Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Who do you think wrote the Chronicles?
- Why would the author retell a story that's already been told elsewhere? Is there some benefit to seeing an old story with new eyes?
- Do you think Solomon would have been a good king in real life?
- Why does the author devote nearly a quarter of this book to Solomon, while other kings get a paragraph or two?
- The Chronicler spends a lot of time going over precise measurements for the Temple in Jerusalem? Why is this place such a huge deal?
- Was God wise to promise David's descendants that they could reign forever in Israel? Did this license to rule start the downfall of the monarchy in Judah?
- The Chronicler's stories about Israel and Judah are slightly different from the ones in the books of Kings. Can you spot the differences?
- Why was Jerusalem such a big deal to the Jewish people back then? Why is it today?
- 2 Chronicles is filled with war stories. Why is it important for a nation to remember the battles it's been through?
- Why set up the Temple in Jerusalem? Could having an exclusive house of worship in the capital serve any political purposes for Solomon and the other kings of Judah?
- Are God's punishments overly harsh in this story?
- Prophets are kind of hanging around the background of this story the whole time. What role do they play in the lives of the kings?
- Are there benefits to picking a ruler by birth? Or is it better to switch things up every couple generations?
- Why does the author focus so much on the Southern Kingdom of Israel?