Teaching Notes

TH1058: II CHRONICLES

As we continue our study in the book of II Chronicles, we have seen Solomon gather together a work force to build the temple of God. And he sends word to Hiram, king of Tyre, to send skillful men to come and assist with this massive building project. That is where we will pick up our story this evening in II Chronicles chapter 5.

II CHRONICLES 5

VERSES 1-2

1. This massive building project took some 7 years to complete. And now it was time to bring the ark of the covenant up from the city of David and place it in the temple. Now that might seem strange, bringing the ark up from the city of David, but you have to understand that the city of David was quite small back then. During the time of David it was only some 1/2 city block wide and some 2 city blocks long, built upon the lower ridge of mount Moriah. Now Solomon has built up the area that was known as Ornan's threshing floor, and placed upon it the massive temple with all its other structures. Thus, the ark needed to be brought up to the temple, from the lower ridge of mount Moriah were it resided in the tent in which David had placed it in.

VERSE 3

1. This all corresponded with the feast of Tabernacles, which took place on the 15th day of the 7th month (Sept. - Oct.), and lasted some 8 days. And the whole celebration ended with a 7 day feast as the temple was dedicated, thus, this was a 15 day celebration in all.

VERSES 4-9

1. The temple proper consisted of 2 main rooms, the holy place which was 60 feet long by 30 feet wide, and the most holy place which was 30 feet long by 30 feet wide. It was in the most holy place or the holy of holies where the ark was to be placed.

2. Now the transportation of the ark was to be done by the Levites, the Kohathites specifically. In the tabernacle, that portable worship structure that Moses built in the wilderness, when it was time for the children of Israel to move, the tabernacle was to be dismantled and the Kohathites had the responsibility of caring for the ark and the other temple implements. They would walk into the holy of holies backwards, carrying a covering for the ark, place that covering over the ark and they would then lift the ark by two poles that were inserted through 4 rings located on the sides of the ark, and the poles were then placed upon the shoulders of the Kohathites. This was how the ark was transported.

3. David tried to move the ark from Kirjath Jearim, and he placed it upon a new cart which was driven by oxen. As the cart was being transported with the ark in back, it hit a rock at Nachon's threshing floor and began to tip. Thus, Uzza, in trying to prevent the ark from falling to the ground stuck out his hand to prevent it from falling and as soon as he touched the ark, God struck him dead. And David was so upset that he placed the ark in the house of Obed-Edom for 3 months. And it was not until he went back to the word of God and saw that it was his own fault that this happened, because he tried to handle God according to his desire, and God had specific instructions on how the ark was to be carried. You see, you can't man-handle God. And David transported the ark the second time, into the city of Jerusalem, in the correct manner, and placed it in a tent.

4. Now Solomon is transporting the ark according to God's instructions and placing it in the temple, in the holy of holies, with a 18 inch thick curtain that would separate the holy place from the most holy place. You see, only the high priest could enter the most holy place and only after a lengthy ceremonial cleansing, and only once a year. Sinful man could not just approach God.

VERSE 10

1. Earlier on, the ark contained the two tablets of stone in which the covenant was written on, the rod of Aaron which budded, and the jar of manna. But now only the two tablets of stone remained in the ark. This rectangular box, the ark, was only 3 feet 9 inches long by 2 feet by 3 inches wide by 2 feet 3 inches tall. This rectangular box was overlaid with gold and the mercy seat covered the top of it. Above the ark were two cherubs with their wings extending and filling the room. Each cherub had a wing span of 15 feet. The ark contained the law of God, but God does not meet with us in the ark. We could never be accepted by our works, according to the law. God meets with us between the cherubim, which is where the mercy seat is located. You see, we can't enter the presence of God by the law, only by His mercy. We deserve death, but God has given us life through His son, Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses us from all our sin. Hebrews 9:22, 28 says "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission...so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."

VERSE 11

1. Remember that David had divided the priests into 24 divisions, each serving 2 weeks, and after their work was done, they would return to their city until the time of their next service. They had 48 Levitical cities spread throughout the land of Israel in which these priests were living in. Here, for the dedication of the temple, all were present during this time of celebration and to assist in the sacrifices.

VERSES 12-14

1. Notice that as the worship people came together to worship the Lord it was not some chaotic, free-for-all, where everybody was doing their own thing. They sang in one accord, with one voice, to the Lord, the focus was the Lord! As Paul tells us in I Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion (or disorder) but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." Worship can become so chaotic that there is no unity in our worship. That is not what God wants. You see, in a corporate setting, and in our own lives, worship refreshes us and fills us with the presence of God. It was after this time of worship and praise that the Shekinah glory, the presence of God, filled the temple. God truly inhabits the praises of His people!

II CHRONICLES 6

VERSES 1-2

1. Why in the world is God dwelling in a dark cloud? Because we can not behold the glory of the Lord, it would consume us as sinners. Remember in Exodus chapter 33, Moses asked to see God's glory, and God said "...'You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.'" (Exodus 33:20). And God said to Moses to hide his face in the cleft of this mountain and after I pass by you will see My after glow, My glory as I pass by. And when Moses returned his face lit up like a Christmas tree, it just radiated the glory of God. We, as Christians, see God through a veil, like looking through dark glasses. But one day we will see Him face to face, in all His glory, as we go to be with Him.

