Day 121: 2 Chronicles 7-9

(The previous post covered the completion of the temple and Solomon's dedication of the temple.)

2 Chronicles 7

(This chapter continued the dedication of 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 Jehovah filled the house.

(The last chapter concluded Solomon’s prayer. After Solomon finished praying, fire came from heaven and consumed the offerings and sacrifices. In 1 Kings 18:38, God did the same thing for Elijah in front of the 450 prophets of Baal.)

² And the priests could not enter into the house of Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah filled Jehovah's house.
³ And all the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

(The priests could not enter the temple because of God’s Glory and the people were so amazed they bowed to God and worshipped Him.)

⁴ Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before Jehovah.
⁵ And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

(Solomon’s prayer was for the dedication of the temple.)

⁶ And the priests stood, according to their offices; the Levites also with instruments of music of Jehovah, which David the king had made to give thanks unto Jehovah, (for his lovingkindness endureth for ever,) when David praised by their ministry: and the priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel stood.

(The Levites played music with instruments that king David had made. It appeared David was more than an accomplished musician. He also made instruments.)

⁷ Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah; for there he offered the burnt-offerings, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt-offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat.
⁸ So Solomon held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of Egypt.
⁹ And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

(The time chosen for the dedication of the temple was immediately before the feast of Tabernacles.)

¹⁰ And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away unto their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the goodness that Jehovah had showed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
¹¹ Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of Jehovah, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

(The words "prosperously effected" were translated from one Hebrew word which meant "to advance, prosper, make progress, succeed, be profitable.")

¹² And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice.

(God appeared to Solomon and told him He heard the prayer, that He would obey/grant the request.)

¹³ If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
¹⁴ if my people, who 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.

(Remember, Solomon asked God to hear the prayers of His people when they prayed towards or in the temple. God said He would hear them if they humbled themselves, prayed, sought His Face, and turned from their wicked ways. Notice, the people humbling themselves was required before they prayed.)

¹⁵ Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place.

(God stated His Eyes shall be open and His Ears attent. The people would have access to God's understanding and He would obey their prayer. God told Samuel in 1 Samuel 8 to be in His place towards the people as they "prayed" to him. Samuel was supposed to share his understanding after they made their request, then obey their request after they had his understanding.)

¹⁶ For now have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

(Notice, God said His Eyes and His Heart would be in this place perpetually, regardless if people humbled themselves or not. So, humility was necessary to have access to God's Ears.)

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 wilt keep my statutes and mine ordinances;
¹⁸ then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

(If Solomon walked in God’s commandments, as David did, then his kingdom would be established.)

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 hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

(If Solomon forsook God, the Israelites would be taken captive.)

²¹ And this house, which is so high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall say, Why hath Jehovah done thus unto this land, and to this house?
²² And they shall answer, Because they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who 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.

(People from outside of Israel would know that it was Israel’s fault if evil was brought upon them. This was not predestined.)




2 Chronicles 8

(This chapter covered the successes of king Solomon.)

¹ And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of Jehovah, and his own house,
² that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.

(These cities were in the northwest of Galilee. Even though they were included within the boundaries of the Promised Land, they were yet to be conquered.)

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, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
⁶ and Baalath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in 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, that were not of Israel;

(These were the people that God commanded the Israelites to "utterly destroy" in Deuteronomy 20:17.)

⁸ of their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, of them did Solomon raise a levy of bondservants unto 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 rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.

(Solomon did not make any Israelites his servants, only the people not of Israel.)

¹⁰ And these were the chief officers of king Solomon, 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 Jehovah hath come.

(Solomon built a house for his wife because she was a "stranger" and David's house was holy.)

(Verses 12-16: the order of Solomon's administration.)

¹² Then Solomon offered burnt-offerings unto Jehovah on the altar of Jehovah, which he had built before the porch,
¹³ even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set 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 ordinance of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers 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 Jehovah, and until it was finished. So the house of Jehovah was completed.

(Verses 17-18: king Solomon's sea trading.)

¹⁷ Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, on the seashore 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 came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and fetched from thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

(Solomon was brought almost 17 tons of gold.)




2 Chronicles 9

(This chapter covered more of king Solomon's achievements.)

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 train, 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.

(The Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon and came to test him with hard questions. She shared all of her heart with him: see also 1 Kings 10.)

² And Solomon told her all her questions; and there was not anything 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 food 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 unto the house of Jehovah; there was no more spirit in her.
⁵ And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom.

(She knew what she heard was true because she saw it for herself.)

⁶ Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the fame that I heard.

(However, she even said what she heard was only half the greatness because he exceeded the fame she heard.)

⁷ Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, that stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
⁸ Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for Jehovah thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do justice and righteousness.

(The Queen of Sheba had faith. She knew that God set Solomon over Israel to do Justice and Righteousness - God’s Nature. Notice, a queen from another nation recognized Israel as being established forever and that the key principles were Right and Just.)

⁹ And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

(The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon 9,000 pounds of gold.)

¹⁰ And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, that brought gold from Ophir, brought algum-trees and precious stones.
¹¹ And the king made of the algum-trees terraces for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the 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, besides that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.
¹³ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold,

(In one year, Solomon received about 25 tons of gold, which in those days was 666 talents of gold. Solomon appeared to have used all the gold he had for the temple. Now, after the temple was built, he was violating the Law by multiplying gold to himself: Deuteronomy 17:17. How fitting the amount of gold that helped to violate the Law after the dedication of the temple was 666 talents. The same as the number of the beast from Revelation 13:18.)

¹⁴ besides that which the traders and merchants brought: and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.

(Verses 15-28: examples of king Solomon's wealth and prosperity.)

¹⁵ And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one buckler.

(The "bucklers" were large shields (also translated as "targets"). They were made of gold, each one weighing about fifteen pounds.)

¹⁶ And he made three hundred shields 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.

(Each one of these shields of gold weighed about 4 pounds.)

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 either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside 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 king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
²¹ For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
²² So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

(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, which God had put in his heart.

(All the kings of the earth sought Solomon's presence because of his wisdom that God gave him.)

²⁴ And they brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, armor, 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, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
²⁶ And he ruled 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 to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore-trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
²⁸ And they brought horses for Solomon out of Egypt, and out of all lands.

(Again, these were the laws from Deuteronomy 17 that Solomon violated. However, nothing had been mentioned yet about the hundreds of wives and concubines that Solomon had, which would eventually turn his heart from God.)

²⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

(The Book of Nathan the prophet, the prophecy of Ahijah, and the visions of Iddo the seer??? The prophecy of Ahijah was in 1 Kings 11:29-30; 14:1-18. The visions and stories of Iddo were also referred to in 2 Chronicles 12:15; 13:22.)

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.

(Again, it appeared the Books of Chronicles documented the king's actions as king. Apparently, the only actions Solomon took as king were building the temple, amassing wealth, and being recognized by other kingdoms as superior. His wives and heart turning from God and punishment were personal issues.)

(This post covered Solomon's amassing wealth and fame immediately after the dedication of the temple and before he died.)

Day 122