaraim was a few miles southwest of Bethel …"[86]

Abijah charged Jeroboam and the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom with abandoning the Davidic dynasty and with taking advantage of Rehoboam's youth and inexperience to rebel.

The reference to a "covenant of salt" (v. 5) suggests the connection between the ratification of a treaty and a meal (Exod. 24:11) at which salt provided the seasoning (cf. Lev. 2:13). Normally participants sealed covenants by eating a meal together. What is more important, salt as a preservative symbolized the covenant-makers' hope that their agreement would last a long time (cf. Num. 18:19).[87]

"The use of the rivals' patronyms ('Jeroboam the son of Nebat' versus 'Solomon the son of David') [v. 6] emphases the nondescript lineage of the first as against the legitimate claim of the 'son of David' to 'rule over Israel'."[88]

13:8-12      Abijah chided the northern Israelites for fighting against the true kingdom of Yahweh, for driving out the Aaronic priests, and for replacing them with just anyone. Abijah claimed that his kingdom had remained faithful to the LORD and His will concerning priests and worship. He also claimed that the LORD was with his army, so the armies of Jeroboam should not fight against them. He believed that they would not succeed.

The real difference between the Southern and Northern Kingdoms was theological. Judah was relying on what God had done, but Israel was trusting in what she could do. The temple site and ritual were God's provision for His people (cf. Gen. 22:14). Jeroboam had rejected these and had set up a system of his own devising. Israel had rejected God's grace and had adopted a works system of worship.

13:13-19    In spite of Abijah's confidence, Jeroboam's army ambushed his forces. Abijah's men cried out to the LORD for help, and He delivered them and gave them an overwhelming victory. The writer credited this victory to the faith of the southern warriors. Abijah also captured several cities in the Northern Kingdom.

"A good cause may for a season be involved in embarrassment and distress [vv. 13-14]."[89]

"Sudden deliverance in the midst of battle is a repeated theme in 2 Chronicles (13:14-18; 14:11-12; 18:31; 20:1ff; 32:20-22)."[90]

"It is hard to avoid the thought that, in biblical theology, weakness is a positive advantage, because it is a prerequisite of reliance (cf. 2 Cor. 12:10)."[91]

13:20-22    As a result of Abijah's victory Jeroboam did not recover his strength during Abijah's reign. Finally, the LORD struck him and he died. Abijah, on the other hand, became powerful and fruitful. Evidences of God's blessing on Abijah were the large number of northern soldiers that died (v. 17), the cities he was able to take from Israel (v. 19), the eventual death of his enemy, Jeroboam (v. 20), his power (v. 21), and his many children (v. 21). Though marrying many wives was a sin, fathering many children was an evidence of divine blessing (fruitfulness). This does not mean that God blesses sin; it means that God blesses in spite of sin.

The writer's notation: "the treatise of Iddo the prophet" (v. 22) is literally in Hebrew "the midrash of the prophet Iddo." A midrash is a commentary (cf. 24:27).

This chapter is the only assessment in Chronicles of the Northern Kingdom's sin. From here on the writer's attention focused on Judah primarily. Abijah's importance to the Chronicler is obvious in that his account of the king's reign is more than three times longer than the one in Kings.

"The overall history of Abijah in Chronicles leaves us with the distinct impression that while the reign of Rehoboam was just an unsuccessful digression, it was Abijah who was the true successor of Solomon."[92]

C.     Asa chs. 14—16 (cf. 1 Kings 15:9-24)

Chronicles gives much more attention to Asa than Kings does, and the information about his reign is quite different. That is because Asa's experiences illustrated the points that the Chronicler wanted to drive home to his readers. In Chronicles, Asa is one of the most impressive Judean kings. Asa's reign spanned the accession of seven Israelite kings (Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, and Ahab) of five different dynasties.

We have already seen, in Rehoboam's history, that obedience brought blessing from God, but disobedience brought discipline (chs. 11—12). The Chronicler used this retributive motif frequently. We see it clearly here in Asa's history.[93] In chapters 14 and 15 we see Asa obeying and blessed. In chapter 16 he was disobedient, and God disciplined him.

1.     Asa's wisdom ch. 14

14:1           The fact that the land of Israel had rest for 10 years, apparently at the beginning of Asa's reign, even though from 931 through 874 B.C. the Northern and Southern Kingdoms were hostile to one another, indicates God's blessing on Asa (cf. v. 7; Deut. 28:7).

14:2-8        Asa wisely used the peaceful condition to purge the idolatry in Judah. The term "Asherim" (v. 3, pl. of 'asherah) refers to the various representations of Baal's goddess consort Asherah. The Canaanites believed that this goddess resided in a carved wooden pole that they erected beside a carved stone pillar in which they believed Baal abode. Both the wooden poles and the stone pillars served as incense stands, and both were idols.[94]

"Sacred pillars were stone posts associated with Canaanite fertility rites. Wooden images were fashioned from live evergreen trees, which were regarded as a fertility symbol, since they retain their leaves throughout the year. Eventually, cut poles took the place of live trees, because they could be erected anywhere, even in places where trees did not grow."[95]

Asa also commanded the people of his kingdom to seek the LORD God of their fathers and to conform to His Law and commandments (v. 4). Note the close association of seeking the LORD and following His Word. Today also God's people must seek the LORD, and we do it by studying and obeying what He has revealed in His Word, not just what popular writers and speakers teach about His Word.

Asa also fortified his defenses against future attacks and built up his army (vv. 6-8).

14:9-15      Because of his trust in Yahweh, God gave Asa deliverance from his attackers. The Chronicler cited one significant victory, because it serves as a model for his readers.

"They [the Cushites, v. 9] have been identified with Ethiopians (cf. 16:8). This is rejected by recent commentators. The reference in 14:15 to a Bedouin group with sheep, goats, and camels that Asa drove off has led several recent writers to suggest that Cush may have been an ethnic group living in the vicinity of Judah (cf. Hab 3:7)."[96]

Other scholars, however, have argued for this enemy being from Cush (modern Ethiopia).[97] This seems more likely to me since this enemy had an army of a million men and 300 chariots. Mareshah was a town in Judah 13 miles northwest of Hebron, and the Valley of Zephathah was a valley near Mareshah.

Asa's poetic prayer (v. 11) is a model for all who are in distress to follow.[98]

"God works in his own strength, not in the strength of instruments [v. 12]."[99]

Gerar (vv. 13-14) was a town near Gaza near the southwestern border of the Promised Land. The Ethiopians evidently had controlled this area, because Asa's army was able to take much plunder, destroyed all the cities around Gerar, and killed many of the inhabitants.

2.     Asa's reform ch. 15

The Chronicler featured Azariah's sermon (vv. 1-7), Asa's reformation (vv. 8-15), and Maacah's removal (vv. 16-19) during the middle part of Asa's reign.

15:1           A message from the prophet Azariah, who is mentioned only here in the Bible, was the spark that ignited revival in Asa's day.

The Spirit of God "came on" him. This expression—or a similar one such as "covered," "clothed," "began to stir," or "rushed upon"—is used several times in the Old Testament to describe what the Spirit did when He moved someone to act (cf. Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 1 Sam. 10:9-10; 16:13). The Hebrew preposition that is used (al) implies "the temporary and transitory character of the Spirit's relationship to Old Testament saints."[100]

15:2-7        Gerhard von Rad named the literary form of what we have here as "the Levitical Sermon" (cf. vv. 2-7; 16:7-9; 19:6-7; 20:15-17, 20; 29:5-11).[101] Azariah preached this short sermon to the king and all the people of the Southern Kingdom. His point was that the LORD would bless them with His enabling presence if they trusted and obeyed Him.

Azariah's announcement (v. 2) falls near the middle of the Chronicler's account of Asa's reign, and it articulates the options that Asa and all of God's people have. In the first part of Asa's reign he sought the LORD, but in the last part he abandoned Him.

The "many days" when Israel was without the LORD, a teaching priest, and His Law (v. 3) refer to the Judges Period of Israel's history.

"It is not that the Torah [Law] did not exist at this time, any more than that God did not exist (cf. Jer. 10:10), but that it was not taught."[102]

Azariah ended his sermon with a word of encouragement: God would reward His people's good works (v. 7; cf. Gal. 6:9; 2 Thess. 3:13).

15:8-15      Asa responded to Azariah's challenge by removing the idols from the land, restoring the brazen alter in the temple courtyard—which had apparently suffered some damage—and rededicating the temple, himself, and his people to the Mosaic Covenant. He even executed those who refused to submit to that covenant (Exod. 22:20; Deut. 13:6-9). The result of these reforms was that people rejoiced, and the LORD gave them rest from their enemies on every side "until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign" (v. 19).

15:16-19    Asa's removal of the powerful dowager queen (queen mother, v. 16) for promoting idolatry shows that he put spiritual purity above family loyalty. Perhaps Maacah was Asa's grandmother, not his "mother" (cf. 11:20-21; 1 Kings 15:2), though two different women could be in view. In 13:2 she is called Micaiah. Other significant queen mothers during the monarchy were Bathsheba, Jezebel, and Athaliah.

Unfortunately, Asa's revival did not result in the removal of the high places in Israel (v. 17), even though Asa destroyed them in Judah (cf. 14:3). Asa's heart was not sinless, but it was blameless all his days (v. 17). God considers a person blameless when he or she deals with his or her sins appropriately, rather than ignoring them. Zeal for the house and worship of the LORD marked Asa as a true son of David.

There are two types of revivals. Some revivals are occasions when God’s people attain new heights of godliness never achieved before. Other revivals are occasions when God’s people return to a level of godliness that is God’s will, from which they had previously departed. It is the second type that was more characteristic of the revivals in Judah. Every revival in Israel's history involved returning to the Law of Moses.[103]

J. Vernon McGee wrote that there are three bridges that must be crossed on the road to revival, and we see these in the record of Asa in 2 Chronicles. These are: knowledge of the Word of God (14:4; 15:3), scriptural separation (14:3, 5; 15:8, 13, 16), and faith in God (14:11; 15:4, 12).[104]

3.     Asa's failure ch. 16

Three parts also mark this record of the later period of Asa's reign: his war with Baasha (vv. 1-6), Hanani's sermon (vv. 7-10), and the conclusion of his reign (vv. 11-14).

16:1           There is a chronological problem in this verse, which says: "In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha king of Israel" attacked Judah. But in 1 Kings 16:8 we read: "In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel." So Baasha would have been long dead in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign. Keil attributed the difference to a scribal error and concluded that the number in 1 Kings is correct.[105] However, verse 19 of chapter 15 would normally lead us to conclude that 36 is the correct year in this verse. Perhaps both numbers, in 15:19 and 16:1, were scribal errors. The thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign would have been 874 B.C. The king of the Northern Kingdom at this time would have been either Omri, whose reign ended that year, or Ahab, whose reign began that year. After a long discussion of the problem Dillard wrote:

"In sum, the theological function served by the chronological notes in the Asa narrative is clear, but the important question of how to harmonize these notes with the chronology in the M[asoretic]T[ext] of Kings has as yet no ready solution."[106]

16:2-6        When Asa was attacked by the Northern Kingdom he made a treaty with Ben-hadad, king of Aram, and secured his support by sending him the treasures that were in the temple and palace. Ben-hadad then attacked the Northern Kingdom and captured several of its cities. This enabled Asa to take the materials that the northern king had been using to fortify Ramah and use them to build up Geba and Mizpah in the Southern Kingdom.

16:7-10      God sent the prophet ("seer") Hanani to rebuke Asa for relying on Ben-hadad rather than on the LORD. Asa's misplaced trust had resulted in the Arameans escaping rather than being captured. Hanani reminded Asa of the great victory that the LORD had given him over the Ethiopians because he had trusted in Him.

"There are some occasions in the Bible when a person's handling of some small matter is taken as an indication of his capacity to handle a large one (e.g. Matt. 25:21, 23; Jer. 12:5). Asa, however, having passed the sternest of tests first (by withstanding Zerah), fails a comparatively trivial one."[107]

The first part of verse 9 expresses how God searches for people who follow Him wholeheartedly so that He may support them. This verse is especially noteworthy (cf. Zech. 4:10). No problem can arise for God's people of which He is not aware and out of which He cannot deliver them, if they commit themselves to Him fully (cf. Rom. 8:28).

God's judgment on Asa for his folly was that from then on he would have wars. Rather than confessing his guilt, Asa became angry, imprisoned Hanani, and oppressed some of his own people. Verse 10 records the first physical persecution of a prophet, but many others followed (cf. 1 Kings 22:27; Mark 6:17-18).