2. You see, whenever people got a glimpse of God, it only reveled to them their uncleanness. That is why it amazes me all these stories you hear of people being taken up into heaven and they just speak of the glory. The problem with that is when we stand before a holy and righteous God, even though postionally we are clean, but practically we still sin, it should cause us to see ourselves as we really are. When Isaiah saw the Lord he said "...'Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.'" That is the proper response when a holy and righteous God is compared to our own sinful life.

3. Now some may be thinking that this was in the Old Testament and in the New Testament it is different. We are clean by the blood of Christ. Yes, positionally we are, but again, practically speaking we still do sin. Listen to what Paul's response was when he was caught up into heaven, and I think it is quite different from what you hear on talk shows and in books today. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 12:1-6 "It is necessary, though not profitable, to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago; whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows; such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man; whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows; how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me."

VERSES 3-6

1. Jerusalem is the place that God had chose to place His Name, and David is the one that He chose to rule over His people. That is the sovereignty of God, and you can try to fight it all you want, but you won't win!

VERSES 7-8

1. David's desire was to build God a house to dwell in. You see, David lived in a beautiful palace while the ark of God, which represented the presence of God, resided in a tent. But God would not allow David to build the temple for he was a man of war and shed much blood. The interesting thing here is this, God honors, He rewards David for having a desire to build the temple.

2. I believe that God does the same in our own life, He rewards us for the desire in our heart even though we may not be able to fulfill that desire. Listen to what Jesus has to say in Matthew 10:40-41. He said "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward." Jesus is saying that many times you can't do the specific work, even though you have the desire, you can assist in the work and you will be rewarded. When you support a missionary, the work that he is doing will be applied to you also. You see, you can do all kinds of good things, but if your motives are wrong, if your heart is not right, God will not reward you for it. God looks at our heart and even if we can't do it, we can support it or assist in the work, and that is exactly what David did as he amassed some 93 million pounds of gold, silver, bronze besides precious stones, lumber and other metals for the building of the temple, and God is honoring the heart of David.

VERSES 9-13

1. Solomon is reminding the people of the faithfulness of God. That what God has promised, is now coming to pass.

2. Solomon is standing before the congregation on this bronze platform that was 7 1/2 feet square and 4 1/2 feet high. And as he finishes his words to the people, speaking on the faithfulness of God, he now kneels down to pray to the Lord.

VERSES 14-15

1. Solomon is remembering God's faithfulness, that what God promises, He will fulfill. That is important, for as we remember God's faithfulness in what He has already done, it will give us confidence in the things we are going to pray for.

VERSES 16-17

1. This was a conditional promise, that if the descendants of David followed after the Lord, they would remain on the throne. But that did not happen, and the kings became more and more evil till God brought judgment upon the nation and lead them away captive to Babylon.

VERSES 18-21

1. Solomon understands that the heavens can't contain God for His presence fills the universe. And yet he asks that God would look upon this city and this temple, that it would be a place where people can come together with God, and repent of their sin, and when they do, God would forgive them.

VERSES 22-23

1. In some cases, it would be impossible to decide if the person was guilty or not, and so they would have him make an oath at the temple. Solomon is saying here that God is the one to judge, for He alone is a righteous judge. You see, only God knows our hearts, our motives, we can't judge people's motives, but we can respond to their actions if they are wrong. We can look at the fruit!

VERSES 24-25

1. Here we see the consequences of turning from the Lord. The first is that you will be defeated by your enemies. Remember Joshua's great victory at Jericho, the next city they were to take was Ai, which was small and the scouts said only 2 to 3 thousand men were needed for this victory. But the children of Israel were defeated and 36 men died in the battle. And Joshua was upset with the Lord and frustrated over the whole situation. He couldn't understand why God allowed this, did he want to destroy them? And the Lord said to Joshua "Get up!...You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you." (Joshua 7:13). You see, all the spoil from the first victory was to be given to the Lord, it was the first fruits and in the giving of them to the Lord it was ensuring future victories. But Achan disobeyed, and his sin caused this defeat. Solomon is saying "Lord, when we come to our senses, and repent of our sin, forgive our sin and return the land back to us, give us victory against our enemies."

VERSES 26-27

1. Drought is used to get our attention, to awaken us out of our spiritual slumber, and cause us to repent of our sin so that God would send rain upon the land once again. And this happens to believers and unbelievers. To believers to try to get them back on track and to unbelievers to get them to look up and turn to the Lord.

VERSES 28-31

1. God is warning His people, through Solomon, that these things will come to pass if you turn from Me. You will be defeated by your enemies. You will experience drought upon the land. You will experience famine in the land. You will experience pestilence in the land. All these are a result of turning from the true and living God, and now God is trying to get their attention, He wants them to fall to their knees and repent of their sin so that God would forgive them and heal them and their land.

