Message Theme & Verses: 2 Chronicles
Memory Verse: 2 Chronicles 6:42 "O Lord God, do not turn away from the face of your anointed one! Remember your steadfast love for David your servant!”
The book of Chronicles was broken up for convenience in handling Greek scrolls, which were longer than those written in Hebrew. It is no surprise that 2 Chronicles picks up directly where 1 Chronicles finishes. We move from the reign of King David to his son Solomon as we begin this book and continue to see how the fortune and direction of the nation are determined by the actions of its kings.
Chronicles is not focused on military or economic history though and the emphasis of the story is on the religious health of the people. The fate of the nation is based on their faithfulness to the covenant with God and in this, we see the encouragement to the readers to be faithful as well. The primary audience for the Chronicles are the people of Judah who have returned from exile to a restored community. The author doesn’t want them to fall into the same sins as their fathers, but to be faithful to loving and following God with their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The Chronicler is answering three big questions that the people have after returning from exile.
How will we know who are the heirs of God’s promises after exile?
What should we do about the throne of David and the temple in Jerusalem and how should they relate to each other?
How should we understand exile and restoration in light of God’s law and grace?
The people are taught the privilege of being chosen as God’s holy people through His covenant. They are reminded of their responsibility to keep a pure relationship with God through their worship of Him. What has brought harmony and shalom in the past is the same that will restore the nation.
In 2 Chronicles, we move from the nation united under Solomon to the division into two kingdoms under his sons. Unlike the book of Kings, Chronicles does not tell us much about the northern kingdom of Israel, instead focusing on Jerusalem, the capital of the kingdom of Judah. We continue to see God’s blessings when the kings are faithful and his chastisement when they turn away from Him.
Throughout, we see God’s grace toward His people, particularly as His people repent of their sins. The book ends with great hope that the nation will be restored as new King Cyrus, the Persian who has defeated Babylon, purposes to rebuild the temple after is has lay desolate for seventy years. Once again, God’s people will have opportunity to enter into God’s Sabbath rest and respond to the Davidic covenant with obedient faith and worship.
Read 2 Chronicles 6:12 – 7:3
Jesus in 2 Chronicles
God chose Israel to be His people and promised to bless all of the families of the world through them, especially by raising up the ultimate heir of David to rule them. When God’s appointed kings live up to the demands of that office, they are a type of Christ, pointing to the coming King. God gave His people the honor and privilege of worshiping and obeying Him, but often they were unfaithful and needed God’s gracious discipline. Because God is faithful and good, the harsh punishment of being captured by sinful people and sent far away from God’s presence as symbolized by the temple, would not be the end for God’s people. We see great hope in the promised restoration as the people return to Jerusalem and await the perfect king who completely fulfills the role of establishing God’s kingdom and providing for His people.
Questions
If you were king, would you want your son or daughter to rule after you? Why or why not?
If we made a history of our nation, or community, or family, would it show that we were faithful to God’s covenant or not?
If we were to pray to God for our community, what protections or blessings would we ask from Him?
If we had a dedication for this building, what sins would we need to ask God to forgive?
Why do you think it was hard for the people to obey God and worship only Him?
Solomon asks the question “will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Pointing out that it is impossible for holy God to dwell with sinful men. How does God answer this problem? (God answers this problem through Jesus. This is the central question throughout the Bible. How can a perfect God be in relationship with sinful people. God chooses several people to act as mediators, people who come to God on behalf of the people to plead for God’s mercy and grace. Moses is an example of a mediator. Solomon here acts as a mediator as well. He knows that the people will sin and asks God to listen to their repentance and cries to be forgiven. Moses and Solomon are sinful themselves though and are only shadows of Jesus, the perfect mediator to come. Jesus also acts as the perfect High Priest and perfect sacrifices, shedding His blood to satisfy the wrath of God and cover the sins of the people. The Bible says that even now, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, asking God to have mercy on sinners.)
Why do you think Solomon prayed that God would answer the prayers of foreigners? (From the beginning, becoming a child of God is about faith and not ethnicity. God is showing here that He loves people from all nations and one day, His chosen people will expand from the nation of Israel to believers from every tongue, tribe, and nation.)
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