2Chronicles
7-9
Sunday Evening Bible Study
Introduction
We’ve seen the beginning of Solomon’s reign over Israel Temple Temple
2Chronicles 7
:1-3 Fire and Worship
:1 the fire came down from heaven
This act of God accepting a sacrifice by consuming the offering with fire from heaven was not an everyday occurrence.
There have been four times when God has sent fire down to consume a sacrifice.
1. Moses and the Tabernacle
(Lev 9:24
KJV) And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the
altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they
shouted, and fell on their faces.
2. When David had sinned with the census, and he offered a sacrifice on Mount
Moriah
(1 Chr 21:26 KJV) And David built
there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings,
and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the
altar of burnt offering.
3. Here, where Solomon is dedicating the Temple
(2 Chr 7:1 KJV) 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.
4. Elijah and the prophets of Baal
(1 Ki 18:36-38 KJV) And it came to pass
at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet
came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known
this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I
have done all these things at thy word. {37} Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that
this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned
their heart back again. {38} Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the
burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the
water that was in the trench.
This is not an ordinary day in history.
: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.
We saw this occurring when they had first put the ark in the Temple
(2 Chr 5:13-14 KJV) It came even to pass,
as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in
praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the
trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying,
For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled
with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; {14} So that the priests could not
stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled
the house of God.
They had to leave the Temple Temple
Now it continues and the priests can’t get back into the Temple
:3 when all the children of Israel
Lesson
Respond with worship
We need to learn to be responding to God’s presence.
they bowed themselves – kara‘– to bend, kneel, bow, bow down, sink down to one’s knees, kneel down to rest (of animals), kneel in reverence
their faces – ‘aph – nostril, nose, face
worshipped – shachah – to bow down; (Hithpael) to bow down, prostrate oneself; before superior in homage; before God in worship
praised – yadah – (Hiphil) to give thanks, laud, praise; to confess, confess (the name of God)
good – towb – good, pleasant, agreeable
mercy – checed – goodness, kindness, faithfulness
for ever – ‘owlam – long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world
The people respond to God’s fire by bowing in worship.
Their words reflect the words that the Levites had sung at the beginning of the dedication.
(2 Chr 5:13 KJV) It came even to
pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard
in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the
trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for
ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the
LORD;
:4-11 Feasting
:5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen
The parallel passage tells us:
(1 Ki 8:63 KJV) And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered
unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand
sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel
With these being peace offerings, the idea is that there will be a huge
feast. With the peace offerings, God got a part of the offering, the priest got
a part, but you and your family got a part as well. You sat down and had dinner
with God.
:6 And the priests waited on their offices …
priests waited on their offices – They were ready to work, ready to perform their functions.
NLT - The priests took their assigned positions,
(2 Chr 7:6 NASB) And the priests stood at
their posts and the Levites, with the instruments of music to the LORD, which
King David had made for giving praise to the LORD-- "for His lovingkindness is everlasting"-- whenever he gave
praise by their means, while the priests on the other side blew trumpets; and
all Israel
:7 Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court
Because of the immense number of sacrifices, Solomon set aside an additional part of the courtyard for sacrifices.
The altar of burnt offering was pretty big, but not that big.
:8 Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel
The feast of dedication lasted for seven days.
The people that were present in Jerusalem
Hamath is in the far north, near the Euphrates
River river
of Egypt Israel Egypt Nile .
: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.
I mentioned last week that the Temple
Dedication
It appears that the people celebrated the Temple
Dedication
This all took place after the harvest was over and the farmers were “off” for the fall and winter. People had the time to do something like this.
:10 he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had showed
glad – sameach – joyful, merry, glad
merry – towb – good, pleasant, agreeable
goodness – towb – good, pleasant, agreeable
This is the word that is used to describe the Lord (v.3)
Lesson
Joy from the Lord
I think in a way we ought to experience this a little every time we get together to enjoy the Lord.
:11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king's house…he prosperously effected.
the king’s house – Solomon had not only built the Temple
he prosperously effected – tsalach – (Hiphil) to make prosperous, bring to successful issue, cause to prosper; to show or experience prosperity, prosper
:12-14 God’s prescription for healing
I want to talk about prescriptions.
