It is the author’s purpose in this volume to review briefly the histories of the kings of Judah, as recorded in the inspired books of the Kings and Chronicles. These histories are given to us in more or less detail, and do not read exactly the same in each book. God has surely a purpose in this, and it is the glory of saints to search out these matters and to discover, if possible, why these differences exist. There can be no contradiction for “there is one Spirit,” and He who inspired the historian of the Kings also controlled and directed the writer of the Chronicles.
These two historical books of the Old Testament bear a relation to each other somewhat similar to that existing between the four Gospels of the New Testament. In the gospels we have a quartet of evangelical biographers, all giving glimpses of the Lord’s life, no two in just the same way. They did not even record any single event of that marvelous life of God incarnate in the same way; nor did they report verbatim any discourse of the divine Master. The evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are like the four parts in some sublime musical composition. Each part differs from the other, yet together they form a most perfect harmony because they are arranged by one master musician. Each part is perfect in itself, yet requires the others to give the intended fullness. The one part expresses sweetness; the other, strength; another, pathos; and still another, profundity. Each part is essential to the proper expression of the other three and in the combination of the four we have the full, grand harmony. So the four Gospels, though differing, are all the compositions of one author-the Holy Spirit. Each is perfect, yet requires what the others contain to give to the fourfold record the surpassing beauty that every anointed eye beholds in the four evangelists. Each record, being perfectly proportioned to the others, produces that sublime anthem of praise to Heaven’s beloved One of whom they speak.
And He was the King. In the two books into which we are about to glance we have kings-some comparatively good, and others exceedingly bad; some who made fair beginnings, and foul endings; others who commenced badly, but made a good finish. All, however, came short of God’s glory and the divine ideal of what a king should be. He who was, according to the expectation of the Gentile magi, “born King of the Jews,” and to the Jew Nathanael “the King of Israel,” fulfilled that ideal perfectly. So He is called by Jehovah “My King.” And in the fast-approaching day of His kingdom and power He will be known and acknowledged as King of nations (see Matt. 2:22Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (Matthew 2:2); John 1:4949Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. (John 1:49); Psa. 2:66Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (Psalm 2:6); Rev. 15:33And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. (Revelation 15:3)).
Let us now look at the real differences between the Kings and Chronicles, and their significance. In the LXX (Septuagint) 1 and 2 Kings are called “The third and fourth of the Kingdoms.” Originally, in the Hebrew, they were one book like 1 and 2 Samuel. In the Numerical Bible Grant wrote, “Samuel and Kings, as we name them, should be, however, as they were originally, but one book each” (volume II, Page 287). The opening word of 1 Kings, Now, indicates that it is really a continuation of Samuel. The history recorded in 1 and 2 Kings is carried on past the middle of the captivity, and ends with Jehoiachin restored to liberty, and his throne set above that of the other kings that were in Babylon-a beautiful, though perhaps faint, shadow of Israel’s restoration and exaltation in the coming millennial day. This, as someone has said, is “in happy consonance with its design.” It is as “the first ray of God’s returning favor,” a slight pledge that David’s seed and kingdom would (as God said), in spite of past failure, endure forever. Fausset said, in reference to Kings relation to Chronicles, “The language of Kings bears traces of an earlier date. Chaldee forms are rare in Kings, numerous in Chronicles, which has also Persicisms not found in Kings.”
The writer of the books of the Kings is not known. The Talmud ascribes it to Jeremiah, which seems somewhat unlikely since the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin (the last date in the book) would be sixty-six years after his call to the prophetic office. Besides, the prophet probably died in Egypt with God’s rebellious people, whom he so deeply loved and served. On the other hand, as Fausset stated, “The absence of mention of Jeremiah in Kings, though he was so prominent in the reigns of the last four kings, is just what we might expect if Jeremiah be the author of Kings.” He remarks further: “In favor of Jeremiah’s authorship is the fact that certain words are used only in Kings and in Jeremiah: baqubuqu, cruse (1 Kings 14:3; Jer. 19:1, 101Thus saith the Lord, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; (Jeremiah 19:1)
10Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, (Jeremiah 19:10)); yagab, husbandman (2 Kings 25:1212But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. (2 Kings 25:12); Jer. 52:1616But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen. (Jeremiah 52:16)); chabah, hide (1 Kings 22:2525And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. (1 Kings 22:25); Jer. 49:1010But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbors, and he is not. (Jeremiah 49:10)); avar, to bind (2 Kings 25:77And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. (2 Kings 25:7); Jer. 39:77Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon. (Jeremiah 39:7)).”
