Matthew 14 and 2 Chronicles

Exploring the Connection Between Matthew 14 and 2 Chronicles

For BibleInTen.com  By DH, 9th December 2025

Welcome back to Bible in Ten!

In the last episode, we explored how every event in Matthew 14 functions as a living re-enactment of the entire history of Israel. Building on the astounding groundwork laid in the previous commentary - where CG showed how Israel’s past and future are woven typologically and chronologically into Matthew’s narrative - we now turn to yet another beautiful structural pattern in Scripture.

Matthew’s Gospel contains 28 chapters, and remarkably, it mirrors the first 28 books of the Old Testament as arranged in the Christian Bible. So in this episode, having concluded our walk through Matthew 14, we’ll now look at its fascinating counterpart: Book 14 of the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles.

 

The Pattern: Matthew as the Echo of the Old Testament 

The Gospel of Matthew has been recognised for its deep structural connection to the Old Testament, and one striking pattern is how each chapter of Matthew echoes themes found in the corresponding book from the Old Testament.

Superior Scholars of the Word like Charlie Garret from the Superior Word have explained this pattern before.    Check out the episode linked in the description “the book of Matthew an introduction part 2 a” https://www.bibleinten.com/the-book-of-matthew-an-introduction-part-iia/  

As book 1, Genesis introduces origins and genealogies, Matthew 1 opens with the genealogy of Christ. As book 2, Exodus recounts Israel’s deliverance and early threats against God’s chosen deliverer, Matthew 2 presents Jesus’ birth, the flight into Egypt, and Herod’s murderous rage. This pattern continues throughout the Gospel, with Matthew’s chapters reflecting, summarizing, or re-framing the major themes of each Old Testament book.   So that the readers of the Old Testament have another source of proof to consider when evaluating the authority of the New Testament.   God certainly is not through with the Jew!

 

Whether or not Matthew intended this one-to-one mapping seems unlikely but, All Scripture is God breathed and so we can say God did intend them!   Furthermore we can therefore gain further confidence in book order and authority of the Scriptures as presented in the Christian Bible. The parallels are rich and unmistakable, showing Jesus as the fulfillment, continuation, and climax of Israel’s story from Genesis to 2nd Chronicles.

And the parallels are stunning.

2 Chronicles: Israel’s Story in Summary   2 Chronicles is more than a historical account but contains a pattern of national Israel’s spiritual trajectory.

• Parallel 1 - Sound advice is rejected.   (2 Ch. 10)
• Parallel 2 - Death Ends an Era    (2 Ch. 11)
• Parallel 3 - The people enter wilderness/exile.  (2 Ch. 12)
• Parallel 4 - God remains faithful.   (2 Ch 21)
• Parallel 5 - Out of Control and under threat.  (2 Chr 36)
• Parallel 6 - Restoration under a new leader (2 Chr 36:22-23)

Now let us consider how every one of these six steps reappears in the same sequence in Matthew 14.

Parallel #1: Sound advice is rejected 2 Chronicles

Rehoboam rejects the counsel of the elders.      IN 2 Chronicles 10:6-8  (ICB)

6 There were some elders who had helped Solomon make decisions during his lifetime. So King Rehoboam asked them what he should do. He said, “How do you think I should answer these people?”

7 They answered, “Be kind to these people. Please them and give them a kind answer. If you do, they will serve you always.”

8 But Rehoboam did not listen to the advice the elders gave him. 

Matthew 14

Herod plays a similar role.  He rejects John the Baptist, the final prophet under the Law.  Matthew 14 opens with the murder of the prophet

Parallel #2: Death Ends an Era   2 Chronicles  

After Solomon’s death, the kingdom fractures. Rehoboam wants to fight and restore unity, but God says:

“You shall not go up or fight against your brothers… for this thing is from Me.”  2 Chronicles 11:4

At this moment where God:

• cuts off the northern tribes from the Davidic monarchy,
• ends the united kingdom,
• begins a new era: Judah and Israel now separated.

Matthew 14

John the Baptist’s death signals the end of the old covenant era. The Law and the Prophets are closing; the Messiah’s ministry moves into a new phase.

Just as Solomon’s death closed an age, John’s death announces another ending—and a new beginning.

Parallel #3: Wilderness as Divine Res