2 Chronicles

Joash Becomes King (23:1-21). A conspiracy led by the priest Jehoiada plotted to enthrone Joash. The Chronicler emphasized the heroism of the priests and omitted the role of the foreign Carites (2 Kgs. 11:4). The Levites and priests assembled the people, and they covenanted to make Joash king. Jehoiada ordered the priests to guard the king at all times since they alone were qualified to be in the holy temple precincts. Together they enthroned the king.

The priests captured Athaliah and executed both her and Mattan, the high priest of Baal. The writer was particularly concerned about the holiness of the temple in his telling of the story. The Levites reinstituted the worship of the Lord in the temple as David had provided.

Restoring the Temple (24:1-27). Joash (835-796 b.c.) launched a major restoration project of the temple, which had been neglected during Athaliah's rule. He requested the Levites to gather annual monies due the temple from the people (Exod. 30:12-16), but they were slow in fulfilling the charge. So Joash provided a chest in the temple itself where the people brought their tax so that the restoration was carried out (2 Kgs. 12:1-16). The Chronicler mentioned the priest's failure but softened the tone of the account in Kings.

When the priest Jehoiada died, apostasy resurged under Joash's authority. Joash refused to listen to God's prophets. Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, condemned the people for their religious infidelity and was stoned to death in the king's presence. As he died, the priest swore God's vengeance on Joash. The Chronicler explained the tragic end of Joash's rule as God's judgment on Judah's wickedness. Judah was defeated by invading Arameans, and Joash was murdered in his bed (2 Kgs. 12:17-21).

Joash's career illustrated the Chronicler's major theme: God's blessing on David's house but also God's anger when the kings acted wickedly. Zechariah's murder is the last one mentioned in the Hebrew Bible since Chronicles ends the Hebrew arrangement (see Luke 11:51).

Amaziah's Idolatry (25:1-28). Amaziah (797-767 b.c.) began his career by avenging his father's assassins. They were placed under trial in accordance with the law (2 Kgs. 14:1-6).

The Edomites rebelled against the young king, and he gathered a vast army of mercenaries, including a thousand hired from Israel. But an unnamed prophet convinced him to release the Israelites and depend on the Lord alone for victory (2 Kgs. 14:7). Judah crushed the Edomites, but the disgruntled Israelites plundered Judah's cities as they marched home. Amaziah angered the Lord because he returned with Edomite gods whom he worshiped. The Lord's prophet condemned the king for his resistance to the Lord's word. Fresh from his victory over Edom, Amaziah challenged the stronger Jehoash of Israel (798-782 b.c.). The result of the conflict was the destruction of Jerusalem's defenses and Amaziah's capture. The Chronicler attributed Amaziah's defeat and his subsequent murder to his sin of idolatry (2 Kgs. 14:8-20).

Uzziah the Leper (26:1-23). Uzziah (Azariah) succeeded his father at the age of sixteen. Zechariah tutored Uzziah in the things of God. God blessed Uzziah in all he did; his fifty-two-year reign (792-767 b.c.; coregency, 767-740) was one of the longest and most prosperous among the kings of Judah (2 Kgs. 14:21-15:1-3). The king subjugated many peoples, built a huge army, and pioneered military weaponry. Because of his success he became proud and, though not a priest, attempted to officiate at the altar. God struck the king with leprosy, and his son Jotham carried on in his place (2 Kgs. 15:5-7).

Jotham's Success (27:1-9). Jotham (750-732 b.c.) was righteous like his father, but he did not act presumptuously by entering the temple proper in his reign. His conquest of the Ammonites was attributed to the favor God showed toward him (2 Kgs. 15:32-38).

Ahab's Wicked Reign (28:1-27). Chronicles, based on the report of 2 Kings 16:1-20, emphasized the wickedness of King Ahaz's reign (735-715 b.c.). Ahaz was remembered for his practice of human sacrifice and Baal worship. The writer interpreted Judah's war with Israel and Aram (Syro-Ephraimite war) in 732 b.c. as God's judgment upon Ahaz (see Isa. 7). The Chronicler commended the victorious Northern Kingdom for obeying the prophet Oded and releasing the captured Judahites.

The Lord punished Judah further by pressuring it with the raiding armies of the mercenary Edomites and Philistines. Ahaz appealed to the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 b.c.), who promptly obliged by marching west, destroying Damascus and conquering Samaria (732 b.c.). Ahaz failed at buying his independence with temple and royal treasuries. He became a vassal of the Assyrian king and bowed to the gods of Assyria. Second Kings 16:10-14 reports that Ahaz reproduced in the Jerusalem temple Tiglath's pagan altar which he had seen at Damascus. Ahaz eventually closed the temple and erected numerous idols in the land. Whereas the Chronicler tried to introduce something positive about each king of Judah, for vicious Ahaz there was nothing good to report.

