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…So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.  – 2 Chronicles 10:19

The strife between Jeroboam and the house of David – between the ten northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin – is revisited once Abijah succeeds Rehoboam in Jerusalem.  Notice the term the author uses to describe this conflict: in rebellion.  Also remember that the success of this rebellion was ordained by God – fulfilling the LORD’s word to Jeroboam.  Unless the author was flippant with his words, his perspective is that God permitted Jeroboam and his followers to be in active revolt – for the LORD’s own reasons – against the throne in Jerusalem. 

Consider how this might be reconciled.  From Judah’s perspective, Israel is rebelling against the house that the LORD has placed over Israel.  However, look closely at those promises to David and Solomon in 1 Chronicles 17 and 2 Chronicles 7: the LORD promises that 'You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.'   There is no assurance of how large that kingdom would be.  You can decide for yourself whether this is parsing too closely, but the LORD is able to fulfill His promises to both David and Jeroboam, and it’s a matter of perspective whether this constitutes a rebellion against, or fulfillment of, God’s ordained purposes. 

But we’ll know right away the perspective of Abijah when he goes out to Ephraim today to squash the rebellion his father could not.  The record of this battle is dominated by Abijah’s speech on Mount Zemaraim, where he rebukes Jeroboam and “the worthless scoundrels gathered about him,” for their rebellion against “the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David,” and for expelling “the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron” and making “priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands.”  Listen closely to Abijah’s observations; you’re allowed to assess his conclusions based on what you know of the promise to David and the history of this conflict.  You’re also invited by the author to assess Abijah’s reign, and the health of Judah, based on the outcome of this battle.   

Abijah’s short reign is followed by Asa’s, in whose days the land had rest for ten years.  He is the first king since Solomon of whom it is asserted that he did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.  Notice what follows to explain this assessment: “He took away foreign altars and the high places…and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandments.  In return for this faithfulness, He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.”  Once again, the LORD’s promises to David and Solomon form the backbone of the story, and guide Judah’s fortunes. 

Our verse for this week is Matthew 25:40: And the king will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”

2 Chronicles 13 through 15.  Now let’s read it!

Until Rehoboam ascends the throne in 2 Chronicles 10, the only clouds darkening the skies above Israel have been David’s census and the LORD’s warning to Solomon of the consequences of forsaking Him.  The trajectory has been of continuous ascent, even as those opening genealogies, and their implications, have hung in the background.  This is the tension in which the Chronicler resides.

The tension opens on at least three fronts today.  First, we’re introduced to Jeroboam, who returned from Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon, and seeks an audience with Solomon’s son, Rehoboam.  Jeroboam apparently has a following – it says that “all Israel” came with him – and he offers allegiance in exchange for one demand: “Your father made our yoke heavy.  Now lighten the hard service of your father…”  I’ll let you read how this unfolds, but in chapter 11 we see Rehoboam shoring up his defenses in Judah and Benjamin alone, and in Rehoboam’s epitaph we learn that there were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

No sooner does Rehoboam settle in than Shishak, king of Egypt, leads an army of chariots and horsemen and sacks Jerusalem.  He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house.  Moreover, the LORD gives Judah over to the service of Egypt, that they may know My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.  It’s hard to believe that five short years after Solomon’s death, the gold shields that had furnished the Temple have been carried to Egypt. 

All of this came about, though, because Rehoboam had abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.  Even after the LORD spared Jerusalem from total destruction, Rehoboam did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.  Given the Chronicler’s connection between Israel’s prosperity and the faithfulness of her leaders, we’ll watch now as the strength of this theme, and the LORD’s patience, are tested.

Our verse for this week is Matthew 25:40: And the king will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”

2 Chronicles 10 through 12.  Now let’s read it!

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  – Exodus 40:34-35

Years of construction, decades of preparation, and exorbitant expense could not guarantee the LORD’s blessing on the Temple project.  The LORD had not asked for this Temple, but allowed David’s dream to move forward under the management of his son.  So Solomon’s prayer at the end of chapter 6, that the LORD would “Arise…and go to Your resting place…” was truly a request: would the LORD be as satisfied with this project as He was with Moses’ Tabernacle in the desert?  Is this the place where God would allow His glory to rest permanently? 

I’ll let you read the response, which opens chapter 7.  Picture yourself again, 500 years later, standing in the ruins of this Temple, envisioning the details laid out here.  Imagine the level of security and prosperity that would permit the thousands of sacrifices, weeks of celebration, and all Israel to celebrate the Day of Atonement and Feast of Booths in the presence of the building that God had filled with His glory.  O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.  (Psalm 26:8)

Consider also the haunting wisdom of that which follows, which sets up the tension of the rest of this book.  As the celebration passes and the work is complete, the LORD comes to Solomon and reminds him that “If 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 and will forgive their sin and heal their land… But if you turn aside and forsake My statutes and My commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from My land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for My name, I will cast it out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples...”

