2 Chronicles 8:1-18 - Completion and Holy Separation

2 Chronicles 8:1-18

Solomon’s Additional Achievements (1 Kings 9:10–28)

1 It came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house, 2 that the cities which Hiram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he settled the children of Israel there. 3 And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it. 4 He also built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities which he built in Hamath. 5 He built Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6 also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the cavalry, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

7 All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel— 8 that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make the children of Israel servants for his work. Some were men of war, captains of his officers, captains of his chariots, and his cavalry. 10 And others were chiefs of the officials of King Solomon: two hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.

11 Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD which he had built before the vestibule, 13 according to the daily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the three appointed yearly feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 14 And, according to the order of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, the Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of God had commanded. 15 They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.

16 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.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the seacoast, in the land of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

Solomon completed the house of the LORD and his own houses over a per of twenty years.  He had built in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion and used the people who Israel had not driven out of the promised land as commanded, the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, for forced labor instead of employing the children of God for the manual labor.  This was a holy separation of duties just as he separated his Egyptian wife (who was not a believer in the LORD) from the holy city in a house outside of Jerusalem.  He said plainly that the places where the Ark of God’s covenant came were holy and implied she was not by this separation from his house in Jerusalem where it had passed through to the Holy of Holies in the temple he had built for God’s presence to be met on its mercy seat.  He honored the holiness of the LORD by offering the required sacrifices in abundance at the proper times and appointed priests to serve God in His house as his father David had designated by the word of God.  We read how all the work that Solomon did was “well-ordered from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD until it was finished,” a tribute to his obedient dedication to honor the sovereign holiness of their God.  May we learn from his example to complete the work given us (Colossians 1:28, Hebrews 13:21) in His enabling power and honor the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ by our lives so loved to be holy as He is (1 Peter 1:15-16) as we build our individual houses (1 Corinthians 6:19) and the church of God corporately (1 Peter 2:4-5) as holy stones in its construction, separated for God’s work (2 Corinthians 6:14, 17, Ephesians 5:11, 15-16, 1 Peter 2:9) in all we do as we live the motto, (Exodus 28:36, Psalm 29:2) “holiness to the Lord,” as all as priests do to serve Him.  May we complete the work given us together in our holy separation of dedication to Him.

2 Chronicles 7:12-22 - Answered Prayers to Honor God

2 Chronicles 7:12-22

God’s Second Appearance to Solomon (1 Kings 9:1–9)

12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’

19 “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 20 then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

21 “And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?’ 22 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’”

God came to Solomon for the second time at night in a dream; the first time He had asked Solomon what He should give him (1 Kings 3:5), this second time the LORD told him he heard his prayer for the temple and His people.  The first time Solomon had answered with a request to be given wisdom to lead the people of God with a humble heart and a desire to know good and evil (1 Kings 3:9) and discovered that he was given great wisdom and opulence to match that he did not ask for.  We sometimes are given material gifts as well as wisdom when our hearts sincerely seek to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but this is never a demand for wealth as some erroneously believe and teach today.  We do well to echo Solomon in asking for wisdom to serve and guidance to learn good from evil as He instructs us (Hebrews 5:14) along the way of sanctification while we are being conformed to the image (Romans 8:29, 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 4:13, Colossians 3:10) of Christ and the knowledge of good and evil lost (Genesis 3:4-5) in Eden’s Garden.  We are likewise to imitate the example of Solomon in the beginning where he heeded the call to turn from evil and run after (Psalm 119:32) His commandments to be pleasing children with changing hearts of willing obedience.  This is to exalt these houses of God, namely our bodies where He now lives, to worship as we ought in holiness and singleness of heart and mind as we turn away from other idols of this present (Galatians 1:4) evil age.  As we remember the good beginning of Solomon and how later these idols and wealth overran his God-given wisdom, it should humble us to face failure but energize us to stay the course according to scripture and run the race of faith in worship of living to honor our Lord who has bought us at such a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23) of His Son!  Our gifts are given to serve God, not enrich ourselves, and our prayers are answered to honor Him in the beauty of holiness in these temples housing (1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 John 3:24) His very presence as Solomon’s temple foreshadowed. 

