1 & 2 Chronicles are in fact one book, placed at the very end of the Hebrew Bible as one of the “Writings.” (The other two parts are Law and Prophets.) In current English Bibles, 1 & 2 Chronicles follow the order of the Greek Old Testament and are placed after the Kings and before Ezra-Nehemiah, giving an impression of a “historical book.” If it is seen as history, it is a special kind of history focusing on the chosen people of God going through stages of government from monarchy to exile and then back to a worshiping people. The final words of the book give the whole theme away: let’s rebuild the temple for proper worship. That is why much of the materials revolve around the temple, the role of the tribe of Levite was given such prominence, and the “histories” of David, Solomon, Hezekiah and Josiah were couched in contexts of temple construction and worship. Reading the book this way should give some insights into the importance of Christian worship. 

1 & 2 Chronicles can roughly be broken into three parts:

1. 1 Ch 1-9 Genealogy
2. 1 Ch 10-2 Ch 9 United monarchy under David and Solomon
3. 2 Ch 10- 36 Divided monarchy, exile, and finally return under Persian King Cyrus

Several observations will assist in appreciating this lengthy book. 

First, the significance of temple worship in Jerusalem could be seen from the major blocks of these three parts when they describe individual kings such as David, Solomon, Hezekiah and Josiah, in relation to the temple. The book ends with an appeal in the words of Cyrus’ edict to return to rebuild the Jerusalem temple. Thus the retelling of the histories, from Adam in 1:1, through the united monarchy under David and Solomon, to the Southern Kingdom of Judah and eventually to exile and return, has been for a purpose: to show that Yahweh has set His heart in enabling purified and proper worship by His people in His chosen temple. Although successive generations had returned under Zerubbabel (governor) and Jeshua (priest), and then under Nehemiah (governor) and Ezra (priest), the temple would not be completed without “your heart and soul seeking Yahweh your God” (1 Ch 22:19; 29:17; 2 Ch 6:38; 7:10; 15:12). 

Second, the perspective of the writer, through the careful arrangement of the genealogies in the first eight chapters, is to focus on the continuity from Adam to Abraham and then heavily on the tribes of Judah in chapter 3 and Levite in chapter 6. A third tribe that also features prominently is Benjamin. From these three tribes came the kings (Saul from Benjamin; and David from Judah) and the priests (from Levite). It was also from these three tribes we found the first respondents to a call to return to rebuild the Jerusalem temple (Ezra 1:5). They occupied a prominent position for a reason. 

Third, the emphasis on “all Israel”, particularly in contexts relating to the temple cannot be missed. Such a description is found throughout the book, beginning with the enthronement of David as king over “all Israel” (1 Ch 11:1, 4, 10; 12:38), to the ark entering Jerusalem (13:1-4), to the support of Solomon as king and builder of the temple (29:21-25), to the festivities under Solomon celebrating the consecration of the temple (2 Ch 7:8), to the Passover celebration in the temple offering under Hezekiah (2 Ch 30:1, 5, 6), and finally to the Passover in the temple under Josiah (2 Ch 35:3). In all these passages, the king (of Judah) ordered and the priests (of Levites) served. Two tribes made worship by “all Israel” possible. It remains intriguing to me to dwell on the thought that Paul of the New Testament being from the tribe of Benjamin, which was the third tribe apart from Judah and Levite that returned first to rebuild the temple, was the one who said the boldest thing about “all Israel”: “and so, all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26). Could it be that Paul saw his own mission to the Gentiles “until the full numbers has come in” as a way of return to rebuild a spiritual temple where “with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 15:6)”?