OVERVIEW: There is one passage rated 4 and four passages rated 3 for 1 & 2 Chronicles. The topics include an unquenchable wrath of God that eventually becomes quenched by God; the divine ban on spirit mediums with two examples of kings of Israel being unfaithful; another reference to a deceased person being gathered to their ancestors; and the location of God’s act of judging the earth being not in heaven, but on earth.
Section A: The wrath of God will not be quenched for awhile
Discussion of God’s unquenchable, but temporary, wrath against Jerusalem can be seen under section A of the 1 & 2 Kings study.
“Because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched” (2 Chron 34:25, NKJV).
Section B: Spirit mediums are banned due to evil deception
The seriousness of the prohibition against trying to contact the dead is seen in the two passages below and is discussed further in Leviticus (section A), Deuteronomy (section E), and 1&2 Kings (section E).
“He [King Manasseh] … practiced witchcraft, divination, and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did a huge amount of evil in the Lord’s sight, angering him” (2 Chron 33:6, CSB).
“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord; moreover, he had consulted a medium, seeking guidance” (1 Chron 10:13, NRSV).
It has been noticed the account of King Saul’s death appears in both the Samuel and the Chronicles books. “First Chronicles 10:1-12 derives directly from 1 Samuel 31, with slight differences in the choice of the details described” (Payne, 368).
The books of Samuel were undoubtedly written before the Chronicles (and it is certain to have been more than 500 years earlier due to clear historical indicators in the text). The thirteen verses of ch. 31 of First Samuel nearly mirror exactly the twelve relevant verses in ch. 10 of First Chronicles. They describe how Saul was killed in battle and what happened to him next.
However, the Chronicler added a couple of sentences at the very end, as was his tendency, which do not appear in First Samuel. The author felt there was a need to emphasize the reason that Saul was wounded from an attack by the archers. He wrote that Saul died partly because he asked for the counsel of a spirit medium, a prohibited practice (even though he specifically asked for the deceased Samuel).
“The consulting of a medium was as grievous an act of unfaithfulness as any ritual offense. … It meant for him not merely seeking information but a deep dependence on God born out of a trustful attitude of personal faith and loyalty. Failure to inquire of the Lord on this occasion was a further indication of Saul’s whole attitude. Godly leadership is characterized by complete obedience to the Lord and by seeking guidance from him in faith. Saul failed on both counts” (Thompson, 112).
“The Chronicler’s doctrine of retribution requires that unfaithfulness and ‘not seeking Yahweh’ he punished. Saul’s defeat by the Philistines and his suicide, therefore, are transformed into Yahweh’s act of judgment upon him” (Klein, 291).
“Childs has pointed out that the Chronicler’s work may be described as exegesis of authoritative Scripture. He [the Chronicler] harmonized, supplemented, and looked for types and lessons. In his writings we see a kind of early example of how lessons may be drawn from Scripture and history for the modern reader” (Thompson, 42).
Section C: The dead are gathered to their ancestors
The next verse follows the typical formula of separating the “burial” phrase from the “gathered to your fathers” phrase to emphasize the “gathering into Sheol” action is completely different from the gravesite. For more discussion, see Genesis (sections B and C); Numbers (sections A and B); Deuteronomy (section F); and 1 & 2 Samuel (section C).
“‘Now I [YHWH] will gather you [King Josiah] to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’ So they took her [Huldah’s] answer back to the king” (2 Chron 34:28, NIV).
Section D: God is returning to earth some day
The last verse here describes God’s final judgment of humanity (and not just of the forests) by saying that he will be actually present on earth at that time. Notice this idea is written twice in v. 33: “in the presence of the Lord” and “he is coming to … the earth.” If it is the case that final judgment is rendered each and every day for the deceased to determine whether a person goes to heaven or hell immediately after dying, then this verse seems to contradict that dogma.
“Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy in the presence of the Lord; For He is coming to judge the earth” (1 Chron 16:33, NASB).
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Quoted Passages in 1 & 2 Chronicles (5 total / 1 highly rated verse):
Rating of 4:
2 Chron 34:25
Rating of 3:
1 Chron 10:13
2 Chron 33:6
2 Chron 34:28
1 Chron 16:33
Rating of 2:
1 Chron 22:9-10
2 Chron 1:7-12
2 Chron 2:6
2 Chron 2:12
2 Chron 6:18