2. Again, only God knows our hearts, He knows the motives behind the things we do. This is what Psalm 44:20-21 expresses. It says "If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart."

VERSES 32-33

1. I find this interesting, that way back here in II Chronicles, God opens the door for ALL to come to Him and not just the Jewish people. But the Jewish people developed a theology that excluded gentiles from coming to God unless they became Jews. It got so bad that they believed that a gentile was only born to fuel the fires of hell. Quite a different attitude from what Solomon was praying for. Solomon is asking the Lord to forgive all who come and repent of their sin before You, even a foreigner.

VERSES 34-35

1. Again, while in battle, wherever they may be, hear their prayer and sustain them in the work they are doing.

VERSE 36

1. I wish more people would understand this and apply it to their lives: "For there is no one who does not sin." People today have a misconception about sin, they feel they are better than others, like murderers and-so-on. Because of that theology, they will make it into heaven, or so they think! But that is a wrong theology. Sin means missing the mark and the mark is perfection. And it doesn't matter how close you come, you still have missed the mark. I have used the example of jumping across the Grand Canyon. Say three people were attempting this jump, and this canyon is some 4 miles at its narrowest. The first person is your basic couch potato, but he gets a good start and he makes it out some 1 1/2 miles before he falls to his death. The next person is your weekend athlete, and he takes off, making it some 2 1/2 miles, but he too falls to his death. The third person is an Olympic athlete, and he gets off a great jump, making it farther than all the rest, jumping some 3 3/4 miles, but he too falls short of the other rim of the canyon and falls to his death. Now it doesn't matter if you missed the mark by 2 1/2 miles, or 1 1/2 miles or even 1/4 of a mile, you still missed it, you still fell far short of the mark, and in the end all died. And that is exactly true with sin, there is no such thing as a little sin, it all falls short of perfection, it all misses the mark and leads to death!

VERSES 37-39

1. (Read last half of verse 36 with these verses).

2. This is what happened to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, as they fell into sin and turned from the Lord. God brought judgment at the hands of the Babylonians, who took away many people captive in their first invasion in 606 BC, including Daniel and his 3 friends. And then in 586 BC king Nebuchadnezzar lead his third and final assault upon Jerusalem, destroying the city and the temple and taking away the people captive, leaving only a few to care for the land. This young man named Daniel, taken to a foreign land, continued to pray 3 times a day, facing towards the holy city of Jerusalem. Daniel was doing what Solomon had said here in II Chronicles. Listen to what is said of Daniel in Daniel chapter 6, verse 10. We read, "..And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." And then in Daniel chapter 9 we see an awesome prayer of Daniel as he intercedes for the nation, his people, as he confesses his own sin before God, asking God to hear, to forgive, to listen and act upon his requests. That God would not delay in pouring out His mercy upon His people. And God did answer Daniel's prayer.

VERSES 40-42

1. Solomon closes his prayer as the priests are clothed in salvation and the people rejoice!

II CHRONICLES 7

VERSES 1-3

1. Here we see the Shekinah glory, the presence of God fill the temple for a second time. The first time was in response to worships and this time it is in response to prayer. If you feel a lacking of the presence of God in your life, then fill your life with worship and prayer and God will fill you with His presence. The more you know Him the more you will worship Him, and the more you worship Him the more you will spend time with Him. God's presence in our life gives us the right perspective of who He is and it causes us to worship Him, just as the people did here.

VERSES 4-6

1. David was truly a man of worship. He organized the worship people, he had worship going day and night, he made instruments used in worship, and he wrote songs and psalms of worship unto the Lord. That is what flowed from the heart of David - WORSHIP!

VERSE 7

1. That bronze altar, the altar of sacrifice, which stood some 15 feet high by 30 feet long by 30 feet wide, was not big enough for all the sacrifices that were being offered. So Solomon sanctified the whole outer court in order to offer all the sacrifices. That is the other reason all the priests were in attendance, for all the sacrifices and the work that need to be done.

VERSES 8-11

1. The whole feast lasted 15 days, and as Solomon dismissed the people to their homes, they left with a joyful heart. May we leave with a heart that is full of joy to what the Lord has shown us. And as difficult as some of those lessons may be, may we rejoice that God is working in us and loves us.

VERSES 12-14

1. Here we see God answer the prayer of Solomon, and what a tremendous promise God gave to Solomon. God will hear our cry, our repentance and forgive us and heal us.

VERSES 15-20

1. This is exactly what happened to them. They were uprooted because of their sins and taken captive by the Babylonians. The city, the temple were destroyed. And the Jewish people have become a byword. God does love His people and He will restore them one day. But there is coming a day in which 2/3 of the Jewish people will be destroyed by the antichrist. There are some 15 million Jewish people living today, that means that some 10 million will be killed. (Zechariah 13:8-9). It is after this that they will turn to the Lord and God will protect them and heal them.

VERSES 21-22

1. The reason for the captivity is simple, they turned from the Lord. Solomon was warned and yet he and future kings did not heed this warning. May we learn from them and heed the warning of God. May we never think we are so strong, so far above that, so spiritual that it would not happen to us. That is what Solomon thought and look at how he fell.