May 23rd
2 Chronicles,
7
The
glory in the Temple
1: Now when Solomon had made an end of
praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and
the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. 2: And the priests
could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had
filled the LORD's house. 3: And when all the children of Israel saw how
the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed
themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped,
and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Sacrifices
& celebrations
4: Then the king and all the people offered
sacrifices before the LORD. 5: And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty
and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king
and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6: And the priests waited on
their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which
David the king had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy endureth for
ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets
before them, and all Israel
stood. 7: Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the
house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the
peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able
to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat. 8: Also at
the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from
the entering in of Hamath unto the river
of Egypt. 9: And in the
eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the
altar seven days, and the feast seven days. 10: And on the three and twentieth
day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and
merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to
Solomon, and to Israel
his people.
God
speaks to Solomon
11: Thus Solomon finished the house of the
LORD, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in
the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. 12: And
the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy
prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. 13: If
I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour
the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14: If my people, which are
called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land. 15: Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine
ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. 16: For now have I chosen
and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes
and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 17: And as for thee, if thou wilt
walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have
commanded thee, and shalt observe my statues and my judgments; 18: Then will I
stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David
thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. 19:
But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have
set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 20: Then
will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and
this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight,
and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. 21: And this
house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it;
so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this
house? 22: And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their
fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore
hath he brought all this evil upon them.
2 Chronicles,
8
Solomon’s
other projects
1: And it came to pass at the end of twenty
years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house, 2:
That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and
caused the children of Israel
to dwell there. 3: And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it.
4: And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he
built in Hamath. 5: Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the
nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars; 6: And Baalath, and all the
store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of
the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in
Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion. 7: As for all the people
that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the
Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,
8: But of their children, who were left after them in the land, whom the
children of Israel
consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this day. 9: But of
the children of Israel
did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief
of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen. 10: And these were
the chief of king Solomon's officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare
rule over the people. 11: And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of
the city of David unto the house that he had
built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king
of Israel,
because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come. 12: Then
Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which
he had built before the porch, 13: Even after a certain rate every day, offering
according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons,
and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of
unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
14: And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses
of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise
and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters
also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
15: And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and
Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures. 16: Now all the
work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the
LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected. 17:
Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom. 18: And Huram sent him by the
hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and
they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred
and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.
2 Chronicles,
9
The
Queen of Sheba
1: And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to
prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem,
with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance,
and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of
all that was in her heart. 2: And Solomon told her all her questions: and there
was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. 3: And when the queen of
Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, 4: And
the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of
his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and
his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more
spirit in her. 5: And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard
in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: 6: Howbeit I believed not
their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half
of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame
that I heard. 7: Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which
stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. 8: Blessed be the LORD thy
God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD
thy God: because thy God loved Israel,
to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do
judgment and justice. 9: And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of
gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any
such spice as the queen of Sheba
gave king Solomon. 10: And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of
Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious
stones. 11: And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the
LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there
were none such seen before in the land
of Judah. 12: And king
Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba
all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto
the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.
Solomon’s
fame and wealth
13: Now the weight of gold that came to
Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold; 14:
Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and
silver to Solomon. 15: And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten
gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target. 16: And three
hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to
one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
17: Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure
gold. 18: And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold,
which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place,
and two lions standing by the stays: 19: And twelve lions stood there on the
one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in
any kingdom. 20: And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and
all the vessels of the house of the forest
of Lebanon were of pure
gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of
Solomon. 21: For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every
three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory,
and apes, and peacocks. 22: And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth
in riches and wisdom. 23: And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of
Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart. 24: And they
brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and
raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 25: And
Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand
horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 26: And he
reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the
Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. 27: And the king made silver
in Jerusalem as
stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low
plains in abundance. 28: And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out
of all lands.
Solomon’s
death
29: Now the rest of the acts of Solomon,
first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in
the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer
against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30: And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem
over all Israel
forty years. 31: And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the
city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
In today’s passages we read of the glory of
the Lord filling the temple that Solomon has built. And we read of the
sacrifices and celebrations of Israel
at the dedication of the Temple.