2 Chronicles 7:1-11 - Glory of God in the Temple

2 Chronicles 7:1-11

Solomon Dedicates the Temple (1 Kings 8:62–66)

1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying:

“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.”

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying, “For His mercy endures forever,” whenever David offered praise by their ministry. The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.

7 Furthermore Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

8 At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt. 9 And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel. 11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.

As soon as Solomon finished praising and thanking the LORD in his public prayer, the glory of God came down like fire to consume the offering and fill the temple with His glorious presence.  Imagine being present when this happened!  Then imagine being present years later in Jerusalem when God’s Spirit came down on those who had heard the gospel and were then filled (Acts 2:2-3, 4) with the glory of the presence of God in their bodies, the temples of the Lord.  Now imagine further that ever since then we in these temples (Ephesians 1:13-14, 1 Corinthians 6:19) have this same presence (1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Colossians 1:27) of the glory of God in us, accepting the living sacrifice of our lives!  We likewise should react as Solomon and the people of God did then, bowing to Him and worshipping in praise for this wondrous gift of God very presence in these temples now.  He is good and His mercy truly endures forever!  Our sacrifices now are a humbled spirit, a willing mind and soul given to live for Him (Psalm 51:17, Micah 6:8, Matthew 9:13, Mark 12:33) as we count ourselves crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) that we might offer lasting sacrifices instead of transitory and incomplete ones like bulls and such the Israelites did then.  Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice to replace those (Hebrews 10:6-7, 10) that we might please Him in return with our lives lived (Romans 12:1) for His glory revealed in us to the world as places of His presence of glory.  Let us vow to be like Solomon who, having worshipped in this way, afterwards knew he had accomplished all in his heart to honor the LORD God in word and deed for God’s house and his own. 

2 Chronicles 6:18-42 - Will God Indeed Dwell with Man on Earth?

2 Chronicles 6:18-42

18 “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! 19 Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You: 20 that Your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You would put Your name, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. 21 And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive.

22 “If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

24 “Or if Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.

26 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, 27 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

28 “When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 29 whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple: 30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men), 31 that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

32 “Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple; 33 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

34 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

36 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near; 37 yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’; 38 and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name: 39 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You. 40 Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.

41 “Now therefore,

Arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.

Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation,
And let Your saints rejoice in goodness.

42 “O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed;
Remember the mercies of Your servant David.”

Solomon asked the wise question when dwelling on the LORD God coming to meet the high priest as He did with Moses long before, “will God indeed dwell with men on the earth?”  He knew God lived in heaven far above the earth and His creation, outside even the visible heavens in His magnificence and infinite glory.  So why should the Holy One come to earth to meet with man in this temple of brick and precious metals that he had constructed to worship and honor the Creator and Master of all things?  Solomon was as infinitely humbled as God was infinitely great as he considered these things.  He then boldly asked that God would look upon man as he came with sacrifice in his heart to this place to hear and attend to their supplications for mercy and help in time of need as we do now before the (Hebrews 4:16) throne of grace.  God put His name there to be available to hear His people pray and receive their worship beyond outward sacrifices (Hosea 6:6, 1 Samuel 15:22, Matthew 9:13), showing mercy to one another and obeying His word in light of the grace of His atonement from the mercy seat.  He asked for forgiveness and deliverance from enemies (Luke 11:4, 2 Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 1:4) when they approached that place, and accountability answered for as well when repentance was lacking.  When repentance was found, Solomon prayed that the LORD would hear when they returned to Him with all their heart and with all their soul that they might fear and follow Him according to His word in the light of their deliverance as we do now in Christ, humbly and thankfully trusting and obeying in repentance and faith with our lives as living sac of worship demonstrated with willing obedience for His merciful grace.  Then the place to look was this temple where God dwelt; now it is to the place of our hearts where He has taken up permanent residence as we build up these temples in holiness to honor and worship Him here.  We are also to be clothed with salvation from our consequences of sin under God’s just wrath and rejoice in doing and being good to please Him who promises not to turn His face away anymore from we His servants bought at such a price of His son who sacrificed Himself on the cross of our curse and to whom we approach boldly in repentance for ongoing sins for reconciling forgiveness and mercy in grace.  Will God indeed dwell with man on earth?  Yes, God will dwell with man on earth, just as He promised with the down payment of His Spirit now and in His presence, face to face forever in the New Jerusalem when He will bring down a piece of heaven to earth (Revelation 21:10) where He will dwell (John 14:23, Revelation 21:3, 22:3-4) with us on the new earth forevermore! 

