- 10 - Bible Studies     Dr Philip Thayil VC     Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah        
The history of God's providence from the origin of the world until the Babylonian captivity, unfolds in the book of Chronicles, composed around 400 B.C. Matters connected with the reign of David and Solomon take precedence in the narratives recorded in this book. The author has utilized the books of Samuel and of Kings as helps to write the book of Chronicles. He has attempted not so much to give a factual account of events as to present an interpretation of history from a religious point of view. In other words, he is interpreting past history for the benefit of those who have returned after the exile in Babylon. The book of Chronicles is divided into Book I and Book II. In I Chronicles, the events of David's reign are the chief topics. Though David was an ideal king, he is extolled more for bringing about the worship of God in the temple of Jerusalem. Some of the glaring short- comings and deficiencies of David (cf chs II Samuel:11; II Samuel:24) are not even touched upon.
 
  I Chronicles can be divided into three parts.  
1. The history from the origin of the world up till the reign of King David (chs 1-9). It comprises chiefly the long account of the genealogy that indicates who precisely are the people of God.
 
2. The history of King David (chs 10-29). In this section we find the account of the coronation of King David after the death of Saul and his attempts to build a temple for God in Jerusalem. The book comes to an end with the farewell prayer of David and the statement about his death.
 
II Chronicles is centred round King Solomon. The author introduces him as the ideal man, the wise administrator. He has an incomparable status as the one who constructed the Temple. After the death of Solomon, the kingdom is divided and this leads to its destruction. The author makes it clear that it is the infidelity of the covenant people that has caused the fall of the kingdom. Only when the people return to the God of their fathers, will the lost prosperity be regained.
 
  II Chronicles can be divided into two parts.  
1. The reign of King Solomon (1:1-9:31).
 
The contents of this part comprise the prayer of Solomon for wisdom, the construction and dedication of the Temple, the wisdom and wealth of Solomon and his death.
 
2. The history beginning from the partition of the empire till the end of the Babylonian exile (10:1-36:23).
 
This section deals with events like the division of the kingdom during the reign of Rehoboam, the successor of Solomon, the enmity between the kingdoms of Juda and Israel, the history of the reign of the Judean kings and the fall of Jerusalem. The book comes to an end with the proclamation of the order issued by Cyrus, the Persian king, giving religious freedom to the Jews and sending them back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.
 
The Book of Chronicles recounts the past history of the Jews from a religious perspective, in order to instruct them after their return from the Babylonian captivity. The author reminds them that fidelity to the Covenant will lead them to goodness and salvation while infidelity will cause then to fall into evil and destruction.     Ezra-Nehemiah  
Until the 15th century A D, these two books were together known as "The Book of Ezra". They can be considered as the continuation of the books of Chronicles. The opening lines refer toKing Cyrus' edict permitting the Jews to return to their own land. The Jews who returned from exile had to suffer many difficulties and face opposition during the time of their re-settlement. The two men who gave them leadership during this time were Ezra and Nehemiah. What we see in these books is the history of the people who returned from exile.
 
The priest Ezra, a man of high esteem, who assumed leadership in re-establishing the Jews, strongly exhorted them to return to the worship of Yahweh and took the initiative to rebuild the Temple. When he came to Jerusalem he brought along with him a copy of the book of Deuteronomy and read it officially in the hearing of the people. Ezra tried his level best to destroy everything that endangered their identity. He reminded them that if they turned back to God, they would become worthy of God's blessings.
 
  This book can be divided into three parts.  
1. The return of the first group of exiles(1:1-2:70)
 
2. The construction of the Temple(3:1-6:22).
 
3. The return of Ezra and his activities(7:1-10:44).
 
Nehemiah was the cup-bearer of the Persian king Artaxerxes. He returned from Jerusalem, and gave leadership in the renewal of the Jewish religion in the face of fierce opposition. The greatest quality that shone in Nehemiah's character was dependence on God. We see in Nehemiah a man who was immersed in constant prayer (1:4-10; 2: 18;4:4-20,5:9,16;6:14;13:14-31). The secret of the success of his life was his deep relationship with God.
 
  We can understand the book of Nehemiah by dividing it into three parts.  
1. Nehemiah who returned to Jerusalem built the city wall (1:1-7:73).
 
2. The activities of Nehemiah (8:1-10:39).
 
3. Other works of Nehemiah (11:1-13:31).
 
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are important documentary evidence of the renewal of the Jewish nation after their return from captivity.
 
 
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