Our verse for this week is Matthew 25:40: And the king will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”

2 Chronicles 7 through 9.  Now let’s read it!

But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.  And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.  – Deuteronomy 12:5-7

The climactic moment is almost upon us, as today we finally see the dedication of the LORD’s house in Jerusalem.  Place yourself in Jerusalem, about 960 B.C., as a buzz of activity swarms this new and magnificent Temple – truly more spectacular than your grandfather, who had lived through Saul’s paranoid reign, could have imagined.  The Ark of the Covenant, that great reminder of thunder and lightning over Mount Horeb…of the promises made to Moses and Aaron… is lifted and carried in accordance with the Law to the place that God has chosen…

Picture yourself again, 500 years later, standing in the ruins of this Temple, envisioning the details laid out here.  Not just the ornate building and accessories, but the buzz of activity, the priests and Levites and musicians and gatekeepers arranged by divisions.  Tens of thousands of your countrymen convened for the dedication, listening as Solomon, the king, leads you in worship: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you…”

But first there is one more record of building details: statues and basins and lampstands; pots, shovels and basins that had been commissioned to Hiram.  These details are a reflection of the author’s priorities and are reminiscent, more importantly, of the intricate design specifications of the Tabernacle in Exodus.  They reflect, perhaps, something important about the character of God Himself. 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

2 Chronicles 4 through 6.  Now let’s read it!

The clean break at the end of 1 Chronicles forms the prologue for the second book.  Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.  Indeed, the first chapter of this second book glimpses at the greatness of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth.  Notice, though, one disconcerting detail: And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt… The Chronicler has shown deft understanding of the Law to this point.  Did it escape his notice that Solomon brought horses from the one place that Deuteronomy (17:16) had warned Israel’s king not to?  Or is this author so subtle that he wants us to notice it.  Though wealthy, and presumably wise, this could foreshadow trouble ahead for Solomon. 

But there is no time for that today.  The second scroll of Chronicles is no less interested in Temple building than was the first.  In chapter 2, Solomon sets himself to the task, commissioning a massive labor force and skilled workers from abroad.  The letter to Hiram, king of Tyre, is richly detailed and recorded at length – reflecting another peculiar detail that caught the author’s attention.  Hiram had sent supplies to David in 1 Chronicles 14, and apparently there was a strong relationship – at least in trade – between the two kingdoms. 

Chapter 3 is devoted to technical details regarding the building and furnishings of the Temple.  Their record is a statement in itself: this was important to the author, and he wanted to pass it on to his readers.  They are an expression of the expanse of Israel’s wealth, and a reflection of their sincere reverence for the LORD their God. 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 119:11: I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

2 Chronicles 1 through 3.  Now let’s read it!

We return to narrative for these final two chapters of 1 Chronicles, with an aged David assembling all the officials of Israel.  The author makes note of several details.  Notice that David rose to his feet to address them; that David had in [his] heart to build a house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant, but that the LORD had thwarted him; and that David believes his son Solomon should be the one to build the LORD’s house.

This last item feels like a core argument in David’s speech.  This isn’t the first time we’ve heard David assert Solomon as his heir, as though the issue needed to be publicly affirmed.  Even more striking is David’s assertion of the promise that God made to him.  Listen to this language: “Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me from all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever.  For He chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father’s house.  Furthermore, he relates the LORD’s promise that “I have chosen [Solomon] to be My son, and I will be his Father.  I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.”

This is a powerful public statement, and only Nathan, so far as we know, can confirm that it is true.  Given that David was only Israel’s second king, what would it have been like to hear the words, “He chose Judah as leader…” and “…establish his kingdom forever…?”  Remember that representatives from all of Israel’s tribes are listening and considering their futures in David’s words, and as no response is recorded, we can only guess at it.  But this issue might be revisited later…

Finally, at the conclusion of David’s reign the Chronicler cites his sources: “Samuel the Seer,” “Nathan the Prophet,” and “Gad the Seer” are all referenced as providing accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.  We can imagine that “Samuel the Seer” probably refers to the book of Samuel, and affirms our suspicions that the author was weaving Samuel’s material into an augmented narrative.  By noting these, the author brilliantly invites us to know the whole story, while granting integrity to the threads he has chosen.

Our verse for this week is Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

1 Chronicles 28 and 29.  Now let’s read it!

Think back over the material covered in Chronicles thus far: nine chapters of genealogies, a chapter-and-a-half naming David’s Mighty Men, and now five chapters of rosters of priests, Levites, musicians, and officials… Moving the Ark and discussing the Temple have provided half of the content of David’s story…  And a family tree and a brief mention of David’s predecessor is the only backstory we’ve received.  Pay attention to this data and discern the author’s intentions from it. 

Today - after commissioning the Temple project and organizing the Levites and the Priests in yesterday’s reading – David and his chiefs coordinate the service of the musicians, gatekeepers, Temple officers and government ministers.   Reading these rosters is on par with reading the genealogies: they can be difficult on the whole but contain nuggets of interest along the way.  It is simply fascinating that these records were maintained for centuries.  Their preservation is a reflection of the priests’ priorities, just as their record here reflects the Chronicler’s priorities. 

