In today’s reading we read about David’s military victories over his neighbors. We can summarize the reading with the sentence: “The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went” (1 Chronicles 18:13).
We also see a difference between the historical narrative of the chronicler and that of the author in 1 Samuel – 2 Kings. Notice that here the chronicler passes over almost all of David’s life in 2 Samuel 11 – 21. For example, it seems like we are going to enter into the topic of his sin with Bathsheba when he says, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle; Joab led out the army and ravaged the country of the Ammonites and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem… (1 Chronicles 20:1) It echoes 2 Samuel 11:1 when the sin with Bathsheba was introduced.
doesn’t the chronicler these conflicts and the discipline against David’s house for his sins? Can it be that he is giving us a false representation of Israel’s history?
today when we tell others about something that happened. Normally we don’t give others an encyclopedic description of an event but only those details that are important to the conclusion that we are trying to communicate.
the most important parts of the game that were of interest to her: one son scored a goal, and the other scored two goals, all of them on penalty kicks. When she heard this information, she asked what happened that caused the referee to call the penalties, then she was satisfied with the information. I never told her about the best plays of the other players, my evaluation of the referee’s calls or the condition of the field / pitch. She had all the information she needed. On the other hand, during one of the games I spoke with a friend who is the father of one of the opposing players. We talked about the strategies of the two coaches, the changes in strategies since the last time they played and the development and improvement of some of the players on both teams since the last time they played each other.
We mentioned almost nothing of the participation of our sons in the game. Our conversation had a different purpose.
That’s what it’s like in 1 Chronicles 18 – 20. The chronicler is explaining to the generations returning from the exile the characteristics that they should imitate of the founder of David’s royal house. “David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people” (1 Chronicles 18:14). Without denying that he sinned (we’ll see another example of his sin tomorrow), the chronicler highlights his devotion to Yahweh and tells us of his military victories and the righteousness and peace that he enjoyed because of His grace. That is how the chronicler portrays the future blessings that God’s people can enjoy if they walk in Yahweh’s paths with all their heart.
Now we continue the story. In the year 539 BC, the Persians took control of Babylon and began to allow the peoples whom the Babylonians exiled to return to their homelands. The following year, the Jews received permission to return to the Promised Land, and some accepted the opportunity, returned and began to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah will tell us more about these events and the difficulties they faced; for now, we simply want to note that the genealogies in 1 Chronicles 9 are from the first group of exiles to return to the Promised Land.
Promised Land would be fulfilled.
readers to remember that the main purpose in returning to the Promised Land is to worship Yahweh in holiness and to put into practice the temple rituals in agreement with their historical antecedents.
LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). He doesn’t see the need to repeat the entire history of Saul; he only underlines one main lesson so that his readers can understand the consequences of unfaithfulness to Yahweh.
He also passes over David’s early history to go directly to the request that he become king over all Israel (what we read in 2 Samuel 5). He does not mention the civil war between Saul’s and David’s houses, Abner’s support of David before the former’s assassination, nor the murder of Ish-bosheth nor any of those conflicts; he only wants to point out the unity that existed among all of the tribes in declaring David king. He makes that unity among all Israel stand out even more when in 1 Chronicles 11 – 12 he indicates the impressive variety of places of origin and of tribes of David’s mighty men and his original followers even before Saul’s death. All of this historical narrative reaches its high point when he writes, “All of these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king” (1 Chronicles 12:38). According to the chronicler, peace in Israel would be attained only when all the tribes submit in unity to the support of David’s house.
In a similar way, we Christians long to see the unity of all nations under the authority of the most excellent descendant of the house of David, under the authority of Jesus Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). The kingdom of Jesus Christ enjoys an incomparable peace when people of different nations, tribes and languages submit themselves in unity under his authority.
defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from among him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)… (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).
Israel. Besides, they are worthy of honor because they are from the physical eldest son of Israel (Richard L. Pratt, 1 and 2 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary; 2006, Christian Focus Publications, pg. 105).