"Just as the Chronicler inserted Azariah's sermon in 15:2-7 to interpret to his readers the positive period of Asa's reign, so here he draws out the lessons to be learned from his falling away."[108]

16:11-14    In the thirty-ninth year of his reign (871 B.C.), Asa contracted a severe disease that affected his feet. But instead of seeking the LORD's help, he relied only on his physicians (cf. Hezekiah's opposite response, 32:24:2; Kings 20:1-11).

The physicians that Asa sought (v. 12) were "most probably Egyptian physicians, who were anciently in high repute at foreign courts, and who pretended to expel diseases by charms, incantations, and mystic arts. Asa's fault consisted in his trusting to such physicians, while he neglected to supplicate the aid and blessing of God."[109]

Asa died two years later (in 869 B.C.). The facts that he was buried in the city of David, and that his people made a great fire for him, show that they loved and respected him. The great fire that the people made for him (v. 14) was not to cremate him, but to honor him (cf. 21:19).[110] The description of Asa's funeral is the longest one recorded for any Israelite king in the Bible.[111]

Asa's heart was right in that he loved God. Nevertheless, like David, his obedience lapsed. He trusted in a foreign alliance and later in physicians more than in Yahweh. This resulted in his losing power and effectiveness both militarily and physically. Asa's death was evidently a result of his disease.

"Asa, then, has done a complete volte-face [about-face, change of policy] from his earlier faithfulness. It is as if we meet two altogether different Asas. He appeared first in the strength of God-reliance, now in the weakness of self-reliance."[112]

Asa was one of Judah's best kings (cf. 2 Kings 15:11), but he failed as did all the rest. It may have looked for a while as if Asa was the Son of David who would perfectly trust and obey God. Unfortunately he did not remain faithful.

"The lesson of Asa is clear: when formidable enemies attack God's people, their trust in Yahweh will assure them the victory. But when they use force and intrigue on their own initiative, ignoring their special calling as his people, they bring ineluctable [inescapable] ruin on themselves and their posterity."[113]

D.     Jehoshaphat chs. 17—20 (cf. 1 Kings 22:1-50)

This account of Jehoshaphat's rule (872-848 B.C.) reveals that God was actively leading His people at this time. These were the years of Judah's alliance with Israel (874-841 B.C.), and Ahab was on the throne of the Northern Kingdom (874-853 B.C.).

The Chronicler deliberately presented Jehoshaphat's record very similarly to the way he recounted Asa's experiences. In chapters 17 through 20, as in 14 through 16, we have a series of contrasts that teach the same lessons. These lessons are: the importance of depending on Yahweh by seeking His help, and the importance of being loyal to Him by obeying His Word.

Both Asa and Jehoshaphat followed similar patterns of reform, experienced victory in battle, and sinned. Both of them suppressed but also failed to utterly suppress the high places (cf. 14:2-5; 17:6). Both enjoyed prosperity, conducted great building programs, and experienced victory in battle because of their trust and obedience. Both made foreign alliances, and both are mentioned together as the standard of piety to which Jehoram failed to attain (cf. 21:1).[114]

1.     Summary of Jehoshaphat's reign 17:1-6

Jehoshaphat strengthened the Southern Kingdom militarily. He even placed troops in the cities in the Northern Kingdom ("Ephraim," v. 2) that Asa had captured (cf. 15:8). He did right because he followed David's godly example. He remained faithful to Yahweh by obeying His Law rather than worshipping Baal. Consequently, God blessed his reign by giving him riches and honor. The king took pride in obeying God, and he weeded out the high places and the Asherim that kept sprouting up around Judah.

The Baals (v. 3) "… were almost numberless, each individual field being treated as if it had its own guiding ba'al ('master, owner') i.e., fertility spirit."[115]

2.     The strength of Jehoshaphat's kingdom 17:7-19

This survey of Jehoshaphat's administrative accomplishments is not in Kings.

17:7-9        Jehoshaphat sent teachers of the Mosaic Law throughout Judah to enable the people to know God's will. Thus he fortified his nation spiritually as well as physically. Knowledge of and obedience to the revealed will of God is essential to the welfare of any nation.

17:10-19    God blessed this effort to glorify Him by putting the fear of the LORD in Judah's enemies. Again Gentiles brought gifts to the Davidic king who walked in the ways of the LORD, as in Solomon's day (cf. 9:14; 26:8). Jehoshaphat strengthened Judah by building its cities and by organizing and equipping its military forces with supplies as well (vv. 12-19).

3.     Jehoshaphat and Ahab ch. 18 (cf. 1 Kings 22:1-40)

This chapter is very similar to, and in parts identical to, what the writer of Kings recorded.

18:1           Since Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, he did not need to make an alliance with Ahab by marriage.[116] This alliance proved to be a source of much trouble for Jehoshaphat.

"This was the worst match that ever was made by any of the house of David. (1) Perhaps pride made the match. His [Jehoshaphat's] religion forbade him to marry his son to a daughter of any of the heathen princes that were about him, and, having riches and honour in abundance, he thought it a disparagement to marry him to a subject. A king's daughter it must be, and therefore Ahab's, little considering that Jezebel was her mother. (2) Some think he did it in policy, hoping by this expedient to unite the kingdoms in his son."[117]

18:2-4        The writer of Kings specified that "some years later" (v. 2) was "three years later" (1 Kings 22:2), namely, three years after the Battle of Aphek (cf. 1 Kings 20:26-30; i.e., 870 B.C.). Jehoshaphat "came down" from the higher elevation of Jerusalem to Ahab at the lower elevation of Samaria. The Chronicler added to the account in Kings that Ahab offered many animal sacrifices, apparently to induce Jehoshaphat to join him (v. 2). Jehoshaphat agreed with Ahab to join forces and try to retake the Israelite city of Ramoth-gilead in Transjordan from the Arameans.

18:5-12      Generally Jehoshaphat's concern for God's will guided his actions (vv. 4, 6). Ahab's disregard for Yahweh makes Jehoshaphat's faithfulness to Him stand out even more dramatically.

"The point for us is that flirtation with those in apostasy is flirtation with catastrophe."[118]

18:13-23    These verses retell Micaiah's prediction of the allies' defeat from 1 Kings. There are no significant differences between the Chronicler's account compared to the one in Kings. For other instances of prophets providing war oracles from the Divine Warrior, beside what we read here, see 11:1 through 4; 1 Kings 20:13, 28; 2 Kings 3:11 through 19; 6:12 through 22; 7:1 through 7; 13:14 through 20; and 2 Chronicles 20:14 through 19.

"The visionary portrait of God sitting on his throne, with 'all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left' [v. 18] is a reflection of the earthly scene which Micaiah sees before his eyes: king Ahab is seated on his throne surrounded by his servants, and just as Ahab consults the prophets about the war on Ramoth-gilead, so God summons his 'counsellors' to the same end."[119]

18:24-34    It is amazing that Jehoshaphat agreed to this plan (v. 28). Was he trusting the LORD to protect him? Possibly. The end of verse 31 is unique to the Chronicler's account: "But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them [the Aramean soldiers] from him."

"Whatever armor he [Jehoshaphat] may have had was useless, but he 'cried out' to Jehovah in one of the most famous 'foxhole prayers' of Bible history."[120]

"Jehoshaphat is safe in his robes, Ahab killed in his armour."[121]

It was God who delivered Jehoshaphat in the heat of battle and put Ahab to death.

"'It just happened,' says the man of the world. 'God did it,' say the man of faith.[122]"

Another difference is that the account in 1 Kings contains more of what happened after Ahab was shot (1 Kings 22:35b-38) whereas the Chronicler only recorded that Ahab died (v. 34).

"We have reason to think that Ahab, while he pretended friendship, really aimed at Jehoshaphat's life, else he would never have advised him to enter into the battle with his robes on [v. 29], which was but to make himself an easy mark to the enemy."[123]

The writer of Kings recorded this incident in order to show the fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy that Ahab would die for his murder of Naboth (cf. 1 Kings 22:37-38). The writer of Chronicles used it to show how God delivered Jehoshaphat because he followed God and cried out to Him for help when he was in trouble. The Chronicler undoubtedly wanted to encourage his audience toward repentance and restoration by showing them first how low Jehoshaphat could sink, and then how the consequences of his failure were reversed when he called on the LORD for help.[124]

4.     Jehoshaphat's appointment of judges ch. 19

19:1-3        Even though God had spared Jehoshaphat's life in the battle, his close brush with death was the result of his unwise decision to ally with ungodly Ahab (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-15). The prophet Jehu rebuked him for this alliance. But he also commended him for removing the Asherah and for seeking the LORD.

"A Christian's attachment to God is necessarily expressed in the kind of atmosphere in which he prefers to live and move and have his being. Company, pursuits, ambitions will all bear upon them the mark of a love of God. This is by no means to put an embargo upon [i.e., to stop] normal social intercourse with those who are not basically like-minded. It has to do with the sort of life-pattern which one chooses to construct. The task of construction is no easy one, and the temptation is to model oneself upon the 'architects' about us. This was Jehoshaphat's fault, and his error calls us to consistency in exhibiting the characteristics which are truly Christian. (See further Rom. 12:1f.; Gal. 5:16-26.)"[125]

19:4-7        Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, but he travelled throughout the land of Judah encouraging the people to follow the LORD. He sought to help the upright and to punish the wicked by appointing judges throughout Judah. Perhaps the prophet Jehu's words encouraged Jehoshaphat's decision to appoint these judges. The king instructed the judges to remember that they were acting in God's place when they judged. Therefore they needed to be fair.

19:8-11      Jehoshaphat also appointed judges in Jerusalem. These judges not only made legal decisions, but they also instructed the people in God's ways. In this, Jehoshaphat followed Moses' wise example of delegating authority (Exod. 18:17-26). As in Israel's earlier history, there were both local judges and a supreme court of appeals in Jehoshaphat's day (vv. 5, 8, 11). The king put priests and Levites in charge of these judges. This was a wise move, because the priests and Levites were theoretically the best equipped to evaluate the cases that were brought to them since they had the responsibility of knowing and teaching the Mosaic Law to the people. Evidently the Israelites had failed to continue the judicial policy that Moses had established, and Jehoshaphat revived it.

"Since the revolt of the ten tribes all the cities of refuge, except Hebron, belonged to the kingdom of Israel; and therefore, we may suppose, the courts of the temple, or the horns of the altar, were chiefly used as sanctuaries in that case, and hence the trial of homicides was reserved for the court at Jerusalem."[126]

5.     Victory over the Moabite-Ammonite alliance 20:1-30

The events recorded in this pericope do not appear in Kings. They illustrate well that "the LORD will rule (judge)," the meaning of Jehoshaphat's name and the truth that characterized his reign.

20:1-2        Sometime after the events previously recorded, the Moabites, the Ammonite, and the Meunites prepared to make war against the Southern Kingdom. The Meunites (26:7; 1 Chron. 4:41) evidently lived in the neighborhood of Petra, southeast of the Dead Sea.[127] Thus they may have been allies of their neighbors the Edomites. Word came to Jehoshaphat that a great multitude of soldiers was approaching Judah "from beyond the sea." This would have been the Salt (Dead) Sea.

Verse 2 says that the enemy also came from "Aram." Aramea was north and farther east of Moab and Ammon. Another reading of "Aram" is "Edom," which seems more likely, since this army was presently in Hazazon-tamar (Engedi), which was on the western side of the Salt Sea. Also the later references to Mont Seir (vv. 23-24) suggests that the Edomites were involved in this battle. This would have been a reasonable place for the Moabites, Ammonites, Meunites, and Edomites to camp, but it would have been an unlikely place for the Aramean to camp, if they were involved in this battle. Furthermore, there is no other reference to the Arameans in this chapter.

20:3-4        Jehoshaphat's reaction to this news was to seek the LORD and to order a period of fasting throughout Judah. Fasting (going without food temporarily) expressed the belief that seeking the LORD in prayer for His help was more important than eating. To their credit, the people cooperated and assembled in Jerusalem to seek the LORD's help.

20:5-13      Jehoshaphat then led the people in prayer. His prayer expressed belief that Yahweh controlled all the kingdoms of the world. Therefore no nation could oppose His will and succeed. The king also reviewed Yahweh's past victories over His people's enemies. He referred to Solomon's prayer that when God's people were in distress and called on Him He would hear them and deliver them. He presented the present distress to the LORD that threatened to undo the possession of the land that He had given them. He asked God to judge these enemies and voiced the Israelites' complete dependence on Him for deliverance.

Jehoshaphat's prayer was very similar to Solomon's prayer at the temple dedication (cf. 6:12-42). Jehoshaphat based his petition for deliverance on God's promises (vv. 9, 11). Verse 12 is another classic expression of trust in the LORD that served as a model for the restoration community as it does for believers today (cf. 1 Sam. 17:47).