Hezekiah's Restoration (29:1-36). Hezekiah's reign (715-686 b.c.) is given inordinate attention because of the prominence he gave to temple music and worship. Much of the Chronicler's account (chaps. 29-31) is not paralleled in Kings.

The neglect of the temple under Ahaz (28:24) prompted Hezekiah to order the Levites to consecrate themselves and begin repair of the sanctuary. After sixteen days the Levites completed the task and opened the temple once again. After the Levites had cleansed the articles of worship, the king led the congregation in worship through offerings. The musical guilds functioned again as David had intended and performed the psalms of David and Asaph. After the people had atoned for their sins, they offered burnt and thank offerings so numerous that the Levites were requested to assist the overburdened priests. The sight and sounds of the temple brought great joy to the congregation.

Passover Celebration (30:1-27). The king planned a great convocation in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He invited their estranged kin in the North who had survived the collapse of Samaria in 722 b.c. under Assyrian might. Because the temple was not yet prepared and many remained ceremonially impure, the Passover was held in the second month rather than the first as the law commanded (see Exod. 12; Num. 9:10-11). Letters were dispatched throughout the land, exhorting the northern remnants to repent of their former ways and join Judah in worship.

The Chronicler, always concerned for the propriety of worship, reported the unusual circumstances attending this celebration which the Lord graciously permitted. Hezekiah's prayer of repentance on behalf of the people was accepted by God. So devoted was the worship of the people that they extended the Feast of Unleavened Bread a second week. The Chronicler compared the joy of Jerusalem on that occasion to the days of King Solomon. The Chronicler extolled Hezekiah's Passover in the same way the author of Kings praised Josiah's (2 Kgs. 23:21-23; see also 2 Chr. 35:18).

Gifts for the Lord's Work (31:1-21). The revival spurred the people on to remove the symbols of any illicit worship. Hezekiah reorganized the priests and Levites to serve the temple. At this spiritual outpouring the people happily brought their tithes and offerings as the law commanded. So vast were the offerings that there was an overabundance distributed among the priest. The Lord prospered Hezekiah for his faithfulness (2 Kgs. 18:5-7).

God Destroys Sennacherib (32:1-33). The Chronicler, concerned with Hezekiah's religious contributions, shortened the record of Hezekiah's political career in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 (see Isa. 36:2-37:38).

The Lord delivered Jerusalem in 701 b.c. from the Assyrian armies of Sennacherib (705-681 b.c.) because of Hezekiah's faithfulness. Hezekiah made preparations for war. The king encouraged the people to remain faithful because the Lord was more powerful than the Assyrians or their gods. An Assyrian delegation addressed the people of Jerusalem in their native Hebrew. They threatened the city by ridiculing Hezekiah's dependence on the Lord. The Chronicler was offended by the Assyrian derision of Israel's God when they likened the Lord to an idol, "the work of men's hands." An account of Sennacherib's invasion is recorded on his palace walls in Nineveh in which he boasted that he had Hezekiah caged like a bird.

Yet Hezekiah, supported by Isaiah the prophet, resisted their threats, praying for God's intervention. The Lord honored their prayers and sent an angel of destruction among the Assyrians. Sen-necherib retreated to Nineveh, where he was later murdered by his own sons. The people greatly rejoiced at the deliverance and worshiped the Lord anew.

When Hezekiah became ill unto death, the Lord answered the king's prayers for mercy by giving a sign. However, the king became proud, and the Lord convicted him of his sins. His repentance averted the Lord's wrath. The final years of Hezekiah were blessed of God, and he prospered in all that he attempted (2 Kgs. 20:1-21; Isa. 37:21-38:8).

Manasseh's Repentance (33:1-25). The Chronicler detailed the despicable acts of this king who indulged in every evil act of idolatry, sorcery, and astrology. The writer of Kings blamed Manasseh's reign for the Lord's destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation to Babylon (2 Kgs. 21:10-15).

The Chronicler's account of Manasseh's reign (697-687 b.c.) departs from the narrative of 2 Kings 21:1-18 by including the unusual story of Manasseh's imprisonment in Assyria. During this exile, he repented and God answered by returning him to Jerusalem (33:10-13). Many scholars have questioned the authenticity of the Chronicler's account. However, its omission in Kings can be attributed to that author's purpose of presenting a case for the apostasy of Judah. Chronicles, on the other hand, demonstrates how God forgives and restores the humble (see 7:14). The Chronicler cited an independent witness to corroborate his story.

Upon his return Manasseh repaired the temple and renewed proper worship. The reference to his repentant prayer gave rise to speculation about its contents in the apocryphal book "The Prayer of Manasseh" (ca. 200-100 b.c.).

His successor was Amon (642-640 b.c.) for whom the Chronicler had no words of commendation (2 Kgs. 21:19-24).

Book of the Law (34:1-33). Josiah reigned for thirty-one years (640-609 b.c.) and walked in the way of the Lord as David had done (2 Kgs. 22:1-2). For the author of Kings, Josiah's significance was second only to David's. Therefore more attention is devoted to his reign in Kings than in Chronicles (1 Kgs. 13:2; 2 Kgs. 22:1-23:30).

