Day 119: 2 Chronicles 1-3

(Much like the two Books of Kings, Chronicles was one book in the Jewish Old Testament. The Greeks divided the book into two parts. Both will serve as a review of the previous four books. Many experts believe the Books of Chronicles were compiled by Isaiah (~683 BC) and Ezra (~461 BC) from the records of scribes and prophets from 1279-461 BC. The Book of 2 Chronicles was the ninth of the twelve books that made up the historical section of the Old Testament. While the Book of 1 Chronicles covered the same time period as the Book of 1 Samuel and the Book of 2 Samuel: The kingships of Saul and David. The Book of 2 Chronicles covered the same time period as the Book of 1 Kings and the Book of 2 Kings (Israel's history from Solomon until the captivity), however, the focus was Judah. For example, the Book of 1 Chronicles had some details not present in the Book of 1 Kings and the Book of 2 Kings. Basically, the Books of Chronicles were more concerned with the kings' actions as king. David's battle with Goliath (1 Samuel 17) was not mentioned because David was not the king when this occurred. Also, David's relationship with Jonathan (1 Samuel 18) was not mentioned because this had nothing to do with David's kingly duties. We will focus more on these points and treat the rest of the text as review.)

2 Chronicles 1
¹ And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Jehovah his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

(God was with Solomon and magnified him exceedingly. Magnify meant "to grow.")

² And Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers' houses.
³ So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of Jehovah had made in the wilderness.
⁴ But the ark of God had David brought up from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

(Solomon brought the leaders of Israel to the tabernacle.)

⁵ Moreover the brazen altar, that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of Jehovah: and Solomon and the assembly sought unto it.
⁶ And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar before Jehovah, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt-offerings upon it.
⁷ In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

(After David's public prayer, God appeared to Solomon and asked Solomon what He should give him: 1 Kings 3:5.)

⁸ And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great lovingkindness unto David my father, and hast made me king in his stead.
⁹ Now, O Jehovah God, let thy promise unto David my father be established; for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
¹⁰ Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

(Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge and gave his reason: 1 Kings 3:9. In verse 10, "knowledge" was the Hebrew word madda. We saw in 1 Kings 3, this was the ability to understand the process of thinking.)

¹¹ And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
¹² wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee; neither shall there any after thee have the like.

(God gave Solomon wisdom and knowledge as he requested and God gave him more: 1 Kings 3:11-14. Again, "knowledge" in both verse 11 and verse 12 was madda. Notice, madda was given by God. For example, in Daniel 1:17 God gave madda to Daniel and his friends.)

¹³ So Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, unto Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel.
¹⁴ And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
¹⁵ And the king made silver and gold to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
¹⁶ And the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; the king's merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.

(Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt and multiplied gold and silver to himself (1 Kings 10:28), which was a violation of Deuteronomy 17:16-17.)

¹⁷ And they fetched up and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.




2 Chronicles 2
¹ Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom.

(Solomon was ready to build the temple and a house of his own.)

² And Solomon counted out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand men that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them.

(He enlisted a force of 70,000 laborers (bearers of burdens), 80,000 men to quarry stone (hewers) in the hill country, and 3,600 supervisors/overseers.)

(Verses 3-16: Solomon's correspondence with the king of Tyre.)

³ And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him a house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.

(Solomon sent a message to Huram about the work they were to accomplish.)

⁴ Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Jehovah my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him incense of sweet spices, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt-offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Jehovah our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
⁵ And the house which I build is great; for great is our God above all gods.
⁶ But who is able to build him a house, seeing heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, save only to burn incense before him?
⁷ Now therefore send me a man skilful to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that knoweth how to grave all manner of gravings, to be with the skilful men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.

(He wanted a man who was skillful, who could work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as with purple, crimson (scarlet), and blue cloth. This man also had to know how to engrave.)

⁸ Send me also cedar-trees, fir-trees, and algum-trees, out of Lebanon; for I know that thy servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon: and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
⁹ even to prepare me timber in abundance; for the house which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.
¹⁰ And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

(In exchange for the men from Tyre who could cut wood, Solomon offered Huram 100,000 bushels of crushed wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.)

¹¹ Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because Jehovah loveth his people, he hath made thee king over them.
¹² Huram said moreover, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with discretion and understanding, that should build a house for Jehovah, and a house for his kingdom.
¹³ And now I have sent a skilful man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's,

(Huram blessed God and stated that God created heaven and earth. Then he agreed to send a man, of his brethren, who was skilled and had understanding.)

¹⁴ the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan; and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson, also to grave any manner of graving, and to devise any device; that there may be a place appointed unto him with thy skilful men, and with the skilful men of my lord David thy father.
¹⁵ Now therefore the wheat and the barley, the oil and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:
¹⁶ and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need; and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.

(Huram also agreed to the exchange concerned with the wood cutters. There was no documentation that David provided wood.)

¹⁷ And Solomon numbered all the sojourners that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found a hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.
¹⁸ And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.

(Solomon numbered all of the foreigners in the land. They numbered 153,600 of which Solomon assigned 70,000 of them as laborers, 80,000 as quarry workers, and 3,600 as supervisors.)

2 Chronicles 3

¹ Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where Jehovah appeared unto David his father, which he made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

(After much preparation by David and Solomon himself, Solomon began building the temple.)

² And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

(It took Solomon over four years to start building.)

³ Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

(The dimensions of the foundation of the temple were 90 feet long and 30 feet wide.)

⁴ And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

(The porch, or entry room, was 30 feet wide running along the width of the temple and 30 feet high.)

⁵ And the greater house he ceiled with fir-wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and wrought thereon palm-trees and chains.
⁶ And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
⁷ He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubim on the walls.

(This covered some of the decorations of the temple.)

⁸ And he made the most holy house: the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.

(The Holy of Holies, where the Ark lived, was 30 feet wide according to the width of the temple and 30 feet deep. Solomon overlaid its interior with 23 tons of gold.)

⁹ And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

(Solomon used golden nails. Each weighed about 1 1/4 lbs.)

¹⁰ And in the most holy house he made two cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them with gold.
¹¹ And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.

(The two cherubim standing side by side had a total wingspan of 30 feet.)

¹² And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
¹³ The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.

(Each cherub had a 15 foot wingspan and the tips of the most outward wings touched the walls of the temple.)

¹⁴ And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon.

(The veil was embroidered with cherubim.)

¹⁵ Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

(In the front of the temple stood two pillars, each being 27 feet high with an additional 7 1/2 foot capital on each.)

¹⁶ And he made chains in the oracle, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
¹⁷ And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

(Each pillar was named:
-The one on the right, Jachin which meant "He will establish."
-The one on the left, Boaz which meant "in it is strength."

It was therefore said of the temple that this house of God was established by God and built by the strength of God.)

(This post covered Solomon's asking God for wisdom and Solomon's building of the temple.)

Day 120