1 Chronicles - Introduction

The reader will notice that the writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles omits many important events that are described in earlier books. For example, he omits those episodes in the lives of David and Solomon that reveal their human weaknesses and sins. He wasn’t trying to hide anything; after all, he repeatedly acknowledged other historical sources which dealt with these matters. Rather, the writer of Chronicles wanted to idealize David and Solomon and to present them as forerunners—types—of the MESSIAH, the Christ, who was yet to come. His focus was on the glory of Israel as God’s chosen people.

The writer of Chronicles also omits the history of the northern kingdom of Israel and its kings;³ he was mainly concerned with the southern kingdom-with the royal line of David. This is the reason he doesn’t mention the great PROPHETS Elijah and Elisha; their ministry was primarily in the northern kingdom. However, the writer repeatedly refers to “all Israel”; although the northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians, many faithful Israelites from the north migrated to Judah, the southern kingdom. Thus, the exiles were a mixture of northerners and southerners; they represented “all Israel”—God’s chosen people.

The writer of Chronicles focuses on two main themes: the ideal kingship and the ideal priesthood. Both of these ideals are joined together in Jesus Christ, our eternal Priest and King. In addition to these two themes, the writer presents an overall lesson from Israel’s history—a lesson which is valid for every nation on earth: the determining factor in any nation’s history is its response to God. If the people of a nation turn to God in FAITH and obedience, they will be blessed; if they do not, they will be destroyed.