Burunche’s Blog

2 Chronicles 9:1 – 31 The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13)

“Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan, with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones.

So she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him to explain.

When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he offered up at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true. But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me. You have far exceeded the report I heard. How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you 33♥king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.”

Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (120 talents is approximately 4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.) (The servants of Hiram and of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum wood and precious stones. The king made the algum wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.)

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor (1 Kings 10:14-29)

The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents, (666 talents is approximately 25.1 tons or 22.8 metric tons of gold.) not including the revenue from the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon. King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. (600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of gold.) He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. (300 shekels is approximately 7.5 pounds or 3.4 kilograms of gold.) And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.

All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. For the king had the ships of Tarshish that went with Hiram’ s servants, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. All the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart. Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. He reigned over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills. Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all the lands.

The Death of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41-43) As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.”

The Queen of Sheba was likely from some part of Ethiopia and was undoubtedly very beautiful. But this lady was also highly intelligent and came to probe Solomon’s mind, to see if he was really as wise as she had heard. No right – thinking sovereign would ever visit another without bringing gifts. The quality of those gifts would demonstrate how wealthy and powerful one’s own kingdom was. Of course, there was always the risk that rich gifts could tempt someone to invade; however, Ethiopia was a long way from Jerusalem, so perhaps the Queen felt relatively safe. At any rate, the Queen brought a huge quantity of gold, as well as precious wood and spices the likes of which had never been seen before in Jerusalem.

By the end of the Queen’s visit, she was totally blown away by the wealth of Solomon’s court and by his wisdom.  The Queen’s final pronouncement is telling: “Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.” The Queen was wise enough to realize the source of all this wisdom and wealth. Too bad Solomon didn’t remain humble; however, continued visits such as this one served to make him proud, allowing him to ignore the spiritual deterioration that was occurring.

Where were the chariot cities? Solomon had horses and chariots stationed at Hazar, Megiddo, Gezer, and Jerusalem. This picture is of the ruins of Solomon’s stables at Megiddo. There was space for 400 teams of horses.

APPLICATION: Why, if Solomon was so wise, did he not read God’s Law closely and follow the rules for kings in Deuteronomy 17:16 – 20? “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decreesand not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”

Solomon had plenty of knowledge but not so much real wisdom. No matter how knowledgeable Solomon was, he still really messed up! 1. Solomon acquired great numbers of horses and traded freely with Egypt to get them. 2. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. These women worshiped demons and led Solomon into idol worship. And consider the demands these women would have made, considering the fact that Solomon had already built a palace for Pharaoh’s daughter! 3. Solomon amassed huge wealth for himself. While Solomon was busy building all these cities and amassing untold wealth, the common people were actually suffering. When Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, ascended the throne, the people came to him begging for relief. In Solomon’s lifetime, he controlled EVERYTHING in Israel, and conscripted workers for the palace, for the army, for building projects, for farming, etc. 4. Nowhere in the Book of Ecclesiastes does it mention anything about Solomon making a copy of the Law for himself or studying it. Instead, Ecclesiastes records the frantic efforts of a bored rich man who found that nothing satisfied him!

Even though Solomon had wisdom and riches and fame and everything else he could possibly desire, his failure to follow God’s commands meant that the son who succeeded him had no spiritual foundation whatsoever. Bowing to the demands of 1,000 women, Solomon filled Jerusalem with shrines to every known pagan deity. Solomon failed to use all that wealth and wisdom to benefit his people but instead kept it for himself.

Years ago, I encountered a tale entitled “Christ in the Cupboard.” It seems that a poor family worshiped Jesus, and at a point, asked him to remain with them, so they gave him a place in a large cupboard and shut the door. But later on, the family became quite wealthy. As wealth increased, their worship of Christ decreased. At a crisis point, the father opened the cupboard to allow Jesus to come out and help them; however, he was horrified to find that Jesus was no longer in the cupboard, but Satan was hiding there. All of us should be cautioned by this tale.

Proverbs 30:8 – 9 says, “Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.” What happened to Solomon can happen to any of us. If God gives us resources, the appropriate question is “God, how do you want these resources dispersed?” Falling stock markets, Ponzi schemes, shyster financial advisers – there are all kinds of ways that wealth can melt away in an instant. Let us pray the prayer from Proverbs 30 and let us be ever vigilant so that we avoid Solomon’s spiritually fatal mistakes.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to remember that You are the Source of light and life and that You are the Giver of all good things. If You give us more resources, help us to swiftly pass those resources on to those whom You have chosen. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

2 Chronicles 8:1 – 18 Solomon’s Further Achievements (1 Kings 9:10-28)

“Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own palace, Solomon rebuilt the cities Hiram had given him and settled Israelites there. Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. He built Tadmor in the wilderness, along with all the store cities that he had built in Hamath. He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, as well as Baalath, all the store cities that belonged to Solomon, all the cities for his chariots and horses —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.

As for all the people who remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)— their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to destroy—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day. But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of war, his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry. They were also the chief officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.

Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her. For he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”

At that time Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built in front of the portico. He observed the daily requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. (Passover, Pentecost, and Sukkoth, the Feast of Booths.)

In keeping with the ordinances of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God. They did not turn aside from the king’s command regarding the priests or the Levites or any matter concerning the treasuries.

Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.

Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of Edom. So Hiram sent him ships captained by his servants, along with crews of experienced sailors. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and acquired from there 450 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon. (Eloth or Elath is along the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. 450 talents is approximately 17 tons or 15.4 metric tons of gold.)

This account of Solomon’s achievements is a mixed one. First, the writer describes all of Solomon’s conquests and the cities that he either built or rebuilt. Included in this account is the mention of store cities and chariots and horses. Again, we are reminded that God has already warned Israelite kings not to multiply chariots and horses; however, Solomon obviously feels entitled and is ignoring this command.

This account ends with glowing descriptions of lucrative voyages to Ophir bringing back enormous amounts of the special gold for which Ophir was famed. Nobody actually knows where Ophir was located. There are good cases for locations in Saudi Arabia and various parts of the Indian subcontinent. Some Spanish writers in the sixteenth century even suggested Zimbabwe; however, there is more compelling evidence for the other locations, particularly one in Saudi Arabia that obviously was worked at the time of Solomon.

In the midst of these glowing accounts of Solomon’s conquests, his building, and his other works is a jarring note. Evidently, Solomon’s first wife was Pharaoh’s daughter. While this marriage is undoubtedly a savvy political alliance, Solomon builds a house for this lady outside the City of David “because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”  WHAT?

The kings of Israel are supposed to marry Israelite women who presumably worship the God of Israel. We have no idea of the beliefs of Pharaoh’s daughter. While there are some scholars who want to contend that this woman might have converted to Judaism, there is no proof of that; besides, if this woman were a convert, Solomon would probably not move her out of the City of David. This alliance raises yet another question: How could Solomon view himself as holy when he was entering into sexual liaisons with non – believers?

Solomon has begun marriages driven by lust or political convenience, a practice he will continue for the rest of his reign as king. This practice will eventually lure Solomon away from God to the point that he will erect shrines to demonic deities throughout Jerusalem just to satisfy his wives and concubines. Even though Solomon has organized the priests and the temple gatekeepers and is making regular sacrifices, he has already begun sliding away from God.

APPLICATION: An old Paul Simon hit says, “Slip sliding away. Slip sliding away.
You know the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip sliding away. “

Solomon was phenomenally successful, and he succeeded in every project he started. Sea voyages to Ophir brought Solomon incredible wealth, and he also received tribute from all sorts of people. Solomon should have been deliriously happy….. but he wasn’t! All you have to do is to read the first few chapters of the Book of Ecclesiastes and you realize that wealth, fame, wisdom, music, poetry, beauty, and sex did nothing for Solomon. Every time Solomon sought for satisfaction in something, he failed to find it! Each time Solomon tried to grasp soul satisfaction, it went slip sliding away from him.

Ecclesiastes 1:1 – 2 tells us, “The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem: “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!” Solomon continues, “All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing. What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8 – 9)

Solomon continues for most of the rest of Ecclesiastes, describing all the various avenues he has explored and found useless as far as satisfying him. What is wrong with Solomon? Unlike Solomon’s father David, who had an active relationship with the Living God, Solomon has only a second – hand faith. Solomon knows all the right words to say and has even had two face – to – face interviews with God, and yet, he is living a relatively godless life. David found his highest satisfaction in praying to God and in praising God. Solomon, on the other hand, may have prayed eloquent prayers in public, but he has employed others to handle the praise. There is no record of Solomon having a private prayer life. Solomon is the man who has everything, except God!  

Many of us who work with poor people have noted that those who are firm believers are happy even in the midst of their poverty. Though possessing relatively little, these people live lives of satisfaction because they are trusting in God as their Source and they worship Him regularly. Contrast these people with many in developed countries who are wealthy beyond the imaginations of the poor and yet who struggle to find satisfaction in drugs, alcohol, or other false avenues.

Each of us has a choice: we can choose to serve the Living God, to pray to Him, to worship Him, and to trust Him as our Source of light and life. Or we can try to be our own gods, struggling to find anything positive by ourselves. St. Augustine wrote of his life before Christ, “When I turned away from You, I lost myself in a multiplicity of things.” But Augustine also later said, “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement. ”Solomon never learned this lesson, and all Israel suffered as a result! May we not copy Solomon’s mistakes.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to look to You for our significance and to trust You to give meaning to our lives. Thank You for making provision for us, even before we ask You for anything. Help us to praise You for all of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

2 Chronicles 7:1 – 22 Fire from Heaven (Psalm 135:1-21; Psalm 136:1-26)

“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. The priests were unable to enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”

Sacrifices of Dedication (1 Kings 8:62-66; Ezra 6:16-18)

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. The priests stood at their posts, as did the Levites with the musical instruments of the LORD, which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD and with which David had offered praise, saying, “For His loving devotion endures forever.” Across from the Levites, the priests sounded trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.

Then Solomon consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar he had made could not contain all these offerings.

So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a very great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast for seven days. On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven days, and the feast seven days more. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the good things that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

The LORD’s Response to Solomon (1 Kings 9:1-9)

When Solomon had finished the house of the LORD and the royal palace, successfully carrying out all that was in his heart to do for the house of the LORD and for his own palace, the LORD appeared to him at night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.

