Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 9:13-31.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-18:  Here the Chronicler describes all the gold that Solomon accumulated on an annual basis (v13-16), the gold and ivory throne that he sat on, which was unlike anything that had ever been made for any other kingdom (v17-19), the possessions Solomon amassed (v20, 24, 27), the connections Solomon had (v21), the audience he attracted (v23),  the horses and chariots he collected (v25, 28), and the territories he ruled over (v26).  Verse 22 sums it up: “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.”

Yet as impressive as Solomon’s splendor, wealth and wisdom may have been, the sad reality is that none of it lasted and none of it satisfied.   Here the Chronicler is very gentle in his treatment of Solomon, as he barely alludes to Solomon’s moral failures such as his refusal to obey God in the area of marriage (2 Chronicles 8:11; see also 1 Kings 11:1-13) and his obsession with accumulating gold and horses in violation of God’s instructions to kings (see Deuteronomy 17:16-17).  The Chronicler does not mention the crumbling of Solomon’s relationship with God or the depression and disillusionment that resulted.  But Solomon himself would write in the book of Ecclesiastes that all of the riches, fame, possessions, power and wisdom he accumulated were ultimately and utterly meaningless.  Solomon’s son Rehoboam would take over his father’s throne, only to see most of the kingdom that Solomon had worked so hard to build slip through his fingers.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 9:1-12.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-12:  These verses describe Solomon’s interactions with the Queen of Sheba when she came to visit Solomon in Jerusalem.  While the Queen of Sheba had heard great things about Solomon’s wisdom, when she visits Solomon she is blown away (verse 4 says “overwhelmed”) by his wisdom, the palace he built, the kind of food served at Solomon’s table, the way is officials, servants and cupbearers served, and the sacrifices given at the temple.  In fact a running theme in this chapter is that in Solomon’s kingdom people experienced things they had never seen before.  For example:

The Queen of Sheba is blown away by Solomon’s wisdom and the administration of his kingdom
The Queen of Sheba brings an overwhelmingly large number of gifts, including spices that the people of Jerusalem had never seen before (v9)
The use of algumwood from King Hiram to make steps for the temple and the royal palace and to make musical instruments for the temple, such that “nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah” (v11).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 8:1-18. Let’s go!

2 Chronicles 8:11 (NIV) 
11  Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”
 
On verses 1-18:  In these verses we read about some of the activities Solomon engaged in after he built the temple and his own palace, such as cities that he developed (v2-6), peoples he ruled over (v7-10), sacrifices that he made and work that he did at the temple (v12-16), and riches he accumulated (v17-18). 

Notice in verses 12-16, Solomon goes to great lengths to make sure that the offerings he gives at the temple as well as the way the priests and Levites conduct their services at the temple are all in strict accordance with Moses’ commands and his father David’s orders (v12-16).  Solomon is painstakingly devout in this particular area of his life. But in other areas of his life, we see Solomon starting to compromise his faith.  For example, Solomon knew full well that God’s Word commanded against marrying an unbeliever, yet Solomon goes ahead and marries Pharaoh’s daughter, who did not believe in the God of Israel or worship Him. 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. Let’s go!

On verses 12-16:  After Solomon has finished dedicating the temple, God appears to Solomon. God confirms to Solomon that He has heard Solomon’s prayer, that He will be attentive to the prayers offered in the temple, and that He has chosen and consecrated this temple so that His name would be there forever.  As part of this, God speaks some of the most powerful words regarding prayer and repentance in the Bible:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) 
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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

When God speaks this promise in verse 14, He is speaking about situations where the land is affected by droughts, plagues or locusts.  God promises to heal the Israelites’ land if they will humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from their wicked ways.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Chronicles 7:1-10. Let’s go!

2 Chronicles 7:1 (NIV) 
1  When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

On verses 1-3:  Once the people have offered their sacrifices to the Lord and Solomon has finished praying on behalf of the people, fire from heaven falls and consumes the people’s burnt offering and sacrifices, filling the temple with God’s glory.  The people respond by kneeling with their faces to the ground and worshiping God, saying “He is good; His love endures forever” (v3). 

This verse reminds me of two later events.  The first event is when Elijah would face off against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and God answers Elijah’s prayer by sending fire upon his sacrifice, causing the people to exclaim “The Lord, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:38-39).  The second event is in Acts 2, when Jesus’ disciples are in the upper room, worshiping the Lord, and then tongues of fire are said to land on each of them, causing them to speak in tongues.