2 Chronicles 7-9




2 Chronicles 7-9

I. Introduction

1. These next chapters will cover the construction and reign of Solomon over Israel.
2. We will read about God’s blessings and see that Solomon both followed the Lord and lived in significant disobedience to Him.

II. Chapter 7

1. vv. 1-3 The Lord’s glory fills the house.
   
   
   
   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.”
   
   1. Fire from heaven upon the altar.
      1. This must have been a powerful scene to watch fire descend from heaven and ignite the altar.
      2. This is very reminiscent of the fire from heaven when Elijah (1 Kings 18:38) had the standoff with the prophets of Baal.
      3. This fire from heaven would continue to burn day and night, consuming the sacrifices offered on this altar.
   2. The Lord’s presence was so awesome that the priests could not enter the house of the Lord.
   3. What a glorious moment it is when the greatness of God is seen.
2. vv. 4-7 More worship and sacrifices.
   
   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.
   
   1. This section notes that 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep were offered up to the Lord, singing of the Lord’s mercy.
   2. If it were not for the mercy of God, we all would become consumed in an instant.
3. vv. 8-10 Two weeks of feasting and dedication.
   
   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.
   
   1. They celebrated the dedication of the altar.
   2. Then, most believe, the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates God’s faithfulness through the wilderness.
4. vv. 11-16 The Lord promises to hear and heal.
   1. The Lord appears to Solomon and affirms that He will hear and be attentive to prayers offered up in this place.
      
      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. 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.
      
      
   2. Verse 16 tells us that this geographical spot will forever be associated with the house of God.
      
      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.
      
      1. The Lord will once again, in days yet to come, establish His name on Mount Moriah.
      2. I wonder at those who dismiss the promises to the city of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the promises to Israel.
      3. God has used the word forever!
   3. v. 14 The condition of hearing the prayer.
      
      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.
      
      1. This passage calls us to humble ourselves in prayer.
         1. Humility comes as we realize that our sin is offensive to God and that we have turned from a loving God to walk in our own ways.
         2. The word “humble” means to be brought low or subdued.
         3. God has promised to hear and heal those who humble themselves.
      2. Seek God’s face.
         1. That is, we pray and ask the Lord for his help and direction.
         2. We come to the place where seeking our ways and the world’s ways are set aside.
         3. Seeking God’s face carries the idea of seeking forgiveness, help, and ways.
      3. Turn from wickedness.
         1. The Lord desires to bring His grace into our lives and restore that which we have destroyed through carelessness and sin. Yet we must turn from that which brought the destruction in the first place.
         2. This scene is of the nation turning and looking for deliverance from destruction.
      4. The Lord promises to respond with healing and grace.
         1. You may look at your life and say I have gone too far! Too much is lost! The shame is beyond God’s restorative abilities!
         2. Yet God can raise the dead.
            
            Joel 2:25–26 ²⁵ “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. ²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
            
            Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
            
5. How can modern Israel be back in their land without repentance?
   1. The pattern of Scripture, both here in Chronicles and Deuteronomy 30:1-5 is that God restores when Israel repents.
      
      Deuteronomy 30:1–5 ¹ Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, ² and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, ³ that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. ⁴ If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. ⁵ Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.
      
      1. The pattern is: Exile → Repentance → Return.
      2. That is clearly observed in Daniel 9, when Israel repents and is restored from Babylon.
   2. So why has God restored Israel to the land today?
   3. This question has a very specific answer that the prophet Ezekiel said would occur.

Order	Ezekiel 36	What God Does
1	vv. 22–23	God restores to the land for His name’s sake, not because Israel deserves it.
2	v. 24	God gathers Israel from the nations.
3	v. 24	God brings Israel back into the land.
4	v. 25	God cleanses them from sin.
5	v. 26	God gives them a new heart.
6	v. 27	God puts His Spirit within them.
7	vv. 27–28	Israel walks in obedience.
8	v. 31	Israel finally recognizes and mourns over her sin.

4. Here is another pattern: Scattered → Regathered → In the Land → Cleansed → New Heart → Spirit → Obedience→ Repentance.
   
   Ezekiel 36:22–31 ²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ²⁵ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ²⁸ Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. ³⁰ And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.
   
   
5. The key takeaway is that in v. 24 Israel is brought back before cleansing or repentance.
6. Verse 22 makes it clear that this is for the glory of God, not because of Israel’s repentance.
7. Ezekiel 37 further enforces this restoration before repentance, showing that dry bones are gathered, but they have no life or breath. That is modern Israel today.
8. Ezekiel 38:8 makes it clear that this regathering will be in the latter days after Israel had been in exile for a long period of time.
   
   Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.

6. vv. 17-22 Walk in obedience.
   1. vv. 17-18 The Lord promises blessing if Solomon is obedient.
      
      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.’
      
      1. He received wisdom, wealth, and Messianic lineage.
   2. vv. 19-22 The Lord promises judgment if Solomon is disobedient.
      
