Survey of the Bible - II Chronicles
Text: II Chronicles 36:15-21
I. The book of II Chronicles covers the same time period as I Kings and II Kings.
A. Where the books of I and II Kings are a compilation the records of prophets living at the time of the events, II Chronicles gives a historian’s view, looking back at the significant events.
B. I and II Kings showed the progressive rise and decline of the northern and southern kingdoms
C. The emphasis in II Chronicles is on the godly rulers, which means a focus on Judah since the northern kingdom only had evil rulers.
1. Solomon, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah, and Josiah
2. More emphasis is given on who these kings preserved righteous worship which eventually allowed a remnant to return to restore Israel.
3. It covers from reign of Solomon to the edict of Cyrus to rebuild the temple at the end of the Babylonian captivity
II. The Splendor of Solomon’s Reign (40 years) - II Chronicles 1-9
A. The inauguration of Solomon - II Chronicles 1
B. The building of the Temple - II Chronicles 2-5
C. The dedication of the Temple - II Chronicles 6-7
D. The glory of Solomon’s reign - II Chronicles 8-9
III. The Kings of Judah - II Chronicles 10-36
A. Rehoboam (71 years) - II Chronicles 10-12
1. Rehoboam splits the kingdom - II Chronicles 10
2. We learn that the priests and Levites left idolatrous Israel for Judah - II Chronicles 11
3. Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt, plundered Judah when Rehoboam and the people stopped following the laws of God - II Chronicles 12
B. Abijah (3 years) - II Chronicles 13
1. Recounts the war between Judah and Israel and how Abijah drove Jeroboam back.
C. Asa (41 years) - II Chronicles 14-16
1. Asa had 10 years of peace, then a war fighting off an invading army from Ethiopia - II Chronicles 14
2. He removed much of the idolatry from Judah, including removing his own mother for idolatry - II Chronicle 15
3. He brides Syria to fight Israel to keep Baasha, the current king, distracted and out of Judah. He is roundly scolded for this by Hanani, the seer - II Chronicles 16
D. Jehoshaphat (25 years) - II Chronicles 17-20
1. He rebuilds Judah - II Chronicles 17
2. His big mistake was making an alliance with Israel by marrying Ahab’s daughter. Micaiah prophesies the defeat and death of Ahab - II Chronicles 18
3. Jehoshaphat returns to Judah and begins a series of reforms - II Chronicles 19
4. Being attacked by a union of the Moabites and Ammonites, Jehoshaphat leads the people in a prayer and marches his army out in songs to God. On the way, God caused a battle between Moab, Ammon and Edom to break out, so that when Jehoshaphat’s army arrived, no one was left because they wiped each other out - II Chronicles 20
E. Jehoram (8 years) - II Chronicles 21
1. He started his reign killing all his brothers and many leaders in Judah. Following his wife’s religion, he lead Judah back into idolatry. He died after two years of a painful bowel disease.
2. He was extremely unpopular - II Chronicles 21:20
F. Ahaziah (1 year) and Athaliah (6 years) - II Chronicles 22
1. All of Jehoram’s sons were killed by Arab marauders, so the youngest son was made king
2. He also practiced idolatry, his mother being his counselor. On a visit to his uncle in Israel, he was killed in Jehu’s coup.
3. His mother, Athaliah, then killed all the remain heirs to the throne, missing the youngest, and took over the kingdom
G. Joash (40 years) - II Chronicles 23-24
1. His reforms while his uncle Jehoiada lived - II Chronicles 23
2. The rebuilding of the temple and his fall into sin after his uncle died - II Chronicles 24
H. Amaziah (29 years) - II Chronicles 25
1. He tried to serve God partially. He took back Edom only to be defeated by Israel
I. Uzziah (52 years) - II Chronicles 26
1. After many successful battles, Uzziah thought he could offer worship before God and was struck with leprosy as a result
J. Jotham (16 years) - II Chronicles 27
1. Continued the reformations started by Uzziah and conquered the Ammonites.
K. Ahaz (16 years) - II Chronicles 28
1. Reintroduced idolatry. Defeated by Syria. Instead of learning from his mistakes, he became more set in them - II Chronicles 28:22-23
L. Hezekiah (29 years) - II Chronicles 29-32
1. He cleanses the temple and restores worship there - II Chronicles 29
2. He reestablishes the Passover - II Chronicles 30
3. He reorganizes the priests - II Chronicles 31
4. God rescues Hezekiah from the Assyrians, by in his last days he made a mistake of showing off to envoys of Babylon - II Chronicles 32
M. Manasseh (55 years) and Amon (2 years) - II Chronicles 33
1. He restored idolatry and did more evil than the nations God had destroyed. He was captured by the Assyrians, brought to Babylon, and while there repented of his sins. God allowed him to return and he set about wiping out idolatry
2. Amon undid all the reforms of his father
N. Josiah (31 years) - II Chronicles 34-35
1. He restores true worship, removes the idols. When the law was found he dedicates himself wholly to following God - II Chronicles 34
2. He restores the Passover. He made a mistake trying to battle Egypt and was killed in the battle - II Chronicles 35
IV. The fall of Judah - II Chronicles 36
A. The last several kings are quickly mentioned: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah
B. Israel was captured by the Babylonians for 70 years
C. They were released by Cyrus to return and rebuild the temple
