At first glance, 1 and 2 Chronicles are extremely similar to 1 and 2 Kings, but with an important difference—the same period in history is told from an entirely different perspective. The books of Kings highlighted the failures of the Kingdom leading to its downfall and ultimately sending the Israelites into exile. In contrast, the books of Chronicles were written after the people returned from exile, and were now living subject to foreign overlords, occupying only a fraction of the land compared to the kingdom before exile. Remembering God’s covenant with David would have then raised a lot of questions for the people regarding their place in God’s purpose and plan. Chronicles was written to show that throughout their history, obedience to God always led to blessing and disobedience only created problems. Therefore, the Kingdom is not dependent on a king, because it is spiritual in nature. Instead of focusing on failure like Kings, Chronicles focuses on future hope in God’s promise and plan, by helping Israel live out his plan in the present.

 

2 Chronicles continues the narrative of the united kingdom of King David and his son Solomon; what David begins, Solomon completes. But there is less interest in Solomon as king than in the lasting achievement of his reign—the construction of the temple and the inauguration of its services. The temple was a sacred space, where humanity could interact with the divine; therefore, careful attention is given to the design of the temple and its stipulations in order to respect God’s holiness. The essence of Solomon’s temple dedication prayer is that God hears the prayers of his people. Prayer and repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation are central to the author’s message of true spirituality, all of which are connected to the temple (where God meets mankind). Solomon’s obedience marks the fulfillment of the David covenant. Thus, many details of the king’s life are omitted here in order to focus on this theme. The last section of the book ends with recounting the history of the kingdom from its division until the fall of Judah and the exile, ending with the invitation for the exiles to return and rebuild.