2 Chronicles 18:1-15 - Ahab and Jehoshaphat

18:1-4

Ahab was about the worst king Israel ever had, but Jehoshaphat allied himself with him by marriage. One time when he went to see Ahab, Ahab urged him to join him in attacking Ramoth Gilead. Jehosha phat agreed, but urged him to seek the Lord first.

18:5-8

So Ahab called in the prophets, but these prophets were favourable to the king, and they all encouraged him to attack and that God would give him victory. Jehoshaphat was not fooled, realising that they were not prophets of the Lord. \ahab told him there was still one prophet, but revealed that he did not like him, for he never prophesied anything good about Ahab, this was Micaiah, Jehoshaphat rebuked the king,and Micaiah was summoned.

18:9-15

Ahab and Jehoshaphat were dressed in their royal robes, maybe to impress Micaiah. \the ones who had brought Micaiah urged him to follow the line of the false prophets and to prophesy victory. Initially he does this, but Ahab was not fooled and demanded a true prophecy.

2 Chronicles 17:1-19 - Jehoshaphat leads the nation

17:1-6

Asa was succeeded by his son, Jehoshaphat. He fortified Judah against Israel. Jehoshaphat followed the Lord, so the Lord blessed his reign, and the people of Judah brought gifts. He found favour with God and man. He also removed the high places and Asherah poles.

17:7-11

The priests taught the people the Law of the Lord. Leaders are meant to lead the people in the ways of God, both by their own actions, and by teaching the people. This has an effect on the surrounding nations with the fear of the Lord falling on them. When God’s people deny the Lord, they are mocked by the world, when we obey the Lord the fear of the Lord falls upon them. Even Philistines and Arabs brought gifts.

17:12-19

Because he feared the Lord Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He also built up the army.

2 Chronicles 16:1-14 - Asa's downfall

16:1-9

Baasha, king of Israel, now sought to attack Judah. Asa used gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple to persuade Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, to have a treaty with him, and to break his treaty with Baasha. Ben-Hadad agreed and initially the treaty had some success. Hanani, a seer, came to Asa and rebuked him for relying on the king of Aram instead of on the Lord.

16:10-14

Asa was not the only king to start out well, but then fail. He reacted badly to the words of the seer, and put him in prison. He also brutally oppressed some of the people. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign he was afflicted  with a disease of his feet. Even then he did not seek the Lord, but only from doctors. Asa died in his forty-first year of his reign. Does this mean that we should not seek the help of doctors. I do not believe that this is what it means, but we should always seek the Lord as well.

2 Chronicles 15:1-19 - Asa's reforms

15:1-7

“The Lord is with you when you are with Him”. These were words given to Asa, but words that all of Israel needed to heed. “If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. “ This was the stark choice facing Israel, and they had been on the wrong side of this choice for so long. ”in their distress they turned to God”. It often takes distress for a person to turn to the Lord, but when we do the Lord accepts them. There was general trouble in the land, sounds a bit like our land! We need to turn to the Lord.

15:8-19

The words of prophecy encouraged Asa. He removed idols and repaired the temple of the Lord. People came to him because they saw the Lord was with Asa. We need to follow the Lord, then people will see that the Lord is with us. The people dedicated themselves to the Lord, and made sacrifices to Him. The people rejoiced, and the Lord gave them rest. Asa even deposed his grandmother, she had made a repulsive image. This is an example of loving God more than our family. There was no war until the thirty fifth year of Asa’s reign.

2 Chronicles 14 - Asa

14:1-6

Abijah was succeeded by his son Say, and the country enjoyed ten years of peace. Asa did “what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord”, including removing foreign altars and the high places. He led Judah to follow and obey the Lord, there was no war, and the strong implication is that this was because he sought the lord.

14:7-15

The towns were cleared of their idols and built up. He also established an army. Zerah the Cushite marched out against him, but Asa called on the Lord, and the Lord struck down the Cushites. The returnees are being reminded that salvation and restoration lie in seeking the Lord. So  Asa utterly defeated the enemy.

