I-II CHRONICLES: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

I Chronicles 21:1 (II Samuel 24:1) I have two questions about these parallel stories. Who convinced David to number the people: Satan or God? And why was God upset about taking a census of the people?

On the surface, the contradiction between these two accounts couldn't be greater. Here are some of the approaches people have used to try to resolve the difficulty:

1. These were two unrelated episodes in David's life. However, the immediate context shows that these are reports of the same events.

2. I Chronicles was written later and relied on an earlier version of Samuel. The Dead Sea scrolls show this to be the possible case for other passages.

3. The II Samuel version was based on an error in textual transmission. But no such textual evidence exists.

4. This could be example of a spiritual euphemism. For example, in other passages “bless God” is obviously substituted in place of the intended meaning “curse God.”

5. “Satan” is not THE Satan but instead has the generic meaning of “an adversary.” And that adversary in this case was God.

6. Lastly, there is my personal choice: This situation was exactly parallel to that in Job 1-2 where God's permissive will allowed it to happen, but Satan was the actual instrument of that will.

The second difficulty with this passage is why God was so angry about David conducting a census.

1. The purpose of a census was to assess the country's growing population and especially its military might, a matter of pride for David who had just finished conquering a difficult enemy in the previous Samuel passage rather than him relying on God's power. His pride opened him up to Satan's influence. Alternatively, or at the same time, God indicates that He let David's inward thoughts go to their obvious conclusion so that they would become visible to all (like the hardening of Pharaoh's heart and the Romans 1 teaching on God letting sinful people have their way and suffer the natural consequence.)

2. A census was usually carried out as a prelude to increased taxation of the people or forced labor, as happened under Solomon. Both were against God's will for Israel and its king.

II Chronicles 21:12-15 This passage details a letter arriving from Elijah. Chronologically speaking, this is after Elijah had been taken from this earth. The heading in The Daily Bible refers to it as a “mysterious letter,” but the passage itself doesn’t seem to note it being odd or unusual. What do Bible scholars make of this?

There is nothing particularly mysterious about the contents of the letter. The three unusual factors are: (a) this is practically the only time in the OT when a prophet chose to deliver his message in writing rather than confronting his audience directly (but see Jeremiah 29), (b) this is the only time in Chronicles where Elijah is even mentioned, and, most oddly, (c) Elijah had left this earth at least six years before the letter was delivered. A number of proposals have been made by Bible scholars to try to account for this last problem especially.

The most obvious solution is that some time before Elijah's translation into heaven, he knew prophetically what would happen in Jehoram's reign and prepared a letter to be delivered to him at the appropriate time. (H. L. Ellison, New Bible Commentary, p. 389) Perhaps he used the “sons (or guild) of prophets” mentioned in II Kings 2 to preserve and deliver the message.

F. W. Krummacher suggests that Elijah reappeared on earth from heaven (as he did at the Transfiguration) in order to write the message right before it was delivered. (Elijah the Tishbite, p. 294-296) Krummacher mentions other solutions that have been suggested such as (a) a scribal error attributed the letter to Elijah instead of Elisha, or (b) Elisha composed the letter but attributed it to Elijah since the former came in the power and spirit of Elijah.

Other possibilities mentioned by J. K. Howard (International Bible Commentary, p. 473-4) are: (a) Elijah's name may have been attached to the letter written by the guild of prophets who followed him, or (b) the letter may have been written at the time when Jehoram was possibly co-regent with Jehoshaphat and Elijah was still active on earth. Regarding the latter possibility, William Day Crockett notes that “it was not the last time the commands of God, laid upon Elijah, were carried out subsequently to his death.” He references I Kings 19:15-17 and II Kings 8:7-15; 9:1-10. (A Harmony of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, p. 258)

Samuel J. De Vries (1 and 2 Chronicles, p. 333) suggests that the biblical account in Kings is faulty and that Elijah just disappeared from the prophetic scene for a while and then reappeared during Jehoram's reign, only to die some time later.

Finally, H. G. M. Williamson confidently states, “It is generally agreed now that this letter is the Chronicler's own composition.” (1 and 2 Chronicles, p. 306) This opinion is at least shared by the Jewish commentator Jacob M. Myers (II Chronicles, p. 121-2) but is by no means universally held, as the above comments demonstrate.

It seems fitting to close this reply with a quote from Krummacher: “How many never-to-be-forgotten pilgrims of God, whose names still live in our hearts or memories, still preach to us, encourage and comfort us, by their still remembered words and examples!”

II Chronicles 35:25 The Daily Bible comment on this verse notes there were many “Laments” (with a capital “L”) written to commemorate king Josiah. Are these recorded in the Book of Lamentations?

The quick answer to your question is “no.”

Jeremiah had an incredibly long career as a prophet starting during Josiah's reign in 626 BC and continuing until just after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The Book of Lamentations is strictly concerned with laments over this latter event and therefore would not have any material written by Jeremiah concerning Josiah's earlier death in 608 BC.

II Chronicles does indeed refer to a book entitled Laments which apparently was used early in Israel's history but is no longer in existence. The same thing is true of over 30 other books mentioned in I and II Chronicles, of which we have no current knowledge. (Jacob M. Myers, I Chronicles, pp. xlv-xlviii) As just one example, a few verses later in II Chronicles 35:27, the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah is referenced. This is not our present I and II Kings, but probably was used as a resource in composing the biblical accounts.

As far as the authorship of the Book of Lamentations is concerned, the Hebrew manuscripts did not attach Jeremiah's name to these poems. However, by the time of Christ it was generally attributed to Jeremiah, possibly on the basis of the II Chronicles passage which associates Jeremiah with the composition of laments. The debate over who wrote Lamentations continues among scholars today, but it should not deter us from treating the book as fully canonical since many other books of the Bible do not have a stated authorship either. They are Spirit-breathed, inspired writings no matter who the human author was.