2 Chronicles 6:1-17 - Speech of Dedication

2 Chronicles 6:1-17

1 Then Solomon spoke:

“The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.
2 I have surely built You an exalted house,
And a place for You to dwell in forever.”

Solomon’s Speech upon Completion of the Work (1 Kings 8:14–21)

3 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 4 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, 5 ‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel. 6 Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ 7 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 8 But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart. 9 Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’ 10 So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke, and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built the temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 11 And there I have put the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with the children of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication (1 Kings 8:22–53)

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands 13 (for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven); 14 and he said: “LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 15 You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 16 Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’ 17 And now, O LORD God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.

After the house of God was finished, dedicated, sanctified, and they all praised the LORD God and Solomon spoke these words of wise dedication.  He first spoke of how the LORD does not dwell in houses made by human hands (Acts 7:48-49) and then said he had built this house to have a place to meet with and worship in atoning sacrifice and praise they could all assemble around and look to Him with mortal eyes and honor His name (2 Samuel 7:13) through the daily priests and special times of high priests before the mercy seat in the (Leviticus 16:2) holy of holies.  Solomon then blessed the entire ass of God’s people and corporately blessed the God who had delivered and protected His children since Egypt that they might inherit the land promised to Abraham for them by faith and then finally chose Jerusalem as a place for a permanent residence to replace the traveling tabernacle.  This temple was promised to the line of king David as a channel of redemption through his Seed (2 Samuel 7:12, 1 Kings 11:36, Romans 1:2-4, Galatians 3:16), the Messiah we now call Christ, and the house of God as a shadow of the true house in the heavens and come to fruition in the people of God as living bricks (1 Peter 2:4-5) as its eternally permanent construction.  The Ark of the covenant of works was placed in the most holy place behind the veil until the mercy seat there would be made accessible by the Seed of promise Himself to all His people of every nation called by faith in His work (Galatians 3:26, 29) to make it all possible.  What once was a conditional covenant according to adhering to the works defined by God in the Law (Galatians 2:16, 3:10, 11, 13-14) is now therefore conditional on receiving the grace of God through His Son (John 1:12, Galatians 3:22-23, 24) who Himself kept the Law for us (Matthew 5:17, Romans 10:4, 9-10) and our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 8:1-2) who is interceding for us in heaven before the very throne of God in His heavenly temple (Hebrews 8:5, 9:23, 24) according to the pattern on earth.  Praise Him and His name, for His word has come true as spoken to His servant David as Solomon declared here in his dedication of the house of the LORD which foreshadowed the Seed of David and the true house of God of which we are! 

2 Chronicles 5:1-14 - Dedicated, Sanctified, and Praising God

2 Chronicles 5:1-14

1 So all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

The Ark Brought into the Temple (1 Kings 8:1–13)

2 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD up from the City of David, which is Zion. 3 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month. 4 So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. 5 Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 6 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 7 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 9 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.