But whoever the inspired penman may have been, he evidently wrote with a different purpose in view than the author of the Chronicles, who was probably Ezra, the priest. Two names, Akkub and Talmon, found in 1 Chron. 9:17-1817And the porters were, Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief; 18Who hitherto waited in the king's gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi. (1 Chronicles 9:17‑18), and mentioned in Neh. 12:25-2625Mattaniah, and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the ward at the thresholds of the gates. 26These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe. (Nehemiah 12:25‑26) as being porters “in the days of Nehemiah, and of Ezra the priest,” and Zerubbabel’s name with that of others in 1 Chron. 3:1919And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister: (1 Chronicles 3:19), prove the writer lived and wrote after the restoration. The fact that the close of Chronicles and opening of Ezra overlap indicates one common author-as Luke and the Acts. Both 1 Chron. 29:77And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. (1 Chronicles 29:7) and Ezra 2:6969They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments. (Ezra 2:69) mention the Persian coin dark (dram). “The high priest’s genealogy is given in the descending line, ending with the captivity, in 1 Chron. 6:1-151The sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. 3And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua, 5And Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi, 6And Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth, 7Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub, 8And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz, 9And Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan, 10And Johanan begat Azariah, (he it is that executed the priest's office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem:) 11And Azariah begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub, 12And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Shallum, 13And Shallum begat Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begat Azariah, 14And Azariah begat Seraiah, and Seraiah begat Jehozadak, 15And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. (1 Chronicles 6:1‑15). In Ezra 7:1-51Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest: (Ezra 7:1‑5), in the ascending line from Ezra himself to Aaron is given, abridged by the omission of many links, as the writer in Chronicles had already given a complete register” (Fausset). So if a prophet (Jeremiah) wrote the Kings, and a priest (Ezra) wrote the Chronicles, it would readily account for the ministry of the prophets being so prominent in the former book, and of the priests and Levites in the latter. It might also furnish the key as to the meaning of the marked differences in many portions of the two records.
1 and 2 Chronicles, like Samuel and Kings, were originally one book. They are called in the LXX Paraleipomena, or “Supplements”. In Hebrew they are called “Words,” or “Acts of Days.” Its real history (after the genealogies) begins with the overthrow of Saul (1 Chron. 10), and reads, almost word for word, like the concluding chapter of 1 Samuel, with this marked difference: Saul’s body is mentioned in 1 Sam. 31:1010And they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. (1 Samuel 31:10) whereas in 1 Chron. 10:1010And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. (1 Chronicles 10:10) his head alone is spoken of. In Chronicles there is also a comment on the cause of his death, not found in Samuel, which would appear to indicate the author’s desire to point out moral lessons in his “supplements” (1 Chron. 10:13-1413So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it; 14And inquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. (1 Chronicles 10:13‑14)). These practical reflections are frequent in Chronicles; in Kings they rarely occur.
