Calvary Road Baptist Church

“A Survey Of Satanic & Demonic Warfare In First Chronicles”

First Chronicles 

Our Satanic and Demonic warfare survey brings us to the book of First Chronicles. Allow me to present background information about First Chronicles to you before examining the sparse references in the book to spiritual opponents. I will read from a wonderful work by Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer.

“A century or more after the Books of Kings were written, the circumstances for God’s people had improved little. It is true the exile had ended and many faithful Jews had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon and other parts of the world. But the Messiah had not come as some had hoped. The small population in Jerusalem felt discouraged and lost. Had God forsaken his people? Had the promises to David failed? The author of Chronicles looked back across the centuries of Israel’s history in order to trace God’s covenant promises through the broken circumstances of a defeated nation all the way down to his own day. His look back is intended as a message of reassurance and hope, and is pertinent for every generation of believers.”[1]

“Early Jewish tradition named Ezra as the author of these books. Scholars have agreed for many years that the author of Ezra-Nehemiah, probably Ezra himself, also wrote the Books of Chronicles. The text itself, however, makes no specific statement about authorship.”[2]

“The author’s use of his sources is likewise apparent in his discussion of Solomon’s magnificent reign. Often he quotes almost verbatim from 1 Kings, but omits entirely any reference to one of the most important ideas in the Kings narrative-Solomon’s great apostasy in 1 Kings 11:9-13. This selectivity was due to the author’s purpose, which was to trace the history of faith and salvation.”[3]

“The chronicler’s readers knew the Books of Samuel and Kings, and were all too familiar with the failures of the past. They did not need to be reminded of the sin and punishment of their ancestors. The author of Chronicles desired, instead, to follow a straight line of trust in God, with no detours. He avoided all avenues that might detract from his main objective, which was to remind his readers of the victories of their heritage and to assure them of triumphs in the future.”[4]

“This was not an attempt to rewrite history or gloss over the failures of the past. Chronicles is a statement of faith that God’s promises are true. Despite the circumstances of the postexilic period, God still had plans for Israel’s future. Jerusalem appeared to be full of nothing but poverty and strife. But appearances can be deceiving. The Books of Chronicles boldly proclaimed that God’s covenant and its promises were still valid. All was not lost!”[5]

“In our English Bibles, the Books of Chronicles immediately follow the Books of Kings and precede Ezra-Nehemiah. In this location, they are chronologically placed in the Old Testament historical books, the second part of the Christian canon. This is not the case in the Hebrew Bible. There, Chronicles comes at the end of the entire collection of biblical books, after Ezra-Nehemiah. This location is surprising since it reverses the natural sequence of Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles.”[6]

Chronicles has “a different purpose from his primary sources, the Books of Samuel and Kings. Samuel gave the history of the early monarchy, showing the rise and fall of Saul and the rise of David. That account legitimized Israelite kingship and showed the conditions under which God would bless the king. The Books of Kings continued and concluded the account of the monarchy. The theological purpose there was to trace the consequences of sin as opposed to the benefits of obedience.”[7]

“The author of Chronicles did not contradict the earlier histories or refute their truthfulness. On the contrary, the chronicler appears to have given the biblical sources greater authority than other sources available to him. Yet he was not bound to them rigidly. He employed the earlier biblical accounts creatively to write a history of God’s work in Israel that spoke to the needs of his postexilic audience. In this way, the chronicler stands early in the tradition of interpretation. The author of Chronicles was ‘the last example of Israel’s genius for retelling her sacred history.’”[8]

“The fifth century B.C. was a dreary period in Israel’s history. The great empire of David and Solomon had long since crumbled. The Assyrians had destroyed northern Israel and the Babylonians left little of Jerusalem. During the fifth century, the powerful Persian Empire reached its zenith. All that remained of national Israel was the tiny province of Judah, a small portion of Persia’s vast domain. Solomon’s magnificent temple had been replaced by one of much less splendor during the time of Haggai and Zechariah (516 B.C., Ezr 6:14-15). The once great Davidic monarchy had been reduced to a provincial governorship subject to Persian authority.”[9]

“To make matters worse, the initial freedom of the release from exile in 539 B.C. had raised the hopes and expectations of the Jewish people. It was a time of high anticipation. Soon, many thought, the Messiah would come and usher Judah into a new age of greatness. But those hopes were quickly disappointed. Those who returned to Jerusalem found the city in shambles. The population was small and lacking in material wealth. It was soon apparent that the messianic age had not arrived. Against this gloomy backdrop, the chronicler offered profound encouragement to his readers. Despite the circumstances, God’s purpose for Israel was still in effect through his promises to David (1 Chr 17:7-14).”[10]

