Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it. Below the rim, figures of bulls encircled it—ten to a cubit. The bulls were cast in two rows in one piece with the Sea.
The Sea stood on twelve bulls, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south and three facing east. The Sea rested on top of them, and their hindquarters were toward the center. It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.
He then made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. In them the things to be used for the burnt offerings were rinsed, but the Sea was to be used by the priests for washing.
He made ten gold lampstands according to the specifications for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.
He made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold sprinkling bowls.
He made the courtyard of the priests, and the large court and the doors for the court, and overlaid the doors with bronze. He placed the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.
And Huram also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls.
So Huram finished the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of God:
the two pillars;
the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
the two sets of network decorating the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network, decorating the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars);
the stands with their basins;
the Sea and the twelve bulls under it;
the pots, shovels, meat forks and all related articles.
All the objects that Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were of polished bronze. The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Sukkoth and Zarethan. All these things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronze could not be calculated.
Solomon also made all the furnishings that were in God’s temple:
the golden altar;
the tables on which was the bread of the Presence;
the lampstands of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;
the gold floral work and lamps and tongs (they were solid gold);
the pure gold wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and censers; and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall.

• 2 Chronicles 4:1-22

When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the Lord was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated—the silver and gold and all the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of God’s temple.
Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. And all the Israelites came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.
When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priests carried them up; and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:
“He is good;
    his love endures forever.”
Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

• 2 Chronicles 5:1-14

For a link to 2 Chronicles 6, click HERE.

 Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

2 Chronicles 4:1 ‘bronze altar’: “This is the main altar on which sacrifices were offered (cf. the millennial temple altar, Ezek. 43:13-17). For comparison to the tabernacle’s altar, see Exodus 27:1-8; 38:1-7. If the cubit of 18 inches was used rather than the royal cubit of 21 inches, it would make the altar 30 feet by 30 feet by 15 feet high.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 4:2 ‘the Sea’: “This large laver was used for ritual cleansing (cf. Ex. 30:17-21 as it relates to the tabernacle). In Ezekiel’s millennial temple, the laver will apparently be replaced by the waters that flow through the temple (Ezek. 47:1-12).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 4:3 ‘oxen’: “First Kings 7:24 reports ‘buds,’ which is the more likely translation. These were also around the laver, which was set on top of the twelve oxen.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 4:5 ‘three thousand baths’: “A bath equaled almost six gallons. First Kings 7:26 reads 2,000 baths. This discrepancy has been reconciled by accounting, here, not only for the water the basin held, but also the water source that was necessary to keep it flowing as a fountain.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 5:11 ‘Most Holy Place’: “This was to be the last time anyone but the high priest went in, and then only once a year. It took several priests to place the ark in its new home.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 ‘Reflections’: “Mercy, then, is an attribute of God. In Exodus 34:4-7 there is a wonderfully moving declaration that one attribute of God is mercy.
“And in 2 Chronicles, in the temple, there is another great declaration of God’s mercy: ‘It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God’ (5:13-14).
“These two passages set forth in rather formal style a declaration that God is merciful. As l said about the other attributes of the Deity, mercy is not something God has but something God is. If mercy was something God had, conceivably God might mislay it or use it up. It might become less or more. But since it is something that God is, then we must remember that it is uncreated. The mercy of God did not come into being. The mercy of God always was in being, for mercy is what God is, and God is eternal. And God is infinite.
“There has been a lot of careless teaching that implies that the Old Testament is a book of severity and law, and the New Testament is a book of tenderness and grace. But do you know that while both the Old Testament and the New Testament declare the mercy of God, the word mercy appears in the Old Testament over four times more often than in the New? That’s a bit hard to believe, but it’s true.
“This popular idea is a great error because the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New is one God. He did not change. He is the same God and, being the same God and not changing, He must therefore necessarily be the same in the Old as He is in the New. He is immutable, and because He is perfect. He cannot be added to. God’s mercy was just as great in the Old Testament as it was and is in the New.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God I