2 Chronicles 13:1-22 Abijah

13:1-22

During Jeroboam’s reign Abijah became king of Judah for three years, War existed between him and Jeroboam. There were four hundred thousand against eight hundred thousand. Abijah tried to argue with Jeroboam that David was the Lord’s chosen one. Jeroboam is painted in a bad light, gathering “worthless scoundrels”. Jeroboam was claiming to be on the Lord’s side while Jeroboam was not. Jeroboam had set up an ambush plan, but it didn’t work and he was defeated. Abijah inflicted heavy casualties on Israel. Judah’s victory is put down to their relying upon the Lord. Jeroboam died. Abijah had fourteen wives, who bore him twenty two sons and sixteen daughters. 

2 Chronicles 12:1-16 - Some good, some bad

12:1-5

The returnees needed to fully appreciate why they had been exiled, because of their disobedience. Rehoboam had been established as king , but then “he and all Israel” had abandoned the law of the Lord. They could not just blame their kings,  and rulers, the people themselves also bore responsibility. So Shishak, king of Egypt , along with other helpers, attacked Jerusalem. God sent a prophet telling them the reason for their troubles.

12:6-11

 The leaders responded properly, humbling themselves and admitting their guilt. So the Lord relented to a degree,but he would still discipline them. They needed to truly learn the error of their ways. We can easily revert to our old ways once the danger is over. So Shishak attacked and carried off some of the temple treasures. Rehoboam replaced the gold shield with bronze ones, and took extra care of them.

12:12-16

Rehoboam continued as king for seventeen years in total. He was a mixture, for he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord. Rehoboam’s reign included continual warfare with Jeroboam. He died and was succeeded by his son Abijah.

2 Chronicles 11 - Rehoboam

11:1-4

Having lost the kingdom, Rehoboam tried to get it back and had the support of a hundred and eighty thousand young men from Judah and Benjamin. However, the Lord sent a prophet(seer) to warn him against doing this. He told him that this was God’s doing. Rehoboam saw sense and so turned back.

11:5-17

However, Rehoboam in some ways acted as though he was king, strengthening various towns in. Judah and Benjamin were his. His action seems to have impressed the people and the priests and Levites sided with him, their action was also motivated by the fact that Jeroboam had rejected them. Jeroboam was as big an idiot as Rehoboam, for he had made goat and calf idols. The men of Israel who wanted to follow the Lord, went with the priests and Levites.

11:18-23

Rehoboam followed in the ways of his father, having eighteen wives and sixty concubines. However in other ways he acted wisely.

2 Chronicles - Rehoboam the idiot

10:1-19

Rehobom had succeeded Solomon. However, things were not straightforward. Jeroboam had fled from Solomon, but now saw a chance, so he returned from Egypt. Jeroboam urged Rehoboam to lighten the load on the people. Rehoboam wanted some time to consider the matter. He consulted the elders who advised him to be kind to the people. However, REhoboam was an idiot and rejected the advice. Instead he consulted the young men who were beholden to him, and they urged him to do the opposite and make the burden even harsher.The idiot took this advice. All this was actually part of God’s judgement on the nation. Unsurprisingly the people reacted against Rehoboam. So Israel rejected the house of David.

2 Chronicles 9:1-29 - the wealth of the nations

9:1-12

This perhaps marks the start of Solomon’s downfall, his being flattered by a visit from the queen of Sheba. She came with many gifts and praised him for his wealth and wisdom. We all like being praised and our gifts being recognised, but need to beware that we do not fall for flattery. She gave him a vast quantity of gold. Solomon , in turn, gave her even more.

9:13-29

Solomon received 666 talents of gold, the number 666 has great significance in Revelation. He received silver and gold from many different kings and rulers. Solomon made shields and a throne from the precious metal.News of his wisdom and wealth spread far and wide.