"There is no excuse for Christian hopelessness. The Christian's response in the blackest hour must be: 'My eyes are upon thee.'"[128]

20:14-17    God revealed what the king was to do through another prophet, Jahaziel, who was a Levite. The king was not to fear, because this was a battle in which God (elohim, "the Strong One") would fight for His people. "Do not fear" (v. 17) occurs 365 times in the Bible. It is a promise for every day of the year.[129] Essentially the king was just to observe the victory that God would give him. The ascent of Ziz and the wilderness of Jeruel, where God told Jehoshaphat to meet the enemy, were on the west side of the Salt Sea.[130] He would not need to fight in this battle but just watch what God would do.

20:18-19    Jehoshaphat and all the people then bowed down in submission to the LORD and worshipped Him. Then the Levites led the people in praising God.

20:20-23    The people rose early in the morning in their eagerness to obey the LORD. The wilderness of Tekoa was the Judean wilderness near the town of Tekoa, which lay 10 miles south of Jerusalem. This was the same general area where God had instructed the people to go (v. 16). There Jehoshaphat addressed the people again and urged them to put their trust in the LORD and in His prophets (i.e., to believe what they had told them). Then he instructed those who were leading the people in singing to praise and thank the LORD. The Chronicler was careful to point out that it was when the people praised the LORD that He began to deliver them. God responded to His people. The priests may have sung Psalm 136 (v. 21). God accomplished His victory by turning the Ammonites and Moabites against the Edomites, and then turning the Ammonites and the Moabites against each other.

20:24-25    When the Judahites finally saw the enemy, what they saw was their corpses lying on the ground. It took them three days to carry off all the spoils of the enemy.

"The unusually large quantity of booty is accounted for by the fact that these peoples had gone forth with all their property to drive the Israelites out of their inheritance, and to take possession of their land for themselves; so that this invasion of Judah was a kind of migration of the peoples, such as those which, at a later time, have been repeated on a gigantic scale, and have poured forth from Central Asia over the whole of Europe."[131]

20:26-30    On the fourth day the people assembled in the Valley of Beracah (lit. Blessing) to bless (praise) the LORD for His victory. This valley was probably located between Bethlehem and Hebron not far from the locations previously mentioned.[132] Then the people returned to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat, singing as they went. Another blessing that God brought to Judah as a result of Jehoshaphat's faith were her enemies' fear of Judah, which restricted their attacking Judah again, and a period of peace.

6.     Jehoshaphat's failures 20:31-37 (cf. 1 Kings 20:31-37)

20:31-34    Though Jehoshaphat did what was right in the LORD's sight, like his father Asa had done, the people of Judah still worshipped at the high places as well as at the temple. This shows that their hearts were not completely devoted to the LORD.

This reference to the people worshipping at the high places (v. 33) seems to contradict what the writer said in 17:6: "He [Jehoshaphat] … removed the high places." Perhaps the people rebuilt the high places that Jehoshaphat destroyed earlier in his reign, and he failed to tear them down again. Another view is that he tore down the better known high places, but let stand those at which many of the common people worshipped (cf. 1 Kings 22:43).[133] By not removing all of the high places, the king fell short of the complete obedience required for God to establish his throne forever (cf. 1 Chron. 17:11-14).

Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahaziah, king of Israel, was another instance in which he failed to trust and obey God as he should have done.

"… however much a person's life might be characterized by obedience to God, the possibility of lapse and compromise is forever present."[134]

"Jehoshaphat's weakness—and this the chronicler sets before us as a peril of pastoral leadership—was his inability to say no."[135]

"The weakness of Jehoshaphat, then, is a perilous thing. It is actually related to his excellence as a shepherd. He cares; if he is to be a good pastor, he cannot afford to be hard-hearted. His troubles begin when he is not sufficiently hard-hearted."[136]

The ships that Jehoshaphat built in partnership with King Ahaziah were undoubtedly cargo vessels. The shipyard was at Ezion-geber at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba. The Tarshish in view here was probably an Arabian port (cf. Ps. 72:10; Isa. 60:9; Ezek. 38:13), not the Tarshish on the Mediterranean Sea (Jon. 1:3).[137] The prophet Eliezer announced to Jehoshaphat that the destruction of his ships was the LORD's punishment for allying with Ahaziah.

Jehoshaphat was another of Judah's best kings who followed David's example. Nevertheless he was not the Son of David whom God would establish forever.[138]

E.     Jehoram ch. 21 (cf. 2 Kings 8:16-24)

There were two King Jehorams, one in the Northern Kingdom and one in the Southern Kingdom. The one described in this chapter is, of course, the one in the Southern Kingdom. He ruled from 853 to 841 B.C.

21:1-3        Jehoram was the firstborn son of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat walked in the footsteps of the original Israel ("Prince with God"), whose other name was Jacob.[139] But Jehoram did not.

The reference to Jehoshaphat having been the king of "Israel" (v. 2) is not an error. As already noted, the Chronicler regarded Judah as the true Israel and sometimes referred to Judah as Israel (cf. 12:6; 23:2; 28:19; et al.). He also referred to the Northern Kingdom as Ephraim (17:2; 25:7, 10).

21:4-7        The events from Jehoram's reign that the Chronicler selected present a classic example of the consequences that follow departing from Yahweh. The king violated God's will by murdering his brothers, probably because he felt threatened by them and failed to trust the LORD for his safety, and some of Israel's leaders (v. 4). And he practicing idolatry (v. 6). Undoubtedly his wife, Athaliah, King Ahab's and Queen Jezebel's daughter, influenced him in this apostasy. But in spite of Jehoram's wickedness, Yahweh was not willing to destroy the Davidic dynasty because of His promises to David (17:14; 1 Sam. 7:9-16; 1 Kings 11:36). Verse 7 contains the only reference to the Davidic Covenant in 2 Chronicles.

21:8-11      One punishment that Yahweh brought for Jehoram's sins was the rebellion of the Edomites, who had been in some sense subject to Judah previously. The Judean city of Libnah also revolted against Jehoram's control.

"In the Chronicler's theology of immediate retribution, political power is an index of piety; disobedient kings raise no great armies and are defeated in battle."[140]

Jehoram erected high places in the mountains (really high hills) of Judah, and he led the Judahites astray by causing them to be unfaithful to the LORD.

21:12-15    It is significant that the prophet whom God sent to announce judgment on Jehoram was Elijah, who was still alive at this time.[141] Elijah's ministry was to condemn Baalism in Israel. Probably God sent him to Jehoram because Jehoram shared the same guilt as the kings of Ahab's house. This is the only record that we have of a prophet from the Northern Kingdom rebuking a king of the Southern Kingdom. All the other prophets whom God sent to the Davidic kings were from Judah. This is also the only reference to a letter that either Elijah or Elisha wrote (v. 12).

Elijah announced God's judgment on Jehoram for his sins. The LORD was going to send a plague on the kings household, his possessions (animals), his people, and himself. He would suffer a severe, long-lasting disease of his bowels until they came out.

"It cannot be said too often that the tracing of cause and effect which so typifies Chr. does not imply that all suffering is the result of specific sin. The central point here relates rather to the folly and wickedness of usurping the place of God. Jehoram did not merely aim to exercise authority. He sought to control destinies. The same urge is not absent from the twentieth century."[142]

"Elijah's letter is a succinct statement of the Chronicler's theology of immediate retribution."[143]

21:16-17    The LORD also punished Jehoram by stirring up the Philistines, and some of the Arabs, who attacked Judah and Jerusalem and took his possessions, his wives, and all but the youngest of his sons.

"There is both irony and retributive justice in that Jehoram sets in motion events that would ultimately lead to the near obliteration of his own line (22:10; 2 Kgs 11:1)."[144]

"The period spanned by Jehoram, Ahaziah and Athaliah brought with it the most severe crisis in the history of the Judaean monarchy—excepting only the Destruction itself."[145]

21:18-20    After these losses the LORD struck Jehoram with a terminal disease of his intestines, from which he suffered for two years, and then he died a painful death.

"As with most illnesses mentioned in the Old Testament, we are left to conjecture about the clinically imprecise vocabulary. Ulcers, colitis, chronic diarrhea, and dysentery have been proposed."[146]

Jehoram died "with no one's regret." The leaders of Israel showed their disrespect for him by not honoring him with a great fire when he died (cf. 16:14) and by not burying him in the tombs with the other kings of the Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem.

"Jehoram is the first king of the Davidic line of whom the Chronicler's judgment is totally negative."[147]

"These two books [1 and 2 Chronicles] do not explain why the people suffered and then went into exile [as 1 and 2 Kings do]. Instead they emphasize how the people should live, based on what pleases God."[148]

F.     Ahaziah ch. 22 (cf. 2 Kings 8:25—9:29)

22:1-4        The reference to the band of Arabs who had killed Ahaziah's brothers (v. 1) goes back to 21:16 and 17. The house of Ahab, and particularly his mother, Athaliah, who was Ahab's and Jezebel's daughter, strongly influenced King Ahaziah to follow their beliefs and practices. Their counsel led to his destruction.

22:5-7        Ahaziah, acting on the counsel of his apostate counselors, joined forces with King Jehoram of Israel and went with him to battle the Arameans at Ramoth-gilead (cf. 2 Kings 8:28). Ahaziah was wounded in this battle and retreated to Jezreel, one of the Northern Kingdom cites, in order to recover. While he was there he also visited King Jehoram of Israel who was sick. This was an act of courtesy, and it shows Ahaziah's sympathy with Jehoram, who was a son of Ahab. When Jehu, the anointed next king of the Northern Kingdom, who had been charged with eliminating the house of Ahab (cf. 2 Kings 8:6-9), attacked Jehoram, Ahaziah sided with Jehoram. When Jehu attacked Jehoram at Jezreel, Ahaziah fled. Jehu eventually shot him "at the ascent of Gur, which is at Ibleam," which was not far from Jezreel (2 Kings 9:27). Ahaziah was able to reach Megiddo, west of Jezreel, and there he died. God judged Ahaziah because he allied himself with ("went to," v. 7) Jehoram.

"There is ironic justice in the death of Ahaziah: the king who lived by the counsel of the Omrides shared their fate; he who had taken advice from Samaria found no refuge there at the time of his death."[149]

22:8           Jehu also executed princes of Judah and nephews of Ahaziah who supported him.

22:9           This verse needs to be harmonized with the account of Ahaziah's death in 2 Kings 9:27. Evidently Ahaziah fled from the garden house in Jezreel to Samaria and hid there from Jehu. Jehu's men searched for him there, caught him, and brought him to Jehu. Then Ahaziah evidently escaped and Jehu pursued him and shot him at the ascent. Ahaziah was able to reach Megiddo where he died. Then Ahaziah's servants carried Ahaziah's corpse to Jerusalem where they buried him.

Even though Ahaziah was a follower of Baal rather than Yahweh, the people of Judah gave him an honorable burial in Jerusalem because he was a descendant of godly Jehoshaphat. Ahaziah left no relative who could succeed him on the throne when he died. The reason for this follows in the next verse.

22:10-12    Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, whom Whitcomb called a "feminine Antichrist,"[150] killed all of Ahaziah's sons except one, whom the high priest and his wife hid away when he was only an infant. Evidently Athaliah committed this atrocity in order to secure herself on the throne of the Southern Kingdom. The absence of the regnal formulae "ruler of Judah," or the equivalent, in Athaliah's case, both in Kings and Chronicles, indicates that the writers did not consider her a legitimate ruler.

"The fact that royal infants may regularly have been put into the care of wet nurses or foster mothers becomes the key to Jehosheba's frustrating Athaliah's plans; the suckling child was overlooked and could have escaped detection as he grew by mingling with other priests' children or perhaps as a temple devotee like the young Samuel."[151]

Jehoshabeath (spelled "Jehosheba" in Kings) was Ahaziah's sister, probably half-sister ("the king's daughter," v. 11), the daughter of King Jehoram of Judah. She was also the wife of Jehoiada, who was the high priest in the Southern Kingdom. The place where Jehoshabeath hid Joash (also spelled "Jehoash") was evidently a bedding storeroom in the temple.[152] By her action Jehoshabeath proved to be more loyal to the Davidic dynasty than to Ahab's dynasty.

G.     Athaliah ch. 23 (cf. 2 Kings 11:1-20)

The Chronicler did not have any respect for Athaliah, because she was not of the Davidic line but was a usurper of Judah's throne. He did not record any of her achievements. She was the daughter of Ahab and a promoter of Baalism. His concern in this chapter was with the events that brought about her downfall and the establishment of the next legitimate Davidic king: Joash.

23:1-2        These verses are unique to Chronicles. They relate Jehoiada' preparations to place Joash on the throne of the Southern Kingdom.

