2 Ch. 8: Solomon Does Stuff

2 Chronicles 8:16 "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."

But Solomon didn't just sit around building the temple his whole time in office. He was a busy man, most of all busy not fighting wars (although there was one city he had to "capture"). Apparently he was a man of peace. Which was why God charged him with building the temple. 

He did a lot of rebuilding and establishing of cities around the kingdom, and their all listed. David, because of the wars, probably didn't have time to devote to domestic policy. David was used to create the kingdom, and expand it. Solomon came along and straightened everything up.

Solomon used the HACPHAJ for his slaves, and used Israelites as his fighting men and officials. His "peace corps" as it were.

Then he brings in this wife from Egypt, but she's not allowed to be anywhere the ark of the covenant has been, including the palace. So, she got her own palace. Why this wasn't an indicator that he shouldn't have an Egyptian wife, I don't know. Or he ignored it, or she was just too fine-looking.

Even Biblical kings think with their wangs apparently.

At the end of the chapter, I don't know why Solomon had some men sail somewhere and get some gold. I don't know if he had to conquer it, or take it as tribute...Doesn't say. But I know Solomon has gold that came from someone else.

2 Ch. 7: God Responds

2 Chronicles 7:12 "Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice."

 Fire from heaven has got to be an incredible sight to behold. Can you imagine? What was it, physically? Just a bolt of lightning? That's ok, I suppose. There's a certain power in lightning, but real honest fire from heaven? I imagine just a steady column of flame roaring down from the sky, deafening. Brilliant white flame, some touches of orange, a few feet across...I don't know. I could speculate all day long on what that might have looked like. But it was enough fire to consume the ridiculous amount of sacrifices the people had brought.

It was an amazing time of celebration. The trumpets were blowing, people were singing. Emotions had to be running high. Two weeks this party went on. I can only handle being around my fellow congregants at church for a few hours a week.

Back behind the scenes though, God confers with Solomon.

God tells Solomon that, yes, He will be a God of deliverance, of forgiveness, and will establish Solomon's kingdom. Conditional on keeping the covenant. So the big celebration and the song and dance going on is all well and good, but God's decrees must be kept. Otherwise the deliverance will turn to captivity. Forgiveness will turn to culpability. And the kingdom of Israel will be short-lived.

1 Ch. 29: The Giving Tree

1 Chronicles 29:9 "The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly."

David, even in his final moments as king is leading by example. He knew he couldn't take it with him. "It" being a loooooooooot of stuff. Gold and silver, precious stones and...iron. He gave it all for the temple as his last act. He also gave up the pride and credit that would have come with the construction of the temple. He gave that up.

The people, seeing David's giving, gave of themselves freely and generously too, in response to David's challenge in verse 5. 

There is a great recognition by everyone here that these things that they gave - the precious metals and jewels - came from God, and it was by His grace that He gave them ("we have given you only what comes from your hand"). I suppose that speaks to the wealth of the people of the time...everyone just had all this gold and silver and precious jewels...God must have made them very rich. It's incredible to think of the spiritual health of the people that God would have rewarded them according to his covenant, and that the people would have praised God for it.

David is described as having lived to a "good old age," and having "enjoyed long life." I don't see how long his life was, but this suggests that a long life is a good thing with ear to the LORD. Some people don't want to get old. I don't know...I'm only 30ish, and I have no concept of what a long life is. Long life doesn't appear to be enjoyable. Maybe for kings.

1 Ki. 2: Solomon Cleans House

1 Kings 2:12 "So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established."

Probably no more apt of a linchpin verse than the above.

Anyway, David has a little father-son chat with Solomon before he kicks off, and tells him how to be a man. Despite Solomon having been a man for decades at a minimum. But anyway, its not military might, as one would expect coming from David, it's following the laws of Moses. David saw the blessings that come with obedience, and he saw the curses and downfalls that come with disobedience. He wanted to protect his son from sin and bad choices. It must have been important to David to continue his lineage. And important to God. I don't think God merely wanted to have just any clown on the throne. Despite God's sort of displeasure with the idea of a human king on the throne, he set regulations in place to ensure that it would endure. Weird.

David offers some inside info that Solomon may or may not have known about, regarding Joab, who killed two of David's military men, Barzillai, who helped David cross the river, and Shimei, who cursed David but then blessed him.

Adonijah wins the "Just Doesn't Get It" award for his request for Abishag to be his wife. The woman who sustained David. Adonijah was hanging by a thread already for his attempted coup. Now he sends in his mom to King Solomon to ask for Abishag? Solomon's lethal response I actually find quite appropriate. How much more power would Adonijah seek?

Abiathar was removed from the priesthood, partly because of his conspiracy with Adonijah, but also because of the curse brought upon the house of Eli.

Joab was next. Solomon had Benaiah, his new hitman, kill Joab. Joab tried to cling to the horns of the altar, which was apparently like calling "safety" in tag, as Adonijah had done.

Shimei was next, but was sort of a gray area. He was instructed never to leave Jerusalem. But he did to go find some lost slaves. Solomon had him killed. By Benaiah.