Recap

So far in 1-2 Chronicles we’ve read through the introductory genealogies, king David and Solomon’s reigns and started reigns of Judah's kings from Rehoboam to the exile. While separate books in our Bible 1-2 Chronicles tell one story, giving a recap of the Old Testament from Adam to the Jews' return from exile.

We read through the opening chapters of the book dedicated to the genealogies of God's people. These covered from Adam to David, focusing on Judah, the tribe of the royal family, Levi, the tribe of the priests, and Benjamin, the tribe of the first king Saul. There were also genealogies of the people who returned from exile.

As we moved into the section of the book focused on David, we saw the author use David as a model for what an ideal future king will look like. He was a shepherd, a ruler, a priest. He united the tribes, defeated their enemies, established peace. He served as a second Moses, designing the temple, gathering its resources, and organising the Levites and priests. David did everything he could to set Solomon up well. He then stepped back to allow Solomon to be king. 

Starting 2 Chronicles, Solomon immediately set himself apart from other kings, asking God not for wealth or power, but wisdom. Because of this, God granted Solomon the wisdom that he asked for, and the wealth and success that he hadn't. Solomon gathered the remaining resources for the temple and then had it built. He brought in the Ark of the Covenant and all the gold dedicated to God. Solomon prayed over the temple and the people and God's presence fell. God then warned Solomon that as long as his people remained humble and repented of their sin, God would forgive and rescue them. But if they don't, God will cast them from their land and destroy this temple.

Solomon went on to build more cities and establishing trade routes before passing on reign to his son Rehoboam. Rehoboam sort to oppress and subdue the people which lead to the ten northern tribes seceding and setting up Jeroboam as king of the new Israel in the north. The two southern tribes became known as just Judah. Rehoboam started off poorly but turned to God when Egypt came to sack Jerusalem.

Then came Abijah, who trusted in God when Israel attacked. After him can Asa. Asa spent his early reign wiping out foreign worship, but when Israel attacked again, he turned to Syria for help, not God. Asa died riddled with disease, unwilling to turn to God for help. Then came Jehoshaphat, who organised officers and Levites to travel the land, teaching the people about God's ways. He fought a war alongside Ahab in Israel against Syria, and when the Moabites and Ammonites came, he turned to the Lord. His mistake in his later years was partnering with Israel in trade.

2 Chronicles 21-24

After Jehoshaphat came Jehoram. As soon as he became king, he killed of most of his family to secure his position on the throne. God was angry with Jehoram but didn't want to destroy the family line completely because of the promise he had made to David.

Instead, God allowed some of the nations that Judah had conquered to break free from Judah's control. This didn't stop Jehoram. He established foreign worship across Judah, encouraging the people to turn away from God.

At this, God caused the Philistines and Arabians to attack Judah and raid Jerusalem. They took all of Jehoram's children, apart from his youngest son. And God struck Jehoram down with a fatal disease, where his body rotted until his bowels fell out. Jehoram died and his remaining son, Ahaziah, replaced him.

But Ahaziah was just as wicked as Jehoram, doing all the same things. He partnered with the wicked king of Israel, Joram (sometimes known as Jehoram), to fight against the Syrians. Joram was wounded in battle, and Ahaziah went to visit him. There he was killed by a man named Jehu, leaving the throne in Judah empty.

Seeing her opportunity, Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, claimed the throne for herself and killed any remaining member of the family so they couldn't challenge her. Only one of Ahaziah's sons survived. Joash. He was quickly hidden away and raised away from prying eyes.

When Joash was seven, Jehoida the priest decided to appoint him as king. He gathered the Levites and many key leaders in Judah together and told them to declare Joash as king. He armed some with weapons so they could protect the young boy.

They began to parade through the town, declaring Joash as king. Before long, Athaliah heard about it. She declared treason and hid in the temple. But Jehoida told his men to bring her out and kill her. The Jehoida led the people to destroy all their places of false worship and restore the temple to its proper order.

So Joash was king and, under the guidance of Jehoida, he led well. He encouraged the people to give to the temple to help maintain it. When the Levites were slow in collecting this money, he had a box put outside the temple so people could come and drop off their offerings. The coins quickly started flowing in and Joash made sure it went to skilled masons and craftsmen to keep the temple well maintained and looked after.

But Jehoida grew old and eventually passed away, leaving Joash to his own devices. It didn't take long before he was leading the people in foreign worship. God sent his spirit to Zechariah, Jehoida's son, to challenge Joash on his behaviour, but Joash wouldn't listen and had Zechariah stoned.

Because of this, God sent an army from Syria to attack and sack Jerusalem, wounding Joash in the process. As he laid in bed recovering, some of his servants killed him to avenge Jehoida and his son. Once more, a king of Judah started of serving God well, but quickly fell away.

Psalm 74

This psalm is attributed to Asaph, one of king David’s musicians. It falls into the category of lament psalm and is likely a reflection of what happened to Jerusalem when it was sacked and its people taken into exile.

Psalm 74:1 - Question

Psalm 74:2-3 - Request

Psalm 74:4-11 - Complaint

Psalm 74:12-17 - Declaration of trust

Psalm 74:18-23 - Request

The psalmist starts with a question. Why did God let this happen? Why did he allow his people to be taken captive and led away?

The psalmist the asks God to remember. Remember the people that he redeemed out of Egypt and remember Mount Zion, the city of Jerusalem, where he set his presence amongst them. Remember those God and then visit the ruins that they are now.

At this, the psalmist falls into their complaint. God’s enemies were able to enter God’s temple and pervert it. Like lumberjacks, they were able to chop down the temple, breaking it apart. They burnt it down and mocked God’s name.

As for God’s people, they no longer hear from God. There are no prophets to guide them. The psalmist asks God directly, how long? How long will God allow the enemies to win and prosper and not destroy them?

At that, the psalmist turns to declare trust in God. God is king, and he is working salvation across the earth. He divided up the chaotic seas and crushed the heads of the most chaotic beings imaginable.

The Leviathan was a great sea beast that was the embodiment of chaos. In the mythologies of the neighbouring nations, it waged wars against gods and gave them a run for their money. But the God of Israel merely crushes the head of this great beast and feeds its corpse to the wild animals.

He causes some streams to flow and others to dry up. Why? Because it’s all his. The day and the night. The heaven and the earth. He made them all and ordered them all.

Now, from a place of confidence, the psalmist makes new requests of God. They ask that God remember how their enemies have scoffed and cursed God. They ask him not to let his people be overcome by the wicked, or leave them in their suffering.

Instead, they call God to uphold the covenant he made with his people, because the places they currently find themselves are dark and full of violence. Once again, be the God of the poor and needy. Arise o God and defeat your enemies.

The psalmist has seen their nation destroyed and their people taken captive. The temple itself was defiled and torn down. They have every reason to turn their back on God and assume he doesn’t exist. Instead, they hold on to the fact that God is in control and still king over all the earth.