Bible Studies

I CHRONICLES

by Henry Jaegers
06/27/19
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I CHRONICLES

in considering the book of first and second Chronicles, the first thing that we must know, that instead of their being two books, they are actually one book with two parts. Second Chronicles continues on from the beginning of Solomon's reign and ends with the command of Cyrus king of Persia for the nation of Israel to leave Babylon and begin working on reconstructing the temple of God.

 In light of this, it is important to note that this book was written after Israel left Babylon during the times of Ezra and Nehemiah. There are two internal evidences to prove that this is true. In first Chronicles chapter 6: 12-15, we are told that Jehozadak went into Babylonian captivity. In these verses we see listed, those who went into Babylonian captivity, and in the last section of second Chronicles, we see Cyrus commanded the people to l leave. This is clear evidence that the book was written with the perspective of things that had already taken place. The command of Cyrus was now history and is recorded in harmony with the first part of the book of Ezra to the time when the children of Israel went into Babylonian captivity.

 The book of first Chronicles begins with a genealogy begins with Adam and as we view this genealogy carefully, we note that only a select group are mentioned. The reason for this is: The genealogy takes up 10 chapters and as we view them, we notice some names are excluded and others are included. It is explained, that those names which are included are those whose lives have been characterized by obedience to God having a proper attitude toward worship, thus, making the temple as the place of worship their main focus.

 That being so, we find first, in the book of first Chronicles the emphasis being given to David whose heart and desire was to build a house for God. This was David's main focus in his life, and his desire for the building of the temple expresses the heart for God the David had. In this first book of Chronicles, emphasis is placed upon David and his second Chronicles the continuance of the story progresses forward to Solomon and the actual building and worship in the Temple prior to Judah’s being taken into Babylonian captivity.

 This first picture presents him, as a shepherd, next he is seen as part of King Saul’s court, then we find him in battle over Israel’s enemies and being praised as more worthy than Saul their present King. The final stage before he was crowned king in Hebron, is a time when he is on the attack and on the run from Saul, who because of his jealousy sought to destroy David. Then after the death of Saul David is officially anointed king over Israel in Hebron. This first book of Chronicles is centered in the life of David and is presented in four pictures of him. The first picture is that of him being crowned king over Israel.

 The second picture is that of David overcoming the stronghold of G bus and through this capture is stabbed to established this place is the final resting place for the temple of God which now becomes Jerusalem.

 The third picture depicts the great dedication and love that the people had toward David. Several mighty men, warriors of his army, risk their very life in order to grant him the desire to have a drink from the well of Bethlehem. Not counting there lives dear unto themselves, they risked their very life in order to satisfy the simple desire of the King. Not only is the greatness of these men displayed, but also in their dedication we see the greatness in David's leadership and his love for his men that cause them to make such sacrifice. Later, after hearing of this, David poured out the water saying that he himself was not worthy that these men should risked their lives to get him that drink of water from Bethlehem. This shows great leadership on David's part and the dedication to his leadership is displayed by these mighty men.

 The final picture is that of the mighty men who are part of David's Army. We are told that they could handle the spear and the bow with either hand. This meant that they were involved in intense training and personal discipline, and they became a mighty army for David through their willingness to undergo such training in order to be most effective. This also is a reflection of the leadership of David as he inspired such self-sacrifice and discipline in his men.

 All of this considered, the book closes with the defeat of the enemies who held the ark of God captive. Now as we close the book, the ark is now rescued and preparation continues toward the ultimate goal of building the temple. Although all of this was to be done and completed by the ministry of Solomon, David continued laying the foundations and doing the necessary preparation for the final outcome of the remainder of the building of the house of God. Thus, we have the summary of the message from First Chronicles.

                         Questions for Discussion

 1. In chapter 1:1-6, Notice the absence of some names from this Genealogy. Discuss the reasons why this is so.

   2. In Chapter 3: 4, notice how long David reigned in Jerusalem. Name the sons born to him after he left Hebron.

 3. From 3:10-17, separate the Good kings from the bad ones, tracing back to the books of I and II kings and II Chronicles.

 4. In 4:10, we have a prayer offered by Jabez: Why did God answer His prayer? Consider the circumstances from which it was offered in the previous verses.

 5.Read 4:38-43 to determine why certain men were included in the Genealogy? What character qualities were apparent in their lives?

 6.In 5: 18-22, what made Reuben great? What was the most prominent feature? How do we know that these qualities were an asset to David?

 7. In 5:23-26, describe the after-effects that disobedience had on all of the remaining tribes that led to the Assyrian Captivity, How do these verses give some evidence of when this book was written?

 8.In Chapter 6:14,15, what further evidence is given as to when this book was written?

9. From Chapter 11:15-19, discuss the dedication of these brave men and the actions of David toward them. What thoughts do you think that David entertained in his response?

10. From Chapter 17: 16-27, consider David’s response when it was told to David that he should not build the house of God.  IIs it any wonder that he was called “The man after God’s own Heart”?