In the rest of 1 Chronicles 5 the chronicler details the genealogies of the two and a half tribes that settled the lands east of the Jordan River, outside the Promised Land. We read about their settlement of this land in Numbers 32; Deuteronomy 3:8-20; Joshua 1:12-18; 12:1-6; 13:8-33 and all of Joshua 22. Now in 1 Chronicles 5 we learn about battles that they had against their neighbors that were not mentioned in any other part of the Bible: “They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him” (1 Chronicles 5:19-20). And although they lost their land because of their idolatry and were sent into exile by Assyria, the chronicler wants them to be included also in his vision for the restoration of Israel (Pratt, 111).
In 1 Chronicles 6 the chronicler concentrates on the genealogy of the Levites. In particular he wants to indicate clearly the lineage of the high priest from Aaron to Zadok and his descendants until the exile. He also shows that descendants from all of Levi’s principal lineages participated in the temple music.
He also encourages his readers to provide for the Levites who would rebuild Jerusalem and the rest of Israel by reminding them of the lands they had held before the exile.
faithfulness of part of its tribe to Judah, Levi and the temple in Jerusalem in the centuries running up to the exile (Pratt, 128-29). In these genealogies, the interest in men of war is notable; the chronicler probably wants to underline that the new Israel will have to consider organizing an army for self-protection and to fight Yahweh’s battles (Pratt, 118).
Crying out to Yahweh in prayer in the midst of weakness and need.
Military success against their enemies.
Therefore, through these genealogies, the chronicler has a message to communicate to Yahweh’s people, a message based on His eternal faithfulness.
read the same information again in the ninth unit of the Bible, the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles?
Probably for the same reason that God gave us four gospels about the life of Jesus: each narrative describes the same life, but each organizes and describes that life from a unique perspective, and together they give us a fuller picture of our Lord. Just as in the four gospels of the New Testament, we will read through the history of Israel four times in the Old Testament: the first time in all of our reading through 2 Kings (what we have just finished), the second time in 1 and 2 Chronicles, the third time in the books of the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel) and the fourth time in the minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi). From these four readings through Israel’s history, when we finish the Old Testament on September 9th, we should have a well-rounded knowledge of Yahweh’s grace manifested to His people.
1) The main events of the unit: Israel’s history from the perspective of the Levites.
5) The main reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel: “When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, and I will establish his kingdom… I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.
I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever” (1 Chronicles 17:11, 13-14; see also Hebrews 1:5).
6) Key observations: First and Second Kings is the history of Israel from the viewpoint of the prophets; 1 and 2 Chronicles covers the same time but from the perspective of the Levites. The importance of the prophets in these books is greatly reduced. For example, Elijah the prophet so important to 1 and 2 Kings, receives only one mention, and only through a letter (2 Chronicles 21:12-15). The name of Elisha doesn’t even appear. On the other hand, there will be an abundance of references to the devotion of the kings and the temple services.
In these readings we’ll notice a preference for the kings of Judah; some of the kings of Israel receive no mention. This is to highlight the importance of the Davidic line and Yahweh’s covenant with David in Israel’s past and future.
The emphasis on David’s royal lineage, on the Levites and on the temple reflect one of the goals of the narrator of 1 and 2 Chronicles: directing the resettlement of Jerusalem and Judah by the descendants of the exiles, specifically in their continued submission to David’s royal line and in organized temple worship (Richard Pratt, 1 and 2 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary, 2006, Christian Focus Publications, pgs. 14-15, 25-26). Like Moses in Deuteronomy, the narrator of 1 and 2 Chronicles wants to portray Israel’s past so that his readers have a vision for Yahweh’s future blessings, all to solidify their commitment to obey Yahweh in the present.
Our guide to the kings will be useful once again when we get to 2 Chronicles. Meanwhile, enjoy this review of Israelite history, this time through 1 and 2 Chronicles.
After seeing the righteousness of Hezekiah and the great redemption that Yahweh worked for Judah in 2 Kings 18 – 19, it is difficult to read about Manasseh’s iniquity in 2 Kings 21.