And as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances, then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with your father David when I said, ‘You will never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’ But if you turn away and forsake the statutes and the commandments I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot Israel from the soil I have given them, and this temple that I have sanctified for My Name I will banish from My presence. I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.

And though this temple is now exalted, all who pass by it will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them. Because of this, He has brought all this disaster upon them.’”

AMAZING! STUPENDOUS! MAGNIFICENT! Really, there are no words adequate for what happened during the temple dedication. The Lord had already manifested His presence in the temple to such an extent that the priests could barely function, but that was only the beginning. ““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. The priests were unable to enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled it.”

Fire from heaven filling the temple so that the priests could not even enter! This worship service had to be the most incredible worship service of all time. Those gathered were so impressed that they prostrated themselves and worshiped the Lord. Solomon and the people responded by sacrificing huge numbers of animals and by offering extravagant praise. Solomon even consecrated the middle courtyard where most people would enter.

By the end of everything, the celebration actually lasted fourteen days. Then Solomon held a solemn assembly and dismissed the people to return home where they would be able to tell their stories for the rest of their lives.

Soon after the temple was dedicated and Solomon finished his palace, the Lord appeared to Solomon at night, making several promises:

1. The Lord told Solomon that He had chosen the temple as a house of sacrifice.  
2. The Lord promised, that if “My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
3. God further promised, “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
4. Then God warned Solomon that if Solomon or the Israelites turned away from God, God would turn away from them and they would go into exile and become a laughing stock for all the surrounding countries.

APPLICATION: If we think that God’s statements were only for Solomon, we are fooling ourselves! God wants our lives to be houses of sacrifice, places of worship and service. God knows that we may sin; however, God promises that if we will repent, He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our lands. We can pray these prayers individually for ourselves or over our countries and God will still hear and respond. But on the other hand, if we turn our backs on God, He will allow us to suffer the results. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” If we never suffer any consequences from sin and disobedience, we will never feel any need to change or to repent.

The temple of Solomon was destroyed when the Babylonians invaded Judah and carried off many of its citizens. The gold, silver, and bronze were looted and sent back to Babylon. But did God remove His presence? Ezekiel 10 describes how the Shekinah glory of the Lord left the temple in Jerusalem. But God has never removed His eyes or His heart from Jerusalem and the temple mount. Anyone who has ever had the privilege of visiting Jerusalem and particularly the temple mount knows that area has a special spiritual significance. There is a spiritual weight, a sense of awe that one can feel when close to the wailing wall that is the only remaining part of Solomon’s temple.

God always keeps His promises! In many respects, King Solomon is a tragic figure. Here is a man who spoke face to face with God at least twice. God gifted Solomon with wisdom and riches and honor and fame and power above all other kings in history. Solomon was the son of a man who had his failures but who was a giant of faith. Sadly, Solomon did not share his father David’s faith, but posed as a man of faith by making ringing pronouncements.

Solomon failed because he never took to heart the orders God gave in Deuteronomy 17. God wanted the kings of Israel to write out their own copies of the Laws of Moses and then to study those copies for the rest of their reigns. God ordained that the kings of Israel should marry only Israelite women who worshiped God and not foreign women who worshiped demons; yet, Solomon slept with a huge number of women, each of whom demanded he erect a shrine for her particular deity. The results spelled spiritual disaster for Solomon and for the Israelites as a whole. In the end, God’s warning came true.   

Each of us must choose to follow God or to turn away from Him. If we claim we are postponing that decision until later, we are turning away at that very moment. None of us is promised tomorrow! Today is the only day in which we can decide to follow God and to serve Him. Choose life!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to serve You, to worship You, and to spend time studying Your Word and meditating on it. Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. Thank You that because Jesus conquered sin, death, and hell and rose from the grave, we too can have eternal life if we will believe in what Jesus has done for us. We ask all these things in the mighty and precious Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

2 Chronicles 6:24 – 42 “When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple, then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading before You in this house, then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel. May You restore them to the land You gave to them and their fathers.

When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them, then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance.

When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemies besiege them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come, may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this house— be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of men— so that they may fear You and walk in Your ways all the days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.

And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your great name and Your mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this house, then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.

When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You in the direction of the city You have chosen and the house I have built for Your Name, then may You hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and may You uphold their cause.

When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near, and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’ and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name, then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold their cause. May You forgive Your people who sinned against You.

Now, my God, may Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. Now therefore, arise, O LORD God, and enter Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might. May Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and may Your godly ones rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, do not reject Your anointed one. Remember Your loving devotion to Your servant David.”

WOW! Now Solomon is getting specific and praying realistically. If Solomon had merely confined himself to a prayer of praise, everyone could have listened and gone off to celebrate without coming under conviction. But Solomon is wise enough to know the failings of nations and now he is praying specifically and prophetically as well. Let’s look at Solomon’s petitions.