      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.’ ”
      1. The consequences were experienced by conflicts Solomon had with King Hadad of Edom, Rezin of Aram, and Jeroboam (1 Kings 11-40).
      2. God specifically states that Hadad and Rezin were raised up because he failed to obey.
      3. The most significant consequence will be experienced by his son Rehoboam after Solomon’s death.

III. Chapter 8

1. Introduction
   1. He, like so many, is an example of starting well but ending in failure.
   2. His life is a warning to us of the danger of disconnecting our understanding from our everyday life.
2. vv. 1-6 Failure to esteem the land.
   
   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.
   
   1. v. 1 Finished the Temple.
   2. vv. 2-6 Construction cities given to Hiram.
      1. For storage.
      2. Fortified cities.
      3. Chariot cities.
   3. First disconnect – Quite curious that Solomon would give away that which God had commanded Israel to possess.
      1. These cities, according to 1 Kings 9:10-14, were given to Hiram by Solomon and then returned by Hiram, claiming they were worthless places.
      2. This area is the Northern Galilee and was part of Israel’s inheritance.
      3. We must be careful not to give away to the world those areas of our lives that are to be possessed by the Lord.
3. vv. 7-10 Failure to remove the snare.
   
   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.
   
   1. The Lord commanded that these nations be destroyed (Deut 7:1-8).
   2. Raising a labor force may seem expedient, but it was not obedient.
4. v. 11 Failure in marriage.
   
   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.”
   
   1. He failed to honor the word of the Lord, yet he wants to honor the presence of the Lord.
   2. This is a dangerous disconnect!
   3. We must guard ourselves against such disconnects.
   4. Complete obedience is what the Lord is looking for from our lives, not our clever cover-ups that seek to minimize the nature of our decisions.
   5. Some would argue this was good statesmanship, but it wasn’t obedience.
5. vv. 12-15 Faithful in worship.
   
   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.
   
   1. Made daily sacrifices.
   2. The three annual feasts were perhaps the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest (also called Weeks and Pentecost), and the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Ingathering) [Exod 23:14-16].
   3. Unfortunately, this statement does not hold the significance we would hope for due to the many other inconsistencies in his life.
   4. vv. 14-15 Implemented his father’s plan for utilizing the Levites in service at the Temple.
      
      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.
6. v. 16 Faithful in construction.
   
   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.
   
   1. Fulfilled the ministry.
   2. Didn’t get distracted.
7. vv. 17-18 Failure in alliances.
   
   
   
   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.
   
   1. Hiram, although a friendly neighbor to the north, was not a positive influence upon Solomon.
   2. Some have suggested that Solomon had taken Hiram’s daughter as a wife as well.
   3. Here Hiram helps Solomon seek riches at sea.
   4. This is something that would have been better left undone.

IV. Chapter 9

1. vv. 1-9 Visit from the queen of Sheba.
   
   ¹ Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. ² So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her. ³ And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, ⁴ the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. ⁵ Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard. ⁷ Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.” ⁹ And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
   
   1. Sheba was approximately 1400-1500 miles away from modern Yemen.
      
      
      
   2. In v. 8, she acknowledges the good hand of the Lord upon him.
      
      
      
      1. Solomon answers all kinds of questions.
      2. The world should be able to see the hand of the Lord upon us as well.
   3. In v. 9, she brought lavish gifts.
2. vv. 10-11 Exotic imports.
   
   ¹⁰ Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. ¹¹ And the king made walkways of the algum wood for the house of the Lord and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.
   
   
3. v. 12 Solomon gives gifts to the queen of Sheba.
   
   ¹² Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
   
   
4. vv. 13-21 The danger of abundance.
   1. vv. 13-14 Yearly revenue
      
      ¹³ The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
      
      
   2. Solomon was a man that had it all, but what did all of that do for a man that had lost his spiritual compass?
   3. Riches have a deceiving property about them, and we must be careful to not be snared by them.
      
      Mark 4:18-19 ¹⁸ Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
      
      1 Timothy 6:9-10 ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
      
      
   4. How do we keep from being snared?
      1. Use it for the Kingdom of God.
         
         1 Timothy 6:17-19 ¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. ¹⁸ Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
         
         
      2. Realize you are a steward of God’s resources.
      3. Don’t use money to satisfy your flesh, but rather use it to live and enjoy God’s blessings upon your life.
5. vv. 15-28 Great treasures were in abundance in Solomon’s kingdom.
   
   ¹⁵ And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. ¹⁶ He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷ Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. ¹⁹ Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. ²¹ For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. ²² So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. ²⁴ Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year. ²⁵ Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. ²⁶ So he reigned over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ²⁷ The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland. ²⁸ And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
   
   1. Both wisdom and wealth were gifts from God.
6. vv. 29-31 Summary of Solomon’s life.
   
   ²⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ³⁰ Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹ Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
   
   1. Solomon started off well but, as we know from Scripture, sinned greatly.
   2. God also spoke directly to him about his failures.
      
      1 Kings 11:11–13 ¹¹ Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. ¹² Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.

V. Conclusion

1. It is not enough to start well; we must also finish well.
2. Compromise will bring God’s hand of chastening upon us if we are His children.