(Jeroboam, Ahab and Ahaz) cannot even compare with Manasseh and his evil. The narrator must go back to pre-Israelite times to find a comparison with his iniquities: “And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kings 21:2).
before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them” (Leviticus 20:22-23).
suggests that the judgment in 2 Kings 21:12 likewise will be astonishing, national and without the possibility of cancellation. Like the house of Eli, Manasseh has passed the limit, and the entire nation must suffer the consequences.
Kings 21:12, 13) There is no doubt who will execute justice against Manasseh. The events of the coming chapters will not occur by accident. He who worked so often in Judah’s favor now will direct His sovereignty and power against it.
This is a judgment in conformity with historical precedents: “I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab” (2 Kings 21:13). Yahweh does not act in an arbitrary or uncertain way; He always judges in accordance with His eternal righteousness. If someone wants to see how He will punish, Judah only needs to look back to see what happened to the ten tribes in the north in 2 Kings 17.
complete, leaving no sign of its former uncleanness.
This is a judgment in which Judah will experience abandonment by the God that they have abandoned: “And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the land of their enemies” (2 Kings 21:14).
It is a judgment of historical proportions: “They have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day” (2 Kings 21:15). It is directed to the accumulation of sin through generations because the people have not repented of past sins but have nursed and multiplied them.
The announcement of this certain, astonishing, national, unchangeable and cumulative judgment with Yahweh’s abandonment of His people makes our reading of Josiah’s reforms in 2 Kings 22 – 23 that much more impressive. Just as Manasseh worked decisively to establish idolatry, Josiah worked to uproot it and solidify worship of Yahweh. Notice the military campaign of destruction and defilement that Josiah leads in 2 Kings 23:4-20. He even goes beyond the borders of Judah to eliminate idolatry! We can compare this to the military campaigns of Joshua, or those of David against his enemies after his royal throne is established, or of Jehu against Ahab’s royal house, but in this case the enemies are not Canaanites nor Israel’s neighbors but idols, places of idolatry and the priests who promote it. Josiah not only defeats and pulverizes them but ritually contaminates them so that they never can be used again.
him arise after him” (2 Kings 23:25).
That is what makes the following verses about the judgment on Judah so shocking: “Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. And the LORD said, ‘I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there’” (2 Kings 23:26-27). The judgment over the nation of Judah is so certain that even a king as repentant and devoted as Josiah cannot derail it.
Therefore, two sobering lessons stand out in today’s reading: 1) we don’t know the day or the action in which Manasseh crossed the line to unleash this kind of judgment against Judah. But when it happened, there was no way of stopping its consequences. Wouldn’t it be better to repent of our sins immediately instead of continuing to pamper and play with them, not knowing when Yahweh finally will declare, “Enough”? 2) Is Yahweh worthy of devotion, repentance and worship… even though these actions may not counteract the future judgment of our societies? Josiah’s life demonstrates that Yahweh is worthy of the reformation of all aspects of our daily lives, even if that reformation does not eliminate all the consequences of our sins or the judgment for having committed them. May Yahweh be praised even when His devastating judgment is about to be launched.
shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young (Deuteronomy 28:47-50). The ten tribes of the north are conquered and taken into exile.
of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this… I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (2 Kings 19:31, 34). And He immediately fulfills the promised salvation.
Despite the mercies shown to him, Hezekiah once again trusts the nations who do not know Yahweh for salvation, this time seeking alliance with Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-19). The Assyrian threat will be replaced by the Babylonian threat.
Judgment against sin will continue until it is completely uprooted.
Judah’s persistence in disobedience: Although the people don’t submit to the established religion of the two calves, they nevertheless devote themselves to idolatry: “The high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places” (2 Kings 14:4; see also 15:4, 35). Their sin accelerates during Ahaz’s reign. He makes changes in the temple to incorporate the latest pagan fashions (2 Kings 16:10-18). Even worse than this: “He walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel” (2 Kings 16:3). The sacrifice of a son to a pagan god in itself is an abomination, but it is especially offensive when it is a possible candidate to reign on the throne of David through Yahweh’s covenant. It is difficult to conceive of an act of rebellion against Yahweh more worthy of condemnation.
the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them”(2 Kings 13:3-4). “He [Jeroboam II] restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the sea of Arabah… for the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash” (2 Kings 14:25-27).