23:3-15      This pericope is almost identical to 2 Kings 11:4 through 16. One difference is that the Chronicler mentioned that Jehoiada made a covenant with all the people ("all the assembly") that Joash would rule because he was of the line of David (v. 3), whereas the writer of Kings wrote that he made this covenant with the Judahite soldiers (2 Kings 11:4). The account of these events in 2 Kings emphasizes the part played by the royal bodyguard, whereas the Chronicler emphasized the part played by the Levites.[153]

The Chronicler also wanted to emphasize the nationwide support of the Davidic king as an encouragement to his readers to continue to support their Davidic leaders.

The Chronicler also stressed the role of the priests and the Levites in reinstating the Davidic king on his throne throughout his account. In the restoration community it was important that the priests and the Levites supported the Davidic leaders.

The Chronicler also elaborated on the praise that the people raised to God when Joash was placed on the throne (v. 13). The "pillar" that Joash took his stand beside, when he was presented to the nation (v. 13), was probably one of the two pillars that stood on the porch of the temple.

Instead of protecting the temple, as all the good kings of Judah had tried to do so far, Joash enjoyed protection in the temple. The temple was a visual symbol of the continuity of the Davidic dynasty. Even though there was no visible king during Athaliah's usurpation of the throne of Judah, the temple reminded the people that God would fulfill His promise to David of an unbroken royal line.

Many years later, the returned exiles were in a similar situation. A Davidic king was not on the throne in their day, but the rebuilt temple gave hope that a successor to David would again sit on his throne. In their day, they could not set a king on their throne, because they were no longer a sovereign nation, but only a province of the Persian Empire. Evidently the people had already rebuilt the temple when the Chronicler wrote this book (cf. 5:9). Clearly the restoration community's hope of the fulfillment of the promise that God made to David centered on the temple. As long as they had permission to rebuild the temple, there was hope that someday a successor to David might rule over them again. The temple was in that sense the protector of the promise to David, both in Athaliah's day and in the Chronicler's day.

The public presentation of Joash (v. 11) recalls the anointing of Solomon, which ended Adonijah's vain attempt to succeed David (1 Kings 1:39-40, 45-46).

23:16-21    After the successful transfer of power from Athaliah to Joash, Jehoiada led the people in renewing their commitment to Yahweh.  They purged Jerusalem of Baalism and killed the high priest of Baal whom Athaliah had evidently installed. Jehoiada restored the Levites to their rightful authority as the Mosaic Law specified, as well as the other leaders of Israel. All of this was done in an atmosphere of great rejoicing, which is the normal outcome of obedience to God's will.

"All the people of the land rejoiced, a characteristic response found in Chronicles whenever the Lord's will was being followed."[154]

The flame of love for Yahweh had burned low, but it was still alive among His people during Athaliah's illegal seizure of power. In the absence of a king, the LORD raised up the high priest as Judah's spiritual leader. Jehoiada's reforms indicated the extent to which Judah had departed from God's ordained worship. Jehoiada was the Chronicler's ideal high priest.[155]

"The story of Athaliah, like that of Jehoram and Ahaziah, is a testimony to the ephemeral and ultimately illusory character of brute power exercised in a self-serving way."[156]

H.     Joash ch. 24 (cf. 2 Kings 11:21—12:21)

Joash's life, as this writer narrated it, proves again the main points that Chronicles stresses: (1) God was faithful to His promise to provide rulers over His people from David's descendants. (2) Each king's success depended on his submission to God's authority as expressed in the Law of Moses and the announcements of the prophets. The writer evaluated each king's success and measured it by his attitude toward prescribed worship that centered at the temple.

"His [Joash's] rule … serves as a characterization in miniature for the historical course of his entire nation."[157]

24:1-3        These verse give biographical information about Joash and his reign. He enjoyed a long reign and was blessed with descendants because he did what was right in the sight of the LORD "all the days of Jehoiada the priest." As we shall see, he unfortunately took a different direction in life when his mentor, Jehoiada, died.

24:4-7        Commendably, Joash decided to restore the temple ("the tent of the testimony," i.e., the building that housed the two stone tables on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, v. 6; cf. Exod. 25; 16, 21-22). He charged the priests and Levites to collect freewill offerings from the people in order to pay for the renovation. And they were to act quickly. But they did not act quickly. So he reprimanded the high priest, Jehoiada, for his failure to mobilize them.

24:8-14      Joash then adopted a different method of fundraising, which proved effective. The use of boxes or baskets to receive the gifts of the people was common in the ancient Near East (v. 8).[158] Coined money did not exist before the sixth century B.C., so the people evidently brought their contributions to the temple in the form of refined or unrefined metals.

The Mosaic Law commanded the Israelites to support the maintenance of the tabernacle and its service (Num. 1:50; 18:21-24). This applied to the temple as well.

24:15-19    The account of Jehoiada's death and the relapse of the people into idolatry does not appear in 2 Kings. Probably the Chronicler included these things to warn his readers. The fact that Jehoiada lived to be 130 years old testifies to his godly character, since the Mosaic Law promised long life to the godly (cf. Deut. 4:40; 5:16; 22:6-7; Prov. 3:1-2, 16; 10:27). The priests were to instruct the kings in God's Law (cf. 26:16-18). As long as Joash listened to this instruction, he succeeded. When he stopped listening, he began to fail: He began to lead the people away from God.

"Joash's apostasy is a repetition of Rehoboam's. He too listened all too readily to bad advice, and then used all his energies to put it into execution"[159]

24:20-22    Nevertheless, God did not abandon His people because they had abandoned Him. He sent at least one prophet to warn them to return to Him or experience discipline. The Hebrew text says literally: "The Spirit clothed Himself with Zechariah" (v. 20; cf. 1 Chron. 12:18). The way of repentance was still open to the people (cf. 6:24-25; Jer. 18:7-10).

"This prayer of imprecation, rather than of forgiveness [by Zechariah, v. 22] (cf. Lk 23:34; Acts 7:60), was justified by the official positions of both the killer and the killed. God's name was at stake, and vengeance did follow (II Chr 24:24, 25)."[160]

Joash's murder of Jehoiada's son, Zechariah, who was also Joash's cousin (cf. 22:11), was especially heinous. Zechariah died in the very courtyard where Jehoiada and his sons had anointed his executioner, Joash, as king. An earlier instance of conspiracy followed by stoning involved Naboth in the days of Ahab (1 Kings 21:8-14). Thus Joash suffers by comparison with Ahab. Ironically, Jehoiada sought to protect the sanctity of the temple from murder (23:14-15), but his own son was murdered there. Zechariah was murdered in the same place where Joash was protected during Joash's childhood.

Many students of Scripture believe that the Zechariah to whom Jesus referred in Matthew 23:35 was this man.[161] However, Jesus referred to Zechariah the son of Berechiah (cf. Zech. 1:1). Furthermore, Zechariah the son of Berechiah (i.e., the prophet Zechariah) died hundreds of years later than Zechariah the son of Jehoiada (the priest).

"Either (1) the chronicler's Zechariah was actually the grandson of Jehoiada and the son of an unmentioned Berechiah, or (2) the prophet who wrote the Book of Zechariah was also slain in the temple precincts, a fact recorded only in the Gospels."[162]

24:23-24    When the people refused to respond properly to God, judgment followed. The Arameans attacked Judah and Jerusalem and were able to kill all the Judean officials and take much spoil in spite of the fact that they had only a small army. This was a judgment from the LORD on Joash.

24:25-27    Furthermore, Joash' servants murdered him. Ironically, Athaliah had been murdered by her servants (23:15).

In this chapter in particular, the people's response to the temple clearly reflects their response to God (vv. 4, 5, 13, 18, 20, 24). This is always the case in Chronicles.

The writer of Kings presented four kings of Judah as reformers: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah. But the writer of Chronicles recorded an additional revival that took place in Judah during the earlier years of Joash's reign.

I.      Amaziah ch. 25 (cf. 2 Kings 14:1-22)

The Chronicler selected three events from Amaziah's reign to teach important spiritual lessons:

25:1-4        First, Amaziah followed the Mosaic Law faithfully in dealing with the people who had killed his father (cf. Deut. 24:16). This took place at the beginning of his reign. The Chronicler's summary of his reign is that he did what was right in the sight of the LORD but "not wholeheartedly" (v. 2).

"Imperfection of heart consists in incomplete surrender."[163]

25:5-16      Second, the king obeyed God partially in his war with the Edomites. He unwisely hired mercenary soldiers from the Northern Kingdom to help him rather than seeking the LORD's help (cf. 20:12). However, when an unnamed prophet rebuked him, he obediently dismissed them, even though it cost him 7,500 pounds of silver (v. 10). Nevertheless, because he had hired them, he not only lost his money, but he also lost the lives of 3,000 Judahites, when the Israelite soldiers retaliated for having been dismissed (v. 13). Furthermore, he disobeyed Yahweh by importing the gods of Edom, which he had defeated, setting them up, and worshipping them (vv. 11, 14). Finally, he refused to repent when confronted by another prophet (v. 16).[164] Contrast David's repentance in response to Nathan's rebuke (2 Sam. 12:13).

"The king lost 100 talents by his obedience [v. 9]; and we find just that sum given to his grandson Jotham as a present (ch. xxvii. 5); then the principal was repaid, and, for interest, 10,000 measures of wheat and as many of barley."[165]

"Ahaz worshipped the gods of those that had conquered him … ch. xxviii. 23. But to worship the gods of those whom he [Amaziah] had conquered [v. 14], who could not protect their own worshippers, was the greatest absurdity that could be. If he had cast the idols down from the rock and broken them to pieces, instead of the prisoners [v. 12], he would have manifested more of the piety as well as more of the pity of an Israelite; but perhaps for that barbarous inhumanity he was given up to this ridiculous idolatry."[166]

25:17-24    Third, Amaziah disobeyed God by attacking the Northern Kingdom late in his reign. This was due, from the divine perspective, to the king's idolatry (v. 20), and, from the human perspective, to his pride (v. 18). The consequences were that Judah's enemy destroyed a portion of the wall around Jerusalem, thus weakening its defense (v. 23), and stripped the temple, thus diminishing its glory (v. 24). Verse 24 is the only instance in the Bible in which taking hostages is mentioned specifically.[167] Joash's parable of the arrogant thistle (v. 18) recalls Jotham's parable of the inglorious bramble (Judg. 9:7-15).

"At bottom, it is the breakdown in the relationship between Amaziah and God which causes his downfall."[168]

Idolatry was a serious matter because it struck at the heart of God's relationship with His people. God blessed Israel with the opportunity to have an intimate personal relationship with the living sovereign LORD like no other people in the world. To turn from this privilege to pursue dead idols was the height of insolence (cf. Exod. 20:5).

25:25-28    From the time that Amaziah turned from Yahweh, God began to turn against him—by using the faithful in Judah as His instruments of judgment (v. 27). "The city of Judah" (v. 28), where Amaziah was buried, is another name for Jerusalem (cf. 2 Kings 14:20).

"Instead of royal building programs, the walls of Jerusalem are destroyed; instead of wealth from the people and surrounding nations, the king is plundered; instead of a large family, there were hostages; instead of peace, war; instead of victory, defeat; instead of loyalty from the populace and long life, there is conspiracy and regicide."[169]

"The main lesson of this pericope is the ineluctability [i.e., inevitability] of retribution. Even though Amaziah far outlives his nemesis Joash, as Chr[onicler]H[istorian] tells it, there has been a conspiracy since the beginning of the time of his apostasy, and at last it breaks out and gets him."[170]

J.     Uzziah ch. 26 (cf. 2 Kings 15:1-7)

The Chronicler gave us much more information about Uzziah than we have in Kings. Uzziah ("Yahweh Is Strong" or "Yahweh Is My Strength") was evidently the king's throne name (cf. Isa. 6:1), and Azariah ("Yahweh Helps" or "Yahweh Has Helped") was his personal name.

Uzziah, like his father, began well but ended poorly. The Chronicler often divided a king's reign into two parts: good and bad—with a chronological note separating them. The writer documented Uzziah's fidelity to Yahweh and God's consequent blessing of him and his kingdom at length (vv. 1-15).

26:1-5        These verses summarize Uzziah's reign. A notable accomplishment was the retaking of the port city of Eloth (Elath) from the Edomites (cf. 2 Kings 14:22). The Chronicler compared Uzziah's goodness to that of his father, Amaziah, but he omitted the "not wholeheartedly" qualification of Amaziah's goodness (25:2). To seek the LORD (v. 5) meant to seek to please Him by trusting and obeying Him. The Zechariah mentioned in this verse is obviously not the same person as the Zechariah who ministered and wrote following the Jews' return to the land after the Babylonian Captivity.

26:6-15      These verses describe Uzziah's wars, building projects, agricultural interest, and army. Uzziah became very famous in his day for his achievements and because the LORD helped him (v. 15).