1. “When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple…”  In ancient Israel, oaths were considered sacred and a man’s word was his bond. Anyone involved in a matter so serious that it required priestly intervention would be required to swear before God. Solomon is begging God to punish anyone swearing falsely and to justify the righteous. We can do the same, taking our cues from Solomon.
2. “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name…” The Israelites firmly believed that only God could give success in war and they recognized that defeat indicated that they were not right with God. Solomon is begging God to hear the Israelites when they repent.
3. “When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You…” Recently, we have heard all kinds of propaganda regarding climate change; yet, those who are most vocal also seem most unwilling to acknowledge that nations have sinned before God and are receiving the results of their sins. Satan has convinced various groups of humans to blame various other groups of humans. While it is true that there are wise practices that can help the planet, it is equally true that the fundamental problem is sin and that all the other problems stem from sin. We need repentance to heal our world! We cannot encourage aborting babies, whether in the womb or out of it, and expect to heal our planet. The shedding of innocent blood brings curses on a land; we cannot shed innocent blood and expect anything else.
4. “When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemies besiege them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come, may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make…” In the last two years, many of us have lost friends and loved ones to COVID; yet, we seem reluctant to realize that our nations need to repent. Human solutions without divine interventions will only result in stop – gap measures and we will continue to face more pandemics.
5. “And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your great name and Your mighty hand and outstretched arm…” Many foreigners did actually come to Jerusalem. Many continue to be attracted to the God of Israel. God has created us with a desire for holiness and righteousness; however, many times, we settle for something less.
6. “When Your people go to war against their enemies…” During World War II there were many times when Great Britain was quite vulnerable; yet, the Germans failed to conquer. Throughout Great Britain, there were prayer meetings going on 24/7. Our prayers can change the course of history, but only if we do pray.
7. “When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land far or near…” Here Solomon was praying prophetically. Eventually, the Jews were carried off to Assyria and to Babylon and later returned. One elderly friend once told me that it was the return of the Jews to Israel that convinced her of the truth of the Bible when she saw Biblical prophecy coming true before her eyes.
8.  “Now, my God, may Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. Now therefore, arise, O LORD God, and enter Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might. May Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and may Your godly ones rejoice in goodness. O LORD God, do not reject Your anointed one. Remember Your loving devotion to Your servant David.” The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is the only part of Solomon’s temple that yet remains. To this day, millions of people visit the Wailing Wall to worship there and to offer petitions to God. In the cracks between the stones are untold slips of paper with petitions written in many languages. Even though Solomon uttered his prayer thousands of years ago, God is still honoring that prayer today!

APPLICATION: When we look at Solomon’s petitions, we realize how appropriate they are for our time. May God help us, so that we will persistently and whole – heartedly intercede for the nations!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be persistent in prayer and to continue to trust that You are working, even when we don’t see it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

2 Chronicles 6:1 – 21 Solomon Blesses the LORD (1 Kings 8:12-21)

Then Solomon said: “The LORD said that He would dwell in the thick cloud; and I have built You an exalted house, a place for You to dwell forever.” And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all and said: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying, ‘Since the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over My people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’

Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.’

Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. And there I have provided a place for the ark, which contains the covenant of the LORD that He made with the children of Israel.”

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

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. Now Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, (7/5 ft. x 7.5 ft. x 4.5 ft high) and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven, and said:

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven or on earth, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. You have kept Your promise to Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have fulfilled with Your hand this day.

Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’ And now, O LORD, God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant David.

But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built. Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You.

May Your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place of which You said You would put Your Name there, so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place. Hear the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.”

Oh, if only Solomon would have continued in the same spirit in which he is offering his prayer of dedication for the temple! Sacrifices have been made, and the Lord has so filled the temple with His presence that the priests cannot even stand up but are prostrated in awe before Him. Now Solomon comes to bless the people and then to offer his prayer of dedication. This prayer is magnificent, not only in its wording but also in its scope.

Solomon has erected a bronze platform out in the central courtyard. This platform is 7.5 feet square and 4.5 feet high. This platform allows Solomon to stand above the assembly. It’s likely that Solomon’s workers have carefully situated this platform so that the temple will act as a sounding board for Solomon’s voice, making it easier for all to hear and understand him. 

Solomon’s opening words in his prayer have echoed through the centuries. ““O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven or on earth, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.” Next, Solomon reminds the gathering of God’s promises to David, indicating that Solomon’s reign as king and the completion of the temple are proofs of God fulfilling those promises. In the beginning, God did not choose any city or any king, but now God has chosen David and his descendants to rule and Jerusalem to become the center for God’s worship.  

“But will God indeed dwell with man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.” God is great, and Solomon gives witness to that fact. While the pagan gods reside in their temples, the One True Living God is so vast that He is outside the universe.

“Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You. May Your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place of which You said You would put Your Name there, so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place. Hear the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.” Here Solomon is acting as a priest, representing the people and humbling himself, begging God to be attentive.

APPLICATION: Both David and Solomon at various times fulfilled the roles of prophets and priests, as well as kings, thus foreshadowing Jesus the Messiah. Solomon’s prayer is magnificent and well worth studying.

One thing to notice is that Solomon humbles himself before God and does not presume to dictate to God. It’s quite likely that there was a holy hush in that temple courtyard as men strained to hear Solomon’s words. Contrast that hush with what happens in many prayer meetings. Corporate prayer with lots of people praying at the same time can be an uplifting experience, provided it does not degenerate into a shouting contest.

