BibleProject | One Story That Leads to Jesusનમૂનો

“The eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth, so that he may strongly support those whose hearts are wholly his” (2 Chron. 16:9). And the eyes of the chronicler roam throughout the pages of Israel’s history, so that he may remind his readers what happens when kings love Yahweh wholeheartedly—and what happens when they don’t.

The chronicler reviews a series of character studies so that later generations will never forget Judah’s history. He wants all of God’s people to learn from their family’s story, which helps avoid repeating the bad parts and hopefully leads to greater love for God and others—a greater willingness to trust God’s instruction (Hebrew: torah).

Like most biblical authors, the chronicler does not teach his historical lessons by directly telling you whether something was a good idea or not. Instead, the chronicler invites us to evaluate the kings’ decisions according to the results of their actions.

Notice, for instance, what happens to the kings in today’s reading. Jeroboam ditches Yahweh for a pair of golden calves, drives out all the faithful priests, and rebels against David’s royal line in Jerusalem. The result of his actions? Jeroboam’s army gets trounced, even though his army is twice as large as that of his foe.

Kings Asa and Jehoshaphat, on the other hand, spend their reigns smashing idol statues, repairing Yahweh’s temple, and urging their people to obey the Torah. The result? The land enjoys peace. Their foot soldiers destroy hundreds of chariots with nothing but shields and spears—and bring home piles of plunder. Foreign kings flock to Jerusalem with gifts of gold, silver, and livestock.

Like Moses, the chronicler holds out two paths. One leads to life and blessing, the other to death and disaster.

Reflection Questions

• Notice that Abijah calls Yahweh’s promise to partner with David’s royal line a “covenant of salt” (2 Chron. 13:5). At several points in the Hebrew Bible, salt functions as a symbol of God’s long-lasting covenant with Israel (Lev. 2:13; Num. 18:19). How might this connection between salt and God’s long-lasting, ancient promises to renew the world help you understand Jesus’ description of his followers as “the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13) in the Sermon on the Mount?
• Take a moment to meditate on Jeremiah 29:13-14. Where do you see echoes of Jeremiah’s seeking and finding language in today’s reading? How might these hyperlinks have encouraged the chronicler’s readers to stay faithful to Yahweh?