"The note that Uzziah provided the army with its weapons and armor reflects both Uzziah's prosperity under divine blessing and a departure from ordinary practice in expecting conscripts to provide their own arms (Judg 20:8-17; 1 Chr 12:2, 8, 24, 33; 1 Sam 13:19-22)."[171]

26:16-21    Unfortunately, Uzziah took personal credit for what God had given him (v. 16). The writer noted several times that Uzziah was strong (vv. 8, 15, 16). His pride led to self-exaltation. He even put himself above God.

"If he had only remembered the message of his names, that he was powerful because of the Lord's help, he would not have fallen."[172]

The Mosaic Law permitted only the priests to offer incense in the temple (Exod. 30:1-10; Num. 3:10, 38; 16:40; 18:1-7). The Davidic kings could offer sacrifices on the bronze altar in the temple courtyard, as could the ordinary Israelites. But Uzziah's presumptuous act of offering incense in the holy place constituted rebellion against God's will. For this reason God struck him with leprosy (cf. Num. 16:46-50; 2 Kings 15:5).[173]

"He had not been one of the weak kings of Judah who was easily swayed by others (like Jehoshaphat) or too open and accommodating with the leaders in the north. But as is often the case with strong leaders, this virtue gave way to a headstrong, I-can-do-no-wrong attitude. It was precisely his strength that blinded him to the effrontery of his action."[174]

Evidently Uzziah wanted to become more than a king, namely, a priest-king, like other Egyptian and northern Israelite kings (cf. 1 Kings 12:33).[175] Uzziah's leprosy meant that he could no longer enjoy personal worship at the temple (v. 21). Rather than caring for the temple and building it up, as God had said David's son would do, Uzziah could not even enter its courtyard. The king's leprosy was an outward evidence of his inward uncleanness (cf. Isa. 6:5).

"(1) Pride was at the bottom of his transgression, and thus God humbled him and put dishonor upon him. (2) He invaded the office of the priests in contempt of them, and God struck him with a disease which in a particular manner made him subject to the inspection and sentence of the priests; for to them pertained the judgment of the leprosy, Deut. xxiv. 8. (3) He thrust himself into the temple of God, whither the priests only had admission, and for that was thrust out of the very courts of the temple, into which the meanest of his subjects that was ceremonially clean had free access."[176]

Uzziah's sin was not a moral failure, like David's sin against Bathsheba and Uriah was. He committed it in an act of worship. This illustrates the fact that departure from any aspect of God's will constitutes serious sin. "To obey is better than a sacrifice" (1 Sam. 15:22; cf. 2 Sam. 6:6).

26:22-26    Uzziah reigned from 792 to 740 B.C. His reign was one of the longest in Israel's history. His son Jotham became coregent with him when Uzziah contracted leprosy, in 750 B.C. Thus Uzziah suffered with leprosy for 10 years before he died.[177]

Uzziah's reign was the fourth in a group of kings who began well but ended poorly: Asa, Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah. Their histories show the reader how difficult, yet how important, it is to hold the confidence of right standing with God, that we have at the beginning of our lives as believers, firm until the end (cf. 1 Cor. 10:12; Heb. 3:14).[178]

K.     Jotham ch. 27 (cf. 2 Kings 15:32-38)

27:1-2        Jotham was also a good king. But in spite of his goodness, the people of the Southern Kingdom continued to act badly. He appears to have failed to turn his people to righteousness. There was no reformation of abuses or revival during his reign, as far as we know.

Evidently the reference to Jotham not entering the temple (v. 2) means that he did not inappropriately violate the holy place like his father had done (26:16).[179] Another view is that he did not want to have anything to do with the temple, since God had judged his father when Uzziah entered it and offered incense inappropriately.

"Here is a man with a tremendous opportunity to lead his people back to God, but he had this hang-up—perhaps a root of bitterness. His father was made a leper in the temple, and he didn't want to go into that temple."[180]

27:3-9        But the Chronicler gave Jotham credit for building one of the gates of the temple and so facilitating access to the temple. "The wall of Ophel" (v. 3) that He built up was evidently the wall on the east side of the area between the city of David and the temple area (cf. 33:14; Neh. 3:26-27; 11:21). He also built up some cities and fortresses in Judah. He brought the Ammonites under his control, so these neighbors to the east submitted to him and paid him tribute.

The Chronicler clearly stated the reason that Jotham became strong: "he directed his ways [i.e., conducted himself] before the LORD his God" (v. 6). Building projects and political success were two marks of divine blessing for the Chronicler (cf. 11:5-12; 14:6-7; 17:12-13; 26:9-10; 33:14).

"The record of Jotham's reign is intended as a model of what might have been."[181]

L.     Ahaz ch. 28 (cf. 2 Kings 16)

With the reign of Ahaz the Chronicler introduced a new possibility, namely, the prospect of captivity for Judah, which he again called Israel—the true Israel—three times in this chapter (vv. 19, 23, 27). The possibility of Judah's exile appears first in Chronicles in this chapter as some people of the nation are led captive to Damascus, Samaria, and Edom. Why did the whole Southern Kingdom go into captivity eventually? Ahaz's behavior helps to explain the reason.

The Chronicler structured this chapter in the form of a chiasm and focused the reader's attention on its central elements:

A       Ahaz's reign and apostasy (vv. 1-4)

B       Ahaz's defeats (vv. 5-8)

C       A prophet's warning (vv. 9-11)

C'      The leaders' repentance (vv. 12-15)

B'      Ahaz's defeats (vv. 16-21)

A'      Ahaz's apostasy and reign (vv. 22-27)

28:1-4        Ahaz did not follow David's example but the example of Jeroboam I and the northern kings who followed him. He also promoted Baal worship, worshipped in unauthorized ways and places, and even practiced child sacrifice.

"The Chronicler is perfecting the parallel between the apostasy of Judah under Ahaz and the apostasy of Israel at the time of the schism [of these two kingdoms]. Just as Israel worshiped idols and those that were 'not gods' (13:8-9), so too Ahaz leads Judah into idolatry."[182]

28:5-8        As punishment for his idolatry the LORD permitted the Arameans to defeat Judah and to take the king and many captives to Damascus, the capital city of Aram. Pekah, the king of the Northern Kingdom, also defeated Ahaz and killed 120,000 Judeans, including some of the Southern Kingdom's leaders. Pekah also took 200,000 Judeans captive to Samaria, the Northern Kingdom's capital city.[183]

28:9-11      God sent the prophet Oded to reprove the leaders of Israel for seeking to enslave the Judeans. He said that God had handed them over to the Israelites, but they had gone too far in killing and seeking to enslave so many of them. He called on them to let the captive Judeans return home, because the LORD was very angry with them.

28:12-15    Amazingly, some of the Israelite leaders supported Oded and urged their fellow countrymen to let the Judean captives go. The Israelite soldiers too cooperated and released the captive Judeans and even fed and clothed them, with some of the spoils that they had taken from Judah, and provided transportation for them to go to Jericho, a Judean city. (Verse 15 may be a source for Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan [Luke 10:25-37].[184])

28:16-21    King Ahaz appealed to Assyria for help when the Edomites attacked Judah and led some of them away as captives. The Philistines also captured some of the cities in the Southern Kingdom and settled in them. These were all things that the LORD allowed to happen because Ahaz had not restrained the people from practicing idolatry and had been unfaithful to the Him. Instead of helping Ahaz, the Assyrian king attacked him even though Ahaz had paid Tiglath-pilneser (also spelled Tiglath-pileser) to help him.

"The Chronicler is unfailingly hostile to foreign alliances since they demonstrate a failure to trust the Lord (16:2-9; 19:1-2; 22:3-6; 25:6-10) …"[185]

28:22-25    Rather than turning to the LORD for help in his distress, Ahaz became more unfaithful to Him by sacrificing to the gods of the Arameans. These gods became Ahaz's downfall and Judah's downfall. Ahaz also cut up the utensils used in the temple worship, closed the doors of the temple, erected altars all over Jerusalem, and made high places of worship in every Judean city, thus provoking the LORD to anger. Ahaz's personal disregard for the temple mirrored his disrespect for the LORD.

"He forsook the temple of the Lord and sacrificed and burnt incense on the hills, as if they would place him nearer heaven, and under every green tree, as if they would signify the protection and influence of heaven by their shade and dropping."[186]

"This is the nadir [lowest point] of Ahaz' sins: 'he shut the doors of the house of the Lord' [v. 24]."[187]

28:26-27    When Ahaz finally died, after reigning for 16 years (v. 1), he was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the tombs of the other Davidic kings. This shows that he was disrespected to a degree. The people over whom he ruled were growing farther and farther away from the LORD.

Ahaz's heart was far from God. He was more like Saul in this respect than like David. Even though he failed to obey God, like the other kings, there is no mention of his ever repenting when God chastened him. Instead, he hardened his heart even more (v. 22; cf. the pharaoh of the Exodus). The reason for Israel's exile was the hardness of heart that Ahaz exemplified. At this time in her history, the nation needed a faithful Son of David more than ever. Isaiah, who spoke in Ahaz's reign, promised that He would appear eventually (Isa. 7:1—12:6).

In Ahaz's day the army of Israel threatened to capture all of the people of Judah and lead them into slavery (vv. 8, 10; cf. Lev. 35:39-40). While God prevented this (vv. 9-15), the threat of captivity by another foreign foe became a realistic possibility.

"Under Ahaz, Judah appeared to have reached its nadir. But for the Chronicler there was always hope of tragedy and despair being turned to rejoicing through repentance. Such a return would occur preeminently under Hezekiah, the king most like David (cf. 29:2, 25-30)."[188]

"If piety is not transmitted from father to son, grace can work in the heart and direct the steps of one who had the most wicked father. This was the case with the son of Ahaz."[189]

M.     Hezekiah chs. 29—32 (cf. 2 Kings 18—20)

The Chronicler gave more space to Hezekiah's reign than to any others except David and Solomon, to whom he likened Hezekiah. Whereas the writer of Kings described Hezekiah's religious reforms in only one verse (2 Kings 18:4), the Chronicler devoted three chapters to them (chs. 29—31).

"It is clear that the Chronicler has quite a different outlook on Hezekiah than that which he inherited from the deuteronomic historian [i.e., the writer of Kings]. A number of the Chronicler's distinctive emphases intersect in his portrayal. (1) Hezekiah reunifies Israel, reflecting the Chronicler's concern with 'all Israel.' (2) Hezekiah is portrayed as a second David and Solomon. (3) Hezekiah also exemplifies the operation of the Chronicler's retribution theology."[190]

"He is the 'golden boy' of Chronicles."[191]

1.     The cleansing and rededication of the temple ch. 29

29:1-2        The Chronicler credited Hezekiah with doing right in the sight of the LORD, "in accordance with everything that his father David had done" (v. 2; cf. 27:2). This high praise was also given to Asa (1 Kings 15:11), Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 17:3), and Josiah (2 Kings 22:2), but not to the other four good kings of Judah (Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham).

29:3-11      Ahaz had closed the temple and had set up other centers of worship throughout the land (28:24-25). But Hezekiah repaired, reopened, and cleansed it in preparation for reusing it (vv. 3, 5). He began this work in the first month of the first year of his reign (v. 3). This indicates that this project was at the top of his list of official priorities.

He called on the priests and the Levites to cleanse themselves and the temple. Hezekiah realized that Israel had experienced defeat and captivity (cf. 28:5, 8, 17) because the people had abandoned the LORD (vv. 8-9). He also announced to them his plan to make a covenant whereby the people would again pledge their allegiance to Yahweh (v. 10).

"When there is a financial crisis, the first thing we think about is money. When there is a communications crisis, our prime concern is to learn how to talk the language of the modern generation. When there is a church attendance crisis, we make it our chief aim to get numbers up. If Hezekiah had responded to a military threat in a military way, the Assyrians would have understood that. Army would have been matched against army, with dire consequences for Judah. But instead he and his people first look up to God."[192]

29:12-19    The Levites and the priests then went to work and cleaned up the temple. It took them eight days to do so (v. 17). This included repairing or replacing the temple utensils that Ahaz had damaged (v. 18; cf. 28:24). The Kidron Valley (v. 16) was a convenient place to dump unclean things, since it lay just east of the temple area.

29:20-24    The king then commanded the priests to sacrifice many animals as a sin offering in order to atone for the temple and for all Israel, which they did.

"'All Israel' [v. 24] are probably not only all the inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah, but Israelites in general (the twelve tribes), for whom the temple in Jerusalem was the only lawful sanctuary."[193]

29:25-28    The offering of these sacrifices was accompanied by a worship service in which the priests and Levites led the people, using songs and musical instruments.

29:29-36    The people continued to worship the LORD after the burnt offering for the nation had been burned up. The king ordered that they use the psalms of David and Asaph in their worship. The people also offered very many more sacrifices to the LORD (vv. 32-33), so many in fact that the Levites had to assist the priests in skinning all the sacrificial animals.