It’s amazing the number of people who evidently believe that God is deaf; meanwhile, the Holy Spirit generally speaks in a still small voice. A few years ago, we attended a program in which a young lady was to open in prayer. This woman clasped the microphone in one hand and began screaming at the top of her voice, going on and on while she waved her free hand frantically. We had come to hear one of our friends who was singing on the program; however, when the screaming continued for more than twenty minutes, we finally gave up.

A second thing is Solomon’s concern for his people. Solomon is praying on behalf of the nation and therefore does not mention any of his personal requests. Some people who lead corporate prayer confuse public prayer times with private ones and pray inappropriate requests. While Solomon may have had problems with some of his brothers, he is not using this time to complain to God about them; he is interceding on behalf of the nation.

Solomon’s prayer is lengthy, and I have chosen to divide it so that the discussion does not become tedious. Tomorrow we will look at Solomon’s key prayer points. Be advised that most of the petitions Solomon prayed for ancient Israel are still valid for us today!

What can we learn from Solomon? Public prayers should point people to God and not turn into a performance. An effective prayer time leaves people feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Prayer times that are merely performances simple leave people exhausted and wishing they had left earlier. May God help us so that we follow Solomon’s example!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You all the days of our lives. Thank You, that You do hear our prayers and that You do answer them in Your good time. Help us to continue to trust that when answers appear to delay, we must merely wait for Your timing and Your provision. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

2 Chronicles 5:1 – 14 The Ark Enters the Temple (1 Kings 8:1-11)

“So all the work that Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed.  Then Solomon brought the consecrated items of his father David—the silver, the gold, and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of God.

At that time Solomon assembled in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David. So all the men of Israel came together to the king at the feast in the seventh month.

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, and they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. The Levitical priests carried them up.

There, before the ark, King Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.

Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles. The poles of the ark extended far enough that their ends were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are there to this day.

There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of Egypt.

The Glory of the LORD Fills the Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11)

Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions. And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, all the Levitical singers—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps, and lyres, accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”

Then the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.”

The Ark was coming up from the tent that David had created for it, and Solomon had planned a fantastic celebration. All the men of Israel gathered for the occasions. Solomon sacrificed numberless animals. All of the priests had consecrated themselves; nobody wanted to be left out. As the Ark entered the temple and came to its resting place, the singers and musicians were making so much noise that the sound might have echoed all the way to Jericho! But there was more to come. Just when the crowd thought nothing could be any better, God filled the temple with His presence. Under the weight of the glory of the Lord, the priests could only prostrate themselves. God Himself consecrated the temple.

There were probably men standing there who had been in pagan temples before. But NOBDY had ever experienced the presence of God as those men did.

APPLICATION: Sometimes we speak very lightly about being in the presence of God. And it is true that God veils His glory so that He does not overwhelm us. But here God unveiled Himself for a brief moment, and the glory was so overwhelming that all the priests could do was to lie flat on their faces. This morning my Facebook page was full of friends haling their pastors as wonderful men and women of God, and I felt quite uneasy. Who is more important, the minister or the God whom he or she is serving? The Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that the chief end of man is to “enjoy God and to glorify Him forever.”  But there is truly something wrong when all we hear is praise for the minister and not for the God of all creation.     

Many Jewish prayers begin with the phrase “Baruch Atta Adonai Eloheinu Melekh Ha Olam.” This phrase means “Blessed are You, oh Lord, King of the universe.” When we are in the States, we enjoy worshiping with Messianic Jewish congregations because of their reverence for God.

Notice that in Solomon’s temple, Solomon was not the one who received the worship and praise; it was God. We do have a short list of the praise leaders, but there are no other names mentioned. The Israelites were gathered to worship God and not a personality.

Whom or what are we worshiping? Are we worshiping God, or are we fixated on some charismatic leader? Men and women can fail us or die; it is only God who is perfect and holy. Today, let us truly worship the Lord God of the universe, who is worthy of all of our devotion!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You that You ARE the Lord God of the universe. Thank You that You are wrothy of all of our praise and all of our worship. Lord, help us to remember that no matter how wonderful Your servants are, they are only because of the God whom they serve. Help us to give You the glory! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.   

2 Chronicles 4:1 – 22 The Bronze Altar and Molten Sea (1 Kings 7:23-26)

He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high. The altar was approximately 30 feet in length and width and 15 feet high (9.1 meters in length and width and 4.6 meters high)

He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.  Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea. (The Sea was approximately 15 feet from rim to rim, 7.5 feet in height, and 45 feet in circumference (4.6 meters from rim to rim, 2.3 meters in height, and 13.7 meters in circumference).

The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them with all their hindquarters toward the center. It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold three thousand baths. (A handbreadth is approximately 2.9 inches or 7.4 centimeters. 3,000 baths is approximately 17,400 gallons or 66,000 liters.)

The Ten Basins, Lampstands, and Tables (1 Kings 7:38-39)

He also made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the priests used the Sea for washing. He made ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

Additionally, he made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold bowls.

The Courts

He made the courtyard of the priests and the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the doors with bronze. He put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

Completion of the Bronze Works (1 Kings 7:40-47)

Additionally, Huram made the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of God: the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars; the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars; the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars); the stands; the basins on the stands; the Sea; the twelve oxen underneath the Sea; and the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all the other articles.