A wife became quite concerned over her husband’s declining health. His color was very pale and lifeless and he had a terrible lack of energy for even the simplest of tasks. After much prodding and cajoling, she persuaded him to go to the doctor to find out what his problem might be. The doctor examined him carefully and ran a full battery of tests to determine the exact nature of the man’s illness. After evaluating the test results, he called the woman into his office to give his prognosis. “Your husband is suffering from a rare form of anemia. Without proper treatment, he could be dead in a matter of just a few weeks,” he informed the very anxious wife. He went on to say, “However it can be successfully treated with the right care and diet. With the proper course of treatment, I am happy to report that you can expect full recovery.” The wife was very relieved and asked what kind of action was necessary. The doctor gave his prescription, “You will need to get up every morning and fix a complete breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc. Make sure that he has a home-cooked lunch each afternoon of fresh-baked bread and home-made soup. For dinner prepare a meal of fresh salad, old-fashioned meat and potatoes, fresh vegetables and perhaps home-made pie or cake for dessert. Because his immune system is so compromised, you will need to keep the house scrupulously clean. It will also be important to keep his stress level very low, so avoid any kind of confrontations or arguments.” The wife emerged from the doctor’s office and with tears rolling down her cheeks, she faced her husband. The husband took one look at his wife and said very seriously, “The news is bad isn’t it? What did the doctor say?” With a choked voice, the sobbing wife told her beloved husband, “The doctor says, you’re gonna die.”
God gives us a prescription for our healing, both as individuals and as a nation.
:12 I have heard thy prayer …
Solomon has asked that God would honor this building that they are
dedicating. Solomon has asked that when people prayed towards the Temple
Lesson
Beware of the magic pill
God is going to tell Solomon that He will be honoring Solomon’s prayer, but
it’s not going to be a matter of people simply praying towards the Temple
This is not going to be a “magic temple”
God isn’t going to honor prayers prayed toward the Temple
There’s going to be times when God is going to require that you do a little more than just point your body in the right direction. Solomon understands this, but God is going to clarify it a bit.
There are some people who say, “Well I tried that! I prayed and nothing
happened …”
Sometimes we can fall into the trap of saying to people, “You just need to pray”. And that’s not a bad thing. But sometimes there is a little more that God might want in that person’s life.
:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain…locusts …pestilence
no rain – Sometimes a nation (or a state) goes through a drought. We might tend to think we just need to build more pipelines or work harder at water conservation.
God would prefer that we seek Him and turn from our sins.
Sometimes we go through “dry” times in our walk with the Lord. Sometimes these dry times can be because we aren’t where we need to be with the Lord.
locusts – (from Easton’s Bible Dictionary) – The invasions of locusts are the heaviest calamities that can befall a
country … Innumerable as the drops of water or the sands of the seashore, their
flight obscures the sun and casts a thick shadow on the earth …They descend
unnumbered as flakes of snow and hide the ground. It may be like the garden of
Eden before them, but behind them is a desolate wilderness. No walls can stop
them; no ditches arrest them; fires kindled in their path are extinguished by
the myriads of their dead, and the countless armies march on.
pestilence – deber – pestilence, plague (disease)
Lesson
Sometimes God uses difficult times
to bring us back to Him.
Sometimes God needs to get our attention.
Illustration
Dave received a parrot for his birthday. This parrot was fully grown with a
bad attitude and worse vocabulary. Every other word was an expletive. those
that weren’t expletives were, to say the least, rude. Dave tried hard to change
the bird’s attitude and was constantly saying polite words, playing soft music,
anything he could think of. Nothing. He yelled at the bird and it got worse. He
shook the bird; it got madder and ruder. Finally, in a moment of desperation,
Dave put the parrot in the freezer. For a few moments he heard the bird
squawking and kicking and screaming expletives, then suddenly there was quiet. Frightened
that he might have actually hurt the bird, he quickly opened the freezer door. The
parrot calmly stepped out onto Dave’s extended arm and said, “I’m sorry that I
might have offended you with my language and actions and ask for your
forgiveness. I will endeavor to correct my behavior.” Astounded at the bird’s
change, Dave was about to ask what had brought this about when the parrot
continued, “May I ask what the chicken did?”
God would at times use difficult situations to try to get Israel
Illustration
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
C. S. Lewis
(1898–1963)
:14 If my people, which are called by my name,
This is not for those who don’t know the Lord or follow Him.
As a nation, we can get upset at the horrible evil that goes on around us.
