daily bible readings

The Book of Chronicles is very much pro-David and hence, pro-Solomon. They are presented in glowing terms. The sins and transgressions recorded in the books of 1 and 2 Kings are largely omitted  by the Chronicler because of this positive bias.

In 2 Chronicles 1:2-5, there is a direct tie to Moses in the wilderness. This tie must not be confused with the rebellious and stiff necked people. It is a tie to Moses, the great man of God who faithfully endured and led the people out of slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness to the Promised Land. The mention of Moses and the Tent of Meeting, where Solomon inquires of God, helps to forge the connection. But, the connection is sealed by the mention of Bezalel who was given great wisdom by God to build the ark and its contents. Bezalel is mentioned no where else in the Bible except in Exodus as the ark is built and here in Chronicles. The Chronicler wants us to see the link.

The task before Solomon was huge. Like his father David, he yearned to build a house for the Name of the Lord. And because the Name of the Lord was so great, the Temple would have to be great. Solomon himself, tells us as much. 2 Chronicles 2:5 “The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.” And so, “he conscripted seventy thousand men as carriers and eighty thousand as stonecutters in the hills and thirty-six hundred as foremen over them. 2 Chronicles 2:2. He asked the King of Tyre for timber and for skilled craftsmen “to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled craftsmen, whom my father David provided.” 2 Chronicles 2:7.

Solomon’s building of the Temple is a sign of his wisdom. This is the very wisdom that God gave him after his request. It is paralleled to the wisdom of Moses in the desert building the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. The Chronicler uses the lips of a foreigner to highlight Solomon’s wisdom in building a Temple for Yahweh. “And Hiram [King of Tyre} added: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.” 2 Chronicles 2:12

After 20 years (see 1 Kings 9:10) Solomon finished building the Temple and the palace for himself. The Temple itself was finished in seven years. God, could dwell with His people in a house/Temple fitting for the greatest God among the nations.

Today, there is a King building a temple. But, it’s not a physical temple made of stones and wood or gold and silver. In 1 Peter 2:4–5 we read of this Temple, “ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

In the Old Testament, God chose to cause His name to dwell in a Temple build by Solomon. The people would meet with God at the Temple through the mediation of the priests. Today, God dwells among His people, the New Testament Church. We meet with God through the mediation of the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Just as the people offered sacrifices at the Temple, so too we offer spiritual sacrifices at the Temple, the Church. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased,“ Hebrews 13:15–16. (NIV84) “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship,“ Romans 12:1. “I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” Philippians 4:18

Prayer:

Adoration:

• Adore God that He chooses to come down to us and dwell among us.

Confession:

• Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for forgiveness

Thanks:

• Thank God that because of Jesus Christ’s work at Calvary, you can offer God acceptable sacrifices.

Supplication:

• Pray that the Lord Almighty would be powerfully present among us this coming Sonday and that we would worship Him with reverence and awe, in Spirit and in truth.
• Pray that we would see God bring many into the kingdom as we seek to make disciples of all nations.

Discussion Questions

1. Why did King Solomon build a Temple for the Lord?
2. What are the differences between the Old Testament Temple and the New Testament Temple?