Then we read that the Lord spoke to Solomon. Next the recorder writes of
Solomon’s other building projects and of the famous visit of the Queen of
Sheba. Then finally we have the wealth and fame of Solomon and of his death.
Never before or since had there been a more wealthy king of Israel than
Solomon and never before a more Godly man than David. All the Kings of Israel
are measured against the David who was a man who had the very mind of God. From
this we see that wealth and blessing are not the same as godliness. Often we
think that it was Elijah that called on the Lord to send down fire from heaven
but David and Solomon experienced this first. The glory of the Lord filled the
house thus making the temple an unbearable place to be for men. The people were
amazed and bowed before the Lord worshipping the LORD. Then Solomon offered
2,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. The organisation of the service of the Lord swung
into action that David had set up and there was great worship and celebration.
The altar of the Lord was unable to contain all the offerings to the Lord. The
feasting went on for seven days, but on the eighth day they had a very solemn
assembly because they had kept the dedication of the altar for seven days and
the feast for seven days. On the 23rd day of the seventh month the
people went away glad and merry in heart because of the goodness of the LORD
that he had shown to David and Solomon and to all the people. Then the LORD
spoke to Solomon in the night confirming his covenant with him and explaining
how the people are to return to the LORD their God if he disciplines them with
drought, locusts or pestilence. This famous passage is classic Old Covenant
Theology. It is based on the Mosaic covenant and the provisions of the law. The
Lord says If my people (Israel) who are called by my name will humble
themselves and pray and search after me and repent of their wicked ways – THEN
l will hear from heaven and forgive them (of their backslidings) and I WILL HEAL
THEIR LAND. (Now this cannot be said of any NT believer today. Firstly because
this is squarely based on the blessings and curses of the Mosaic Covenant and
this is a covenant of Law. Secondly, NT Believers are not under Law and most
certainly not under the Mosaic Covenant. These threats of judgments and
promises of blessing are based on the righteousness of those living under law.
The Christian is dealt with in a totally different manner. He is living under
Grace. God is forever gracious towards him because his sins and iniquities are
remembered no more. They are forever forgiven and he has no land here on earth
- his inheritance is heavenly where he has received already all spiritual
blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.) Then the Lord promised that
his eyes and ears would forever be open to this temple. Then the LORD entered
in a personal covenant of human responsibility with Solomon. He said IF you
live righteously before me (according to the Mosaic Law) then l will establish
your throne like l did with your father David. But if you forsake me then l
will pluck you up out of the ground like a thistle and l will throw you out of
my sight. And you will be a lesson to all men of what happens to a man who
forsakes me. And this temple will be so destroyed that those who walk by will
be astonished at it. They will ask why God has done this. And every man will
know the answer – It is because they have forsaken the LORD their God and gone
and served idols. Solomon went on to build huge buildings. He built a house for
himself and he built huge cities throughout the land. Solomon supervised the
Levites to bring sacrifices to the Lord in huge quantities three times a year
and every day. Then Solomon took men who have knowledge of the sea to bring
back a huge quantity of gold. Many monarchs came to visit Solomon and the most
famous was the Queen of Sheba. She came with the hardest unsolvable questions
of men but Solomon easily answered all that she asked. After she had seen
everything she was completely amazed saying that she had only heard half of
what she had seen with her eyes. She blessed the God of Israel giving to
Solomon all that she had and he gave her all that she asked for. The wealth of
Solomon was fabulous beyond belief. There was so much gold that he had to think
of things to make with it all. He built an ivory throne and overlaid it with
gold. All of the cups in his palace were pure gold. His navy went far and wide
bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks. God made him the wealthiest
and wisest man on earth. All the kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom and
they brought great wealth to him. All of his great acts are written in the book
of Nathan the prophet and in the prophecy of Ahijah and in the visions of Iddo
the prophet. Solomon reigned as did David and Saul for 40 years. He was buried
in Jerusalem.
When he died Rehoboam took his throne.
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