But as Christians, God doesn’t call us to get mad at the world, God commands US to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from OUR sins.
:14 shall humble themselves,
humble – kana‘– to be humble, be subdued, be brought down, be low
Lesson
Healing comes from Humility
a. Humility is measured in your
reaction to criticism
In our passage, the idea is that the nation might at times be facing difficulties or warnings from God. God would be faithful at times to point out where the people were wrong.
And they needed to be humble enough to respond to God’s tough words.
Illustration
No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts to it. In a letter to a young minister, Fred Mitchell once wrote:
I am glad to know that you are taking any blessing there
is about the criticism brought against you by _______, in which case even his
bitter attack will yield sweetness. A sentence which has been a great help to
Mrs. Mitchell and myself is: “It does not
matter what happens to us, but our reaction to what happens to us is of vital
importance.” I think you must expect more and more criticism, for with
increasing responsibility this is inevitable. It causes one to walk humbly with
God, and to take such action as He desires.
b. Humility is demonstrated in
saying you’re sorry.
That’s the point in our passage, that a person or a nation would be humble enough to turn from their sin.
Illustration
At a dinner party one night Lady Churchill was seated across the table from Sir Winston, who kept making his hand walk up and down—two fingers bent at the knuckles. The fingers appeared to be walking toward Lady Churchill. Finally, her dinner partner asked, “Why is Sir Winston looking at you so wistfully, and whatever is he doing with those knuckles on the table?”
“That’s simple,” she replied. “We had a mild quarrel before we left home, and he is indicating it’s his fault and he’s on his knees to me in abject apology.”
-- The Romance Factor, by Alan McGinnis
Can you say “I’m sorry”?
c. Humility is learned by being a
servant.
Paul wrote,
(Phil 2:5-8 NLT) Your attitude should be the same
that Christ Jesus had. {6} Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to
his rights as God. {7} He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of
a slave and appeared in human form. {8} And in human form he obediently humbled
himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross.
Jesus was our example of humility in that He became a
servant, even though He had the keys to heaven. On the same night He was
betrayed, He took the clothes of a servant and washed the disciples’ feet.
Illustration
I got my M.B.A. long before my G.E.D. I even have a
photograph of me in my M.B.A. graduation outfit—a snazzy knee length work
apron. I guarantee you that I’m the only founder among
-- Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's hamburgers, Well Done (Harper Collins, 1994), p. 159.
Being a servant is the key not to just obtaining humility, but maintaining
humility.
d. Humility is a key to growing as a
Christian.
Peter wrote,
(1 Pet 5:5-6 KJV) …Yea, all of you be subject one
to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth
the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. {6} Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due
time:
If you are filled with pride, you will find God fighting
against you. If you are learning humility, you will find God giving much grace
to you.
Illustration
F. B. Meyer once said: “I used to think that God’s gifts
were on shelves one above the other; and that the taller we grew in Christian
character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God’s gifts are on
shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of
stooping lower; that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts.”
:14 and pray,
pray – palal – to intervene, to intercede, pray
Lesson
Healing comes from prayer
We need to be praying for our nation.
Daniel the prophet understood this.
(Dan 9:2-5 KJV) In the
first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years,
whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would
accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem
Daniel had been reading his Bible and realized that the
time of the Babylonian captivity was about over. Yet Daniel also knew that
because of God’s response to Solomon (2Chr.
{3} And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: {4} And I prayed unto
the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and
dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them
that keep his commandments; {5} We have sinned, and have committed iniquity,
and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts
and from thy judgments:
Daniel goes on to pray for his nation,
Abraham Lincoln understood this.
Illustration
Proclamation of a
National Feast Day,
It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be
solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one
voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens
in every part of the
Abraham Lincoln
In many ways we are a blessed nation. Yet in many ways we are a people who have strayed far from the Lord.
We Christians have a responsibility to pray for our nation.
:14 and seek my face,
seek – baqash – (Piel) to seek to find; to seek to secure
my face – paniym – face; presence, person
Lesson
Healing comes from God’s presence
Healing doesn’t come just from words or actions, but relationship – being close to the Lord.
God told Moses and the people,
(Exo 15:26 KJV) And said, If thou
wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that
which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep
all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have
brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth
thee. (Jehovah-Raphah)
He is our Great Physician.
Spend time at the Doctor’s office.
Don’t just stand in the waiting room – go in and see the Doctor.
