2 Chron 8 – 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 8:1-11

1 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, 2 Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram had given him, and settled Israelites in them. 3 Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4 He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath. 5 He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 6 as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses – whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory that he ruled.

7 There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites). 8 Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these people remaining in the land – whom the Israelites had not destroyed – to serve as slave labour, as it is to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 10 They were also King Solomon’s chief officials – two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.

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.’

A. Find Out:

1. What had Solomon done for how long in his reign so far? v.1
2. What did he then proceed to do? v.2-6
3. What did he do with the occupants of the land? v.7,8
4. What did he do with the Israelites? v.9,10
5. Who did he move where? v.11a
6. Why? v.11b

B. Think:

1. What do you think is significant in the activity of v.2-6?
2. How did he differentiate between peoples in v.7-10?
3. What is disturbing about v.11?

C. Comment:

     In these verses we see Solomon establishing his kingdom. He does this first by re-establishing villages and towns in the land that presumably had been broken down by enemies in the past. He also built new cities for a variety of purposes. In rebuilding these towns and cities he not only rebuilt the buildings but strengthened the walls of the cities for protection. In such ways he was bringing a new security to the land which would have made the people feel good about him.

     At the same time (possibly to achieve the former task) he established a slave labour task force and a strong army. In this way he established both the economic base for the land and provided security for it. In passing we note that Israelites were never used as slave labour, only those remnants from other nations who had refused to leave the land.

     We then come across a mention of an Egyptian wife that he had (see also 1 Kings 3:1) and who previously had lived in Jerusalem but was now moved to a new palace. Somehow Solomon is aware that this foreign wife conflicts with the holy activities of Jerusalem. Chronicles focuses more on the practical events, and we’re left to 1 Kings to tell us about Solomon’s spiritual downfall (1 Kings 11:1-6). You cannot mix foreign idolatry and worship of the one true God,

D. Application:

1. The fruit of God’s wisdom. Wisdom from God brings security. Do we know that?
2. Rejection of God’s wisdom. When we abandon God’s wisdom we fall into error – always!

Passage: 2 Chron 8:12-18

12 On the altar of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, 13 according to the daily requirement for offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons and the three annual festivals – the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. 14 In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered. 15 They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.

16 All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lord was finished.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents] of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.

A. Find Out:

1. What did Solomon do, where? v.12
2. When did he do it? v.13
3. Who did he establish? v.14
4. When did this happen? v.16
5. Where did he go and who did he meet with? v.17,18a
6. What was the end product? v.18b

B. Think:

1. How did Solomon establish a correct spirituality?
2. What do you think was the point of this being recorded?
3. What do verses 17 & 18 then tell us?

C. Comment:

      The first half of the chapter, we saw, told us how Solomon was establishing the land and making it more secure. Verses 12 to 16 then tell us how Solomon established the spirituality of all the activity surrounding the building of the temple and making it secure. This he did in two ways.

       First he established there in the centre of the building works an altar of sacrifice and there he ensured were presented all the sacrifices that Moses had laid down in the Law (v.12,13). Sacrifices were presented to God for two main reasons: to re-establish a broken relationship by sin, and to express something of the restored relationship. Simply put they were a visible and tangible expression or sign of their devotion to God. In the midst of their activity, Solomon ensured that this happened.

      Second, he established priests and Levites as prescribed by David his father, to oversee the activity at the altar and to establish the daily praise to God through music. In this way he established a working relationship with the Lord in the midst of the building work.   When the work was complete he was then able to travel and to trade and that is what we see in verses 17 and 18. Hiram was a Gentile king who had helped provide materials for the temple. He also provides ships and men for trade. He is a means of opening up further blessing.

D. Application:

1. Devotion & Activity: Do we maintain devotion in the midst of busyness?
2. World relationships:  Can we maintain good relationships with non-Christians around us so that we may share the Gospel and God’s love more fully with them?