For 400 years, the Jewish people lived under the rule of “Judges.” After that – about 1000 B.C. – they were ruled by kings: first by Saul, then David, then Solomon. At Solomon’s death, the kingdom was divided into two parts: a north called “Israel,” and a south called “Judah.” From Solomon’s death until 722 B.C., nineteen kings ruled in the north and 13 ruled in the south. Both empires had great difficulty remaining true to God, and Israel found it most difficult – so much so that in 722 B.C., God had the northern empire destroyed because of their sinfulness. An account of all these kings may be found in the book of Kings.

The southern kingdom of Judah continued a history of spotty faithfulness to God. Seven more kings ruled until 586 B.C. when the nation was overcome by the Babylonians and displaced to Mesopotamia (this period is covered by both the book of kings and the book of Chronicles). Centuries before, God warned Judah this would happen (Isaiah 39:5-7). He also promised their captivity would last seventy years and afterward, they would be released (Jeremiah 29:10-14).

By 539 B.C., the Persian King Cyrus had conquered the Babylonians and, as God had promised, he permitted the Jews to return to their homeland. Ezra begins to chronicle that return. Nearly 50,000 people made the first migration back to Judea and they immediately set about rebuilding the temple the Babylonians had destroyed half a century earlier. It was tough going. Facing outside opposition, overcome by materialism and a flagging interest in God, it took nearly 20 years to complete the rebuilding. Possession of a temple, however, will not make a spiritual people. What they needed was a spiritual leader, and God provided that in the person of Ezra, who appears for the first time in chapter 7 of the book that bears his name.

Ezra was a direct descendant of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel. He was a good man, “well versed in the law of Moses.” So spiritual was he that he refused an official escort as he led the return to Jerusalem. He wanted the Persian king to see the great trust he had in the God of the Jewish people. So spiritual was he that when he learned of the great sins that beset the Jewish people in Judea, he tore his robes and pulled hair from his own head and beard. The last four chapters deal with the spiritual reforms Ezra put in place among the people. In an age such as our own, where we often preach “come as you are” in our calls to discipleship, these final chapters pointedly and painfully show what God may require to make our lifestyles acceptable to God after we come as we are.

In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah are considered to be one book. After the return of the Jews in Ezra, the rebuilding of the temple and the enacting of spiritual reforms, what the Jewish people needed was a political leader. God provided him in the person of Nehemiah. His book recounts Nehemiah’s reforms and his rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was a spiritual man, but he was also a political figure. He would ensure, by force if necessary, that God’s people were obedient to God’s law. When he learned of sin among God’s people, he pulled out the hair of the sinners.

With the return of the exiles, the rebuilding of the temple, the instituting of religious revival, and the establishing of a stable and righteous government, you would think the Jews would be well on their way to holiness. This was not the case.

Nehemiah ruled in Jerusalem for twelve years before returning to the service of the King of Persia. Some time after that, he returned to Jerusalem to discover God’s people had resumed their faithless ways.

And it is at this point, at the end of Nehemiah, that the history covered by the Old Testament comes to an end. There are more books to be sure, but the story is over.

Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the faithfulness of God to the unfaithful people He loves. Ezra attempted spiritual reform through teaching and example. Nehemiah attempted spiritual reform through spiritual leadership and force. Both ways failed in the long run. If the people of God are going to live like the people of God, the reform must come, not just from the outside, but from within each of our hearts.

How’s your heart?

The book of Kings is often called a “synchronistic history” because it presents both the story of the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah at the same time. It “synchronizes” their stories, switching back and forth between them as if to say, ‘while all this was going on in the north, this was going on in the south.’ Though Chronicles presents an account of the same time frame, its story only has to do with the south.

Chronicles appears as the last book in the Hebrew Bible. In Hebrew, it is called “Words of Days.” When in the 2nd. century B.C. it was translated into Greek, the translators called it “Things Left Out” (meaning things left out of the other historical books). In the 4th century AD, Jerome noted that Chronicles begins not with David, but with Adam, and he called the book in Latin “The Chronicle of the whole of Sacred History.” That name stuck and today, it is called “Chronicles.” It is the third longest book in the Old Testament. Again, the most important question in a study of this book is: “Why was the book written?”

Chronicles was written sometime after 532 B.C. because the last thing mentioned in that book is that date. That was the date of the return of the Jewish people from Babylonian exile to rebuild Jerusalem and their temple. Whatever message is in this book, it is for those returning exiles.

The writer of Chronicles covers the history of the world from Adam to Saul, the first king of Israel, in the opening nine chapters. He does so simply through geneology. Along the way, interspersed through the geneologies, he makes a few side comments. Jabez prayed and God heard his prayer (4:9-10). Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn lost his birthright because of immorality (5:1-2). Three tribes went to war with 4 ancient nations, and won, because they prayed to God (5:18-22). A half tribe was destroyed by the Assyrians because of their wickedness (5:24-26).

You get the picture: From the beginning of time, success has depended on a faithfull relationship with God. As the book progresses, David is held up as the example for everyone else (David’s failures - his sin with Bathsheba for example - is not mentioned). The kings of Judah are compared with David. Those who compare well are good. Those who do not, are not.

Chronicles focuses on God’s faithfulness when his people turn to him. First, over and over are references to the trustworthiness of God’s promises. Second, from 2 Chronicles 10-36, there are some 46 references to prayer. In Kings, Manasseh is portrayed as a horrible King. But in Chronicles, Manasseh is one whose prayers God heard when he called to the Lord. God says: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). That promise will be important to exiles returning to rebuild their lives and their nation.

Chronicles still speaks to the people of God. No matter their relationship, God will not tolerate wickedness forever. At some point, a lack of repentance will bring judgment. But despite the judgment, God loves forever. He seeks a renewed relationship with his people, and they are never so far from him that when they call he will not hear, or come to their aid. Not even when they are exiled a thousand miles away in Babylon. The returning exiles needed that assurance, and God, through the history of the Jewish people in Chronicles, provided it to them. The message remains just as valid for us, who are now called by the name of His son, Jesus the Christ.