Learn to seek God’s presence and immerse yourself in Him.
:14 and turn from their wicked ways;
Lesson
Healing comes from repentance
Jesus wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus
(Rev 2:4-5 KJV) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left thy first love. {5} Remember therefore from whence thou art
fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee
quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
I’ve often seen this as a prescription for marriages that have lost that “spark”.
Jesus tells the church to:
Remember – think back to when the love was exciting, when you first came to know the Lord.
Repent – if there are things that you are doing that are taking you away from the Lord (or taking you away from your spouse), then TURN AROUND. Stop doing those things.
Re-do – do the first works. True repentance means that you get back on track to what you’re supposed to be doing. Do the things you used to do when you first fell in love.
Healing doesn’t come from just saying “I’m sorry”. It comes from a change
in direction, a change in behavior.
:14 then will I hear from heaven,
It’s when the people follow this prescription that God will hear.
:14 and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
will heal – rapha’ – to heal, make healthful (just like Jehovah-raphah)
The things that had happened in verse 13 are healed.
Lesson
Hold on for the healing
God promises,
(Joel 2:25 KJV) And I will restore to you the years
that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the
palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
Illustration
There are years in South Africa South
Africa
—Ron Hembree in, Fruits of the Spirit, (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1969).
:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
attent – qashshab – attentive
prayer – t@phillah – prayer; from palal – to intervene, interpose, pray
Solomon’s request was for God to listen from heaven to the prayers of the
people as they prayed toward the Temple
: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.
So how come the Temple
Lesson
God’s sovereignty
“Sovereignty” means that God does whatever He wants. He is the Potter, we are the clay.
(Jer 18:1-10 KJV) The word which came to
Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, {2} Arise, and go down to the potter's house,
and there I will cause thee to hear my words. {3} Then I went down to the
potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. {4} And the
vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it
again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. {5} Then the
word of the LORD came to me, saying, {6} O house of Israel Israel
We often look to this Scripture to talk of God’s sovereignty, how God is able to do whatever He wants.
But read on, God will clarify what it means for Him to do whatever He
wants.
{7} At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; {8} If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
If God makes a declaration that He will destroy a nation, but that nation turns from their sin, then God will respond and change His declaration. We see this with Jonah and the Ninevites. Jonah warned the people that God was going to destroy their city, and when they repented, God withdrew the promise of destruction.
{9} And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; {10} If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
If God makes a declaration that He will build up a kingdom, like Israel
Paul quoted this passage when he wrote,
(Rom 9:14-21 KJV) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. {15} For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. {16} So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. {17} For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. {18} Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
God did harden Pharaoh’s heart, but it happened after Pharaoh hardened his own heart first.
{19} Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For
who hath resisted his will? {20} Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him
that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? {21} Hath not the potter power over
the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour,
and another unto dishonour?
Some might take these verses and say that God would actually create people for the purpose of sending them to hell. Yet when you look back at the origin of Paul’s thought in Jeremiah, you see that God is responding to man’s own decisions.
This does not lessen the sovereignty of God. God has
chosen to give mankind freewill. And God has chosen to that our decisions would
affect how He judges us.
With the Temple Temple
(2 Chr 7:19-22 KJV) 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.
:17-22 Warnings to obey
:17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me …
Lesson
God is going to give Solomon some pretty serious warnings.
Here’s the wisest man on the earth, and God is telling him some pretty serious things.
Yet Solomon will blow it.
If Solomon can fall, so can I.
:21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it
This is exactly what would happen.
2Chronicles 8
:1-6 Kingdom building
: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,
Solomon took seven years to build the Temple 6:38 ) and 13 years to build
his own palace (1Ki. 7:1).
He built the Temple
Lesson
Priorities
There is an order of priorities we ought to have in how we live our life.
1. God ought to be first in our life.
(Mat
If we put Him first, then everything else will fall into place.
I don’t mean our “ministries”, I mean our personal relationship with the Lord.
2. We ought to have our family, our “house”, as our second priority.
A qualification for an “elder” is someone who has it together at home.
(1 Tim 3:4-5 KJV) One that ruleth
well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; {5}
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the
3. Then we build our kingdom.
That might involve our business, our hobbies, even our ministries.
