Four Reformations:
2Chr 15, 17-20 - Under Asa, 2Chr 23:1-24:16 = Under Joash, 2Chr
29:1-32:32 = Under Hezekiah
Notable Verses:
Prediction of length
of captivity = 2Chr 36:20-21 (70 Years)
Prayer for revival
= 2Chr 7:13-14 "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,
or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send
pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name
humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.
Blessing of Jehovah:
2Chr 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the
earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely
(wholly) His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on
you will surely have wars."
John Piper on 2Chr
16:9: God is not a scout looking for the first draft choices to
help His team win. He is an unstoppable fullback ready to take the
ball and run touchdowns for anyone who trusts Him to win the game.
(From Brothers We are Not Professionals)...God is not looking for
people to work for Him, so much as He is looking for people who will
let Him work for them. The gospel is not a help-wanted ad. Neither
is the call to Christian service. On the contrary, the gospel
commands us to give up and hang out a help-wanted sign (this is the
basic meaning of prayer). Then the gospel promises that God will
work for us if we do. He will not surrender the glory of being the
Giver. (From Desiring God)...God is working for us around the clock.
He does not take days off, and he does not sleep. In fact, he is so
eager to work for us that he goes around looking for more work to do
for people who will trust Him (from A Godward Life)
John Piper on "whole"
in 2Chr 16:9: The Hebrew word shalēm (be whole, perfect,
complete) does not mean that you have to be sinlessly perfect for
God to do you good. The Old Testament shows God doing good to people
who have gotten themselves into terrible trouble because of their
own sin. See especially Psalm 107:10–13. The point of saying that
our hearts need to be “whole” toward God is that we can’t
be divided in our allegiance. God has to be our only God. We
can’t look partly to God but, doubting Him, look partly to another
source of help. (Ed: See study of
Jehovah Ezer: The LORD
our Helper)
The point seems to be the same as in James 1:5–6 and Matthew 6:24.
The Lord is on the prowl to bless people who despair of themselves
and look wholly to Him for the help they need. (From The pleasures
of God : Meditations on God's delight in being God)
John Trapp: To
show himself strong.] Or, To lay strong hold on them, and to add
strength to them, that they may do exploits. (Ed:
Do you desire to "do exploits" for Jehovah? This passage is surely
key! In the NT, His indwelling Spirit will strengthen us with
"enabling power.")
F B Meyer Comment on
2Chronicles 16:9: The emphasis is clearly on the word perfect.
That was the point between Hanani the seer, and Asa the king. Asa's
mistake and sin lay in his resorting to Benhadad, king of Syria, as
an ally against Baasha. Evidently he did not perfectly trust the
delivering power of God; and in this failure of his faith, he
forfeited the all-sufficient help which would have more than
availed. As the seer said very truly, simple trust in God had
brought deliverance from the Ethiopians and Lubim, though they were
a much huger host than Baasha's; and the same attitude in respect of
Baasha would have secured a like result. God was only awaiting the
appeal of Asa's faith, to show Himself strong. What a mistake to
send to Syria! Now, dear reader, this is very pertinent for your
life and mine. We often complain that we are. bereft of help, and
send off for Benhadad. And all the while the eyes of the Lord
are looking pitifully and longingly at us. Nothing would give Him
greater pleasure than to show Himself strong on our behalf. This,
however, He cannot do until renouncing all other confidants and
helpers, our heart is perfect in the simplicity and frankness of its
faith. What an exquisite thought is suggested by the allusion to the
eyes of the Lord running to and fro throughout the whole earth. At a
glance He takes in our position; not a sorrow, trial, or temptation
visits us without exciting His notice and loving sympathy. In all
the whole wide earth there is not one spot so lonely, one heart so
darkened, as to escape those eyes. Oh for the perfect confidence
which will allow Him to act! It is for lack of this that we remain
unhelped, and spend our days in the midst of wars and tumults.