Hezekiah first offered a sin offering to atone for the guilt of Judah (v. 21). Then he sacrificed burnt offerings of worship (v. 27) and led the people in worship (v. 29), joyful singing (v. 30), and willing, sacrificial giving (v. 31). All the people of Judah who reverenced Yahweh rejoiced over the king's re-establishment of the temple services (vv. 35-36).

This rededication ceremony had been organized quickly, so probably not too many of the Judahites who lived outside Jerusalem attended. This may be why Hezekiah's reforms did not transform the whole nation. However, the people who participated in this rededication ceremony rejoiced over what God had done for His people by reviving them. Perhaps Hezekiah carried out his clean-up job hurriedly in order to prepare for the celebration of the Passover (vv. 17, 36; 30:1).

Thus Hezekiah reestablished the temple worship as prescribed in the Mosaic Law.

"The Chronicler is portraying Hezekiah as a second Solomon. After the fall of the Northern Kingdom, the spiritual successor of Israel is the united kingdom under Hezekiah. Though Judah had fallen to its nadir under Ahaz and had become just like the Northern Kingdom and had itself also endured an exile of large parts of its population, Hezekiah comes to bring restoration in the path of cultic fidelity. The lesson for the author's audience in the post-exilic period could not be missed: he summoned his readers to zeal for the LORD's house, to a national life of cultic fidelity, and to rejoicing over what God had done in their own day."[194]

2.     Hezekiah's Passover ch. 30

"Following the restoration of the temple and its services in ch. 29, the emphasis now falls heavily upon Hezekiah's strenuous efforts to reunite in worship the hitherto separated peoples of the north and south."[195]

30:1-9        Hezekiah wanted all the Israelites, namely, those in the Northern Kingdom as well as those in the Southern Kingdom, to rededicate themselves to Yahweh. By this time (the first year of Hezekiah's reign, i.e., 715 B.C.) the Assyrians had taken most of the Israelites in the Northern Kingdom captive (in 722 B.C.).[196] Hezekiah's plan was to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem, and he invited all the Israelites to attend. The LORD had specified that Passover was to be held on the fourteenth day of the first month of Israel's year (Lev. 23:5). But the renovation of the temple had been completed on the sixteenth day of the first month (29:17). The priests had not finished consecrating themselves to the LORD, and the people needed more time to travel to Jerusalem. So Hezekiah scheduled the Passover for the second month rather than postponing it for a year. Couriers went throughout the land inviting all the Israelites to return to the LORD God of their forefathers and so experience His blessing. They held out the promise that if the Israelites would do so God would return their relatives who had been taken captive to them.

"… the Chronicler's attitude to the North was not one of exclusivism, but to the contrary, inclusivism. The Chronicler was not part of some anti-Samaritan polemic [condemnation]."[197]

30:10-12    Many Israelites in the north had no interest in doing this, but some responded positively, as did many of the people in Judah. The complete repentance of the Israelites would have resulted in God setting free many of the captive exiles.

"Sometimes people refuse to repent out of a sense of hopelessness, but Hezekiah reminds that it is never too late to return to God."[198]

30:13-14    The Passover was accompanied by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and for this reason sometimes the joint festival was called one or the other of these names. Very many people came to the feast. In preparation for the Passover they threw the unauthorized altars that King Ahaz had set up throughout Jerusalem into the Kidron wadi ("brook") just east of Jerusalem (cf. 28:24).

30:15-20    Some of the priests, Levites, and other Israelites had not prepared themselves to celebrate the Passover as the Mosaic Law specified (cf. Exod. 12:11). This revelation shows how the Israelites, and even the spiritual leadership of the nation, had disregarded the Law. This group included some who were ashamed of their uncleanness (v. 15). The people needed to consecrate themselves to the LORD before they celebrated the Passover. God pardoned ritual uncleanness if the worshipper's heart was right (vv. 18-20; cf. John 7:22-23; 9:14-16). The heart attitude is more important than ritual cleanliness (cf. 1 Sam. 21:1-6; Matt. 12:3-4). Hezekiah's prayer for the people (v. 18) resulted in the LORD pardoning them for their ritual uncleanness.

"This intercession of Hezekiah's ["May the good LORD pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God …", vv. 18-19] is worthy of remark, not only because it expresses the conviction that upright seeking of the Lord, which proceeds from the heart, is to be more highly estimated than strict observance of the letter of the law, but also because Hezekiah presumes that those who had come out of Ephraim, etc., to the passover had fixed their heart to seek Jahve [Yahweh], the God of their fathers, but had not been in a position to comply with the precept of the law, i.e. to purify themselves up to the day appointed for the passover."[199]

30:21-22    The feast lasted seven days, which were marked by great joy, loud praise, many sacrifices, and the giving of thanks to the LORD. The king also encouraged the Levites, who showed insight by conducting the festivities as the Mosaic Law specified.

30:23-27    The feast was such a success that Hezekiah extended the celebration another week. Hezekiah contributed many animal sacrifices, which probably resulted in much meat for the people to eat. Many of the priests also rededicated themselves to the LORD.

"This was not the first, nor would it be the last, time in history when popular religious enthusiasm outstripped that of professional clerics to their shame."[200]

This was the greatest celebration of both Israelites and Judahites in Jerusalem since Solomon's reign (v. 26). Great joy followed return to the LORD and His temple (v. 26). The feast ended with the priests blessing the people, and God paid attention to the prayers of these rededicated Israelites (v. 27).

Later, Josiah carried out his Passover (35:1-19) in stricter conformity to the Mosaic Law, but Hezekiah's Passover was the greatest—in terms of participation and spiritual renewal—since Solomon's reign (v. 26).

"Hezekiah is portrayed here as a second Solomon (v. 26), and the celebration of the Passover is a watershed between the disruption of Israel after Solomon's death and a return to the spiritual conditions that existed in Solomon's day."[201]

3.     Re-establishment of proper worship ch. 31

31:1           When the extended Passover celebration had ended, the people who had attended went throughout the land and destroyed the idolatrous memorial stones, the Asherim, the high places, and the altars that stood, not only in Judah and Benjamin, but also in Ephraim and Manasseh. They followed through with their commitment to the LORD by destroying idolatry (cf. Tit. 3:8). Then they returned to their homes.

31:2-10      The king then reorganized the priests and Levites into the divisions that David had specified. Evidently Hezekiah's predecessors had allowed them to become disorganized. He also instituted tithing again, as the Mosaic Law commanded (cf. Lev. 27:30; Num. 18:8; Deut. 14:28). Because the people responded obediently, there was an abundance of resources for temple maintenance and for its servants (v. 10).

31:11-19    These verses describe in more detail how Hezekiah organized the temple, the Levites, and the priests. Verse 16 refers to "the males from thirty years old and upward—everyone who entered the house of the LORD for his daily obligations." The Hebrew text has "three" instead of "thirty." These were possibly young apprentice priests who had been dedicated to temple service by their parents. Another possibility is that they were the sons of these men.[202] Samuel had been one of these boys (1 Sam. 1:24, 28; 2:18).

"In maintaining ministers, regard must be had to their families [v. 18]."[203]

31:20-21    Hezekiah's organization extended beyond the temple and Jerusalem to his entire kingdom. The Chronicler credited him with doing "what was good, right, and true before the LORD his God" (v. 20). And he did it "with all his heart" (v. 21; cf. 2 Kings 20:3; 1 Chron. 28:9), as David had done (1 Sam. 13:14). In New Testament terms, he did all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Thus he prospered.

The principle that these reforms illustrates is that when God's people obey His Word, they prosper. God always desires people's welfare, and obeying His revealed will always results in that.

4.     The invasion by Sennacherib 32:1-23 (cf. 2 Kings 18:13—19:37; Isa. 36—37)

It was after Hezekiah's acts of faithfulness that God tested his trust. Times of prosperity are frequently followed by times of testing (cf. Job 1; 1 Cor. 10:12). Some of Judah's other good kings had followed God faithfully, only to abandon faith in Him later in life as a result of pride (e.g., Solomon, Uzziah, et al.). In this respect, Hezekiah failed too (v. 25).

32:1-8        These verses are unique to the Chronicler's account of this incident. Hezekiah's preparations for Sennacherib's siege did not indicate reliance on the flesh rather than on God, as his encouraging words to his military officers show: "for the One with us is greater than the one with him …" (vv. 7-8). They were simply wise defensive measures. God did not reprove the king for making these preparations.

"It is no denial of one's trust in God if one makes certain precautionary preparations. 'Pray to God and keep your powder dry' is a wise response in the face of danger at any time."[204]

The real difference between the two armies was that while both had a measure of physical strength, Israel possessed an additional spiritual resource (v. 8). This is a difference between a Christian and a non-Christian too.

32:9-19      Sennacherib tried to defeat Jerusalem by sending his generals, who tried to get the people to submit by using boastful speeches, and by writing threatening letters to Hezekiah. Sennacherib's fatal mistake was that he regarded Yahweh as only one of many idols (v. 19). This was his undoing.

32:20-23    Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed for God's help, and He not only granted a miraculous deliverance to Jerusalem, because of Hezekiah's reliance on Him, but many nations brought gifts to the king and to Yahweh. A longer version of Hezekiah's prayer and the LORD's answer that came through Isaiah the prophet appear in 2 Kings 19:14 through 34.

"Population estimates for ancient societies are notoriously difficult; sober estimates would put the population of Iron Age Judah around 300,000 people (Y. Shiloh, 'Population Estimates of Iron Age Palestine in the Light of a Sample Analysis of Urban Plans, Areas, and Population Density,' BASOR 239 [1980] 25-35)."[205]

This record of Hezekiah's faith in the LORD and the LORD's deliverance would have been a great encouragement to the Israelites who returned to the Promised Land following the Babylonian Captivity, since they too had strong enemies who were trying to bring them down.

5.     Hezekiah's humility and greatness 32:24-33 (cf. 2 Kings 20; Isa. 38:1—39:8)

32:24-26    Hezekiah became deathly ill, and in response to his prayers, God gave him a sign that he would recover. The shadow on a stairway went backwards (2 Kings 20:11). However, he did not respond to God appropriately for this blessing, because his heart had grown proud (v. 25; cf. 25:19; 26:16; Deut. 8:11-20; 2 Kings 14:10). God's judgment fell, consequently, on Judah and Jerusalem. But the king humbled himself, and God postponed the remaining judgment (v. 26). Hezekiah fell short of being the perfect Son of David, just like all the rest of Judah's monarchs did. 2 Kings 20:1 through 19 gives a longer account of this incident.

32:27-33    Hezekiah was immensely wealthy and enjoyed much honor in his day (cf. Solomon). God rewarded his faithfulness and commitment to Him. The Chronicler passed over Hezekiah's unwise decision to show the Babylonian envoys his riches with a brief comment (v. 31; cf. 2 Kings 20:12-19). This was a test from God, and Hezekiah failed it.

King Hezekiah was one of the greatest of Judah's reformers. We can see his zeal for God clearly in his zeal for God's house and the worship that his zeal facilitated. Not since Solomon had there been a king who more consistently reflected the heart of David.

"… the Chronicler has gone out of his way to present Hezekiah as a second Solomon …"[206]

In contrast to Ahaz, we can see Hezekiah's love for Yahweh in how he cared for the temple. Ahaz's reign was full of war, but Hezekiah enjoyed peace. God rewarded Hezekiah's spiritual restoration of Judah with a remarkable military deliverance. Yet good king Hezekiah was not the completely faithful Son of David whose kingdom God had promised to establish forever (1 Chron. 17:11-14).

The reigns of Ahaz (ch. 28) and Hezekiah (chs. 29—32) prefigure exile (Ahaz) and restoration (Hezekiah).

N.     Manasseh 33:1-20 (cf. 2 Kings 21:1-18)

Manasseh was one of the few examples of an evil Judean king who became good.[207] Nevertheless, his many years of wickedness made captivity inevitable for the residents of the Southern Kingdom (2 Kings 23:26; Jer. 15:4).

"The deuteronomic historian [i.e., the writer of Kings] and the Chronicler reached opposite moral judgments on the reign of Manasseh—one finding him the nadir of Judah, and the other, a reformer. Yet both judgments are 'word of God.'"[208]

Japhet saw the emphasis on Manasseh's repentance in Chronicles in the chiastic structure of this section:[209]

A       Introduction: Manasseh's reign (v. 1)

B       Manasseh's transgressions (vv. 2-8)

C       Manasseh's punishment: exile to Assyria (vv. 10-11)

D       Manasseh's repentance and deliverance (vv. 12-13)

C'      Manasseh's earthly enterprises (v. 14)

B'      Manasseh's religious restoration (vv. 15-17)

A'      Conclusion: Manasseh's death and burial (vv. 18-20)

33:1-9        After giving the age of Manasseh when he began to reign and the length of his reign (697-642 B.C.), the Chronicler catalogued Manasseh's many serious sins. He rebuilt the high places, set up altars for the Baals, made Asherim, worshipped and served the celestial gods, practiced child sacrifice, witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, dealt with mediums and spiritists, and he set up a carved idol in the temple. He encouraged his subjects to do more evil in the LORD's sight than the pagan nations that Yahweh had previously destroyed.

