2Chronicles 7:1 ¶ Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.
2Chronicles 7:2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house.
When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices as the glory of the LORD filled the temple. These actions testified to God’s acceptance of both. The priests were not able to enter the temple because His glory filled the whole house.
2Chronicles 7:3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
2Chronicles 7:4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.
2Chronicles 7:5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
When the people saw the fire and the glory of the LORD upon the temple, they bowed with their faces to the ground, worshipping and praising the LORD saying, “ For He is good; for His mercy endures forever.” (Brings to mind Psalm 136 in which this phrase is repeated at the end of every verse.)
It’s always hard for me to understand how those who witnessed such obvious displays giving testimony to God’s glory and power could ever choose to turn away from Him in sin.
Then Solomon and the people offered more sacrifices before the LORD. Solomon offered a total of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep in celebration of the dedication of the temple of God. Guzik makes this comment: “This is a staggering - almost grotesque - amount of sacrifice. Each animal was ritually sacrificed and a portion was dedicated to the LORD, and a portion given to the priests and the people. It was enough to feed a vast multitude for two weeks.”
It’s really hard for me to imagine this scene and how such a great number of animals could be sacrificed in this 7-day period (see vs. 8). I am so thankful that Jesus is the only sacrifice necessary for us to enjoy fellowship with the LORD.
2Chronicles 7:6 And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which David the king had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood.
We are told that the priests and Levites served in accordance with their assigned duties. The Levites sang songs of thanks for God’s mercy using the instruments that David had made for them. The priests joined them with the blowing of trumpets. All the while the people stood to show their respect for the worship and praise being offered.
As I try to picture this scene, I can’t help but try to imagine what such a praise and worship gathering in heaven will be like one day. I can hardly wait!
2Chronicles 7:7 Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.
2Chronicles 7:8 Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.
2Chronicles 7:9 And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
2Chronicles 7:10 And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
Because of the number of sacrifices being made, Solomon dedicated or consecrated (both from the Hebrew) the middle of the court in front of the temple to provide more space to make the sacrifices. The celebration and feasting lasted 14 days—-7 days for the dedication and 7 days for the Feast of Tabernacles. On the 8th day they gathered together to mark the end of the celebration. On the 23rd day of the 7th month, King Solomon finally sent the people home. They went home rejoicing in their heart at the goodness the LORD had shown to David, Solomon and the people of Israel.
The dating identifies the celebration in connection with the feast of tabernacles, a time when all Israel planned to come to Jerusalem.
2Chronicles 7:11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.
2Chronicles 7:12 ¶ And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.
2Chronicles 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
2Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.
Solomon finally completed the building of the temple and his palace in accordance with his plans. According to scripture, it took Solomon 7 years to build the temple and 13 years to build his palace, so there is quite a gap of time between verses 10 and 11.
1 Kings 6:37–7:1 “In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.”
Since the Chronicler is looking back in time, he could just be including the fact that the palace was completed. It would make more sense for God to respond to Solomon’s prayer right after he made it.
Once again the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and told him that He had heard his prayer. The LORD affirmed to the king again that He had chosen the temple as the acceptable house of sacrifice to Him. Sinful man cannot enjoy fellowship with God without benefit of a sacrifice. Believers today are so blessed to enjoy ongoing fellowship with the LORD through the loving sacrifice of Jesus. We no longer have to depend on the ongoing sacrifice of animals.
The LORD made specific reference to Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple regarding possible famine, locusts or plagues among the people as a result of their sin. He promised that if His people, those called by His name, would humble themselves in sincere repentance and sorrow for their sin and pray to Him, He would hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. It should be noted that sincere repentance results in a change of lifestyle, turning away from one’s wicked ways.
What a beautiful promise! It saddens me when I hear teachers today say that this promise was only for the people of Israel and not meant for believers today. In context, the LORD is speaking to Solomon about the people of Israel. He also, however, makes specific reference to those called by His name. Scripture is very clear that the LORD never changes.
Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not….”
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
The LORD set apart Israel to teach the nations and show them the benefits of serving Him and the consequences of choosing to reject Him. There are so many beautiful promises in scripture that are ours to claim in the name of our Savior, many of which are found in the Old Testament in relationship to Israel. Does that make them any less applicable to those of us called by His name today? No! God acts in accordance with the principles of His character toward His children of all times. All people—Jew and Gentile, before Jesus and after Jesus—who have placed their faith in God are saved because of the sacrifice of Jesus and are one family before the Father in Christ. There are some obvious specific promises in connection with the land inheritance promised to Abraham and his descendants through Jacob, but the principles by which the LORD dealt with his people in Old Testament times are the principles by which He deals with people of true faith of all times. His character remains the same.
2Chronicles 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
2Chronicles 7:16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
The LORD goes on to tell Solomon that He will always be observant and listening to the prayers made from the temple. He again affirmed that He had chosen the temple as the place especially sanctified to honor His name; He would always be attentive in sight and heart to what was occurring there.
How blessed we believers are today to know that we have constant access to the throne of God without regard to where we may be.
Ephesians 2:13&18 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ….For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
2Chronicles 7:17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;
2Chronicles 7:18 Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.