Hawker's Poor Man's
Commentary on 2Chr 16:9: What a lovely account of the divine
prescience and knowledge is here given of our God. His eyes, not
barely looking on, but running through the earth. And this, not to
inform himself, but to convince his people, how near at hand he is
to their deliverance. Blessed Jesus! grant that I may never lose
sight of this precious truth. Surely, dear Lord, if thou art looking
on, well may I be confident in thee and in thy strength. But what a
melancholy thought it is when past experiences of the Lord's
goodness are not found sufficient with our unbelieving hearts to
beget an hearty, firm, and unshaken reliance. What a beautiful
contrast to this conduct of Asa was that of Samuel between Mizpeh
and Shem, when he set up his Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto the Lord
hath helped us. 1Sa 7:12. And cannot you and I, Reader, set up our
hitherto. And if our present Ebenezer depend upon it we shall never,
except from the unbelief of our hearts, say with truth, the Lord
hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Isa 49:14.
Albert Barnes: As
peace had been the reward of Asa’s earlier faith 2Ch 14:5; 2Ch 15:5,
so his want of faith was now to be punished by a period of war and
disturbance. (Beloved,
can we not see the application to our lives?)
Thomas Constable:
2Chr 16:9 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.
8:32).
Tony Evans Comments:
God must have your fully committed heart. He doesn’t want you to be
divided. He doesn’t want you committed to Him on Sunday and to the
world on Monday. He doesn’t want you to be two-timing Him...Think
about it. God is trying to find someone to show His power through.
Illustration: In
1Sa 14:1-15 God saw the Israelite soldiers cowering in fear before
the Philistine invaders. He must not have liked what He saw. But He
didn't step in to help the Israelites -- until Jonathan and his
armor bearer took daring action. God also saw the people in a
mountain area of Haiti, in the early 1940s, who were living in
poverty and spiritual bondage and voodooism. He didn't like what He
saw. But He didn't intervene until Wallace Turnbull started living
and working among them. Wallace taught them to farm more efficiently
and to read and write. He treated their diseases. And he told them
about Jesus. As a result of his initial work, thousands of people in
that area have become Christians. Over 40,000 children are being
given a Christian education. These results came because God
unleashed His power and blessed the efforts of Wallace and those who
helped him. God often unleashes His power through His people.
Map:
Maximum Extent of Israel Under King David &
King Solomon
Interesting "Bookends": First verse = 2Chr 1:1 "The LORD his
God was with him" (Solomon) <> Last verse = 2Chr 36:23 "may the LORD
his God be with him (the one who leads return from exile)" (King
Cyrus speaking)
Key Phrase: Seek the LORD - 2Chr 12:14, 14:14, 15:12, 13,
16:12, 20:3, 4
1
Chronicles covers the same period of time as 2 Samuel and
both describe the reign of David (See the Timeline above)
whereas 2 Chronicles covers the same period of time as 1
Kings and 2 Kings and both describe the time from Solomon to the
Babylonian Captivity. In Chronicles the kings of Israel (See table
below where Jeroboam I identifies first of the kings of the
10 Northern tribes) are not mentioned unless they do something that
relates to the kings of Judah. Note that the word "chronicle"
means "a continuous and detailed account of historical events
arranged in order of time." In First and Second Chronicles God has
given us a very accurate history so that we can know all that He
wants us to know about the period of the kings.
Thomas Black writes:
This simple chart will
help clear up a ton of Old Testament confusion. From the top to
bottom it is a time line starting with the kingship of Saul, David
and Solomon. Then the kingdom splits (931BC). Judah's kingdom is
represented on the left while Israel's 10 tribes are represented on
the right. Next to each king is the length of his reign. The
darkened squares indicate kings who for good or evil greatly
influenced the course of the nation. Next to many of the kings you
will see the names of the prophets - this is to indicate when and to
which kingdom the prophet primarily served. Finally on the right you
see a continuum of the four historical books of the kings indicating
in a very rough manner where the kings in question are discussed. (Thomas
Black - Kings and Prophets @ Truth is Still Truth)
Related Resource:
Old Testament Timeline
W A Criswell
writes that Chronicles was...
Originally entitled "the
words of the days" (divre hayyamim, Heb.), meaning "journals" (cf.