We are then told of his death, with no mention of his many wives nor his downfall. Maybe the point of the account in chronicles was to stress the wealth and favour of the nations coming to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 8 - Solomon's other activities

2 Chronicles 8:1-10

As well as building the temple Solomon also built his own palace, and rebuilt some of the villages. He also captured Hamath Zobah. In short he took care of all of Israel, seeking to improve the country. There were various non-Israelites living in the land, and he conscripted the descendants of these people as slave labour. However, the text is careful to stress that Solomon did not enslave any Israelites.  Israelites became fighting men, and commanders and officials.

2 Chronicles 8:11-16

Pharoah’s daughter had become his wife and brought her up to live in his palace in Jerusalem; he did not want her to live in the palace of David, because it was holy. There seems to be some recognition that he should not really have taken her as a wife. Solomon offered sacrifices in accordance with the Law, and the Levites fulfilled their priestly function. He also followed the plans set out by David. The work was brought to completion. 

2 Chronicles 8:17,18

Hiram also sent him ships, and Solomon used these to get more gold. Solomon hada liking for women and gold.

2 Chronicles 7:8-22

7:8-10

The festival was observed for seven days, along with all Israel. This is stressing to the returnees that they should observe the Levitical feasts. At the end the people were sent home “joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for \david and Solomon and for His people Israel”, joy is part of the heritage of the people of God.

7:11-18

After all this the Lord appeared to Solomon  assuring him that He had heard his prayer and that the temple was His chosen place . Also that if, after sinning, His people repent, then He will hear and forgive them. The Lord has a heart commitment to the temple. There is also a promise to Solomon, if he faithfully follows the Lord.

7:19-22

Along with the promise to Solomon there is also a warning. If he fails to follow the Lord the people would be uprooted and the temple would become  a heap of rubble, sadly this is what happened. Others would recognise that it was because they had forsaken the Lord. One way or another they would  be a witness to the world.

2 Chronicles 7:1-7 - The Lord fills the temple

2 Chronicles 7:1-3

The temple had been built and prepared, now the most important thing happens, the Lord appears, for fire came down from heaven showing that the offerings were accepted. The people, not just the priests, saw the fire and fell down before th eLord, giving thanks to Him.

2 Chronicles 7:4-7

They all offered sacrifices to the Lord Solomon made a particularly extravagant sacrifice, twenty two thousand cattle, and twenty thousand sheep and goats. More praise was offered to the Lord, by the people and the Levites. Solomon then consecrated the middle part of the courtyard.

2 Chronicles 5:7-14 - The Lord Himself fills the temple

5:7-10

The ark was placed in the inner sanctuary of the temple. It was placed under the wings of the cherubim. The ark contained  the two tablets of the ten commandments, the other contents seem to have been removed at this stage (e.g. Aaron's rod). 

5:11-14

The priests had also consecrated themselves. There was also a “worship teamW and they sang

He is good,

His love endures forever

This is something Israel needed to remember, as do we.

The glory of the Lord, in the form of a cloud filled the temple. The cloud was tangible for the priests could not perform their service. The temple hd been filled with the furnishings, silver and gold, now it was filled with the Lord Himself.

2 Chronicles 6:1-42 Dedicating the temple

6:1-6

This is probably a reference to Ex19:9. Solomon puts the building of the temple down to God. Now God involves us in doing things with him, but when we achieve anything, we know that it is the Lord who enabled us to do it, who gave us the ability and the wherewithal. Jerusalem was God’s chosen place. He also says that He had chosen David to rule Israel. This was a reminder to the people that God’s plans were still in operation. Jesus was known as the son of David, He is God’s chosen king.

6:7-11

David’s desire to build a temple was a good desire, but it was not God’s plan. Solomon’s actions and words were all focused on God.

6:12-42

Solonon then prays to the Lord at the altar. The prayer stresses the faithfulness of God, and His uniqueness.  He prays for God to hear His people and to have mercy on them when they repent of their sins. He also asks God to hear the prayers of foreigners who call upon Him. The returnees are reminded that God is merciful to those who repent, so there is hope for the returnees.

2 Chronicles 5:1-6 - Filling the temple.

5:1

The silver, gold and furnishings were all brought into the temple. They were placed in the “treasuries of God’s temple”. The temple belonged to God, and the silver and gold belonged to God. The Israelites were not free to give these things away, as they had done from time to time, such as trying to buy off Assyria.