Solomon has built the
:2 the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon …
the cities –
It has been suggested that towards the end of this twenty year period of
building, that Solomon was running a little low on cash. Instead of paying Hiram
with gold or wheat or oil, he gave him cities in the north of Israel
(1 Ki 9:10-13 NKJV) Now it happened at
the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of
the LORD and the king's house {11} (Hiram the king of Tyre
had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress and gold, as much as he desired),
that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. {12}
Then Hiram went from Tyre land of Cabul
Cabul – Kabuwl – “binding”; some translations have “worthless” here. This was an
area southeast of the city of Tyre
It sounds as if Hiram isn’t too happy with Solomon’s payment.
Lesson
Getting ripped off
Sometimes we don’t get what we pay for, sometimes we aren’t paid what we should be.
Illustration
Big Red Lobster Tales
A guy was down on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco
Apparently Hiram eventually gave the cities back to Solomon, who refurbished them and had Israelites move in.
:3 And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed against it.
This was an area far to the north of Damascus Euphrates River
(1 Chr 18:3 KJV) And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto
Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the
river Euphrates .
Now Solomon settles the area.
:4 And he built Tadmor …Hamath.
Tadmor – See map
Hamath – See map
:5 Also he built Bethhoron
Bethhoron – near Jerusalem
:7-10 The workforce
:7 As for all the people that were left of the Hittites …
These were the Canaanites, the people that lived in the land when Joshua
and the nation conquered it after having come from Egypt
Solomon had already created a slave labor force for the building of the Temple 2:17 ). It now continues with
the building of these various cities.
The Jews were allowed in the Law to own slaves, but only if the slaves were “strangers”, Gentiles.
(Lev 25:45-46 KJV) Moreover of the children of the strangers that
do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with
you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. {46} And
ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit
them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your
brethren the children of Israel
:11 Pharaoh’s daughter
:11 …My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel
Solomon had married the daughter of Pharaoh early in his reign as king. This was a political marriage, one to create a political alliance with a neighboring kingdom:
(1 Ki 3:1 KJV) And Solomon made affinity
with Pharaoh king of Egypt David Jerusalem
At first, Solomon had a place for her inside Jerusalem
Now that the building projects are over, he moves this wife outside the city to a special house.
He says it’s because she doesn’t belong in a place that’s “holy”.
Lesson
Marry the right person
I have a hard time thinking that Solomon is married to a person that he can’t take to a place that is “holy”.
(2 Cor
6:14 -18
KJV) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness? {15} And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he
that believeth with an infidel? {16} And what agreement hath the temple of God
If Jesus is a part of your life, He needs to be a part of your marriage and your home life.
:12-16 Regular worship
:13 Even after a certain rate every day …
These were all the kinds of regular sacrifices that were prescribed by the Lord through Moses.
There were daily sacrifices, weekly sacrifices (sabbaths), monthly sacrifices (new moons), and yearly sacrifices (solemn feasts).
Lesson
Regular worship
God doesn’t want us just coming to Him once a week or once a year.
He wants us coming to Him daily, as well as weekly, as well as for those special occasions too.
:14 And he appointed, according to the order of David his father
We’ve seen this before, how David had organized the Temple
:16 Now all the work of Solomon was prepared …
was prepared – kuwn – to be firm, be stable, be established; (Niphal) to be set up, be established, be fixed; to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense); to be prepared, be arranged, be settled
(2 Chr 8:16 NKJV) Now all the work of Solomon was
well-ordered from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD until it
was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
Lesson
The importance of order and
preparation
Things were organized from start to finish.
:17-18 Shipping adventures
:17 Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth,
at the sea side in the land of Edom
These cities were located on the northeast branch of the Red Sea .
Eziongeber – ‘Etsyown Geber – “backbone of
a man”; located near Elath at the head of the Gulf
of Akaba See
Eloth – ‘Eylowth – “grove of lofty trees See map
:18 And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships…to Ophir
Huram is the king of Tyre
Ophir – ‘Owphiyr
– “reducing to ashes”. There are several possible locations – eastern Africa ,
India Arabian Peninsula . See
map
2Chronicles 9
:1-12 The Queen of Sheba
:1 And when the queen of Sheba Jerusalem
Sheba Arabian Peninsula . See
map
The ships traveling to Ophir would have passed through the land
of Sheba
Josephus calls her “queen of Egypt Ethiopia
to prove – nacah – to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test
hard questions – chiydah – riddle, difficult question, parable, enigmatic saying or question, perplexing saying or question
Such testing was a sport among ancient Near Eastern monarchs.
she communed – dabar – to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing
:2 And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not.
told her – nagad – (Hiphil) to tell, declare; to tell, announce, report; to declare, make known, expound
questions – dabar – speech, word, speaking, thing
In a sense, there’s a picture here of a person who learns to come to Jesus.