The final chapter today covers the roster of military and tribal leaders.  After a few verses it might dawn on you to ask: “Wait a second… Isn’t this just like the census that David got in trouble for?”  Yes, and the text is going to note that near the end as well.  Notice, though that there is an age cutoff to David’s counting, for the LORD, according to Genesis, …had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven.” 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

1 Chronicles 25 through 27.  Now let’s read it!

Think back over the material covered in Chronicles thus far: nine chapters of genealogies, a chapter-and-a-half naming David’s Mighty Men, and now five chapters of rosters of priests, Levites, musicians, and officials… Moving the Ark and discussing the Temple have provided half of the content of David’s story…  And a family tree and a brief mention of David’s predecessor is the only backstory we’ve received.  Pay attention to this data and discern the author’s intentions from it. 

Today - after commissioning the Temple project and organizing the Levites and the Priests in yesterday’s reading – David and his chiefs coordinate the service of the musicians, gatekeepers, Temple officers and government ministers.   Reading these rosters is on par with reading the genealogies: they can be difficult on the whole but contain nuggets of interest along the way.  It is simply fascinating that these records were maintained for centuries.  Their preservation is a reflection of the priests’ priorities, just as their record here reflects the Chronicler’s priorities. 

The final chapter today covers the roster of military and tribal leaders.  After a few verses it might dawn on you to ask: “Wait a second… Isn’t this just like the census that David got in trouble for?”  Yes, and the text is going to note that near the end as well.  Notice, though that there is an age cutoff to David’s counting, for the LORD, according to Genesis, …had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven.” 

Our verse for this week is Psalm 119:11: I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

1 Chronicles 25 through 27.  Now let’s read it!

You may have noticed some familiar lines and locations in yesterday’s reading.  You may have read about the siege of Rabbah and thought you’d heard about that before.  Maybe you recognized lines like “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle…” or “…But David remained at Jerusalem” and thought, “that sounds too familiar.” 

You’re right!  These accounts also appear in 2 Samuel and some of the lines are quoted verbatim from that text.  There are details present in the Samuel narrative that are absent here – one very large and consequential detail, in fact, about the time when David remained in Jerusalem – and there are details in Chronicles that don’t appear in Samuel. 

You’re right to notice these differences, but they need not be translated as inconsistencies or errors.  Each author has a story to tell, a narrative whose themes are important enough to warrant writing in the first place.   The fact that certain lines appear verbatim in both works makes it highly likely that the Chronicler used Samuel as a source.  We can accept that the author might well have known of other elements, but had his own reasons for excluding them, just as the author of Samuel had his own reasons for including them.  Our goal is to honor both authors and try to understand their purposes, before trying to synchronize the accounts to get a more complete historical picture. 

The census story ended yesterday with David offering sacrifices at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, for the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon… It was hinted at in chapter 16, and is made explicit here, that the Tabernacle did not accompany the Ark to Jerusalem.  That’s a problem that David hopes to address, and it launches our reading today. 

Whereas the LORD was noticeably absent from the Ammonite accounts, the census story marks a shift and today’s text is all about David’s concern for the LORD’s Temple.  Notice the worship in his commission to the leaders of Israel:  "Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and his people.  Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God…”

Our verse for this week is Psalm 119:11: I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

1 Chronicles 22 through 24.  Now let’s read it!

You may have noticed some familiar lines and locations in yesterday’s reading.  You may have read about the siege of Rabbah and thought you’d heard about that before.  Maybe you recognized lines like “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle…” or “…But David remained at Jerusalem” and thought, “that sounds too familiar.” 

You’re right!  These accounts also appear in 2 Samuel and some of the lines are quoted verbatim from that text.  There are details present in the Samuel narrative that are absent here – one very large and consequential detail, in fact, about the time when David remained in Jerusalem – and there are details in Chronicles that don’t appear in Samuel. 

You’re right to notice these differences, but they need not be translated as inconsistencies or errors.  Each author has a story to tell, a narrative whose themes are important enough to warrant writing in the first place.   The fact that certain lines appear verbatim in both works makes it highly likely that the Chronicler used Samuel as a source.  We can accept that the author might well have known of other elements, but had his own reasons for excluding them, just as the author of Samuel had his own reasons for including them.  Our goal is to honor both authors and try to understand their purposes, before trying to synchronize the accounts to get a more complete historical picture. 

The census story ended yesterday with David offering sacrifices at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, for the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon… It was hinted at in chapter 16, and is made explicit here, that the Tabernacle did not accompany the Ark to Jerusalem.  That’s a problem that David hopes to address, and it launches our reading today. 

Whereas the LORD was noticeably absent from the Ammonite accounts, the census story marks a shift and today’s text is all about David’s concern for the LORD’s Temple.  Notice the worship in his commission to the leaders of Israel:  "Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and his people.  Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God…”

Our verse for this week is Psalm 119:11: I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

1 Chronicles 22 through 24.  Now let’s read it!