1. The Davidic covenant.
God’s promissory covenant with David (1 Chron. 17:10b–14, 23–27; 2 Chron. 6:10, 15–17, 42; 7:17–18; 13:8; 23:3) is the source of the Davidic dynasty and Solomon’s temple. God’s commitment to “build a house” for David is fulfilled in the accession of Solomon and the line of his descendants, while the temple is completed as God promised (2 Chron. 6:10). The covenant has its origin in God’s purpose and initiative in electing David to be his king (1 Chron. 28:4) and Solomon to be his temple builder (1 Chron. 22:9–10; 28:5).
God is committed to maintaining his covenant in preserving the Davidic house even through apostasy (2 Chron. 21:13) and exile (1 Chron. 3:17–24). The covenant continues “forever” because of God’s gracious love for Israel, a point frequently celebrated in worship (see 1 Chron. 16:41; 2 Chron. 5:13; 20:21); nevertheless, there are conditions of obedience to God’s commands if the king and his people are to experience the blessings of the covenant (1 Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 7:17–18; 15:2, 7).
While the Davidic covenant plays a preeminent role in the work, it does not displace the Mosaic covenant as the foundation for Israel’s existence in the exodus (see 1 Chron. 17:5; 2 Chron. 5:10; 6:5; 7:22; 20:7) and the way in which the nation must live its life before God. The Law of Moses remains the standard of authority and the mark of obedience to God’s will, according to which David and his successors are judged (1 Chron. 15:15; 22:13; 2 Chron. 7:17; 12:2; 14:4; 19:10; 24:9; 25:4; 35:6). David instituted a number of reforms in the organization of worship and the duties of the Levites (1 Chron. 16:4, 37–40; 23:1–26:32), but these changes did not alter the fundamental status of the Mosaic law. The reforming kings (including Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 17:7–9; and Josiah, 2 Chronicles 34–35) took care to ensure that their measures would bring Judah’s life into closer conformity with the Law of Moses.
2. The temple.
Solomon’s temple looms very large in Chronicles, all the more so in comparison to the books of Samuel and Kings. Much of the presentation of David’s reign is taken up with his preparations for the temple, including the ark narrative (1 Chronicles 13, 15–16), which is really a harbinger of the building that will house the symbol of God’s presence (1 Chron. 17:1; 2 Chron. 5:4–5; 6:41). Moreover, David’s wars (1 Chronicles 18–20) have their primary meaning for the Chronicler in securing “rest” for the land as the condition for temple building (1 Chron. 22:17–19). The portrayal of Solomon’s reign is also taken up almost entirely with describing the construction and dedication of the temple (2 Chron. 2:1–8:16). In post-Solomonic history, the temple plays a central role in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29–30) and Josiah (2 Chronicles 34–35).
The temple’s great significance for the Chronicler is as the manifestation of the Davidic covenant alongside the dynasty. The temple and the Davidic house have a mutually supportive relationship. Just as David provided for the construction of the building (1 Chron. 22:2–16; 29:2–5) and organized its personnel (1 Chronicles 23–26), his faithful successors should take pains to ensure that its round of worship is maintained (see 2 Chron. 13:10–12), and the building is kept in repair (see 2 Chron. 24:4–14) or purified after defilement (2 Chron. 29:3–19; 34:8–13). Conversely, it is the temple personnel who should come to the aid of the Davidic dynasty in its time of crisis (2 Chron. 23:10–16).