5:2-6

One thing remained, to bring the ark into the temple.Solomon assembled all the heads of tribes and elders. The Levites took up the ark. Solomon sacrificed many sheep and goats.

2 Chronicles 4:1-22 - Temple furnishings

4:1-22

More details are given, this time concerning the temple furnishings. The bronze altar had a circular sea. In Ezekiel's vision, this was replaced by a flowing river of life. The twelve bulls may be symbolic of the twelve tribes. Some of the details are similar to those found in 1 Kings, especially 1 Kings 7. There was great attention to details, and much skilled work required.

2 Chronicles 3- Building the temple

3:1-4

The preparations had all been made,now the actual building is under way. Mount Moriah is where Abraham had to be prepared to sacrifice Isaac. In earlier chapters precise dimensions are given, here we get more dimensions.

3:5

Much gold was used, along with precious stones. So much effort was put into building a temple suitable for the Lord. More details are given in Kings.

2 Chronicles 2:1-17 - The work starts

2:1-4

Solomon is now king and sets about building the temple, along with a royal palace for himself. He conscripted thousands of men to do the work, he also sought to get cedar logs from Tyre. The king of Tyre had sent logs to David for his palace, and now asks for logs for the temple. The importance of the temple is stressed. 

2:5-7

Solomon knows that God is great and the temple also needs to be great, He also recognises that he is just a man and not fit for such a task. He knows that he needs sacrifices for his own sins. Even so, he sets about the work. He needs skilled men to do the work.

2:8-17

His letter to Hiram, king of Tyre, was very humble. He received a favourable reply, partly out of his respect for David. Solomon took a census of all the foreigners in the land and used them to do the work.

2 Chronicles 1:1-17 - A good start

1:1-10

David had prepared the ground for Solomom, and so he "established himself firmly over his kingdom”, and “God was with him and made him exceedingly great”. Solomon went up to Gibeon, there he met the Lord and asked for wisdom. His request was based on his knowing the promises to David, and an awareness of the responsibility he had .He wanted to do the job well.

1:11-17

God was pleased with his request and granted it. After such a good start, the groundwork that David had laid, and Solomon’s wise request, it is so tragic that he went so wrong. Solomon acquired great wealth.

1 Chronicles 29- David prepares the way for the future

29:1-9

Yet again David emphasises that his son Solomon was the one chosen by God to build the temple. He also says that Solomon is young and inexperienced. David stresses his support for Solomon, and gives much of his own gold towards the project.

David’s giving also encouraged the leaders to give. So a vast amount was collected. Both David and the people were glad.

29:10-20

David then praises the Lord, all the greatness belongs to the Lord. He also recognises his own smallness What they had given, they had received from the Lord in the first place. The same applies today. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. David ensures that it is the Lord who receives all the credit.

29:21-30

There was great joy among the people. The returnees would have a lot to do, but if they gave cheerfully there would be great joy’ Solomon was acknowledged as king, and then David died. He died having prepared everything for the future. 

1 Chronicles 28 - David makes preparations for the temple

28:1-3

David assembled together everyone involved in building the temple. David spoke to them, first of all explaining why he wasn’t building the temple. God had told him he wasn’t to do it because he had shed so much blood. David was ensuring that Solomon would have the backing of the people. One of the key skills of leadership is preparing for your successor.

28:4-8

Even though David himself was not to build the temple, one of his family would. Solomon was God’s choice. \things were being done in accordance with God’s plans. God would establish Solomon’s kingdom. \so the order that David gives is for the people to follow God’s commands. Failure to do this was the reason why they had ended up in exile. \now they were back they needed to get things right this time.

28:9

David now addresses Solomon directly, ordering him to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. \he also gave him plans for the temples, going to quite fine detail. He also encouraged Solomon.