First and Second Chronicles “center around the reigns of David and Solomon. As background to those two kings, 1 Chronicles opens with several genealogical lists, with historical statements interspersed among them (1 Chr 1-9). The reign of David is the topic of the rest of 1 Chronicles (chapters 10-29).”[11]

“The genealogical lists” in First Chronicles 1-9 “trace history from the first man, Adam, through the central figure of the narrative, David, to the author’s own day. These chapters may appear uninteresting and unnecessary to modern readers. But they were of paramount importance to the readers of the postexilic period. By means of these genealogical lists, the author of Chronicles demonstrated a national identity reaching back across the tragedy of the exile. The lists demonstrated a continuity between generations. The first readers could believe that the promises God gave their ancestors before the exile were also for them. Similar lists provide important background for other historical books of the Bible: Genesis 5, Matthew 1:1-17, and Luke 3:23-38.”[12]

“The list of the tribe and family of Saul (chapter 8) serves as a transition to the first narrative section of Chronicles: the death of Saul and the coronation of David (10:1-11:3).”[13]

The reign of King David is recorded in First Chronicles chapters 10-29. “The author was mainly interested in what he perceived to be God’s chosen instruments of salvation: the Davidic line of kings, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple. Consequently, he passed over Saul’s life and recorded only Saul’s ignominious death as background information to David’s rise to power.[14]

“On the other hand, the brief narrative on Saul presented one of the chronicler’s most important theological concepts. The author repeated the terms used to describe Saul’s sin and punishment in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14: Saul died because of his unfaithfulness to the Lord; he failed to keep the word of the Lord and did not inquire of the Lord, so the Lord put him to death. Saul’s life and death became for the author a prototype or pattern of the exile situation. It painted a picture that kept recurring throughout Israel’s history. It was a pattern with which the readers of Chronicles could identify... But the author balanced this prototype with the theme of ‘restoration’ in the following chapters. For the chronicler, David fulfilled in part a savior role.”[15]

The author first described how David became king, and his military exploits and successes (chapters 10-20). Then the chronicler went into great detail about David’s preparations for building the temple (chapters 21-29). Since the author viewed the temple as central to God’s plan of salvation, these elaborate plans for its construction revealed David’s true character as Israel’s leader in the faith.”[16]

“The figure of David casts a long shadow across the Books of Chronicles. The genealogies emphasize David and his line. The rest of 1 Chronicles is devoted to David’s reign... The chronicler’s views of David related to his perception of Israelite kingship. The Israelite monarchy was meant to be representative from the beginning. God would continue to function as the true King; Saul was the human representative or agent of government. But Saul became the pattern of the exilic situation in Chronicles. The beauty of the Davidic dynasty lies in the divine promise that the transfer of royal power would never be broken again (1 Chr 17:13). From the time of King David, Israelite kingship was placed forever into the hands of the sons of David.”[17]

From this standard conservative survey of the Chronicles we can observe what we have come to expect from even conservative scholars, scant attention paid to evidence of the spiritual war. Granted, there isn’t much about the spiritual conflict indicated in First Chronicles, but there is some.

We will examine each of the verses in which the author of First Chronicles, looking back five centuries to Israel’s more glorious past, provides clues to the nation’s demise. 

First Chronicles 5.25:      

“And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.” 

The Jews asked God to help them in a time of conflict, verse 20: 

“And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.” 

The tribe of Manasseh expanded as a result and came into contact with Mount Herman, a notable center of idolatry for centuries and until the Lord Jesus’ time, verse 23: 

“And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon.” 

Men of stature and renown, men of valor, and famous men, verse 24: 

“And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.” 

But they were no match for the enemy, were they? 

“And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.” 

First Chronicles 10.10:    

“And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.” 

Of course, this refers to the armor of the now-dead King Saul. You remember what happened to Saul. He engaged in rebellion and disobedience against God, did he not? And how did the prophet Samuel describe Saul’s rebellion? 

First Samuel 15.22-23:    

22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 

The author of Chronicles does not dwell on King Saul’s rebellion, which was essentially idolatry after all. Rebellion is self-worship. If you do what you want rather than what God wants, you might as well be worshiping an idol because you are elevating yourself in your estimation above God. Neither does he explicitly mention Saul’s dealings with the witch at Endor. He doesn’t need to. His readers knew those details very well. Sufficient for the writer of First Chronicles was pointing out that Saul’s armor ended up in the house of their gods, and his head was fastened in the temple of Dagon. 