11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), 12 and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets— 13 indeed it came to pass, when 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 endures forever,”

that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Solomon completed the work for the house of God and put the dedicated vessels inside.  He then brought in the Ark of God’s presence into the Most Holy Place with the mercy seat and sanctified all the priests.  Finally, they praised the LORD with crashing cymbals, melodious harps, and shouts of joy with voices and souls lifted high to honor and thank their God.  They sang how good He is and unending His mercy of eternal grace, just as we should be doing even more after receiving the fullness (John 1:14, 16-17) of grace in our divine High Priest whose work tore the veil separating us (Matthew 27:51, 2 Corinthians 3:14, Hebrews 10:19-21) from the mercy seat behind the requirement of perfect works (Hebrews 9:11, 12, 13, 14, 15) to allow access (Hebrews 10:19-21, 22-23) to God’s presence by His work done to redeem and sanctity we who have dedicated our lives by repentance and faith to praise Him as living sacrifices in eternally thankful response.  He is good and His mercy endures forever and ever, amen!  His glory fills our house of these temples with joy (1 Peter 1:8-9) unspeakable and full of His glory.  We are dedicated, sanctified, and live now praising the Lord as the pattern was set among God’s people at the dedication of the house of God in His presence in the beginning.  The difference is that we can approach (Hebrews 4:16) boldly for grace and mercy based on His unending atoning work into that glory and not be kept out of the cloud of His presence any longer because of His Son’s life, death, and resurrection of (Hebrews 6:19, 1 Peter 1:3, Titus 1:2) our certain hope of salvation.  Praise Him! 

2 Chronicles 4:1-22 - Shining Vessels of Service in the Temple

2 Chronicles 4:1-22

Furnishings of the Temple (1 Kings 6:23–38; 7:13–51)

1 Moreover he made a bronze altar: twenty cubits was its length, twenty cubits its width, and ten cubits its height.

2 Then he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 3 And under it was the likeness of oxen encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The oxen were cast in two rows, when it was cast. 4 It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. 5 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained three thousand baths.

6 He also made ten lavers, and put five on the right side and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as they offered for the burnt offering they would wash in them, but the Sea was for the priests to wash in. 7 And he made ten lampstands of gold according to their design, and set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. 8 He also made ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made one hundred bowls of gold.

9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court and doors for the court; and he overlaid these doors with bronze. 10 He set the Sea on the right side, toward the southeast.

11 Then Huram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of God: 12 the two pillars and the bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 13 four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the pillars); 14 he also made carts and the lavers on the carts; 15 one Sea and twelve oxen under it; 16 also the pots, the shovels, the forks—and all their articles Huram his master craftsman made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the LORD.

17 In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zeredah. 18 And Solomon had all these articles made in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

19 Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of God: the altar of gold and the tables on which was the showbread; 20 the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn in the prescribed manner in front of the inner sanctuary, 21 with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold, of purest gold; 22 the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold. As for the entry of the sanctuary, its inner doors to the Most Holy Place, and the doors of the main hall of the temple, were gold.

The furnishings or vessels Solomon had made for the house of worship for the LORD are described here in detail.  The altar, the sea, the washing lavers, the lampstands and bowls of gold, instruments to shovel the ashes of sacrifices, the capital pillars, and more.  He had the temple house furnished with all the accouterments for sacrifices of worship activity by the priests in the house of God with the finest gold, including the entry door, main hall door, and the doors to the Most Holy Place inside where the LORD God met the high priest to cover the sins of the congregation by sacrifice and appeasing prayer.  The gold covering was not just for its beauty of worship, but signified the purity of holiness to the LORD and of the sacrifices of worship offered as close as possible to perfection as is fitting for a holy God by the hands of penitent sinful man.  These vessels of service in the temple remind us now of ourselves and our bodies as His temples (1 Corinthians 6:19, 3:16) meant to be kept holy to offer worship, not to earn atonement on the mercy seat of the Most Holy Place inside, but with responsive thankful hearts for the atoning work of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:1-2, 9:11-12) and the right given by grace to approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16, 10:21-22) in that place of holiness which we live to attain in our sanctification day by day as we approach Him in prayer and thanksgiving.  We are the vessels furnishing the house of God made to shine as lights of pure gold (Daniel 12:3, Matthew 5:16, Philippians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 3:12) reflecting Him in holiness (Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:15-16) of worship in daily sacrifice (Hebrews 12:1, 2) as we follow Jesus Christ to the glory and honor of our Father in heaven by the power of His Spirit living in and enabling us to so serve Him, shining our vessels to reflect His glory in conforming holiness.  May we reflect on this for His honor and worship. 

