2 Chronicles 10
The divided kingdom of Isreal starts in this chapter. What is stunning about this is how quickly it occurs. Solomon's rule has just barely ended with his death and notice Rehoboam is still in Shechem which is were he goes to be officially installed as king (verse 1 -- "... for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king."). So clearly, this is the very beginning of Rehoboam's rule.
My primary impression as I read this account this time is this -- the seeds of division were already in place. It's easy to over look this obvious fact because we are usually distracted by the strong object lesson at play here regarding the unwise counsel given to Rehoboam by his peers. There's so much to this lesson that we spend a lot of time there (and rightfully so) gathering wisdom about disrepecting the advise of elders, the glaring disconnect in the wisdom on Solomon and his son Rehoboam, the pretense of asking for advice and not really wanting it, and so forth.
The other great insight to be gained here is the fact that even during this glorious period that was the reign of Solomon when Isreal was so united and so respected -- division was brewing under the surface. Even with Jeroboam far away in Eqypt, there must of been some unresolved discontent in Israel as well. Notice how quickly these people turned against Rehoboam. It happened too fast to not have been in the works already and this is something that I really haven't considered as I comtemplate the golden era under David and Solomon. God's judgement of Israel would be ready far before they have fully turned away from him. It reminds me again that God is timeless and even when we are spiritually strong we should be on the look out for seeds of destruction because God is already aware of them and ready to render judgement to his people.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Solomon's Wealth and Fame
2 Chronicles 9
You can't help but to contemplate the fame of Solomon after reading this chapter. Starting with the Queen of Sheba after she had "heard of the fame of Solomon" and her mission to find out more. Also all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country "brought gold and silver to Solomon." This chapter underscores the Fame of King Solomon and the kingdom of Israel. The verse that strikes me the most is verse 23, "...all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon." Really? ALL the kings of the earth. This is a bold claim! How far reaching must have been his fame!
God's judgement of Israel was equally impressive because we know that this entire kingdom with all of its splendor was utterly, completely, and permanently destroyed. No stone was left in place and the memory of this great era was all but lost. The before and after picture is stunning!
You can't help but to contemplate the fame of Solomon after reading this chapter. Starting with the Queen of Sheba after she had "heard of the fame of Solomon" and her mission to find out more. Also all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country "brought gold and silver to Solomon." This chapter underscores the Fame of King Solomon and the kingdom of Israel. The verse that strikes me the most is verse 23, "...all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon." Really? ALL the kings of the earth. This is a bold claim! How far reaching must have been his fame!
God's judgement of Israel was equally impressive because we know that this entire kingdom with all of its splendor was utterly, completely, and permanently destroyed. No stone was left in place and the memory of this great era was all but lost. The before and after picture is stunning!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Israel's Golden Era
2 Chronicles 8
There is so much information in this chapter. Right away it is helpful to note that the temple construction project lasted for 20 years. Just let that sink in for a while . . . 20 Years! You can imagine the scope of it even better knowing the timeline. Children would have grown up watching the progress of both the temple and the king's palace. It had to be an exciting time in Israel.
Isn't it interesting that the Children of Israel were not servants during this era. Instead they make use of the many non-jewish inhabitants and make servants of them and require them to pay taxes. This is the beginning of a caste system which must have rubbed some of the canaanites the wrong way over time.
It's also interesting that Solomon had ships and servants who had knowledge of the sea. This is very significant because it gives this powerful new kingdom the ability to explore beyond its borders and increase its presence in the known world. This is a early hint that Israel was preparing for empire status.
Also in verse 11 we catch of glipse of Solomon's ultimate end . . . he builds a house for his Egyptian wife, the daughter of Pharaoh. He then moves her out of Jerusalem because this is a holy city. It would be a trend which would lead to his inablity to raise his sons in a godly manner and ultimately facilitates the beginning of the end of this golden age.
There is so much information in this chapter. Right away it is helpful to note that the temple construction project lasted for 20 years. Just let that sink in for a while . . . 20 Years! You can imagine the scope of it even better knowing the timeline. Children would have grown up watching the progress of both the temple and the king's palace. It had to be an exciting time in Israel.
Isn't it interesting that the Children of Israel were not servants during this era. Instead they make use of the many non-jewish inhabitants and make servants of them and require them to pay taxes. This is the beginning of a caste system which must have rubbed some of the canaanites the wrong way over time.
It's also interesting that Solomon had ships and servants who had knowledge of the sea. This is very significant because it gives this powerful new kingdom the ability to explore beyond its borders and increase its presence in the known world. This is a early hint that Israel was preparing for empire status.
Also in verse 11 we catch of glipse of Solomon's ultimate end . . . he builds a house for his Egyptian wife, the daughter of Pharaoh. He then moves her out of Jerusalem because this is a holy city. It would be a trend which would lead to his inablity to raise his sons in a godly manner and ultimately facilitates the beginning of the end of this golden age.