Lesson
Jesus has the answers
We need to learn to come to Jesus with our problems.
He has the answers.
Spend time alone with the Lord. Read the Word. Pour out your heart to the Lord. Go on a walk with the Lord.
:3-4 And when the queen of Sheba
had seen – ra’ah – to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider; to be visible
Lesson
Wisdom is visible
It’s practical.
She could see the evidence of Solomon’s wisdom by how his house was built, the food he ate, even the clothes that his servants wore.
:6 thou exceedest the fame that I heard.
Lesson
It’s better to know Jesus than just
hear about Him
Jesus talked about the Queen of Sheba:
(Mat 12:42 NLT) The queen of Sheba
The more I know Him, the better it gets.
:7 happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
Do you think that people would ever say that about us?
(Acts 4:13 KJV) Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus.
:9 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold
an hundred and twenty talents of gold – nine thousand pounds of gold
:11 the king made of the algum trees terraces …and harps and psalteries for singers
almug/algum – ‘almuggiym – a tree from Lebanon
terraces – m@cillah – highway, raised way, public road
They used these trees to make pillars (1Ki. 10:12 )
and musical instruments.
:12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba
There is a tradition that when the Queen of Sheba left, she had one last present from Solomon. She was pregnant.
Until 1974, Ethiopia Jerusalem
Ethiopia
:13-14 Money comes in
:13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;
666 talents. Interesting number. 25 tons of gold. Kind of makes you have a bad feeling about all this money.
: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.
chapmen – ‘enowsh – man, mortal man, person, mankind, traveling merchants
merchants – cachar – to go around, go about, travel about in, go about in trade
These were additional sources of revenue.
:15-16 Gold shields
:15 two hundred targets …six hundred shekels of beaten gold
targets – shields. Each of these 200 shields had 15 pounds of gold on it.
:16 three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold
Smaller shields with 7 ˝ pounds of gold.
the house of the forest
of Lebanon Lebanon
:17-19 Solomon’s throne
:17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
This was one of the famous things of Solomon’s kingdom.
:18 stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:
stays – arm rests
:20-22 Solomon’s wealth
:20 And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold
Do you think the Dixie-cups were made of gold too?
:21 the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Tarshish – Tarshiysh – “yellow jasper”
This is the place that Jonah fled to.
Jon 1:3 But Jonah rose up to
flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and
he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down
into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
We think this might be referring to the area of the Mediterranean
near Spain Great Britain
… apes, and peacocks – entertainment
It’s as if he had the finest big-screen TV.
:22 And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
Pastor Chuck pointed out in this verse something interesting. Notice the order here: “riches” and then “wisdom”. Too bad it wasn’t reversed, “wisdom and then riches”. It’s almost as if the important thing at one point in Solomon’s life was his wealth.
Lesson
The danger of riches
Solomon would write at the end of his life:
(Eccl 5:10-12 NLT) Those who
love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true
happiness! {11} The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it.
So what is the advantage of wealth--except perhaps to watch it run through your
fingers! {12} People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much.
But the rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night's sleep.
Greed is never satisfied. You can never get enough. Learn to work hard so you can sleep well.
:23-24 Solomon sought after
:25 Horses
Lesson
Pay attention to God’s ways
Keep in mind, these are the hints of the things that would bring Solomon down.
He is breaking the rules laid down for kings:
(Deu 17:16-17 KJV) But he shall not
multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt
Kings needed to stay away from horses (military power), wives (sex), and money. These will take a man away from the Lord.
God is serious about His instructions for us.
Sometimes we get to thinking that we are somehow different, that we deserve to sin. Not so.
Ezekiel was taken in a vision to Jerusalem Jerusalem
(Ezek 8:12 KJV) Then said he unto
me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel
These wise old men had allowed themselves to do horrible things because they came to the conclusion that God didn’t care anymore. They came to the conclusion that if God had abandoned them, then they might as well just do a lot of sin.
When we adopt this attitude, we are only hurting ourselves.
God does see. God does care.
