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2 Chronicles Chapter Eight

 

2 Chronicles 8

Chapter Contents

Solomon's buildings and trade.

It sometimes requires more wisdom and resolution to govern a family in the fear of God than to govern a kingdom with reputation. The difficulty is increased when a man has a hinderance instead of a help meet in the wife of his bosom. Solomon kept up the holy sacrifices according to the law of Moses. In vain had the altar been built in vain had fire come down from heaven if sacrifices had not been constantly brought. Spiritual sacrifices are required of us which we are to bring daily and weekly; it is good to be in a settled method of devotion. When the service of the temple was put into good order it is said The house of the Lord was perfected. The work was the main matter not the place; the temple was unfinished till all this was done. Canaan was a rich country and yet must send to Ophir for gold The Israelites were a wise people but must be beholden to the king of Tyre for men that had knowledge of the seas. Grace and not gold is the best riches and acquaintance with God and his law the best knowledge. Leaving the children of this world to scramble for the toys of this world may we as the children of God lay up our treasure in heaven that where our treasure is our hearts also may be.

── Matthew HenryConcise Commentary on 2 Chronicles

 

2 Chronicles 8

Verse 11

[11] And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel because the places are holy whereunto the ark of the LORD hath come.

The house — He built this house for her; because the ark was now in the house of David which therefore ought to be kept pure and free from the very danger and appearance of pollution.

Verse 14

[14] And he appointed according to the order of David his father the courses of the priests to their service and the Levites to their charges to praise and minister before the priests as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.

Man of God — A prophet inspired by God in these matters whose commands therefore are the commands of God.

Verse 16

[16] Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.

Prepared — All the materials were procured and in all points fitted and compleated before-hand.

── John WesleyExplanatory Notes on 2 Chronicles

 

08 Chapter 8

 

Verses 1-6

2 Chronicles 8:1-6

That the cities.

Solomon’s military enterprises

Chiefly in acquiring cities rebuilt and taken from the enemy.

I. Cities for stores (1 Kings 9:19).

II. Cities for colonisation.

III. Cities for pleasure.

IV. Cities for defence. Lessons:

1. That those who attend to the spiritual will not neglect the temporal interests of a nation.

2. That amidst the temporal interests of a nation great risks exist. Hence--


Verse 11

2 Chronicles 8:11

And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh.

Solomon and Pharaoh’s daughter

We are to see in Solomon’s action the working of a tender conscience; even though he may be appeasing his conscience by some trick or ceremony yet he is showing us the working of the moral nature within the kingly breast. Yet there is a point to be noted here which is common to human experience: why should Solomon have married the daughter of Pharaoh? Why should he have in the first instance placed himself in so vital a relation to heathenism? Are there not men who first plunge into great mistakes and then seek to rectify their position by zealous care about comparatively trifling details? Do not men make money by base means and then zealously betake themselves to book-keeping as if they would not spend money except in approved directions? Are there not those who have steeped their hearts in iniquity and yet have washed their hands with soap and nitre? We are to beware of the creation of a false or a partial conscience that makes up for sins of a larger kind by ostentatious devotion at the altar of detail and ceremony and petty ritual. (J. Parker D. D.)

Solomon’s marriage

Consider Solomon’s marriage with an Egyptian princess--

I. As a matter of policy. It sprang from--

1. A desire to counteract the influence of Hadad (1 Kings 11:14-20).

2. The wish to obtain support for his new dynasty and recognition from one of older fame and greater power.

3. Anxiety to strengthen himself by foreign alliances.

II. As a source of moral perplexity. What must be done with her? Solomon felt that a broad distinction must be made between the worship of Jehovah and idolatry.

III. As the beginning of trouble. The policy advantageous at first but ultimately proved hollow and impolitic. The reign which began so gloriously ended in gross darkness and fetish worship. (J. Wolfendale.)


Verse 12

2 Chronicles 8:12; 2 Chronicles 8:18

Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the Lord.

Solomon’s burnt offerings

Solomon was great in burnt offerings. Do not men sometimes make up in burnt offerings what they lack in moral consistency? Is not an ostentatious religion sometimes the best proof of internal decay? It ought not to be so. The outward and inward should correspond. The action should be the incarnation of the thought. It is beautiful to look upon the Church engaged in much church-building and in strenuous endeavours against public sin; yet we must never forget that all this may possibly coexist with internal loss decay corruption. All action does not spring from life. Sometimes we try to make up by complex mechanism what is wanting in real vitality. It is often easier to offer burnt offering than to do some deed of moral heroism. (J. Parker D. D.)


Verse 14

2 Chronicles 8:14

As the duty of every day required.

Duty

To some Christians “the sense of duty” and kindred phrases sound unattractive and suspicious. Yet it is dangerous even to minimise the sense of duty. A man who makes no terms with conscience but does what God commands will find his love grow stronger. A Christian’s sense of duty is not the same as the sense of duty of one who has no faith. Natural religion would teach a man to be honest sober and industrious but Christ’s teaching goes far beyond this. Religious duties; purity of heart; forgiveness of others etc. But it is in the realm of supernatural help prayer and the sacraments that the greatest divergence is seen. “As the duty of every day required.” Words such as these suggest that unless we are living a life of prayer unless we are partaking of the life of Christ in the means He left for us to use we are undutiful. What we claim for our religion is this--

1. The personal love of Christ will make us more severe with ourselves in performing “hard unwelcome” duties of every day.

2. It will also claim from us earnest prayer belief in the grace of the Holy Spirit etc. (W. R. Hutton M. A.)
.


Verse 18

2 Chronicles 8:12; 2 Chronicles 8:18

Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the Lord.

Solomon’s burnt offerings

Solomon was great in burnt offerings. Do not men sometimes make up in burnt offerings what they lack in moral consistency? Is not an ostentatious religion sometimes the best proof of internal decay? It ought not to be so. The outward and inward should correspond. The action should be the incarnation of the thought. It is beautiful to look upon the Church engaged in much church-building and in strenuous endeavours against public sin; yet we must never forget that all this may possibly coexist with internal loss decay corruption. All action does not spring from life. Sometimes we try to make up by complex mechanism what is wanting in real vitality. It is often easier to offer burnt offering than to do some deed of moral heroism. (J. Parker D. D.)

──The Biblical Illustrator