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 ‘the glory of the Lord’: “The Lord’s presence indwelt the temple, and the first service of worship was held. In the same manner, He descended on the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-38). He will do likewise on the millennial temple (Ezek. 43:1-5). His glory is representative of His person (cf. Ex. 33), and entering the temple signified His presence.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 5 ‘Challenge’: “In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct ‘interpretations’ of truth. They are a thirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water.
“This is the only real harbinger of revival which l have been able to detect anywhere on the religious horizon. It may be the cloud the size of a man’s hand for which a few saints here and there have been looking. It can result in a resurrection of life for many souls and a recapture of that radiant wonder which should accompany faith in Christ, that wonder which has all but fled the Church of God in our day.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

2 Chronicles 6:11 ‘the covenant of the Lord’: “The Mosaic Law written on tablets of stone (cf. 5:10).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 6:13 ‘knelt’: “Solomon, in an unusually humbling act for a king, acknowledged God’s sovereignty.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Chronicles 6:29-30 ‘forgiven, whatever the sin’: “We have no sacred spot now toward which we turn when we pray. As Cowper sings, ‘Jesus, wherever Your people meet, there they behold Your Mercy Seat! Wherever they seek You, You are found, and every place is hallowed ground.’ Our temple is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he is to us of the same use as the temple was to Israel, yet he is infinitely more precious and far greater than the temple. Whatever his trouble is, whoever will pray unto God with his face toward Jesus—looking to the matchless wounds by which he has redeemed us, or to the glorified person in which he represents us—and invokes intercession for us before the throne of God on high, he will be helped, he will be forgiven, whatever his trouble or whatever his sin.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

My Thoughts

There is little that I can comment about these three chapters.

The furnishings were magnificent.

The Ark being brought to the Temple and the festival around the temple dedication, which is actually in 2 Chronicles 7, were the must-see events of that age.

And Solomon’s prayer was filled with the history that would come upon the people.  Keep a descendant on the throne as long as the king does not mess things up, but Solomon himself did enough, followed by Rehoboam who was worse.  All the events where the people were unfaithful, Solomon plead with God that when people humbled themselves at God’s temple, God would hear them.

If only the nations of the world today would say such a prayer and with meaning what they said and with actions that followed.  Solomon was more prophetic than giving a model to follow, for he stumbled.  But from the start, each nation these days ignores God.  Are we nearing the End Times?  We could be, but for all the prophecies to be fulfilled, a few more things have to happen.

I do not see any world government leader praying such a prayer these days.

But as for the promise to keep a King as the ruler, Jesus is our King, the King of kings, and He will return again.  And all nations will bow to Him.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

2 Chronicles 4:1-5:1 The Temple’s Furnishings 1. How important are beautiful things for your own worship of God? Does a beautifully decorated church or chapel tend to help or hinder your worship?
“2. What skill do you possess that you could use to help others worship God? Where might you use it?
“3. Which of the temple objects mentioned in this chapter play an important role in the New Testament?
“4. Huram was remembered by later generations for his craftsmanship. What have you done in your life that you hope will be appreciated by later generations?
2 Chronicles 5:2-6:11 The Ark Brought to the Temple 1. Had you received an invitation from Solomon to attend the celebration described in this chapter, why would you have gone: (a) To get a few days off work? (b) To be part of an important event? (c) To hear superb music? (d) To hobnob with the king and important people? (e) To see what was on the inside?
“2. What kind of music is the greatest help for you in your praise and worship with God? ls this preference shared by other people in your group? Family? Church?
“3. If together we are God’s temple, as 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, how can we make sure that we are filled with the glory of the Lord when we meet? Or can we?
2 Chronicles 6:12-42 Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication 1. Where do you think God is when you pray? What do you feel is the best place and posture for personal prayer? For public prayer? Why?
“2. Which of the following is the most important characteristic about God when you pray? (a) God’s nearness? (b) God’s faithfulness? (c) God’s forgiveness? (d) God’s tenderness?
“3. Which specific situation mentioned by Solomon do you feel the need to pray for as a group?
“4. ls Solomon‘s prayer a model for national days of prayer? Why or why not?
“5. What is the first thing for which you would praise God in prayer today?

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There are three sets of questions 2 Chronicles 4-6 as indicated above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.