"Manasseh's acts are … a calculated attempt to throw off the lordship of Yahweh, to claim independence from the Covenant, to drive him from the land which he had given Israel."[210]

"If Manasseh had searched the Scriptures for practices that would most anger the Lord and then intentionally committed them, he could not have achieved that result any more effectively than he did."[211]

The Chronicler quoted David's words to Solomon (vv. 7-8) in order to remind and encourage his readers with God's promises for remaining obedient to his Word.

"Manasseh's sin is repeated, in essence, whenever man uses or manipulates his fellow-men for some supposedly higher good than their own welfare—or, indeed, uses any part of God's creation for purposes other than those which God intends."[212]

33:10-11    Even though the LORD rebuked Manasseh and the Judahites, through His prophets (see 2 Kings 21:10-15), they did not repent. Therefore divine judgment followed.

"As Manasseh would not hear the words of the prophets, the Lord brought upon him the captains of the host of the king of Assyria."[213]

The Assyrians attacked and captured Manasseh and took him in chains to Babylon, which at that time was a province of the Assyrian Empire.[214]

"The Assyrian text clearly shows that Manasseh was a vassal of Ashurbanipal as early as 667. His removal to Babylon in 648 or shortly thereafter suggests that Manasseh had violated his arrangement with Ashurbanipal."[215]

"The Chronicler is as concerned as his predecessor [the writer of Kings] was to point out the effects of sin. Both historians note the moral consequences of the actions of men. But the Chronicler regularly deals in immediate consequences: 'the soul that sins shall die' (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Though it is true that one man's sin can cause others to suffer sixty years after he is dead and gone, this is not the kind of lesson which Chronicles as a whole aims to teach … What Manasseh's sin leads to is not the fall of Jerusalem long after his death, as Samuel/Kings say, but 'distress' for him himself, as he is taken by Assyrian forces 'with hooks … and fetters of bronze' to Babylon (33:11-12)."[216]

33:12-13    While he as a prisoner in Babylon, Manasseh humbled himself and prayed to the LORD, who enabled the king to return to Jerusalem. This experience taught Manasseh that the LORD alone is God.

"How long the king of Judah was in Babylon is unknown, but presumably he was moved to repentance and faith at a very early point in his captivity."[217]

Manasseh's experience would have been an encouragement to the returned exiles who first read Chronicles. If God had shown mercy to Manasseh, and had reestablished him in the land, He could do the same for them (cf. 7:14). The writer emphasized the results of the king's repentance. He magnified the grace of God rather than the rebellion of the sinner.

"… in terms of the experience of an individual, Manasseh furnishes the most explicit and dramatic example of the efficacy of repentance in the whole of the Chronicler's work."[218]

"Here was a son of godly parents who went into sin to the very limit and then came back to God. That should be an encouragement to parents who are reading this today. Maybe you have a son or a daughter who has gone the very limit, and you despair that your child will ever turn back to God. I would have given Manasseh up, but God didn't. God heard his prayer."[219]

33:14-17    After Manasseh returned to Jerusalem, he built a high wall on the east side of the city of David, west of the Gihon spring and the Kidron Valley, that extended north and encircled the Ophel, the area between the city of David and the temple (cf. 27:3; Neh. 3:26-27; 11:21). This was done undoubtedly in order to fortify Jerusalem. He also strengthened the defenses of the fortified cities throughout Judah. He removed the foreign gods, the idol that he had set up in the temple, and the pagan altars that he had set up in Jerusalem. He also restored the brazen altar in the temple courtyard and offered peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it, and he commanded the Judahites to serve the LORD. The people, however, continued to offer sacrifices on the high places, but only to Yahweh.

"A half century of paganism could not be overcome by a half-dozen years of reform."[220]

33:18-20    The Chronicler referred to Manasseh's prayer to the LORD and the LORD's response to it, but he did not record it, as he recorded several other model prayers by Judah's kings. Perhaps he did not because Manasseh's prayer was a prayer of repentance, and his readers did not need to repent.

When Manasseh died, he was buried in the garden of his own house in Jerusalem (cf. 2 Kings 21:18), not in the tombs of the good kings of Judah (cf. 21:20; 24:25; 28:27).

O.     Amon 33:21-25 (cf. 2 Kings 21:19-26)

Amon was an evil king, like Manasseh was, but he did not repent, like his father had done. Consequently, rather than experiencing forgiveness and restoration, he "multiplied his guilt" (v. 23) by not repenting, and he died prematurely.

"It is not so much sin as impenitence in sin that ruins men."[221]

Even though Manasseh had abandoned the carved idols that he had made, he had not destroyed them, and Amon made sacrifices to them and served them. After only two years on his throne, Amon's servants assassinated him in his own house (palace). The people of Judah, however, justly put the people who conspired against him to death.

Amon represented the other alternative that the returned exiles could choose: hard-heartedness. His fate would have been, and is, a warning to submit to the LORD.

P.     Josiah chs. 34—35 (cf. 2 Kings 22:1—23:30)

"The restructuring of the Chronicler's story [from what Kings records] mainly affects the chronology and scope of Josiah's reform and its relationship to the celebration of the Passover."[222]

1.     Josiah's reforms ch. 34 (cf. 2 Kings 22:3—23:27)

34:1-7        The godly in Judah may have regarded Josiah as the most likely candidate to fulfill the promises that God had given to David about a coming ideal ruler. His early life and reign were spiritually exemplary (vv. 2-3). Several kings are said to have "walked in the ways of … David" (v. 2), but only Josiah "did not turn aside to the right or the left" (v. 2). He sought to purge idolatry from the whole territory of Israel, not just from Judah (vv. 4-7). At this time the former Northern Kingdom no longer existed. That territory was a province of the Assyrian Empire. Many of the Simeonites (v. 6) had previously migrated north and become part of the Northern Kingdom, religiously as well as politically (cf. 15:9).[223] That is why they are mentioned along with other northern tribes.

"… Josiah is not so significant a monarch overall for the Chronicler as he is for the earlier historian [i.e., the writer of Kings]. Much that he records is now to be understood as recapitulation of Hezekiah's work, who stands out as the real innovator in Chronicles."[224]

34:8-13      In Jerusalem, Josiah embarked on a renovation of the temple, because Manasseh and Amon had abused it. Contributions from people who lived all over the country paid for the project. As was typical of him, the Chronicler recorded the names of workers (v. 12), whereas the writer of Kings did not.

 

The temple had been the protector of the Law—the Ten Commandments lay within the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place—as it had earlier protected David's heir, Joash (22:10-12). It had preserved the two foundational elements in Israel's life: God's Word and God's vice-regent, the king. The preservation of these two essential elements was an act of Israel's faithful God.

As mentioned previously, the temple represented God. Concern for the honor of God, expressed by restoring the temple to its previous glory, resulted in the discovery of God's will (cf. 7:14). When Josiah determined to honor and glorify God, God led him to discover how to do it.

34:14-18    The "Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses" that Hilkiah the priest found may have been the Book of Deuteronomy,[225] another portion of the Pentateuch, or the whole Pentateuch (Torah).[226] Most conservative scholars believe the book found was Deuteronomy.

"Bibles are jewels, but, thanks be to God, they are not rarities."[227]

It may be hard for us to understand how the people could have lost the Law of Moses and how they could have forgotten it in just two generations. But written copies were scarce at that time. Moreover, parents and the Levites conducted most instruction orally (17:9). Only one generation separated the people from ignorance of God's Word (cf. Deut. 6:6-7; 17:18). This has been true throughout history.

34:19-21    Josiah's response to the reading of the Law shows his heart to please God (cf. v. 27). He tore his clothes because he realized that the Israelites had departed far from what God had commanded and were therefore in great danger of His judgment. He commanded his officials to inquire of the LORD, probably as to how he should deal with this situation.

34:22-28    The officials then consulted the prophetess Huldah, who lived in Jerusalem, to obtain a word from the LORD. She was one of four female prophets mentioned in the Old Testament, the others being Miriam (Exod. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4), and Noadiah (Neh. 6:14). Her husband ("the keeper of the wardrobe") was probably responsible for the royal and/or priestly garments. The location of the "Second Quarter" of Jerusalem at this time is uncertain (cf. Zeph. 1:10). Huldah announced that God was going to fulfill all the curses that He had warned of if His people departed from His will (cf. Deut. 27:9-26; 28:15-68).

But in spite of these judgments, Josiah would experience mercy because of his tender heart toward God and his humility before God (v. 27). He would die in peace, namely, before God sent these calamities on Israel.[228] Another view of this prediction is that it refers to what would have happened if Josiah had not violated the will of God by engaging Pharaoh Neco in battle.[229] He would have died in peace, but because he fought Neco contrary to God's leading, he died in battle.

34:29-33    The announcement of God's coming judgment led the king and the nation to listen to the reading of the Book of the Covenant (the Law) and to commit anew to follow God's Word. Josiah also removed all the abominable idolatrous paraphernalia from the land and commanded the people to serve Yahweh their God. To their credit, the people did this as long as Josiah remained alive.

The writer of Kings gave more information about Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 23:4-14, 24).

"Josiah instituted the most thorough of all the OT reforms …"[230]

2.     Josiah's Passover 35:1-19 (cf. 2 Kings 23:21-27)

Like Hezekiah had done, Josiah led his people in observing the Passover, that greatest feast of Israel that commemorated her redemption from Egyptian slavery. The Chronicler's account is much fuller than the one in Kings.

35:1-6        Unlike Hezekiah's Passover, this one was held on the fourteenth day of the first month, which is when God specified that it should be held (Num. 28:16). Josiah instructed the priests and Levites concerning their duties. One of the duties of the Levites was to teach the Israelites God's Word (v. 3). They were also to place the ark in the Most Holy place. Evidently it had been removed and placed somewhere else, though when, where, and by whom the Scriptures do not tell us. Josiah assured the Levites that carrying the ark (by its poles) on their shoulders would not be burdensome for them. He also encouraged the priests and Levites to serve the LORD and His people by following the directions that David and Solomon had laid down. He urged them to stay consecrated and to prepare to lead their countrymen to obey Yahweh.

35:7-9        Then Josiah and his officers contributed many sacrificial animals for the Passover in addition to what the other Israelites offered.

35:10-19    The Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread continued for seven days, as the Law and God's later revelation to David about its celebration specified. It was the most elaborate Passover since the days of Samuel (vv. 18-19; cf. 2 Kings 23:22).

This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign (about 622 B.C.). All that the writer recorded between 34:8 and 35:19 happened when Josiah was 26 years old. The phrase "in the eighteenth year of his reign" forms an inclusio (opening and closing brackets) for this section of the account of Josiah's reign.

Josiah's Passover was even greater than Hezekiah's, which Hezekiah had put together quickly (cf. 29:36). Josiah offered almost twice as many sacrifices as Hezekiah did (30:24), but far fewer than Solomon did at the temple dedication (7:5). The writer's attention to detail in these verses reflects his intense interest in Josiah's concern that the people worship Yahweh properly.[231]

"Hezekiah's Passover is portrayed as a spontaneous initiative, the main purpose of which was to provide a cultic-religious framework for the integration of the people of the North into the Jerusalem cult; the approach to these Israelites, and the effort to bring them to Jerusalem, consume the major part of ch. 30. … Josiah's Passover is a different matter altogether. Josiah works to establish a permanent institution, built on solid administrational and organizational foundations, with a clear division of roles and an undisputed legal basis."[232]

3.     Josiah's death 35:20-27 (cf. 2 Kings 23:28-30)

35:20-24    Josiah was fatally wounded at Megiddo and died shortly thereafter in Jerusalem, in 609 B.C., when he interrupted Pharaoh Neco's military advance against the Babylonians.

"Fearing the advance of the Babylonians, Pharaoh Neco and the Egyptian army were on their way to assist the Assyrians. Josiah, who apparently was an ally of the Babylonians (or at least an opponent of the Assyrians), attempted to impede the march of Neco."[233]

Quite clearly Pharaoh's word to Josiah to turn back from pursuing him was from the LORD (v. 21). Evidently Josiah disguised himself (v. 22) so that he would not be an obvious target of the Egyptian soldiers (cf. 18:29).

