2 Chron 2 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 2 Chron 2:3-10

3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of Tyre:

‘Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. 4 Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.

5 ‘The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

7 ‘Send me, therefore, a man skilled 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 workers, whom my father David provided.

8 ‘Send me also cedar, juniper and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants shall work with yours 9 to provide me with plenty of timber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.’

A. Find Out:

1. To whom did Solomon write & what did he ask for? v.3
2. Why did he say he wanted to build a temple? v.4
3. What was it to be like, and why? v.5
4. Yet what was the problem with that? v.6
5. Who did he ask Hiram to send? v.7
6. What did he further ask and say he would do? v.8-10

B. Think:

1. What had been the past connection with Hiram (read 1 Chron 14:1)
2. How clear is Solomon as to the purpose of the new temple?
3. How clear is he about God?

C. Comment:

      As Solomon writes to Hiram we can observe several clear points that tell us a lot.

     First, to be able to make such demands of Hiram, Solomon has a strong confidence in who he is. Presumably Hiram had previously provided for David as he recognised David’s greatness. No, Solomon clearly felt he had the same grounds for asking.

     Second, Solomon’s understanding of the purpose of the temple is quite precise. He clearly knows and understands the sacrificial system that God gave Israel. He is a man who has been brought up in the fear and knowledge of the Lord.

     Third, his understanding of God is also specific, and this understanding limits the use of the temple. He knows that God is so great that He can’t be housed in a building, however great it might be. Therefore, the best that this new building can be is a place for the people to come as a focus on God, where they can come and offer sacrifices to Him. In all these ways Solomon showed his wisdom and understanding of the things of God.

D. Application:

1. Sacrifices no longer needed. Do we understand that today the sacrificial system does not operate and that WE are the temple of God by the Spirit?
2. God’s greatness. Do we understand the greatness of God, and see that He cannot be limited by our activities?

Passage: 2 Chron 2:11-18

11 Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:

‘Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.’

12 And Hiram 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.

13 ‘I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, 14 whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father.

15 ‘Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, 16 and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.’

17 Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

A. Find Out:

1. Why, according to Hiram, had God made Solomon king? v.11
2. How did Hiram view the Lord? v.12a
3. How did he view Solomon? v.12b
4. Who was Hiram sending? v.13,14a
5. What did Hiram want in exchange? v.15
6. Who did Solomon use for the preparation work? v.17,18

B. Think:

1. What are we told of Hiram’s relationship with the Lord?
2. What are we told of his attitude towards Solomon?
3. What is the outworking of both of these?

C. Comment:

     We now find out something more of Hiram. We know he is the king of a small coastal province to the north of Israel. We know he had dealt with David in the past. We now know that he has quite an understanding of the Lord. He sees Solomon being made king, as a work of the Lord, and a work of blessing for Israel. He knows God as Creator of all things and as the covenant keeping God of Israel.

     Perhaps it is this understanding that makes him the man he is, one open to Solomon, recognising Solomon’s wisdom and willing to co-operate with Solomon in building the temple. He sends top craftsmen to help in the work and he will provide materials as requested. In return he will be paid in food and drink. For the work of cutting the materials and transporting them to Israel, Solomon uses those in his country who are not Hebrews.

      In all of this we should note the following things: first, the temple of the Lord is built with the co-operation of a gentile king. God does not put any prohibition on Solomon getting help from such a one. God is, after all, God of Jew and Gentile. Second, note that Hiram has good understanding of who the Lord is, presumably through his previous contacts with David.

D. Application:

1. Limited perspective? Do we have limited views of who God uses or are our hearts open to all those around us?
2. Lights to the world. Are we a witness to our non-Christian neighbours?