1 Chronicles 27 - Managing the nation

27:1-34

More Israelites are listed. Whoever wrote Chronicles was very keen on lists. The army groups were assigned to particular months. Things were done in an ordered fashion. An important part of running a church is doing things in an efficient and sensible manner. At the same time the administration must not smother  the spiritual side of things, achieving the right balance can be quite difficult. Each tribe had its leader. 27:23 reminds us that “the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky”. We can worry about how things will work out, but if we follow God’s way we can be assured that growth will occur. 27:24 seems to indicate that Israel had learned the lesson of the census. Over administrating is an error. There were people in charge of the various aspects of the nation. There needs to be someone with responsibility.

1 Chronicles 26:1-31 - Everything to be done with Godly order

26:1-19

We now come to the gatekeepers. The point is that everyone is known to the Lord, even those with apparently less important roles, the same applies today in the church. Obed-Edom  is the one who  received the ark after David’s first abortive attempt to bring it back (1 Chron 13:13). The various groups were assigned by lot to different gates.

26:20-31

The Levites were in charge of the treasuries. Handling money is very important, and still is today. If the church is to be undermined it will usually be through either financial or sexual misdemeanour. Those in charge of the money should both be wise and capable and of good character. Various kings had used temple treasure to try and buy off Israel’s enemies, this practice came to a halt. Everything was to be done with godly order.

1 Chronicles 24,25 - Priests and musicians

24:1-31

We continue to get information on the priests. The reason for giving all this is that it was important that things were done in accordance with God’s instructions. David had already discovered this when he first tried to bring back the ark. If the returnees wanted to make success of it, they had to do things God’s way. Conversely if they did do things God’s way then they would indeed succeed

25:1-31

Having dealt with the priests attention now turns to the musicians, Music has always played an important part in worship. We must not denigrate music, nor must we make too much of it. The sons of Asaph are mentioned, Asaph is also mentioned in a number of the psalms (e.g. 50,73-83).

1 Chronicles 23:1-32 - The Levites

23:1-32

David made Solomon his successor. Deuteronomy paid great attention to the Levites, and David now does the same. He knew that they were the ones to be in charge of the work of the temple, and organised them for this work.  He counted them. Now in view of what happened with the census of the fighting men, one might wonder if this was wise, or in view of the fact that it does not seem to be a problem here, what the difference? Maybe it was that in counting the fighting men David was demonstrating doubt in God, here he is doing it for organisational purposes. Aaron had a special place among the Levites (4:13). The returnees needed to live in accordance with the instructions in Deuteronomy,

1 Chronicles 22:1-19 - David makes preparations for the temple

22:1-4

David made preparations for the building of the temple. He assembled the foreigners living in Israel to do the work

22:5-10

Although he knew he wasn’t the one to build the temple, he wanted to ensure that his son Solomon had everything he needed to build a temple worthy of the Lord.

David also spoke to Solomon, charging him to build a magnificent temple. He also explained that he had wanted to do this himself, but had been forbidden to do so by the Lord. He put the reason down to his having too much blood on his hands. Solomon would be a man of peace and rest.

22:11-19

David then blessed Solomon, and told him of all the preparations that he, David, had made.. David then commanded the leaders of Israel to help Solomon. So David had made material provision, personal encouragement to Solomon, and the support of the nation for Solomon.  He tells Solomon to devote himself to the Lord. All this would be a reminder to the returnees that they were part of a long term, God-inspired project.

1 Chronicles 21:14-30 - David repents, God relents

2:14-17

So the Lord sent a plague on the land, and seventy thousand men fell dead. He also sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but then relented.David saw the angel, and, together with the elders, humbled himself before the Lord. He also took full responsibility for his actions, so pleaded with God to spare Israel.

21:18-30

God told David to build an altar, David obeyed this command. Araunah  wanted to give David the threshing floor, but David insisted on paying the full price. So David built an altar and offered a sacrifice, which God accepted. David then offered more sacrifices there.

! Chronicles 21:1-13 - David sins

21:1-6

David was having many victories, he was becoming a real nuisance to the devil, so Satan sought to incite David to sin, and so harm Israel. When we are successful we really need to be on our guard. He tempted David to count the army. Joab sensed that this was wrong, and seemed to know that it was the Lord who gave them victory. So he tried to dissuade David from doing this. However, David was to be dismayed. So Joab did as he was ordered. He did, however,omit the tribes of Levi and Benjamin.

