The Chapters – Quick Access
Basics
BOOK: 1 Chronicles
Description: historical book describing the reign of King David (after 9 chapters of family trees of Israel)
Author: unknown. Hebrew tradition suggests Ezra but may be a compilation of a number of writers.
Date written: unknown but possibly about 450BC.
Chapters: 29
Brief Synopsis
- Gets its name from the Hebrew title which can be translated ‘the events of the days or years’
- As the outline below indicates, chapters 1 to 9 are the family trees of the tribes of Israel while the rest of the book covers the reign of King David.
Basic Outline
- Ch.1-9 Genealogies: Creation to Restoration
- Ch.1 The Patriarchs
- Ch.2-4 Sons of Jacob/Israel & family of Judah & sons of Simeon
- Ch.5 Reuben, Gad and the Half-Tribe of Manasseh
- Ch.6 Levi and Families
- Ch.7-9 Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim and Asher
- Ch.10-29 The Reign of David
- Ch.10 Death of Saul
- Ch.11-12 Capture of Jerusalem; David’s Power Base
- Ch.13-16 Return of the Ark; Establishment of David’s Kingdom
- Ch.17 Promise of Dynasty
- Ch.18-20 David’s Conquests
- Ch.21 The Census
- Ch.22 Preparations for the Temple
- Ch.23-26 Organization of the Temple Service
- Ch.27 Administrative Structures of the Kingdom
- Ch.28,29 David’s Final Preparations for Succession and the Temple
- Ch. 29 Succession of Solomon; Death of David
For sake of continuity in understanding we continue with 2 Chronicles
- Ch.1-9 The Reign of Solomon
- Ch.10-36 The Schism, and the History of the Kings of Judah
- Ch.10-12 Rehoboam
- Ch.13 Abijah
- Ch.14-16 Asa
- Ch.17-21 Jehoshaphat
- Ch.21,22 Jehoram and Ahaziah
- Ch.22-24 Joash
- Ch.25 Amaziah
- Ch.26 Uzziah
- Ch.27 Jotham
- Ch.28 Ahaz
- Ch.29-32 Hezekiah
- Ch.33 Manasseh & Amon
- Ch.34-36 Josiah
- Ch.36 Josiah’s Successors & Exile and Restoration
Concluding Comments
- The writer(s) of 1 Chronicles clearly seeks to portray an encouraging picture of David’s reign and of him being a foundation to the Messianic promise. Some suggest, therefore, that it was written by Ezra to encourage the restored people in the restoration after the Exile.
- It omits the earlier life and experiences of David as seen in 1 Samuel and picks up the events from the death of Saul as seen in 2 Samuel. In many ways it is a more detailed explanation of David’s reign but misses out much that is negative in 2 Samuel.
- Compared with 2 Samuel there is NO mention of:
- the seven-year reign in Hebron before the uniting of the kingdom,
- the wars between Saul’s house and David,
- the negotiations with Abner,
- the difficulties over David’s wife Michal,
- or the murders of Abner and Ish-Bosheth (2Sam 1-4).
- The writer presents David as being immediately anointed king over all Israel after the death of Saul (ch. 11) and enjoying the total support of the people (11:10-12:40).
- Subsequent difficulties for David are also not recounted.
- No mention is made of
- David’s sin with Bathsheba,
- the crime and death of Amnon,
- the rebellion by Absalom against his father,
- the flight of David from Jerusalem,
- the rebellions of Sheba and Shimei, and other incidents that might diminish the glory of David’s reign (2Sam 11-20).
- David is presented without blemish, apart from the incident of the census in which the writer shows David coming out of it well and purchasing land which will eventually be used for building the Temple.
- In many ways, therefore, the historical narrative of 1 Chronicles concerning David is much lighter reading than that in 2 Samuel.
- Chronicles includes many lists and names and explains the structure of David’s reign far more than seen in 2 Samuel.
- It has also been commented that there are more speeches in Chronicles (165) than in the parallel texts of Samuel and Kings (95) and these go to explain the thrust of what was happening.
- We might conclude, therefore, that although our tendency is to focus on people’s failings, the writer in 1 Chronicles does not do that in respect of David, in fact quite to the contrary. David is God’s man which many good qualities and the write concludes, “He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor.”
- Perhaps to maintain balance we might finish with the record of the writer in 1 Kings: “For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD’s commands all the days of his life–except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” (1 Kings 15:5) [NB. The census was giving way to a temptation from Satan, not a failure of daily law-keeping and is thus excluded in this assessment.]
- The New Testament testimony from Paul is also worth holding on to: “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: `I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do,’” (Acts 13:22) echoing Samuel’s words chastising Saul: “But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” (1 Sam 13:14) What an excellent testimony to have.