Start Time:	09:43 AM
End Time:	10:21 AM
Date:	August 27, 2014

 

TITLE: Preparations For Building The Temple

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 2:1 - 18

God’s Message / God’s Commands / God’s Promises:

→ Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself.  He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.  Solomon sent this message to Hiram^[b] king of Tyre: “Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in.  Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals of theLord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.  “The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.  But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?  “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.  “Send me also cedar, juniper and algum^[c] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent.  I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors^[d] of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors^[e] of barley, twenty thousand baths^[f] of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.”  Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon: “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.”  And Hiram added: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.  “I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, whose mother was from Danand whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father. “Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”  Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

NOTES:

Ø  This chapter speaks of God's greatness.  Solomon started by giving an order.  As a person appointed by God, king of His people, Solomon with God's wisdom, exercised his authority and power and gave an order.  His first order is to build the temple.  So after receiving the wisdom from the Lord, receiving the confirmation from God, Solomon did not waste any time.  His first order as king was to build the temple and a royal palace for himself, which are in fulfillment of God's plans for him.  Solomon then sent a message to Hiram the king of Tyre to get the necessary cedar logs needed for the building of God's temple.  Note that in Solomon's message, it did not come as a request.  Looking deeper in his message, you can see that Solomon started by a command.  Solomon said, "Send me..."  Solomon commanded and gave the purpose of this command (for the building of the temple for the Name of the Lord).  What strikes me most in this message is that Solomon declared that he is building a temple for the Name of HIS GOD...not David's God or the Israel's God, but he declared God to be HIS!  His message speaks of the purpose of the cedar and the purpose of the temple building for the Name of his Lord.  Many times, we are just followers and when we make requests or demands supply, we speak in behalf of someone in power.  But Solomon was in power and he personally spoke to the King of Tyre and did not ask anyone to ask in behalf of him.  And his command is for "his God" and not anyone else.  Clearly emphasizing to the King of Tyre that God is His now and no longer with David, with the other great people.  There time has gone and today, it's solomon's time now!  So Solomon took ownership of that and made that command from the King of Tyre.  Solomon also noted the importance of having the cedar logs among any other resources or tools available.  He said that God is greater than any gods so Solomon is building a great temple and he needs great materials to do so.  Solomon commanded for materials and a skilled worker too from the king of tyre.  So Solomon made a partnership with the best of the bests when it comes to the fields of carving, architecture, engineering, etc.  God provided the King of Tyre to Solomon for this main purpose.  The response of the King of Tyre is magnificent.  So the king of Tyre did as he is set to do so.  And he sent everything Solomon commanded for the glory of the Lord.  In everything that is written in this chapter, what stood out for me is that from Solomon's message to the king of Tyre's response, all spoke of God's greatness and glory.  So in everything we do, whether we ask, commands, request, act, respond, etc, we highlight God' greatness and glory and then everything will fit together like puzzle pieces perfected fitted for each other.  Hallelujah! 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, great and mighty One!  The Only God and King over heaven and earth!  Truly You deserve all glory and praise.  Lord remind me always to magnify Your greatness and glory in my life…in everything I do, in every word I speak, in every thought I can think of, or feelings I feel, or whatever it is that involves me.  Let You be glorified in everything.  Help me to understand that everything I do in Your purpose will perfectly fit like puzzle pieces because You have set everything ahead for me.  Lord help me to realize that I am not interceding for someone else’s God, not the God of my sister, not the God of my mother, not the God of my Pastors or leaders, but My God!  My own personal God and Saviour.  Lord I want to have that reality in me.  I no longer want to be the third person in a relationship or an audience to a movie or presentation.  I want to be involve and the direct link to You.  Give me that opportunity and prepare me for it.  I know my heart’s desire is sometimes greater than my thoughts, my will and my actions, but when this passion comes from You, You set everything in its place and no matter how great it is, You provide the needed effort and strength from me.  Thank You Lord, let my life glorifies You all the time.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!