21:7-13

David’s actions were evil in the sight of God, and David realised he had done a very foolish thing. God spoke to Gad the seer and sent him to David with a message, God gave David three options. The options were three years of famine, three months of defeat by their enemies, or three days of the “sword of the Lord”.  David opted for the “sword of the Lord”, He chose this because the Lord is merciful

1 Chronicles 20:1-8 - More victories

20:1

David acted graciously towards the Ammonites, but his kindness was rebuffed. Nahash, their king, died and David sent messages of sympathy, Nahash having shown kindness to David in the past. However, the Ammonites reacted with suspicion and humiliated the envoys that David sent. The Ammonites realised that their actions would cause trouble, so set out to attack David, David sent Joab with the army to meet them, and they defeated the Ammonites. The Arameans sought to help the Ammonites, but it did not go well for them, so they were no longer willing to help the Ammonites. David was establishing the kingdom.

20:2-8

We read of more victories.

1 Chronicles 19 - Sympathy rebuffed

19:1-19

David acted graciously towards the Ammonites, but his kindness was rebuffed. Nahash, their king, died and David sent messages of sympathy, Nahash having shown kindness to David in the past. However, the Ammonites reacted with suspicion and humiliated the envoys that David sent. The Ammonites realised that their actions would cause trouble, so set out to attack David, David sent Joab with the army to meet them, and they defeated the Ammonites. The Arameans sought to help the Ammonites, but it did not go well for them, so they were no longer willing to help the Ammonites. David was establishing the kingdom.

1 Chronicles 18:1-17 - David's victories

18:1,2

“In the course of time”, not everything happens immediately, but if we continue following God’s ways we will get there. So David, their hero,defeated the Philistines. The people needed to be patient, and patiently obey the Lord. It was not just the Philistines whom he defeated, but also the Moabites.

18:3-13

We get more victories, capturing many chariots and soldiers. The Arameans sought to help Hadadezer, but to no avail. They too became subject to David. \we should not worry about enemies, God can defeat them all. We need to focus on obeying and trusting the Lord. David captured much gold and bronze. Tou king of Hamath, heard of David’s victories and sent congratulations. Israel often lived in fear of her enemies and responded by trusting in idols and godless nations, instead she needed to look towards the Lord. We need to do likewise . Gifts were brought to David, and David dedicated these to the Lord. This was the reverse of what happened during the reign of evil kings,m in their time riches went out from the temple to other nations.

“The Lord gave David victory wherever He went”, this sums up the situation. It is the Lord who gives victory, so we should serve him.

18:14-17

David ruled on behalf of the people. Evil kings ruled on behalf of themselves. He had various people over  the army and other aspects of the kingdom.

1 Chronicles 17:7-27 - God has different plans

17:7-15 

God then reminds David what He has done for him, taking him from obscurity ruling over His people. A fundamental aspect of the gospel is that God does far more for us than we can ever do for him. God had been with David and would now make David’s name one of the greatest names on earth. God would provide a secure home for His people. He would also subdue their enemies. The Lord would build a house for David. He would look after David’s descendants. One of David’s descendants would be over His house and his kingdom. This is looking forward to Jesus, and, in the short term, to Solomon.

17:16-27

David accepts the word and praises the Lord. God is far greater than we ever imagine, and loves us more than we ever dream of.

1 Chronicles 17:1-6 - David's good desire

17:1,2

David is now settled in his palace. He thinks that he should provide a better home than the current tent for the ark of the covenant (representing the presence of God). Note  that the motives of David are good, and his desire seems laudable.

Nathan encourages David to go ahead. Nathan is the prophet who confronted David after the Bathsheeba incident. So he is bold and not a lickspittle, so one would expect his word to be reliable.

17:3-6

However, God speaks to Nathen to correct him. He is to tell David that he is not the one to build the temple. First God reminds him that He has lived in a tent since the exodus, and quite happily so. He had never demanded a temple.