Sunday, September 29 – 2 Chronicles 2, 3 – Additional Reading, Prophets and Kings, Chapter 2, “The Temple and Its Dedication”

1. What agreement did Solomon make with Hiram, king of Tyre? (1 Kings 5:8, 9)

2. How many years after the exodus did Solomon begin building the Temple? (1 Kings 6:1)

Commentary and Reflection:

We are at the point of the Temple’s construction in the biblical narrative, a moment of immense significance in Israel’s history that marks its establishment in the Promised Land. It fulfills the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, a moment anticipated by generations. Finally, the promise of a homeland becomes visible and tangible.

David chose Mount Moriah for the Temple, the same place God had selected for Abraham to offer Isaac a thousand years earlier. God instructed Abraham to walk for four days to reach this location. Isaac, the only son of Abraham, and Sarah, the son of promise, carried there the wood for the sacrifice, just as Jesus would later carry the cross.

The Lord instructed David to purchase this location and build an altar. At the time, it was a threshing floor owned by Araunah the Jebusite (1 Samuel 24:18). This place came to represent obedience, sacrifice, offering, provision, and divine guidance. A thousand years later, near Mount Moriah, the Son of God was sacrificed but “outside the camp” as an outcast (Hebrews 13:11).

Solomon may not have fully grasped the significance of his role in God’s grand plan, but he was moved to obedience. His humble purpose is beautifully expressed in his letter to Hiram, king of Tyre: “Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?” (2 Chronicles 2:4-6).

“The long-cherished plan of David to erect a temple to the Lord, Solomon wisely carried out. For seven years Jerusalem was filled with busy workers engaged in leveling the chosen site, in building vast retaining walls, in laying broad foundations,—“great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones,”—in shaping the heavy timbers brought from the Lebanon forests, and in erecting the magnificent sanctuary. 1 Kings 5:17.” (Prophets and Kings, p. 35)

“Thus as the building on Mount Moriah was noiselessly  upreared with “stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building,” the beautiful fittings were perfected according to the patterns committed by David to his son, “all the vessels that were for the house of God.” 1 Kings 6:7; 4:19.” (Prophets and Kings, p. 35)

Solomon’s census of the foreigners, their number, and their employment in heavy labor is interesting. They were foreigners in a nation of emigrants! As of now, immigrants have made valuable contributions to the nation by taking on jobs that native-born people did not want to do. They played an important role in the construction of the Temple, which was not only for the Jews but was to be “a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17).

Another immigrant, Hiram-abi, born to an Israelite couple who had gained citizenship in Tyre, was chosen and sent by the king of that nation because of his expertise “to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in stone and wood, in purple and blue, in fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him” (2 Chronicles 2:14). Surely, this Israelite exile felt honored to participate in this monumental work for his nation of origin.

2 Chronicles 3 details the measurements and briefly describes the imposing and beautiful Temple structure.

The 400 pomegranates that adorned the pillars at the front of the Temple are especially notable. With its many seeds, rich flavor, and therapeutic properties, pomegranates symbolized God’s promises and blessings for His people. Regarding the meaning of the names of the columns, the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary says, “‘Jachin’ possibly means ‘He shall establish.’ Boaz possibly means ‘In Him is strength.’” (SDABC, 2 Chronicles 3:17).

May the Lord’s blessings, like the pomegranate’s rich seeds, rest upon you today.