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INTRODUCTION Kings and
Chronicles
This quarter's
Bible Study Guide covers Kings and Chronicles, at least partly. A lot of
material (such as the entire book of 1 Chronicles itself) is left out. But
when there is only one quarter to cover almost four hundred years of sacred
history (from about 961 B.C. to 586 B.C.), much is left out. There is no
other choice.
This lesson starts with, basically, the first verses of 1 Kings, which deals
with the last days of King David; it ends, basically, with the last verses
in the last chapter of 2 Kings, the final days of Judah's last king before
the Babylonian exile (though the end of 2 Chronicles touches lightly on the
restoration of Jerusalem under the Persians). What is found between
theses verses will be the object of our study for the next three months.
It is not always the most uplifting material. That is only because there
is never anything uplifting about sin, compromise, rebellion, and
apostasy—not then, not now. Nevertheless, plenty remains to be learned
from the Bible, both from the good events and from the bad. In fact, though
Paul was writing about an earlier period in Hebrew history, his point is
still valid for our particular study: "Now these things happened to them
as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the
end of the ages has come" (1 Cor. 10:11, RSV).
This quarter's Bible Study Guide moves between Chronicles and Kings, which
often tell the same story, from different perspectives (though, in some cases,
it is clear one writer borrowed from another). The Chronicles tend
to have a distinct spiritual focus, while the Kings center more on historical
and political issues. All together, they paint a picture of this crucial
time in Jewish and Israelite history.
No one knows for certain who wrote Kings or Chronicles. Originally, both
were single volumes. Some ancient records reveal that Jeremiah probably supplied
the information in 1 and 2 Kings (see The SDA Bible Commentary, vol.
2, p. 716: 2. "Authorship"). Chronicles is a type of daily record,
known as a " 'book of events of the days.' "—The SDA Bible
Commentary, vol. 3, p. 115:1. "Title." Ezra probably supplied the
information.
We begin in the days of one monarchy, under David and then Solomon; next,
we watch the nation split, and, finally, we follow the respective paths of
the two kingdoms. We go back and forth, from the southern kingdom to the
northern, to the southern, to the northern, and so forth, ending with the
Babylonian captivity of the south (the north vanishes more than a century
earlier, swallowed by the Assyrians).
It is incredible history, not just for the drama but for the lessons that
we, the spiritual heirs of these people, can learn from the history of those
who are, indeed, our ancestors, in both spirit and in truth.
EDITOR'S OVERVIEW
The Bigger Picture
The vision
of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in
the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (Isa. 1:1);
"... which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah,
and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel" (Amos 1:1).
"The word of the Lord ... in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings
of Judah" (Mic. 1:1).
Notice how each of these first verses begins a book in the Hebrew Bible:
In the days of Uzziah, in the days of Hezekiah, in the days of Ahaz.
They begin with a political context. That is because the political
context cannot be separated from the social one, and the social context cannot
be separated from the spiritual context—and the writings of these prophets
are nothing if not spiritual. Thus, in their own way, the opening verses
of these books—by establishing the political background—help establish
a spiritual background, as well, one that helps us understand the Sitz
im Leben (life situation) in which the prophets wrote.
Kings and Chronicles, our study for this quarter, does the same thing, only
on a grander scale. These books present a framework upon which we can put
the prophets in their particular historical and political contexts. Whereas,
for example, Micah begins in "the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings
of Judah," Kings and Chronicles establish the background and time line in
which these kings ruled. What about the kingship of Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah (much less Jeroboam, Jehoram, Athaliah, and Josiah)? Who reigned
before them, who reigned after them, what was happening in the nations around
them, and how did that impact Israel and Judah? Though some of these questions
are answered by the prophets themselves, Kings and Chronicles move us back
so we can view the situation from a larger, grander perspective, that of
the entire flow of the history of Israel and Judah. In short, the books give
us the bigger picture.
Imagine a war and suppose that Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Micah write about
this war from the battleground itself, as shells explode overhead and bullets
whizz past their ears. In contrast. Kings and Chronicles read more like a
historian's view, as though someone stepped back, possibly even, in some
cases, after the events, and put together various accounts not just of individual
battles but of the whole war. Thus, we are given radically different—but
divine—perspectives: some "up close" (from the prophets), others "farther
away" (from Chronicles and Kings). Even better, sometimes Kings and
Chronicles present the same material with different twists, as well (like
the Gospels, perhaps).
Of course. Kings and Chronicles are not just history. They contain important
spiritual lessons in and of themselves; many principles of truth, of faith,
and of salvation can be gleaned from their pages, just as they can from the
prophets. How much you derive from them, of course, depends on how willing
you are—through study, prayer, and faith—to squeeze out what is
there.
Don't worry; plenty remains to be squeezed out—and then some.
Contents:
(all lessons may not be posted)
Giardina Sabbath School
Study Helps
Jerry Giardina of Pecos, Texas, assisted by his wife, Cheryl, prepares a
series of helps to accompany the Sabbath School lesson. He includes all related
scripture and most EGW quotations. Jerry has chosen the "New King James Version"
of the scriptures this quarter. It is used with permission. The study
helps are provided in three wordprocessing versions
Wordperfect; Microsoft
Word; RTF for our MAC friends; and
HTML (Web Pages).
Last updated on June 29, 2002
Editorial Office: 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904.
Principal Contributors: James W. Zachrison
Editor: Clifford Goldstein
Associate Editor: Lyndelle Brower Chiomenti.
Editorial Production Manager: Soraya Homayouni Parish.
Art and Design: Lars Justinen.
Pacific Press Coordinator: Paul A. Hey.
Copyright © 2002 Office of the Adult Bible Study Guide,
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist. All Rights Reserved.
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