There are other marked differences between the two books, and all in perfect keeping with the design of each—divergent, though not contradictory—historian. Let us note a few of the most prominent. 2 Sam. 24:2424And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. (2 Samuel 24:24) says “David bought the threshingfloor [of Araunah] and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver”; 1 Chron. 21:2525So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. (1 Chronicles 21:25) says, “David gave to Ornan for the place [not the threshing-floor and oxen merely] six hundred shekels of gold by weight.” The molten sea made by Solomon, 1 Kings 7:2626And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths. (1 Kings 7:26) says, “contained two thousand baths.” 2 Chron. 4:55And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths. (2 Chronicles 4:5) says “it received and held three thousand baths” (its capacity). Frequently Chronicles has “God” where Kings has “LORD” (see 2 Sam. 5:19-2519And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. 20And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim. 21And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them. 22And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 23And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. 24And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. 25And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer. (2 Samuel 5:19‑25); 1 Chron. 14:10-1610And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand. 11So they came up to Baal-perazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters: therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim. 12And when they had left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire. 13And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley. 14Therefore David inquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. 15And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines. 16David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer. (1 Chronicles 14:10‑16); 2 Sam. 7:3-43And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee. 4And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, (2 Samuel 7:3‑4); 1 Chron. 17:2323Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said. (1 Chronicles 17:23), etc.). “House of God” is found seven times in Chronicles; in Kings, not once. In 1 Chron. 14:33And David took more wives at Jerusalem: and David begat more sons and daughters. (1 Chronicles 14:3) there is no mention of David’s concubines, as in 2 Sam. 5:1313And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. (2 Samuel 5:13). Nor does Chronicles mention his sin with Bathsheba, nor his son Amnon’s crime against Tamar, nor Absalom’s rebellion, nor Sheba’s revolt. The idolatries of Solomon and some of the early kings of Judah are less detailed in Chronicles than in Kings; Chronicles, in fact, scarcely hints at Solomon’s sin. Nor does it mention his somewhat questionable act of offering incense “upon the altar that was before the LORD” (1 Kings 9:2525And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the Lord, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the Lord. So he finished the house. (1 Kings 9:25)). Hezekiah’s failure, too, is only briefly touched on in Chronicles. Yet we must not think that there was any attempt made on the part of the writer of Chronicles to pass over, or wink at, the sins of the house of David. He records Hanani’s reproof of Asa, on which Kings is silent; also, Jehoram’s murder of his brethren, and his idolatry. Nor does Kings mention Joash’s apostasy and murder of Zechariah, Amaziah’s sin of idolatry, nor Uzziah’s sin of sacrilege. On the other hand, the refreshing account of Manasseh’s repentance is peculiar to Chronicles; yet no mention is made in that book of the liberation of the captive Jehoiachin.
Kings gives only seven verses to Uzziah’s reign, and but five to righteous Jotham’s. Chronicles, on the other hand, summarizes Jehoiakim’s reign in four verses, and Jehoiachin’s in two. Israel is in the background in Chronicles; Judah and Jerusalem are (with the priests and Levites) its principal subject. However in Kings, Israel and her prophets (as Ahijah, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, etc.), are prominent.
Another marked distinction between these two interesting books is the sources from which their writers obtained their material. In Kings it is evidently always derived from state records such as “the book of the acts of Solomon” (1 Kings 11:4141And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? (1 Kings 11:41)); “the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah” (1 Kings 14:2929Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (1 Kings 14:29)); “the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel” (1 Kings 14:1919And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. (1 Kings 14:19)), etc. Chronicles embodies more the writings of (or selections from) individuals such as “Samuel the seer,” “Nathan the prophet,” “Gad the seer,” “the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite,” “the visions of Iddo the seer,” “the book of Shemaiah the prophet,” “the story of the prophet Iddo,” “the book of Jehu the son of Hanani,” “Isaiah the prophet,” etc. (1 Chron. 29:2929Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, (1 Chronicles 29:29); 2 Chron. 9:29;12:15;13:22; 20:34; 26:2229Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? (2 Chronicles 9:29)
15Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. (2 Chronicles 12:15)
22And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. (2 Chronicles 13:22)
34Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. (2 Chronicles 20:34)
22Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. (2 Chronicles 26:22)).
