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2 CHRONICLES
OUTLINE
1. Solomon (1-9)
2. Rehoboam (10-12)
3. Abijah (13)
4. Asa (14-16)
5. Jehoshaphat 17-20)
6. Jehoram (21)
7. Ahaziah (22)
8. [Athaliah and Jehoida] (23)
9. Joash (24)
10. Amaziah (25)
11. Uzziah (26)
12. Jotham (27)
13. Ahaz (28)
14. Hezekiah (29-32)
15. Manasseh and Amon (33)
16. Josiah (34-35)
17. Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin,
Zedekiah (36)
EXPLANATION
2 Chronicles, as already mentioned, was written by Ezra around
450 B.C. He did not choose to focus on Israel at all, perhaps because
they were the apostate kingdom after the time of Jeroboam and because
as regards Christ coming into the world, they become irrelevant. The
Messiah will come through the tribe of Judah. But what a sad story the
history is. The kingdom becomes so spiritually pathetic that God has
them taken captive in Babylon, which is where the book ends. The
reader begins this book with a picture of the great splendor of
Solomon's reign and finishes it with Israel "by the rivers of Babylon"
(Psalm 137), with the land lying desolate.
At least some attention is given to the reign of each king, but the
information recorded is not there for the reason that most history is
written. In secular accounts we learn of the material accomplishments,
the successes, and the failures. And although strengths and
shortcomings abound in this book, there is always a spiritual emphasis.
That "historical" events occur is always the case; what the writer
of this book wants people to know is the reason these things happen.
KEY VERSES
3:1 The House of the Lord is Built on the Threshing Floor of
Ornan.
6:36-39 A Prophecy of Captivity.
7:19-22 "But if you turn away and forsake My statutes...."
8:7-9 What Had Happened to the People of the Land?
9:29; 13:22; 20:34 Writers of the Old Testament.
15:2-3 "...The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you
seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him,
He will forsake you."
15:12-13 Total Commitment.
19:2 "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the
Lord?"
29:25 Instrumental Music was Authorized Under this Covenant; It
Has No Authority Today.
32:7 "Be strong and courageous...."
32:8 "With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our
God...."
36:15-16 "And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings... But
they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and
scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose
against His people, till there was no remedy."
INSIGHT
One of the key verses of Ezra is 7:10; he prepared his heart to
seek the law of the Lord. He also talks about kings in this manner.
Why was Rehoboam such a dismal failure? Because he prepared not his
heart to seek the Lord (12:14). Jotham was mighty because he prepared
his ways before the Lord His God (27:6). Hezekiah invoked God's
blessings upon all who would prepare their hearts to seek God (30:18-19).
Jehoshaphat was such a good overall king because he prepared
his heart to seek God (19:3); however, as already noticed he had a
fellowship problem. As Frank Dunn points out in his Know Your Bible,
"Good king Jehoshaphat entered into a three-fold sinful alliance
with the house of Ahab: (a) military (18:3), (b) matrimonial, marriage
of his son, Jehoram to Ahab's daughter, Athaliah (21:6), and
(c) commercial (20:35-37)" (154-55).
HIGHLIGHTS
13:4-12 Abijah-The Lord is Our God.
14:2-5 Asa-Spiritual Housecleaning.
15:16- He Removes the Queen Mother.
17:1-6 Jehoshaphat-His Heart Took Delight in the Ways of the Lord.
29-32 The Reforms of Hezekiah.
33:10-17 The Repentance of Manasseh.
34-35 The Restoration of Josiah.
LOWLIGHTS
11:15 In Addition to the Golden Calves Jeroboam Worshipped
Demons.
12:9-10 Bronze Shields, Cheap Substitutes.
16:7-12 Asa's Sad Conclusion to a Good Life.
21:19-20 Jehoram's Sad Departure from this World.
24:2, 15-22 Joash-The Height of Ingratitude.
25:14-15 Amaziah Worships the Losers.
26:16-21 Uzziah's Pride Gets the Best of Him for a Time.
28:22-25 Ahaz-The Wicked King Becomes Increasing Unfaithful.
30:10-11 Restoration Practices are Laughed to Scorn, Though
Some Humble Themselves.
34:15 "...I have found the book of the law in the house of the
Lord..."
*Send comments or questions concerning this survey to Gary Summers. [Old Testament Survey Index]
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