Introduction to the Second Book of the Chronicles.
2 Chronicles continues the history of King David's royal line following his death.
The book ignores the northern kingdom of Israel that had broken away earlier.
The author is concerned to trace God's faithfulness to his promise to give David
an unbroken line of descent on the throne of Israel.
2 Chronicles, like 1 Chronicles, shows that the Jewish people's
relationship with God was special.
This book parallels the events recorded in the books of 1 and 2 Kings regarding the
southern kingdom of Judah.
The author measures kings on the basis of their faithfulness to God.
According to tradition, the priest Ezra wrote this account sometime after 450 BC.
This book was written after the people had returned from exile in Babylon to help
them understand their heritage and their unique relationship to God.
They had suffered the disgrace of captivity and the loss of God's covenant
blessings because they failed to keep his law.
But now the opportunity for obedience and blessing was theirs once again.