First Chronicles 10.13:    

“So 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 enquire of it.” 

The familiar spirit is, of course, a somewhat more direct reference to Saul’s encounter with the witch at Endor, whose illegal presence in the land he overlooked when it suited his purpose. Saul was desperate. God had forsaken him because he had turned his back on God, wanting God only when he felt it was convenient for him. But God does not play that game, does He?

The result? The lesson to be learned, even five centuries later when First Chronicles was written, after Saul’s demise, after David’s demise, after Solomon’s demise, after Israel’s demise, and after Judah’s captivity at the hands of the Babylonians? Evil spirits, demons, false gods, seducing spirits are vastly more intelligent and cunning than humans. And when you disobey God, you open yourself to their wicked and destructive influences. The result, of course, is always destruction. 

First Chronicles 14.12:    

“And when they had left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.” 

This referred to a battle against the idolatrous Philistines when David was king. Ironically, this battle took place where the ark of the LORD had been captured by the Philistines more than a century before.[18]

Thus, not only was this an occasion for retribution against the Philistines from a century earlier, but it also displays the proper attitude we ought to have toward idolatry. We must understand, as David seemed to know at this point in his life, that our spiritual foes are intractable adversaries, determined to destroy us. 

First Chronicles 16.25:    

“For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.” 

This verse is part of a compilation of passages from other psalms. David may have taken them from among his earlier poetry and included them in the chronicler’s record, which is also found in Psalm 96. Taken by itself as evidence in First Chronicles of the spiritual conflict we have been immersed in since the days of Adam, this verse contrasts God with the false gods, His greatness versus their essential smallness, that He is praiseworthy while implying that they are not and that He is to be feared while they are not to be feared.

We sin against God when we fail to testify to His greatness when we fail to praise Him, and when we do not fear Him above all who are merely creatures, He has fashioned and who now wickedly rebel against Him. 

First Chronicles 16.26:    

“For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” 

Continuing from the last portion of the hymn in verse 25, we again are presented with vivid contrast. These gods that the Gentiles worship are idols! That is all they are. They are nothing more than that. How incredible is it to worship that which is fashioned from wood or stone or plastic with men’s hands, to pay homage to defiled spirits who turned against the God Who created them?

The last phrase names the real God as Jehovah! And David declares that He made the heavens! Our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is the true God. And He only is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. 

First Chronicles 21.1:      

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.” 

The first mention of spiritual conflict in First Chronicles was in 5.25, when the tribe of Manasseh cried out to God, Who gave them victory. But as they expanded, they came in contact with Mount Hermon, and succumbed to idolatry, their undoing. What tragic irony.

First Chronicles 10.10 and 10.13 remind us of King Saul’s undoing, beginning with his disobedience, his rebellion, which was likened to witchcraft and idolatry and ending with his involvement with a witch, a familiar spirit, and his suicide.

In First Chronicles 14.12, we see David’s hostility toward false gods. In 16.25-26, we see David’s hymns of praise and worship of the LORD. But in this verse, we are reminded that Satan provoked David to sin against God by wrongly numbering Israel. 

What do we learn from this survey of First Chronicles? Several things.

First, it is a sad omission that the spiritual war is so neglected by commentators, theologians, pastors, and Bible-believing Christians. We are more vulnerable as a result.

Next, we take note that the great, the powerful, the famous, the pious, and the mighty men of valor can be 1seduced, duped, fooled, and tricked by our clever and malicious foes. They can quickly destroy our lives.

The final example, mighty King David, is a cautionary reminder that “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall,” Proverbs 16.18.

King Saul thought he didn’t need God until he needed God. Even David came to the place where he imagined he could do what he wanted to do, what he felt like doing, to his great regret.

Be careful, friend. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

__________

[1] Bill T. Arnold & Bryan E. Beyer, Encountering The Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), page 252.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., page 253.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid., page 254.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid., page 254-255.

[10] Ibid., page 255.

[11] Ibid., page 256.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Ibid., pages 258-259.

[18] John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck, General Editors, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1983), page 606.

Would you like to contact Dr. Waldrip about this sermon? Please contact him by clicking on the link below. Please do not change the subject within your email message. Thank you.

Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church