The LORD then reminds Solomon that if he will walk before him in the same way as David his father had and act in obedience to His commands, He would establish his kingdom in accordance with His promise to David. He would never fail to have a descendant to rule over Israel as their king.
2Chronicles 7:19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
2Chronicles 7:20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
2Chronicles 7:21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?
2Chronicles 7:22 And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.
If, however, Solomon turned away from the LORD and His commandments to go serve and worship other gods, He would take them out of their land and reject the temple, making it a place the nations could taunt and insult. Those who passed by it would wonder why the LORD had allowed the land and the temple to be in such condition. The answer would be made known that it was because God’s people turned away from Him to serve and worship other gods, so He had to judge them and make them suffer the consequences of their sin.
Sad to note, this is exactly what happened.
2Chronicles 8:1 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD, and his own house,
2Chronicles 8:2 That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
2Chronicles 8:3 And Solomon went to Hamathzobah, and prevailed against it.
2Chronicles 8:4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.
2Chronicles 8:5 Also he built Bethhoron the upper, and Bethhoron the nether, fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
2Chronicles 8:6 And Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.
After the 20 years it took Solomon to complete the building of the temple and his palace, the king turned his attention to building up the cities that Hiram (King of Tyre) had returned to him. As they were rebuilt, he brought Israelites to come and live in them.
He mounted an attack against Hamathzobah that resulted in a victory. JFB adds this comment: “Hamath was on the Orontes, in Coele-Syria. Its king, Toi, had been the ally of David; but from the combination, Hamath and Zobah, it would appear that some revolution had taken place which led to the union of these two petty kingdoms of Syria into one. For what cause the resentment of Solomon was provoked against it, we are not informed….”
Note: This is the only battle that scripture records during Solomon’s reign.
He built up Tadmor in the wilderness as well as other cities around Hamath to use as storage cities or supply centers. The NIV Commentary adds this note: “Tadmor in the desert” lay 150 miles northeast of Damascus, midway on the caravan route to Mari on the Euphrates River. It thus controlled the trade on this desert ‘cut-off’ to Babylon.”
He built Upper and Lower Bethhoron and fortified them with walls, gates and bars. Again from the NIV Commentary: “The two ‘Beth Horons’ were located on the border between Ephraim and Benjamin and controlled a major pass, northwest of Jerusalem, that led down to the port of Joppa.”
He basically completed building storage cities and cities to house his chariots and horsemen, as well as other cities throughout his kingdom, including in Jerusalem and Lebanon.
2Chronicles 8:7 As for all the people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,
2Chronicles 8:8 But of their children, who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this day.
There were still many descendants of the previous inhabitants of Canaan living in Israel—Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Solomon exacted tribute from those foreigners. The Hebrew makes it clear that the required payment for this tribute was to serve as needed in forced labor, falling in line with the implication from the next verse.
2Chronicles 8:9 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work; but they were men of war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen.
2Chronicles 8:10 And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers, even two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.
The people of Israel were not required to work as forced laborers; they served as soldiers, military commanders, and commanders of his chariots and horsemen. He had a total of 250 men that served as commanders over the different groups of laborers and military.
2Chronicles 8:11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come.
Solomon also brought up the daughter of Pharaoh, his wife, to live in the house he had built especially for her. He did not think it proper for her to dwell in any place in which the ark had been.
Trapp makes a good observation: “Solomon had, against the law of God, married this and other strange wives, for politic ends no doubt, and as hoping that by his wisdom he could reclaim them, or at least rule them….Howbeit afterwards, overcome by the importunities of his strange wives, he yielded to them shamefully. Watch, therefore, and beware.”
2Chronicles 8:12 ¶ Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,
2Chronicles 8:13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.
Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD every day in accordance with the instructions recorded in the books of the law—daily, on Sabbaths, on new moons and on the three yearly solemn feasts (the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of weeks and the feast of tabernacles).
2Chronicles 8:14 And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
2Chronicles 8:15 And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the treasures.
2Chronicles 8:16 Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.
It is noted again that he assigned the priests and Levites to courses that served on a rotating basis according to the plan that God had given his father David. This also included those assigned to serve as gatekeepers to ensure that only qualified people entered the temple area. Everything was done according to the plan, including use and storage of the temple treasures, until finally the project was completed.
2Chronicles 8:17 Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.
2Chronicles 8:18 And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.
Solomon went to Eziongeber and Eloth, coastal cities in the land of Edom. From the NIV Commentary: “Ezion Geber and Elath were ports at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba that provided a strategic commercial access southward into the Red Sea and beyond.”
The record of 1Kings makes it clear that the ships belonged to Solomon.
1 Kings 9:26–27 “And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.”
It sounds like Hiram may have sent additional ships, as well as experienced shipmen to train Solomon’s servants and go with them to Ophir to get 450 talents (15-17 tons) of gold, which they brought back to the king.
No one can identify Ophir with certainty. Commentators posit several possibilities, including India, Arabia, Somalia, the east coast of Africa or the Malay Peninsula (includes parts of Malaysia and Thailand).
Eerdman’s Dictionary makes this comment, “Ophir’s gold was so well known that it came to symbolize wealth and decadence in contrast with wisdom and faith.”