The explanation of all this seems to be that the author of Kings wrote his book in Judah, where he would have access to the national archives; while the writer of Chronicles probably compiled his histories from the above-mentioned prophetical writings that were carried with the exiles to Babylon, or obtained after their restoration to the land. This would make the Chronicles peculiarly the book of the remnant; while the Kings would be more for the nation at large, particularly Israel. And if this be so, it would explain why the sins of the earlier kings are veiled in Chronicles, and those of some of the later ones detailed. Being under Gentile domination, the Israelites were more or less in communication with them, and in all probability they would come in contact with these records of the Hebrew kings. Their later history would be better known to Gentiles, and it would be well for them to know just why they were permitted to destroy Jerusalem and hold the nation in bondage; hence the record of the sins of Josiah, Amaziah, Uzziah, and others. There was no need to record the sins of David, Solomon, and their immediate successors, as this did not in any way concern the Gentiles. It was probably in view of Gentile readers that God is so frequently used in Chronicles, instead of His covenant name Jehovah, that they might know that He is “not the God of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles also.” This reaching out to the Gentiles is the branches of the blessing of Joseph beginning to hang over the wall (Gen. 49:2222Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: (Genesis 49:22)). Also perhaps this is the reason for the genealogical record given in 1 Chron. 1 where we read of some people who are not of Israel, but all extending back to Adam, common father of us all. Note, too, in view of this, Asa’s crushing defeat of Zerah the Ethiopian, recorded only in Chronicles, and his reproof by the prophet for relying on the king of Syria; Jehoshaphat’s triumph over the vast allied forces of Moab and Ammon; God’s (not Jehovah’s) helping Uzziah against the Philistines, Arabians, and Mehunims, and the Ammonites giving him gifts; Jotham’s victory over the Ammonites, and their tribute of silver, and wheat, and barley, rendered to him; and Manasseh’s repentance (that the Gentiles might know God’s grace) -all peculiar to Chronicles. On the other hand, Hezekiah’s weakness in first yielding to, and afterward rebelling against, Sennacherib (2 Kings 18) is carefully excluded from Chronicles. God never needlessly exposes the faults of His servants to the stranger. “Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon,” is His beautiful principle of action in such cases.
Then as to Kings, the sins of the house of David in its earlier history are faithfully and minutely recorded, that both Judah and Israel (for whose reading the book was primarily intended) might know the reason for their debased and divided condition. The book gives mainly the history of the northern kingdom, and it is delightful to see that though the terrible sins of its rulers are exposed, any acts of grace or goodness on the part of them or the people are also carefully recorded (see 2 Kings 6:8-238Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 11Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 20And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 22And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. (2 Kings 6:8‑23), etc.). Prophets were prominent among the Israelites because they had cut themselves off from the ministry of the priests and Levites (which naturally connected itself with the temple at Jerusalem), and God made merciful provision for their spiritual needs by the prophetic ministry of such men as Elijah, etc.
These, I believe, are the real differences between the Kings and Chronicles. They are by no means so easily defined as those existing between the four Evangelists, and I do not profess to explain all of the many and marked variations that have been pointed out. The differences that have been offered in the foregoing may not be entirely satisfactory to all, but if they afford the reader any real help or clue to further discoveries in this direction, the author’s main object will have been accomplished. What both writer and reader most need in these studies is to be more in touch with that blessed Master who, in the midst of His disciples, “opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.”
Before closing this Introduction, it might be well to say a word about the authenticity of these books of Kings and Chronicles. As to the first, our Lord stamped it with His divine authority by referring repeatedly to it, as in the cases of the widow of Sarepta and Naaman the Syrian. Paul referred to Elijah’s intercession against Israel, and James mentioned his earnest prayer in connection with drought and rain. Heb. 11:3535Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (Hebrews 11:35) alludes to the raising of the Shunammite’s son; and Jezebel is mentioned by our Lord in Rev. 2:2020Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. (Revelation 2:20). Christ stamped the book of Chronicles with the seal of inspiration by alluding to the queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon, and the martyrdom of Zechariah, “slain between the temple and the altar” (Matt. 23:3535That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. (Matthew 23:35)).
The histories as given in these books are likewise confirmed by both Egyptian and Assyrian monumental records; Rehoboam being mentioned on Syrian monuments, and Omri, Jehu, Menahem, Hoshea, and Hezekiah in the inscriptions on the monuments of the Assyrian Tiglath-pileser, Sargon, Sennacherib, and Esarhaddon. But Scripture, like its great subject, Christ, neither receives nor requires “testimony from men.” The monuments do not prove Scripture to be true; it is only proved, when they agree with the Bible, that they are true, and not lies. As we read God’s word, “we believe and are sure,” because “holy men of God,” who wrote these records, “spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:2121For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:21)). True, God’s Word is called “prophecy” in that verse, but it has been aptly said that “history as written by the prophets is retroverted prophecy.” “Moses and the Prophets” (like “the Law and the Prophets”) means the Pentateuch, the Old Testament historical books, and the writings generally designated as “the Prophets.” And “the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man.” So we unhesitatingly declare ourselves, like Paul of old, as “believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets” (Acts 24:1414But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: (Acts 24:14)).