Like Kings and Samuel, Chronicles was written as one continuous story, part of a trilogy of history, along with Ezra and
Nehemiah.
Chronicles – RetrospectionEzra – Restoration
Nehemiah- Reconstruction
• Be linked with the past.• Reassured that God was still with
them.• Know how best to reestablish
Temple worship – true worship.• Be reminded that their future well-
being depended on their faithfulness to God.
When you read the book of Ezra, you will see that Ezra was on a campaign to :
• bring Judah back into conformity with the law of Moses – Ezra 7:10
• restore Temple worship – Ezra 7:19-23;8:33-34, there were people who had never been to the Temple because they were born in exile and those who had been away for so long. How would you feel if you couldn’t come to the house of the Lord to worship him?
When you read the book of Ezra, you will see that Ezra was on a campaign to :
• eliminate the mixed marriages of Jews with their pagan neighbors – Ezra 9-10
• strengthen Jerusalem by rebuilding its walls – Ezra 4:8-16
• Genealogies to enable the Jews to establish their lines of family descent and get reconnected with their past – I Chronicles 1-9
• The Kingdom of David as a pattern of the ideal theocratic (a God ruled) state – I Chronicles 10-29
• The glory of Solomon with an emphasis on the temple and its worship – II Chronicles 1-9
• The history of the Southern Kingdom stressing its religious reforms and military victories of Judah’s more pious leaders – II Chronicles 10-36
• Samuel and Kings are more biographical; Chronicles more statistical
• Samuel and Kings are more personal; Chronicles more official
• Samuel and Kings give the history of both Israel and Judah after the division of the kingdom; Chronicles gives only the history of Judah after the division
• Samuel and Kings emphasize the Throne; Chronicles emphasizes the Temple
The temple was:
• A symbol of the unity of the nation• A reminder of the nation’s high calling• A sign that Jehovah was still with his
chosen people, he had not forgotten them. He would dwell among them again.
Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be upon me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from
pain. And the Lord granted his request.
I Chronicles 4:10
I Chronicles 10:13-14
Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord
and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So, the Lord put him to death and turned the Kingdom over to David, son of Jesse.
I Chronicles 12:8b
They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and the spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions and they were as
swift
as gazelles in the mountains.