All these objects that Huram-abi made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of polished bronze. The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zeredah. Solomon made all these articles in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings (1 Kings 7:48-51)

Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of God: the golden altar; the tables on which was placed the Bread of the Presence; the lampstands of pure gold and their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed; the flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold—of purest gold; the wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers of purest gold; and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place as well as the doors of the main hall.”

It’s amazing how Ezra gives Solomon credit for creating all the precious furnishings of the temple. Strictly speaking, Solomon merely acted as a general contractor; Solomon’s royal fingers never touched a single stone or precious item. It was Huram, or Hiram, the craftsman, who actually oversaw everything and created all these incredible things. All Solomon did was to sign off on the job. But politicians have always taken credit for other people’s work, and Solomon was a consummate politician.

The amount of gold, silver, and bronze that went into the temple was staggering. The size of some of the items was equally staggering. The bronze sea that held water for ritual purification held 17,400 gallons or 66,000 liters. There must have been some means of removing the water from the bronze sea, perhaps with some of the bronze instruments later described. The altar was truly enormous – 30 feet by 30 feet square and fifteen feet high. When a later king moved Solomon’s altar off to the side and replaced it with a pagan one, moving the original altar must have taken a great deal of work.

One interesting question is whether or not Solomon would have used all that gold and bronze had his father David not already provided it, along with the plans for the temple?  While Solomon took credit for the temple, it was actually David who developed the plans and who accumulated much of the raw materials. But Solomon had no problem taking credit for everything.

APPLICATION: Yesterday we raised the question of whether or not magnificent church buildings are a good idea. The cathedrals of Europe took decades and sometimes even centuries to build and involved enormous amounts of labor; however, the people who worshiped in them rejoiced in their architecture. In a time when many people were illiterate, the stained-glass windows and tapestries depicted important Bible stories so that illiterate worshipers could be reminded of God’s truths. St. Francis of Assisi instituted living nativity scenes after visiting Bethlehem in 1223 to bring home the message of Christmas to his people.

One mistake we can fall into is judging previous generations by today’s standards. In medieval times, miracle plays, elaborate cathedrals, and living nativities were necessary because many people had no other means of learning about God. These days, many people have cell phones with all kinds of Bible apps on them. There is an app for the series The Chosen. The Jesus Film is now available in more than 2,000 languages. Recently, I downloaded the Jesus Film for a friend in three different Fulani dialects plus the Konkomba language. If my friend’s thumb drive (pen drive) had been larger, I could have downloaded even more copies of the film. (Incidentally, if you have never seen the Jesus Film, go to jesusfilm.org and get a copy for yourself. It really is very powerful.)

The temple in Jerusalem was to be a national place of worship. Centuries earlier, God through Moses had ordered that all Israelite men should appear at the temple in Jerusalem at least three times a year. But village synagogues were far simpler. This photo of the ruins of a first century synagogue indicates how basic the buildings actually were. There were places for men and women to sit and for the storage of the Torah. There was an altar and a lectern from which the Torah would be read. But there were very few of the rich other accoutrements described in Solomon’s temple.

Once more, the question arises, “How necessary are elaborate buildings? Do people worship any more effectively in an elaborate building than in a simple one? We live and work in Northern Ghana, where church buildings are frequently quite basic. We can tell you that the most important part of worship has nothing to do with the building but everything to do with whether or not the Holy Spirit is welcome. In John 4:24, Jesus told the Samaritan woman that “God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” If you truly want to worship, no building is too simple, and if you are simply going through the motions, elaborate surroundings will have no effect.

Each of us must decide to worship in spirit and in truth wherever we find ourselves. When we are faithful to seek God, He is faithful to show up!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to worship You wherever we are, whether on the job, at home, or when involved in recreation. Help our lives to glorify You in everything we do. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

2 Chronicles 3:1 – 17 Temple Construction Begins (1 Kings 6:1-4)

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, according to the old standard. The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold. (The foundation was approximately 90 feet long and 30 feet wide (27.4 meters long and 9.1 meters wide) The old standard of measurement was a cubit equal to 18 inches or 45.7 centimeters. The new standard, a cubit of approximately 21 inches or 53.3 centimeters (the long cubit) is the basic unit of length throughout Ezekiel 40 to 48.  20 cubits is approximately 30 feet or 9.1 meters.)

The Temple’s Interior (1 Kings 6:14-22)

He paneled the main room with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm tree and chain designs. He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim. He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

Then he made the Most Holy Place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, and he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold. The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper area with gold. (600 talents is approximately 22.6 tons or 20.5 metric tons of gold. 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of gold.)

The Cherubim (1 Kings 6:23-30)

In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold. The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub. The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the house, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub. So the total wingspan of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main room. (20 cubits is 30 feet.)

The Veil and Pillars (1 Kings 7:13-22)

He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it. In front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high, each with a capital on top measuring five cubits. (35 cubits is approximately 52.5 feet or 16.0 meters.)

He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork. Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The pillar on the south he named Jachin, and the pillar on the north he named Boaz. (Jachin probably means He establishes. Boaz probably means in Him is strength.)”