2 Chronicles 3:1-17 - Building the Prepared House of God

2 Chronicles 3:1-17

Solomon Builds the Temple (1 Kings 6:1–22)

1 Now Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2 And he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

3 This is the foundation which Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits. 4 And the vestibule that was in front of the sanctuary was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the height was one hundred and twenty. He overlaid the inside with pure gold. 5 The larger room he paneled with cypress which he overlaid with fine gold, and he carved palm trees and chainwork on it. 6 And he decorated the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7 He also overlaid the house—the beams and doorposts, its walls and doors—with gold; and he carved cherubim on the walls.

8 And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length was according to the width of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold. 9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold; and he overlaid the upper area with gold. 10 In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim, fashioned by carving, and overlaid them with gold. 11 The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits in overall length: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub; 12 one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing also was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubim spanned twenty cubits overall. They stood on their feet, and they faced inward. 14 And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it.

15 Also he made in front of the temple two pillars thirty-five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. 16 He made wreaths of chainwork, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on top of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the wreaths of chainwork. 17 Then he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz.

Solomon built the house of God as prepared by Him and shown to David his father where and how it should be constructed.  The place was on Mount Moriah at Jerusalem where the Angel of the LORD stopped ed the destruction of the city (1 Chronicles 21:18, 22) at the threshing floor of Ornan after David had sinned by counting the people of God (1 Chronicles 21:1-2, 7-8, 14-15) to prove their strength instead of trusting God as their strength over their enemies and had chosen a plague from God over famine or enemy attacks as the price of pride.  That -lace was where mercy and grace were given and an altar erected as a placeholder until this temple was built to seek atonement through sacrifice and worship that trusted God’s glorious sovereign power instead of man’s strength.  The design patterned in the heavens (Hebrews 8:5, 9:8-9) was carefully followed as given to Moses for the traveling tabernacle until the permanent temple design was delivered to the man of war David and passed to Solomon as the man of peace to complete.  The Most Holy Place to meet with God where the Ark of the Covenant was made with the angelic cherubim standing over the mercy seat to seek atonement through the high priest every year then as a foreshadowing of Christ as our permanent High Priest who would sacrifice Himself as He officiated this saving grace once for all (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 26, 28, 10:10) whom He calls to Himself to find eternal atonement in His sacrifice of death and resurrection for we the people of God.  It is this perfect temple of Christ Himself that even Solomon as a man of peace could only imitate by the heavenly pattern of the eternal one we now enter to worship in spirit and truth, at peace with God as we trust His work to battle for our souls and not by our religious rites or reliance of compliance.  Such is the grace founded in this pattern given on the mountain to Moses, to David, and built here by Solomon.  They were merely building the prepared house of the LORD God representing the true in the heavens to come, unseen until Jesus Christ revealed it to us. 

2 Chronicles 2:1-18 - Prepared and Ready to Build God’s House?

2 Chronicles 2:1-18

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple (1 Kings 5:1–18)

1 Then Solomon determined to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal house for himself. 2 Solomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.

3 Then Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre, saying:

As you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. 4 Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

5 And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?

7 Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. 8 Also send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants, 9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.

10 And indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon:

Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.

12 Hiram also said:

Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal house for himself!

13 And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, Huram my master craftsman 14 (the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

15 Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which my lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants. 16 And we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.

17 Then Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which David his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred. 18 And he made seventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.

