Why Study Chronicles?
Last year I finished writing a commentary on 1-2 Chronicles, which will be published this October in the Story of God Bible Commentary series by Zondervan. I’ve also written an eight-week Bible study entitled, Cultivating Godliness. Many of you may not be aware that my doctoral dissertation was in Genesis 1–11, and I’ve written two academic monographs in Genesis (From Noah to Israel: Realization of the Primaeval Blessing After the Flood and Was Noah Good? Finding Favour in the Flood Narrative). I’ve also been teaching a seminary class on Genesis for the past twenty years. Given my focus on Genesis, people kept asking me, “Why study Chronicles?”
To be honest, throughout my two decades of teaching the Old Testament, I’ve always been drawn to Chronicles. I’ve loved reading about kings like Asa, when he cries out to God amid a fierce battle: “LORD there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are God; let not man prevail against You” (2 Chr. 14:11). I just love this prayer! Asa demonstrates great faith in God, and his prayer has been an encouragement to me personally in my walk with the Lord. I wouldn’t have known about this prayer except for Chronicles.
A few years later in Asa’s reign, the author of Chronicles (he’s simply known as “the Chronicler”) records that Asa foolishly enters an alliance with the idolatrous king Baasha, and he is rebuked by a prophet for his failure to rely on God (2 Chr. 16:7-10). The prophet even tells the king that God would have strengthened him, if only his heart had been fully devoted to God: “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chr. 16:9). This is another encouraging verse, and I wouldn’t have known about it except for Chronicles. In fact, the Chronicler devotes three chapters to Asa (2 Chr. 14–16), whereas only a few verses are devoted to him in Kings (1 Kgs. 15:8-22). These additional stories have been included in Chronicles because Asa serves as a model of piety for the returnees facing their own challenging circumstances. The king trusts in God and turns to the LORD for help, and this is something the returnees were to do amid their own difficult circumstances. But as we’ve seen, Asa is not picture perfect. His later failure serves as a warning to the returnees about what can happen when a king no longer seeks God and relies on things other than God. Asa’s life underscores that godly practices and habits need to be cultivated throughout a person’s life.
Jehoshaphat is another favorite of the Chronicler’s (and he’s a favorite of mine). Four chapters are devoted to his reign in Chronicles (2 Chr. 17–20), but only one chapter is devoted to his reign in Kings (1 Kgs. 22). The Chronicler records that when Jehoshaphat becomes king, he seeks God, follows God’s commands, fortifies the kingdom, appoints Levites to teach the law, receives tribute from the nations, and builds up his military (2 Chr. 17). He is off to a good start, but then he makes a serious mistake by allying himself with the idolatrous king Ahab (2 Chr. 18). He fails to listen to a warning given by a prophet, but as he is about to be killed, at the last moment, he cries out to God for help and is delivered. This event changes the trajectory of the king’s life.
When Jehoshaphat faces military opposition, this time he seeks God’s face, proclaims a fast, prays to God, and he leads Judah in victory by stepping out in faith and praising God before the battle has been won (2 Chr. 20). His prayer is one of the jewels of the Old Testament: “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (2 Chr. 20:12). I’ve always been drawn to this prayer, and again, I wouldn’t have known about it except for Chronicles.
People ask me, “Why study Chronicles?” My response is that Chronicles has some of the jewels of Scripture that are found nowhere else. These stories challenge us to reflect on our own walk with the Lord and how we respond during difficult or challenging circumstances.
But there’s something even more precious about Chronicles. The book comes with the assurance that God promises to be found by those who seek Him (2 Chr. 15:4). We encounter God in Chronicles—in all His glory, enthroned and worthy of praise and honor. And that’s the ultimate answer to the question: “Why study Chronicles?” It leads us to worship as we encounter the Lord in the Scriptures.
Dr. Carol Kaminski