Reading the accounts of the building of Solomon’s temple, the amounts of gold and precious wood and other materials is staggering! There was nothing cheap or second – rate about this edifice; it set the standard for places of worship, perhaps for all time. Little wonder then, that when Judah fell to the Babylonians, they stripped the temple completely. Cedar, cypress, gold, precious materials – this temple had everything. What did the cherubim guarding the ark look like? Some scholars think they were more or less human figures, while others feel they had lion’s bodies with wings and human heads. One archaeologist has even portrayed the cherubim as having headdresses similar to those worn by Egyptian pharaohs; however, this is highly unlikely, since God repeatedly warned the Israelites never to return to Egypt. At any rate, this temple was truly magnificent and awe – inspiring.

APPLICATION: You might think that having an awe – inspiring temple would be sufficient to cause all of Israel to worship their wonderful God…. And you would be wrong! Despite having such a magnificent place of worship, the Israelites eventually descended into demon worship. What happened? Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 that “God is a spirit and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” David had planned the temple out of his enormous love for the living God. Solomon fulfilled all David’s plans out of reverence for his father and a desire to demonstrate his power and wealth; however, Solomon’s love for God swiftly grew cold as he became sexually involved with large numbers of women who worshiped demons. David worshiped God in spirit and in truth, but Solomon eventually did not. As Solomon built an increasing number of shrines to demons in and around Jerusalem, other Israelites followed his horrible example.

One of the continuing challenges Christians face is the question of distribution of resources. Are fantastic buildings with architecturally outstanding features necessary or desirable when the building is surrounded by the poor and needy? Does the choir need expensive robes and do the church pews need to be re – upholstered with padded seats and costly materials? If the singing band or praise and worship team cuts a new CD, can that really be counted as evangelism?

The pastor of a large church was leading a congregation during an economic crisis that had impoverished many of his members. When the offerings at the Pastor’s Appreciation Sunday turned out to be quite substantial, some board members quietly suggested to the pastor that he share part of that money with church members who were suffering. Sadly, the pastor refused, stating that he was worth every bit of that money and that he deserved it! There is no record of how many people may have left the church at that point.

 One of the continuing tragedies of Christianity is the tendency of church members to spend their money on themselves in the name of evangelism. Many times, those who choose to erect incredible buildings will point to Solomon’s temple for justification of their choices without any indication that they have actually sought guidance from God. Perhaps God might have wanted a much simpler building but one that would be multi – purpose, serving the community. May God help us so that we will follow His leading in all things and not develop an “edifice complex.”  

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to worship You in spirit and in truth. Help us to remember that any resources we have are actually Yours, so we should ask for Your guidance before allotting them in ways You might not approve. We ask this in the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

“Now Solomon purposed to build a house for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself. So he conscripted 70,000 porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.

Then Solomon sent word to Hiram king of Tyre: “Do for me as you did for my father David when you sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in. Behold, I am about to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God to dedicate to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him, for displaying the showbread continuously, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening as well as on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel forever. The house that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?

Send me, therefore, a craftsman skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.

Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber there. And indeed, my servants will work with yours to prepare for me timber in abundance, because the temple I am building will be great and wonderful. I will pay your servants, the woodcutters, 20,000 cors of ground wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil. ” (20,000 cors is approximately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 3,800 tons or 3,400 metric tons of wheat). 20,000 cors is approximately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 2,910 tons or 2,700 metric tons of barley).  20,000 baths is approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters of wine. Or 20,000 baths of oil; that is, is approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters.)

Hiram’s Reply to Solomon (1 Kings 5:7-12)

Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote a letter in reply to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has set you over them as king.” And Hiram added: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

So now I am sending you Huram-abi, a skillful man endowed with creativity. He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is skilled in work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple, blue, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He is experienced in every kind of engraving and can execute any design that is given him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those of my lord, your father David.

Now let my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he promised. We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and we will float them to you as rafts by sea down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem.”

Solomon numbered all the foreign men in the land of Israel following the census his father David had conducted, and there were found to be 153,600 in all. Solomon made 70,000 of them porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600 supervisors.”

Where was Tyre located? Ancient Tyre was at the southernmost border of what is now Lebanon. Built on an island connected to the mainland by a causeway, Tyre was a very wealthy merchant port. Even though Tyre had relatively small amounts of territory, it was extremely important because of its location. King Hiram of Tyre had been a close friend to King David and was now quite willing to assist David’s son.

Solomon asked Hiram to send him a skilled craftsman who could supervise all the other workers whom David had already assembled. In addition, Solomon asked Hiram to send him “timber in abundance,” cedar, cypress, and algum logs. Nobody is quite certain what “algum” or “almug” as it was sometimes written actually was; some sources believe this might have been sandal wood, which certainly would have been rare and exotic. In return, Solomon promised to send enormous amounts of grain, wine, and olive oil. For general laborers, Solomon forced the ”foreign men,” likely the Jebusites and others, to become porters, stone cutters, and supervisors.

APPLICATION: Ghana is littered with the walls of partially completed buildings. In some cases, individuals began building and then died, leaving their heirs to complete their work. Other such buildings may have been started under government contracts; changes in government negated the contracts. While David had already drawn up the plans for the temple, Solomon was the one tasked with completing it. Solomon was smart enough to make certain that he had the best advice possible and the most skilled craftsmen available.