"In this matter he walked not in the ways of David his father; for, had it been his case, he would have enquired of the Lord, Shall I go up? Wilt thou deliver them into my hands?"[234]

Josiah's death is another example of divine retribution for sin, of which we have seen many in Chronicles. He is one more king who began well but ended up doing something wrong (cf. Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah). He was not the only king to hear a warning before his tragic military error (cf. 11:1-4; 18:16-22; 1 Sam. 28:19). Like the other reforming kings (Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah), he sensed a military threat by an external enemy after enacting his religious reforms.[235]

Probably the writer recorded this event at length because Josiah came closer to the Davidic ideal than any other king since Solomon. Yet he too was disobedient to God, and this is why he was not blessed with a longer reign. Thus it is clear that David's greatest Son was not Josiah but was someone yet to come. When He comes back to the earth He will win the battle that will be raging at the very place where Josiah died: the Plain of Megiddo (i.e., Armageddon, lit. the Mountain of Megiddo).[236]

Like Amon's death (33:24), Josiah's was unnecessarily premature. However, unlike Amon, Josiah was one of Judah's best reformers.

"During his whole reign, Josiah had endeavoured to carry out the will of God; while in his action against Pharaoh, on the contrary, he had acted in a different way, going into battle against the will of God [cf. v. 22]."[237]

35:25-27    Not only did all Judah mourn for Josiah when he died (v. 24), but so did the prophet Jeremiah.

"Jeremiah unquestionably held Josiah in high esteem (Jer 22:15-16); his instructions to 'weep not for the dead king' Jer 22:10) are testimony to the practice of uttering laments for Josiah. One can only speculate on the nature, extent, and fate of the collection of laments to which the Chronicler refers (35:25)."[238]

"We have seen in this book that although there was a general decline of the nation, there were five periods of revival, renewal, and reformation [under kings Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah, and Josiah] … In each instance, return to the Word of God led to the repentance of the people and the temporary reformation of the nation."[239]

"Many features of Josiah's reign have parallels with the reign of Joash (2 Chr 23—24). Both came to the throne while children. Both were involved in collection of funds at the temple and in subsequent renovations. Both are reported to have stood in the temple precincts in the king's place (34:31; 24:13); both led the nation in covenant renewal in the temple (34:29-32; 23:16-17). But here the parallels end. While Joash would remain faithful only so long as Jehoiada lived (24:2, 15-18), Josiah never turned from following the LORD to the right or left (34:2), and 'for the duration of his life they did not turn from following Yahweh' (34:33). No foreign army would invade Judah in his day (34:24-25, 28; contrast 24:23-24)."[240]

Q.     The Last Four Kings 36:1-21

The sovereignty of the Davidic kings over Judah ended with the death of Josiah. Judah fell under the control of foreign powers: first Egypt and then Babylonia. God used other more powerful kings and kingdoms to punish His people for their persistent and increasing apostasy (cf. 2 Kings 23:31—25:17). The temple motif in Chronicles also climaxes in this section with its destruction.

1.     Joahaz 36:1-4 (cf. 2 Kings 23:31-35)

In these few verses, the will of the king of Egypt contrasts with the will of Judah's people. Whereas the people still held out hope that a descendant of David would lead them to the great glories predicted for David's greatest Son (e.g., Ps. 2), such would not be the case any time soon. Other superpowers now dominated Judah's affairs. God had given His people over into their hands for discipline (cf. Deut. 28:32-57). Joahaz (spelled Jehoahaz in 2 Kings 23:31), rather than lifting the Davidic dynasty to its greatest glories, ended his life as a prisoner in Egypt, the original prison-house of Israel. Joahaz reigned only three months. Then Pharaoh Neco replaced him, fined the Judahites, and set up Joahaz's brother on Judah's throne.

2.     Jehoiakim 36:5-8 (cf. 2 Kings 23:36—24:7)

Jehoiakim (also called Eliakim in 2 Kings 23:34) ruled for a total of 11 years. In Jehoiakim's third year King Nebuchadnezzar took him captive to Babylon, and took some of the glory of the temple—and of the God it represented—with him. This was the first deportation of Judahites to Babylon, in 606 B.C. Evidently Jehoiakim was allowed to return to Jerusalem to act as king. He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar three years later, however, and Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem in 597 B.C. Jehoiakim died before Nebuchadnezzar completed the siege, and his son, Jehoiachin, took the throne (2 Kings 24:1-7; Jer. 22:19).

"Taking temple objects was common in times such as this, as it represented the complete military and religious conquest of a city (cf. Dan 1:1-2; Ezra 1:7)."[241]

Jehoiakim's conduct did nothing to retard the inevitable conquest of Jerusalem. Judah's captivity was one step closer when Babylon replaced Egypt as the controller of God's people. Jehoiakim was not able to see one of his descendants on Israel's throne, as Jeremiah had prophesied (Jer. 22:30).

3.     Jehoiachin 36:9-10 (cf. 2 Kings 24:8-17)

Jehoiachin assumed the throne when he was 18 years old (2 Kings 24:8; cf. Ezek. 19:5-9), not eight, as some Hebrew and the Septuagint texts of Chronicles reads (v. 9).[242] He only reigned for three months, and it is unlikely that he exercised much authority during that time.[243] Like his father Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin was under Nebuchadnezzar's thumb. He too suffered deportation to Babylon, and with him went more of the glory of Israel.[244] This was the second deportation, in 597 B.C.

4.     Zedekiah 36:11-21 (cf. 2 Kings 24:18—25:7)

36:11-14    In Zedekiah's reign, Judah hit bottom spiritually. The king refused to humble himself before either Yahweh or Nebuchadnezzar, even though God repeatedly sent messages, especially through Jeremiah, urging him to do so.[245] Complete hardness of heart now characterized the Davidic king, as it had characterized the pharaoh of the Exodus. God humbled this king against his will, as He had previously humbled that pharaoh. All the officials of the priests and the people were also very unfaithful to the LORD and continued the abominable practices of the heathen nations. They even defiled the temple.

36:15-21    The last verses of this dismal record are very sermonic. The Chronicler did not set them off as a sermon but caused them to flow out of what he had said about Zedekiah.

The LORD had warned His people repeatedly through His messengers, the prophets, because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling place (the temple). But the people repeatedly mocked and scoffed at the prophets and despised His words to them. Finally there was no remedy for their apostasy but discipline by way of death and deportation. The Babylonians killed the Judeans without mercy, took the temple articles to Babylon as trophies of war and indications of Yahweh's inability to save the Israelites, broke down the walls of Jerusalem, and burned everything in the city, including the temple. The people who escaped death were taken to Babylon as servants of the king, where they remained for 70 years until the Persians overthrew the Babylonians and permitted them to return to the Promised Land. All of this was fulfillment of prophecies that Jeremiah had given.

This was the third deportation, in 586 B.C. The burning of the temple, including perhaps the ark,[246] symbolized the end of God's glory and presence among His people in the land that He had given them to occupy.

"What constitutes the greatest evil for the Chronicler—and it is a theme that is taken up elsewhere in the Bible—is not wrongdoing in and of itself, but wrongdoing in defiance of the clear knowledge of what is right (Mark 12:1-2; Luke 16:31; Isa. 1:2f.)."[247]

"The real tragedy of the exile was not the removal of the people nor even the utter destruction of the city and the temple. It was the departure of their God from their midst, an absence symbolized in one of Ezekiel's visions by the movement of the Shekinah from the temple to the summit of the Mount of Olives (Ezek. 11:23)."[248]

God had descended on the temple in a cloud at its dedication (7:1). Now He left it in a cloud of smoke. Ezekiel, who was already in Babylon when Jerusalem fell, saw the glory of God depart from the temple in a vision (Ezek. 10:18-19).

Had the Chronicler ended here, there would have been little hope for the future. He justified God's treatment of His vice-regent Zedekiah amply. The returned exiles could not accuse Yahweh of being unfair or impatient. Rather, His grace stands out, though it had now run out.

"The fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. meant the loss of the three major mainstays of Israelite life: temple, monarchy, and land."[249]

V.     The Edict of Cyrus 36:22-23 (cf. Ezra 1:1-4)

These two verses, which do not appear in 2 Kings, reflect the whole mood of Chronicles. Rather than ending with the failure of God's people, the writer concluded by focusing attention on the faithfulness of God (cf. Lam. 3:22-23). The writer jumped ahead 70 years to the end of the Captivity.

Cyrus issued his edict "in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah." He "stirred up the spirit of Cyrus …" Cyrus acknowledged that Yahweh had given him his vast kingdom and had appointed him to build a temple in Jerusalem. And he prayed for the LORD's blessing on, and encouraged, all the Jews who wanted to return. All of these statements show the sovereignty of Yahweh in controlling, not only Gentile nations, but the affairs of His chosen people.

God was in control of the Persian king as He had controlled the kings of Babylon, Egypt, and Israel. God had promised Israel a future as a nation (Deut. 30:1-10). His people would experience this future under the rule of a perfect Davidic Son (Isa. 9:6-7). Yahweh was moving now, after 70 years of captivity, to bring that future to pass. Even though the Babylonian army had burned Yahweh's temple to the ground, it would rise again (v. 23).

"The edict of Cyrus is the beginning of a new era in the history of Israel, pointing with hope and confidence toward the future."[250]

The message to the returned exiles was clear. God would respond to their repentance (cf. 6:36-39). He would forgive their sin and heal their land (7:14). Moreover, He would raise up a descendant of David who would rule over, not only Israel, but all the nations forever (1 Chron. 17:11-14).

"Now that Cyrus had decreed the rebuilding of the temple (36:22-23), here was prima facie evidence [accepted as correct until proved otherwise] that God had not annulled His covenant with Israel nor the Levitical system revealed at Sinai."[251]

The closing words of Chronicles are almost identical to the opening ones in Ezra (Ezra 1:1-4). If the same person wrote both books, he may have duplicated this pivotal declaration in order to tie the events of these two books together.[252] If different people wrote them, the writer of Chronicles probably included this material to present a note of hope at the end of his "sermon."[253]

"Unlike the Book of Kings, with its central message of stern moral judgments … Chronicles exists essentially as a book of hope, grounded on the grace of our sovereign Lord."[254]

"If Chronicles in its last chapter tells us that God acted in mercy by restoring his people Judah, Ezra-Nehemiah will reveal to us how they fared upon their return, privileged with a new opportunity to be God's people in their own land."[255]

Conclusion

The writer of Chronicles built his history on the records of David and Solomon's reigns. He flanked these with a long introduction (1 Chron. 1—9) and a longer sequel (2 Chron. 10—36) that span history from Adam, the first man, to Anani, who was apparently the eighth generation after King Jehoiachin. The Chronicler, or perhaps a later editor, himself lived after Cyrus' edict, which dates to 538 B.C. Chronicles is really a long sermon intended to point all of its readers into the future and to give them hope.

In view of what God promised David, there must be a great King coming. History shows that God blessed all of David's descendants who followed Him faithfully, in proportion to their obedience. Consequently, the coming King's reign must be greater than anything history has yet seen, since He will carry out God's will completely.

The responsibility of every reader is to follow the example of David. He realized that he was the recipient of great grace. He responded to that grace by submitting to the authority of the Giver. He put the interests of his Benefactor before his own selfish ambitions and desires. This was his heart for God. God responded by blessing him and by making him a channel of blessing to God's people and to the nations of the world.

"The great theological burden of Chronicles is the assertion that Yahweh, through covenant establishment with the Davidic dynasty, has offered to all peoples a model of His dominion and a means of their participation in it. David, the royal priest and son of God, was chosen both to reign over Israel, 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,' and to typify that messianic sovereign of his descent whose dominion would be forever. Every effort is bent, therefore, to the task of centralizing this integrating theme. The genealogies provide for David by linking him to creation and the patriarchal promises; the campaigns and conquest of the king validate his election to his redemptive role; the establishment of an elaborate cultus witnesses to the priestly nature of that calling; and the promises of historical and eschatological [end times] restoration of the nation and its Davidic kingship attest to the permanency of God's saving purposes. The people of the covenant might (and did) fail in Old Testament times, but Yahweh has reserved a day when, as He said, 'I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be' (Amos 9:11). This is the message of Chronicles."[256]

"Most of all, may that central message of the Chronicles grip our minds, namely, that response to God is the really decisive factor. It is true both nationally and individually. It was true of old: it is true today. The first duty and the only true safety of the throne lies in its relation toward the temple. Our national leaders of today might well ponder that fact. When God is honoured, government is good and the nation prospers. But when God is dishonoured, the cleverest statesmanship cannot avert eventual disaster. The call to our nation today, as clearly as in the Edict of Cyrus quoted at the end of 2 Chronicles, is to 'go up' and REBUILD THE TEMPLE."[257]

Appendix

Dates of the Rulers of Judah and Israel[258]

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