Friday, September 3, 2010
The All Knowing God
2 Chronicles 7
I can never fully comprehend the omnipotence of God. We know that He is unbounded by time and knows the beginning and the end. We know the He IS "the beginning" and "the end". But reconciling what we know about God with reality is very hard to do. This chapter reminds me of this quality of God. He already knows the history of Israel at the time of this awesome temple dedication. He knows the very end of Israel -- something we have yet to witness. There are so many lessons for us in this chapter about sanctification, God's holiness, etc. There is also, of course, a lot to learn from the much-quoted 14th verse. Yet, at this reading it is the all-knowing God that I find myself contemplating.
The other thought I had was once again look at the scope of this event. It lasted for several days and oh the sheer number of sacrifice! Also look at the people!! They were spread out all over the land . . .
Verse 8 -- "...a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt."
This had to be much like one of the big gatherings at the mall in Washington DC (such as in 1963 when Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. Can you imagine it? What a sight it must have been!
I can never fully comprehend the omnipotence of God. We know that He is unbounded by time and knows the beginning and the end. We know the He IS "the beginning" and "the end". But reconciling what we know about God with reality is very hard to do. This chapter reminds me of this quality of God. He already knows the history of Israel at the time of this awesome temple dedication. He knows the very end of Israel -- something we have yet to witness. There are so many lessons for us in this chapter about sanctification, God's holiness, etc. There is also, of course, a lot to learn from the much-quoted 14th verse. Yet, at this reading it is the all-knowing God that I find myself contemplating.
The other thought I had was once again look at the scope of this event. It lasted for several days and oh the sheer number of sacrifice! Also look at the people!! They were spread out all over the land . . .
Verse 8 -- "...a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt."
This had to be much like one of the big gatherings at the mall in Washington DC (such as in 1963 when Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. Can you imagine it? What a sight it must have been!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Solomon's Prophetic Prayer
2 Chronicles 6
What an incredible preview of Israel's future fortold in this prayer of Solomon. I find it interesting how many specific sinful acts and judgements Solomon projects as he prays for God to answer prayers made in this new house of God. So many of these are prayers of repentence for the very kinds of sins that Israel will indeed commit and prayers for the end of God's judgement for those same sins . . . judgements which will all come to Israel over time. This magnificent prayer is God's way of reaching the future generation of Israel which will soon fall into sin yet the present generation at the time of this prayer can hardly grasp the scope of it. So God uses the present to bring deliverance to the future. Isn't that just like God?!
What an incredible preview of Israel's future fortold in this prayer of Solomon. I find it interesting how many specific sinful acts and judgements Solomon projects as he prays for God to answer prayers made in this new house of God. So many of these are prayers of repentence for the very kinds of sins that Israel will indeed commit and prayers for the end of God's judgement for those same sins . . . judgements which will all come to Israel over time. This magnificent prayer is God's way of reaching the future generation of Israel which will soon fall into sin yet the present generation at the time of this prayer can hardly grasp the scope of it. So God uses the present to bring deliverance to the future. Isn't that just like God?!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wow!! What a Ceremony!!
2 Chronicles 5
Before I comment on the obvious, I have to say this temple dedication must have been absolutely spectacular. The pomp and ceremony was over the top! Can you imagine 120 trumpets sounding as one?! I used to march with the drum and bugle corps and it so happens that years ago 120 was the limit of the size of the entire corp unit (today it's 150). Now, the horn section generally took up about 40-50 and oh the sound these talented musicians could make!! Now imagine 120 horns "an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets" -- oh my goodness!! Add to that the mass choir assembled with other instruments it had to be absolutely stunning to experience. If you didn't get chills from the sights and sounds you weren't breathing!
So it is this back drop before which the awesome presence of God appears in the form of a cloud which fills the temple. Imagine after all the breath-taking, goose-bump infusing musical and visual stimulation over load -- next comes the awesome, unbelievable, paralysing presence of God! What must it have been like? If you really use your imagination you might even get goose bumps and won't be able to come up with anything else to say but WOW!!! Honestly, this is jaw dropping stuff!!
Before I comment on the obvious, I have to say this temple dedication must have been absolutely spectacular. The pomp and ceremony was over the top! Can you imagine 120 trumpets sounding as one?! I used to march with the drum and bugle corps and it so happens that years ago 120 was the limit of the size of the entire corp unit (today it's 150). Now, the horn section generally took up about 40-50 and oh the sound these talented musicians could make!! Now imagine 120 horns "an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets" -- oh my goodness!! Add to that the mass choir assembled with other instruments it had to be absolutely stunning to experience. If you didn't get chills from the sights and sounds you weren't breathing!
So it is this back drop before which the awesome presence of God appears in the form of a cloud which fills the temple. Imagine after all the breath-taking, goose-bump infusing musical and visual stimulation over load -- next comes the awesome, unbelievable, paralysing presence of God! What must it have been like? If you really use your imagination you might even get goose bumps and won't be able to come up with anything else to say but WOW!!! Honestly, this is jaw dropping stuff!!
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