Chronicles (34:3-7) indicates that religious reform began in Josiah's eighth year (632 b.c.), a full decade before the discovery of the Book of the Law (622 b.c.). The purge of idolatry and high places extended to northern towns as well as Judah, indicating that Josiah's rule was expanding into the old Northern Kingdom without Assyria's interference.

The Levites received money from the rulers and common people to refurbish the temple. As the Levites worked, the high priest Hilkiah found a copy of the Book of the Law (also called "Book of the Covenant"). From Josiah's response most scholars have concluded that it was a portion of Deuteronomy. Upon hearing the book read, Josiah was remorseful and feared the Lord's wrath. The prophetess Huldah declared that the Lord would destroy Judah but preserve Josiah's reign because of his humble contrition. Josiah led the people in a covenant renewal ceremony.

Josiah's Passover (35:1-27). Celebration of Passover and the week of Unleavened Bread followed the reforms of Hezekiah (chap. 30) and Josiah. Chro, because of its interest in cultic matters, elaborated on the few verses given to it in 2 Kings 23:21-23.

The celebration occurred in the appropriate month, unlike Hezekiah's Passover renewal. To worship the Lord properly the Levites and priests consecrated themselves and then prepared the sacrifices in behalf of the people. The Levites functioned in their proper order in accordance with the Book of Moses. Typical of the Chronicler, he also included the role of the musical guilds David appointed. The celebration exceeded that of any previous Passover since the days of Samuel. Josiah's reforms culminated with the Passover observed in the same year as the finding of the Book of the Law.

The Chronicler also clarified the events of Josiah's death at the battle of Megiddo, where Pharaoh Neco defeated him (2 Kgs. 23:26-30). Neco was marching through Jezreel to assist the Assyrians, who were pinned down by the Babylonians at Carchemish (North Syria). Ironically, Josiah, whose reign was remembered for its righteousness, died because he failed to adhere to the Lord's command. The prophet Jeremiah (not mentioned in Kings) lamented in song the death of the monarch.

Judah's Last Days (36:1-13). The Chronicler gave a brief account of Judah's last kings (see 2 Kgs. 23:30-25:21; Jer. 52:4-27), focused on the temple and its ministries.

Jehoahaz (609 b.c.), whom Necho installed, was deposed after only three months and replaced by a second son of Josiah, Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar was victorious at Carchemish and subjugated the petty kingdom of Judah. Jehoiakim's evil reign (609-598 b.c.) ended in deportation by Nebuchadnezzar, who invaded rebellious Jerusalem and plundered the temple. King Jehoiachin (598-597 b.c.) was quickly supplanted with the puppet king Zedekiah (597-586 b.c.), whose rebellion led to Jerusalem's final demise in 586 b.c.

The Chronicler's final remarks are a sermon blaming the failure of the priests and leaders to obey the Lord's commands for the temple's and city's destruction. Writing almost two centuries after Kings, the Chronicler included in his story the return of the exiles, adding that Jeremiah predicted this (Jer. 25:11; 29:10). The Chronicler commented that the land had its Sabbath rest as the law required (see Lev. 26), for the seventy years from the ruin of the temple (586 b.c.) to its rebuilding (516 b.c.).

With the ousting of the Babylonians, the Persian emperor Cyrus inaugurated a new policy toward the exiles. Cyrus's edict, published in the famous Cyrus Cylinder (539 b.c.), was quoted by the Chronicler in its Hebrew version. Cyrus permitted the conquered peoples of Babylon to return to their homelands and revive their religious traditions. For the Jews he ordered the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple.

Although it appeared that God's promises to David were abandoned, the Chronicler showed through his review of history that God remains faithful and can change history to accomplish His purposes. The story of Israel's fortunes was not finished. These last two verses were repeated in Ezra 1:1-3a to indicate that the story of God's redemptive work through the temple continued in the accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Ethical and Theological Significance. Second Chronicles speaks of the importance of worship and obedience. The Chronicler evaluated the kings of Judah not on their secular accomplishments but on the basis of their faithfulness to God, especially as evidenced in their support of temple worship. The Chronicler's verdict on these kings reminds today's Christians that our lives will someday be judged as well. As we live our lives, we should keep God's goals in mind and strive for His commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21).

Sin is serious. The sin of God's people led to the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and to the exile. Though God punishes sin, judgment is not God's final word. God "is good; his love for Israel endures forever" (Ezra 3:11). Second Chronicles ends with the exiles' being given the freedom to go home and rebuild the temple. Our God is a God of second chances, who through Jesus offers sinners new freedom, a chance to come home to His family, and opportunities for service.

McConville, J. G. I & II Chronicles. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1984.

Merrill, Eugene H. 1, 2 Chronicles. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.

Sailhamer, John. First and Second Chronicles. Chicago: Moody, 1983.