BibleProject | One Story That Leads to Jesusનમૂનો

Today begins 2 Chronicles, the second half of what was once a single book. We’re in the Hebrew Bible’s home stretch. The chronicler focuses this part of the scroll on David’s descendants who lived in the southern kingdom, Judah.

The author selects and arranges these stories to illustrate an important pattern in Judah’s kings. Those who trusted and followed Yahweh experienced success and blessing. The kings who did the opposite experienced the opposite.

The first story recalls Solomon, showcasing the positive aspects of his reign. The chronicler does not mention the bloody assassinations or political schemes surrounding Solomon’s rise to power, which we saw in the book of Kings. Instead, the story skips to Solomon’s generous sacrifice at Gibeon and his prayer for wisdom.

Where Kings lingered on stories about that wisdom in action, Chronicles jumps right to the temple. Solomon follows his father David’s instructions and uses his extravagant wealth to build Yahweh a glorious, golden palace.

For all the differences between Chronicles and Kings, here the two scrolls are on the same page: The temple in Jerusalem is an Eden space by design. Gold, palm trees, pomegranates, and cherubim carved into the walls and woven into the curtains. Every detail glows with garden life.

Spectacular obedience leads to spectacular blessing. And it’s about to get even better.

Reflection Questions

• Compare the story of Solomon’s sacrifice at Gibeon and his request for wisdom in 2 Chronicles 1:1-13 to the same story in 1 Kings 3:1-15. What similarities and differences do you notice? What themes does the chronicler emphasize in his version of the story?
• In today’s reading, we learn that Solomon built Yahweh’s temple “in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah” (2 Chron. 3:1). Take a moment to review Genesis 22, the only other story in the Hebrew Bible where Mount Moriah appears. What have you learned about the history of this mountain?