Psalms in chronicles

Currents in Theology and Mission, August, 2005 by Ralph W. Klein

Consider the meaning of these verses in their original location in 1 Kgs 9:1-9. Verses 1-3 provide an introduction to a theophany, in which Yahweh acknowledges Solomon's prayer and assures him that Yahweh's name, his eyes, and his heart will abide in the temple forever or for all time (v. 3). A second paragraph (vv. 4-5) provides a conditional dynastic promise that holds David up as a model and assures Solomon of the perpetual character of the dynastic promise.

The third paragraph (vv. 6-9) changes the focus dramatically and predicts the negative behavior of king, people, and future generations. The pronoun "you" is plural in Hebrew, addressed to Solomon and his nonroyal contemporaries as well as their descendants. It warns against apostasy, particularly in regard to what we would call the first commandment, and threatens that such apostasy would lead to exile and to the destruction of the temple.

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The Chronicler takes over this theophany from 1 Kings 9 in 2 Chr 7:12-22, expands it, makes some additional changes, and radically redirects its focus. The first paragraph begins with the introductory paragraph from Kings but then inserts within it a major paragraph that outlines what pious Israelites should do in case of national calamity. I have titled this additional paragraph the Positive Response of the People. While this paragraph is cast as a divine oracle, it is in fact the Chronicler's own viewpoint. In the temple prayer itself, in 2 Chronicles 6, Solomon had mentioned a variety of possible disasters that might occur, including defeat in war and exile, but in this new additional paragraph the Chronicler mentions only the kinds of natural dangers that faced the community of his day--drought, locusts, and pestilence. In case of such calamities, Yahweh urges the people to (1) humble themselves, (2) pray, (3) seek the deity's face, and (4) turn from their evil doings. That is, they are not to just pray in or toward the temple, as Solomon had urged in 2 Chronicles 6, but they are to participate fully in a transformed religious life. These four virtues crop up time and again in the balance of the Chronicler's narrative. (1) In this paragraph inserted by the Chronicler in chapter 7, the emphasis is exclusively on the people and the temple; there is not a word about the responsibility of the king.

By the time of the Chronicler the post-exilic community had existed for a century and a half with a fully functioning temple but without a king. If the Chronicler had felt any need for the reinstitution of the monarchy, he would have had to make a strong case for it. Instead, his additional paragraph in 2 Chronicles 7 puts the onus of responsibility exclusively on the people. Yahweh promises to forgive and to heal provided that Israel humbles itself, prays, seeks Yahweh's face, and repents. The promise in this programmatic verse is that there will always be forgiveness and healing for those who wholeheartedly participate in Israel's religious life and in the temple's worship.