Solomon as king was prepared by the LORD through his father to step into the moment he was ready to begin building the house of God.  He acknowledged that he was not worthy to do the work, yet accepted the responsibility of the calling to give it all his attention and effort, asking help and further supplies such as the wood and workers from king Hiram of Tyre whom his father knew and no doubt had recommended as he prepared his son for this monumental task.  He paid them all well as is fitting to honor God for their work in builds temple of the LORD which “heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain.”  Hiram acknowledged in response to the praise given him back to Solomon as a wise son with prudence (good sense in wisdom) and understanding (perfect discernment) for this glorious work.  Hiram sent his master craftsman to accomplish the difficult tasks in metal work, stone work, weaving, and engraving as well for honoring the God of Gods in the house built to honor and serve Him in worship of sacrifice.  All in all, there were also at exactly one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred foreign workers in the land from that king’s hand of generous support to assist Solomon in the immense task given him by the LORD through his father.  We likewise are given the task of building the house of God not made with hands as a physical temple building, but a spiritual one (1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Peter 2:4-5) of which we the people under God in Christ are the building blocks (Ephesians 2:21-22, 1 Peter 2:5) and timbers and whose effectual works are as precious metals (1 Corinthians 3:12-13, 16) adorning the building to honor and worship our Lord as living (Romans 12:1) sacrifices offered daily in death to self (Luke 9:23-24, Galatians 2:20) on the cross with him and living for Him as we give Him all our attention and effort under the humility of grace that enables us to serve and honor the Lord in this monumental task of building one another up to a mature man (Ephesians 4:12-13, Colossians 1:28-29) in Christ according to the ministry of His word in this glorious temple we are constructing in one another as His church universal.  Are we prepared and ready to build God’s house?

2 Chronicles 1:1-17 - What Do You Want From God?

2 Chronicles 1:1-17

Solomon Requests Wisdom (1 Kings 3:1–15)

1 Now Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and exalted him exceedingly.

2 And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses. 3 Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. 4 But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. 5 Now the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD; Solomon and the assembly sought Him there. 6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

7 On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

11 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”

Solomon’s Military and Economic Power (1 Kings 10:26–29; 2 Chronicles 9:25–28)

13 So Solomon came to Jerusalem from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tabernacle of meeting, and reigned over Israel. 14 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland. 16 And Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price. 17 They also acquired and imported from Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty; thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Solomon assumed the throne promised to him and God gave him strength to rule after his father David.  He first brought the Ark of God’s testimony to the place in Jerusalem where the temple would be built by him, placed the bronze altar there, and made a thousand sacrifices to appease the LORD God there on behalf of the people.  After that day of worship in seeking to please the LORD, God came to him in the night, whether in a dream or just in person, it must have been a fright.  God asked Solomon to ask God, “What shall I give you?”  This is a critical question for us all even today in Christ after we do our best in devoted service of worship to our Lord and His people.  What do you want from God?  He still asks this question to each of us beyond mere service and attempts to love Him and others (Mark 12:30-31) as the commandments tell us.  Solomon wisely asked to be used for God’s purposes in his calling in the line of the Messiah as a wise ruler over the people promised by faith to Abraham (Genesis 13:16, 22:17-18) and through his father to him.  He therefore asked for both knowledge and wisdom to apply that understanding to lead the people in the promised kingdom.  We would do well to emulate this request to ask for knowledge to understand God’s word and the teachings there that we may gain understanding to apply it in true wisdom from the Lord and not our own reasoning or that of others apart from the Spirit’s imparting of the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12-13, 16) to guide us in serving God and his children and glorify Him in the worship of our lives (Romans 11:34, 36) from the heart set on Him (Colossians 3:2) and His due honor and praise.  Solomon was given so much more that he did not ask for in addition to the unbounded wisdom and knowledge he requested as we also (Ephesians 3:20) can in Christ with the proper heart attitude of service and not selfish gain.  This of course does not guarantee us unbounded riches as Solomon since we are not the king of the kingdom of God’s people, yet the riches of grace and the word and fellowship of the saints far surpasses worldly mammon.  May we have the right mindset of Solomon to ask from God all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) to love and serve Him and others as the commandments meant for us to do from the beginning.  What do you want from God?