Intro Second Chronicles


“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” 
2 Chronicles 7:14 

Monica and I love going on dates and, for the most part, they are great and we are able to really enjoy our adventures! However, there are occasions when the date does not go as planned and leaves us a bit disappointed. For example, despite having attended numerous Hot Air Balloon festivals, we have yet to see a balloon lift off of the ground. Sadly, we have only ever seen two balloons inflate, but then immediately deflated due to “high winds”. As you can imagine, those dates were very… deflating. Our date begins with great joy and excitement for what is to come, but ends with a tinge of disappointment. The book of Second Chronicles can feel a bit like that.

Originally part of First Chronicles, Second Chronicles continues to “chronicle” the history of David’s line starting from his son Solomon. In the first 9 chapters we are overjoyed by the work God is doing through Solomon as he has great wisdom, wealth, and glory and completes the task he had been given in building the temple, the dwelling place for the Lord God. Everything seems to be as it should be, but then we get to chapter 10. There we read that the kingdom gets divided and as we trace the kings of the Southern Kingdom, Judah, the majority of these kings “did not do what was right in the LORD’s sight like [their] ancestor David” (2 Chronicles 28:1). Essentially, these kings were not like David with hearts after God, but were full of wickedness and evil. Although God “had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place” the people reject His word, His messengers, and His law (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).

What starts off with gladness ends in grief. What begins as a great era of peace in the land shifts into an age of possession, where the people of Israel serve as slaves to the Persian Empire. With the dedication of the temple in chapter 6 came earnest and faithful worship to the Lord, but by the end of the book the people’s hearts have grown cold and we read of the temple being destroyed. While we are greatly disappointed in the princes and people for turning away from God, there is an important lesson that is being taught in this book. After the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people, we read two final verses in the book. We read the people of God returning home to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. Our hope and prayer are that they have learned that God hates sin, but He is rich in mercy and desires to forgive and heal those who humble themselves and repent to Him.

The temple may be gone, but those who belong to Christ are the temples of the living God (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as Solomon’s temple was to be a place where God was honored and revered above all things, so too we are to use our bodies to worship Him. As you read through Second Chronicles, may it act as a mirror into your own heart. In areas of rebellion and pride, I pray that you will humble yourself and seek His face in repentance. That is true wisdom which we all need; wisdom which Solomon had requested from the Lord.

Grace and Peace,
Alex Galvez

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