Jesus once told his disciples a parable that when they were about to erect a building, they should sit down and first count the cost to avoid later embarrassment if they could not finish what they had started. Jesus told his disciples that parable to warn them that following Him would not be easy and that they should seriously count the cost before committing themselves. Jesus warned that discipleship would demand everything one has, without holding back anything.

“Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’ (Luke 14:28, the Message)

There are some of us who would like to follow Jesus… just as long as it does not demand too much or upset our plans or interfere with our lives. But discipleship demands everything we are and everything we have. In an earlier age, a political compromiser was described as a “mugwump,” that is someone with his mug on one side of the political fence and his wump (rump) on the other. You can’t be a mugwump and follow Jesus!

If following Jesus is so demanding, why do it? The reward is eternal life, light, and peace. The alternative, following Satan, leads to death and damnation, not only eventually, but also in the present. Jim Elliot, the missionary martyr to the Auca Indians, once said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, let all who read this choose to follow You, the One True Living God. In the matchless Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

2 Chronicles 1:1 – 17 Solomon Worships at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:1-4; Psalm 45:1-17; Psalm 72:1-20)

“Now Solomon son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and highly exalted him. Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the heads of the families. And Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon because it was the location of God’s Tent of Meeting, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, was in Gibeon before the tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the assembly inquired of Him there. Solomon offered sacrifices there before the LORD on the bronze altar at the Tent of Meeting; on it he offered a thousand burnt offerings.

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom (1 Kings 3:4-15)

That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”

Solomon replied to God: “You have shown much loving devotion to my father David, and You have made me king in his place. Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to my father David be fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Now grant me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may lead this people. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”

God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart instead of requesting riches or wealth or glory for yourself or death for your enemies—and since you have not even requested long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king— therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.” So Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place in Gibeon before the Tent of Meeting, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Riches (1 Kings 10:26-29)

Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.

Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram. (600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of silver. 150 shekels is approximately 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms of silver.)

If only Solomon had gone on as he began! In the beginning, Solomon seems to have worshiped God whole – heartedly, offering innumerable offerings before the altar at Gibeon. This altar was the original altar for the tabernacle Moses created in the wilderness. The night after Solomon had worshiped so sincerely, God appeared to him, ordering Solomon to put forth a request so that God could answer it. Solomon’s requests were two – fold: first, that God would fulfill all His promises He had made to David and second, that God would grant Solomon wisdom to govern Israel wisely. God was so pleased with Solomon’s response that He promised to give Solomon more riches and wealth and honor than any king before or after him.

But Solomon failed to do something! Deuteronomy 17:16 – 20 tells us, “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decreesand not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”

Solomon was the son of a great man of faith, but neither David nor Solomon ever copied out the Laws of Moses or studied them all the days of their lives. Had Solomon followed the instructions of Deuteronomy 17, he would have avoided untold heartbreak and he would have kept Israel on the right path. But Solomon assumed that slaughtering large numbers of animals and sacrificing them would make up for everything else.

Ignoring God’s commands, Solomon became one of the major horse traders for the Middle East. While David steadfastly refused to accumulate horses and chariots, Solomon reveled in doing so. Recent excavations have uncovered some of Solomon’s extensive stables, verifying this account. Shortly after beginning his reign, Solomon began accumulating wives and concubines, many of whom were foreigners who worshiped demons. These women succeeded in leading Solomon into idolatry and Solomon created shrines to all kinds of pagan deities throughout Jerusalem. Even though God gave Solomon enormous wisdom, Solomon refused to examine his own life or to remain accountable to God. Solomon’s descent into idolatry set a horrific example for the rest of Israel and paved the way for the moral degradation that followed.

APPLICATION: God gave Solomon wealth and honor and wisdom. There was peace throughout Solomon’s reign. But even though Solomon was one of the wisest men who ever lived, he failed miserably. Refusing to study God’s Word and apply it, Solomon found that merely seeking more knowledge brought him no joy. “I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13 – 14) When Solomon tried to lose himself in pleasure – seeking, the results were the same. “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1)

Compare Solomon with Robert LeTourneau. R. G. LeTourneau was a Christian businessman and inventor who invented much of the heavy earth – moving equipment used around the world today. LeTourneau began by tithing 10% of his income; however, by the end of his life, he was tithing 90%. Not only did LeTourneau support many beneficent groups, but he founded and funded LeTourneau University. God gave LeTourneau wisdom and riches and honor, and LeTourneau gave those gifts back to God. Throughout LeTourneau’s life, he studied the Bible seriously, and shared his faith with those around him. When LeTourneau died at the age of 80, he left a legacy that helped and inspired millions. When Solomon died, his kingdom degenerated into a mess.

Even if God never audibly speaks to you and asks you to make requests, what are you doing with the gifts God has already given you? Are you applying yourself? Are you continuing to learn, or are you allowing yourself to slide morally and spiritually? May God help each of us so that when we stand before Him, we will not have to hide our faces in shame for refusing to apply His great gifts to us!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to study Your Word and to apply it to our lives. Thank You that You can supply all our needs in ways that we cannot possibly imagine. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins. Help us to believe in Jesus, Your Son, and to be faithful. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.