Above all, the Chronicler’s interest in the temple lies with its personnel, especially the Levites. Considerable attention is given to their activities of offering praise in song and music (1 Chron. 6:31–47; 9:33; 15:19; 16:4–6, 37–38; 25:1–31; 2 Chron. 5:12–13; 7:6; 8:14–15; 20:21–22; 30:21; 35:15), uttering prophecy and encouragement (1 Chron. 25:1; 2 Chron. 20:14–17), supporting the Aaronic priests in administering the sacrifices (2 Chron. 29:34; 35:11–14), safeguarding the holiness of the temple (1 Chron. 9:17–27; 26:1–19; 2 Chron. 23:18), and other kinds of administration and teaching (1 Chron. 9:28–29, 31–32; 26:20–32; 2 Chron. 17:8–9; 24:4–5, 8–11; 29:3–19; 31:11–19; 34:9–13). In short, the Levites played an essential role in maintaining the whole apparatus of worship, and in many ways may be seen as the forerunners of the Christian ministry (see Rom. 15:16). Their principal service is to offer the praise that accompanies the regular sacrifices, declaring God’s eternal covenant love to Israel (1 Chron. 16:34; 2 Chron. 5:13) and assisting the people in their own offering of praise (2 Chron. 7:3). Worship for the Chronicler is a means of transformation into covenant obedience and the kindling of faith and hope.
3. The people of Israel.
The Chronicler sought to address some urgent questions in his day concerning the identity of Israel and to instill fresh confidence in the people. The genealogies of Israel that begin the work (1 Chronicles 1–9) start by tracing the people’s ancestry back to Adam, a striking reminder that Israel lay at the center of God’s purpose from the very beginning of creation. Although only a “remnant” and a provincial outpost in a great empire, Israel must remember that its security and destiny rest with Yahweh, “who rule[s] over all the kingdoms of the nations” and has given the land to Abraham’s descendants “forever” (2 Chron. 20:6–7).
Second, the continuation of the genealogies makes it clear that Israel in its broadest extent embraces all 12 tribes that were descended from Jacob/Israel’s sons (1 Chron. 2:1). While 2 Chronicles 11–36 is mainly the narrative of Judah and Benjamin, the northern tribes never forfeited their status as members of Israel, even in their rebellion against the rightful Davidic king (2 Chron. 13:5). Judah and Benjamin formed the core of the preexilic southern kingdom as well as being the majority of the restoration community, but they did so as the representative center, to which all who belonged by ancestry to Israel might join themselves. The Chronicler shows how this might be done, first of all by presenting the ideal picture of “all Israel” united in their support of David and Solomon at the foundation of the Davidic monarchy and the dedication of the temple (see 1 Chron. 11:1–12:40; 13:2, 5; 15:3; 28:1; 29:6; 2 Chron. 1:2; 5:2; 6:3; 7:8–10). The division of the kingdom under Rehoboam led to a centuries-long schism in the people, and the northern tribes lapsed into apostasy (2 Chron. 13:8–9). With the fall of the northern kingdom, however, Hezekiah made brotherly overtures to the north to heal these divisions through participation in temple worship (see 2 Chron. 30:6–9) as one people under the Davidic king, as they had been in Solomon’s day (2 Chron. 30:23–27). The participation of northerners in Josiah’s Passover (2 Chron. 35:17) and the membership of people from Ephraim and Manasseh in the postexilic community in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 9:3) demonstrated the same desire to include “all Israel” once more, with the temple (a visible symbol of the Davidic covenant) as the focus of unity.
Chronicles might also be called a genuinely populist work. Although its concern with kings and the priesthood might seem hierarchical, it demonstrates a striking interest in the broad participation of the people in the life of the nation. Compared to the presentation in the books of Samuel and Kings, the Chronicler consistently highlights the role of the people at large in laying the religious foundations of the nation (see 1 Chron. 11:4; 13:2; 15:25; 2 Chron. 1:2–3), no doubt as a way of affirming that “all Israel” (both north and south, the laity as well as the priesthood) has a share in these institutions. The Chronicler also shows the people responding generously to appeals to support the temple (1 Chron. 29:5–9; 2 Chron. 31:4–10) and participating in the numerous acts of religious reform and covenant renewal (see 2 Chron. 15:8–17; 17:7–9; 23:16–21; 31:1; 34:29–32). All these portrayals show the covenant people at their best, responding to the call to “seek God” and entering into his blessing. This was evidently an outlook that the Chronicler desired the people of his own day to emulate.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 700–701.
