An Introduction To The Books of Chronicles
What if you had the job of communicating your nation’s entire history—its rulers, wars, religious events, economic cycles—starting with the beginning of mankind? First and Second Chronicles is that history for Israel. It’s the story of Israel’s kings and God’s faithfulness to His promises.
It’s a long story, and many Bible readers find it boring. Maybe that’s because the Chronicles account opens with a list of names—literally, “Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared . . .” The genealogies go on for nine chapters. But that’s not all there is to this document. First and Second Chronicles is an executive summary of God’s covenant with David, and how things played out afterward.
The Chronicles were written sometime after the Hebrews returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. The author, or Chronicler, (possibly Ezra) surveys Israel’s history as a sovereign state. David and Solomon are the key characters, as they were the great kings who ruled all Israel from Jerusalem.
The Chronicles record the history of kings through two lenses: The Mosaic Covenant, which God made with all Israel after delivering them from Egypt and the Davidic Covenant, which God made to David. The books are long and are full of genealogies and records. But they’re the records of God’s long-lasting faithfulness to His people, even when they are not faithful to Him. From them there is much we can apply to our own lives.
Hope you can read along.