27:24), and compiled as a single book. 1 and 2 Chronicles were
separated by the translators of the
Septuagint
circa 180
B.C. and named "things omitted" (paraleipomena, Gk.), to
indicate that they contain things omitted from the Books of Samuel
and Kings. Although the author and date are not stated, the Talmudic
tradition that the Chronicles were penned by Ezra may be correct.
Nevertheless, it is customary to speak of the author simply as "the
chronicler." Written from a priestly perspective, the main emphasis
centers on the temple in Jerusalem, the Levitical priesthood, and
the theocratic lineage of David. The genealogies and narrative of 1
Chronicles span the period from Adam to the end of the life of
David. Second Chronicles recounts the downfall of the Davidic
dynasty from Solomon to the Exile. Chronicles mentions the northern
kingdom (Israel) only incidentally and contains the most complete
statistical lists found in the entire Bible. The final verses of
Chronicles (2Chr. 36:22, 23) are repeated in Ezra 1:1-3. The style,
substance, and thrust of the Chronicles are carried on through Ezra
and Nehemiah. Many believe Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah had the
same author. If not, the latter two still serve as a fitting sequel.
Chronicles follows the people of God into Exile; Ezra and Nehemiah
follow them out of Exile and prepare Israel for the coming of the
Messiah.
The Chronicles were
written to the returned remnant who were rebuilding Jerusalem
following their seventy-year Babylonian captivity. The history
of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) is presented in such a way as to
help restore its religious and national heritage by showing its
unbroken connection with the patriarchal beginnings. The primary
historical theme centers about the priestly worship of Judah, from
the time of Saul until the return of the Jewish nation to the land
following the decree of Cyrus (538 B.C.). This religious history
depicts the faithfulness and promises of God to His people, the
power of the Word of God, and the central role of worship in the
lives of God's people. In order to underscore these elements, the
genealogies point to the forthcoming Messiah and are completed by
those recorded in the New Testament (cf. Matt. 1:1-16; Luke
3:23-38).
Myer Pearlman writes..
Though "Kings" and "Chronicles" show great similarity in the matter
of their contents, they are written from different viewpoints, the
former being written from the human viewpoint, the latter, from the
Divine. To illustrate:
1Kings 14:20 recording the death of Jeroboam, tells us that he
"slept with his fathers." That is the human viewpoint.
2Chronicles
13:20, recording the same event, tells us that "the Lord struck him
and he died." That is the divine viewpoint.
Dr. A. T. Pierson:
While much contained in
the Books of Kings is repeated or restated in the Chronicles, much
is omitted because foreign to the author's purpose. But whatever
bears on the temple, its preservation and restoration, the purity of
its worship, the regularity and orderliness of its services;
whatever makes idolatrous rites or relics hateful, or lifts God to
His true throne in the hearts of the people, is here emphasized.
DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN
KINGS & CHRONICLES |
SAMUEL &
KINGS |
FIRST & SECOND
CHRONICLES |
Prophetic Perspective:
Message of Judgment |
Priestly Perspective:
Message of hope |
Prophetic authorship:
Emphasizes the prophetic ministry
and moral concerns |
Priestly authorship:
Emphasizes the priestly ministry
and spiritual concerns |
The Fortunes
of the Thrones |
Continuity
of the Davidic line |
More Negative:
Rebellion & Tragedy |
More Positive:
Apostasy, but hope in face of tragedy |
Record of both
Israel and Judah |
Record primarily
of Judah |
|
Man's Failings |
God's Faithfulness |
|
Morality |
Redemption |
Emphasizes the throne
of earthly kings |
Earthly throne (temple)
of the heavenly King |
Emphasizes Kings
and Prophets |
Emphasizes the Temple
and the Priests |
Political
and kingly |
Religious
and priestly |
Compiled by authors
soon after the events |
Compiled by by a priest:
Ezra many years after the events |
Written shortly after
the
beginning of the captivity in Babylon |
Written shortly after
the return from the captivity |
|
Adapted Wilkinson's Talk thru the Bible & Jensen's Survey of
the OT |
