2 Chronicles: Christ is the Reality of the Temple

1:1-17, 7:14, 16:9 (Pastor Heo)

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

1:2-13pp — 1Ki 3:4-15 1:14-17pp — 1Ki 10:26-29; 2Ch 9:25-28

1:1 Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. 2 Then Solomon spoke to all Israel–to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families– 3 and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God’s Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the LORD’s servant had made in the desert.

4 Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5 But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there. 6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. 7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 8 Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” 13 Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel. 14 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue–the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

…

7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

…

16:9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

Last week, 1 Chronicles/2 Chronicles = 1 book in Hebrew.

Review:

1. 1 Chron part 1 (chp 1-9) = genealogies (over 900 names from Adam to David, the royal line of David)
2. 1 Chron part 2 (10-22) = David’s story

2 Chronicles today

This is a continuation of 1 Chronicles. It begins where 1 Chron ends – from the rule of Solomon to his death – it records the revolt of the northern tribes (Jeroboam vs. Rehoboam – Solomon’s son/successor) – after this it talks solely about the southern kingdom until its fall in 586 BC.

These books parallel 1/2 Kings. They cover the same period of the monarchy from Solomon’s reign to the fall of Israel.

1/2 Kings (one book originally) and 2 Chron cover the same period/history/place/location.

So, what is the difference? : Perspective & interpretation.

The viewpoint and spiritual interpretation are different.

Survey of 2 Chronicles

It REPEATEDLY teaches “whenever people disobey God, he withdraws his blessing” – everything within here is related to the TEMPLE. Therefore it’s no wonder this book closes with the story of Cyrus.

2 Chron = 36 chapters (divided into 2 parts)

Part ONE = 1-9 (Solomon’s story)

The reign of Solomon brings in Israel’s “Golden Age” of peace, rest and temple worship – his knowledge, palace, wealth, etc raised Israel to its highest point. The nation was united and the boundaries extended to its greatest point. His accomplishments became legendary.

2 Chronicles THEME = TEMPLE

This is a very important theme. David had a strong ZEAL to build the temple, but he was not allowed by God because he shed much blood (he was a fighter/warrior). But he gathered as much as he could for his son Solomon to build the temple.

Chp 1-9 is the story of Solomon

Out of these 9 chapters, SIX are given to the story of the construction/dedication of the TEMPLE.

This is Part One.

Part TWO (chp 10-36)

Israel’s glory is short-lived, not a long period – very short (only during the time of David and Solomon) – very soon after the death of Solomon, the nation was divided in spirit and produced two kingdoms that led to a downward spiral. This could only be reformed by religious reforms.

Both kingdoms forsook the temple and were torn and separated from each other and war torn. SOME efforts to regain the proper worship lasted ONLY one generation.

1. Northern kingdom = 19 kings/9 dynasties (ALL BAD)
   1. We repeated the same sentence “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord” 22 times.
2. Southern kingdom = 20 kings/1 dynasty (how many generations? 17 generations)
   1. Not all of them followed the order father-son-son-son…

• Northern = ALL bad (19)
• Southern = mostly bad (12), some good (8 – started well, but some became evil in their old age).

Every king has his own evaluation before God.

We also will receive our own evaluations before God, not men. How is yours? This is the final, ultimate, everlasting evaluation.

Let’s survey ALL the kings (briefly).

2 Chron 1-9 = Solomon

1. Rehoboam
   1. (10-12:1 “After R’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the Lord.” = EVIL)
2. Abijah
   1. 13-(1 Kings 15:3) “He committed all the sins his father (R) had done before him. His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God…” = EVIL
3. Asa (started as good, became same same EVIL)
   1. He failed to trust God when threatened by the N. Kingdom 14:2 “Asa did what was right and good in the eyes of God.” – but later he failed to trust.
4. Jehoshaphat (one of the BEST kings in the southern kingdom (also Hezekiah))
   1. 17:3-4 “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years, he walked in the ways his father David had followed… He sought the God of his father…” – He restored and repaired the temple and the worship of God in the temple.
5. Jehorah (good kings take LONG pages, bad kings take short pages)
   1. 21: VERY BAD – when he died, nobody was sad – no one cried (he married Athaliah (Jezebel’s daughter – Jezebel was worse than the WORST king)). 21:6 “He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel (north) in the house of Ahab for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” When you die, how many will cry?
6. Ahazziah
   1. 22:3 “He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother (Athaliah) encouraged him in doing wrong.”
7. Athaliah (the mother – not “king” but a dictator) – that’s why, 20 kings is not 20 generations.
   1. 22:10 “When Athaliah the mother of Ahazziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the WHOLE royal family of the house of Judah.” – she tried to kill ALL (HER) other children to become queen after her son died. But, there was one youngest son who survived.
8. Joash (son of Ahazziah)
   1. 24:2 “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Johoiada the priest.” In his youth, he was good and righteous during the years of this priest’s life. Until his death, he was good, but after he died (who anointed him), he became evil and returned to idolatry.
9. Amaziah (in youth, good, in old age, evil – he was mixed in his relationship with God)
   1. 25:2 “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not whole-heartedly.”
10. Uzziah
    1. (Began very well and was blessed with military power, but after gaining strength, became proud and was struck with leprosy until his death) 26:4 “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord just as his father Amaziah had done.”
11. Jordan
    1. 27:2 “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him, he did not enter the temple of the Lord and the people continued their evil ways.”
12. Ahaz (BAD)
    1. 28:2 “He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel (North) and made cast idols for worshiping the Baals.
13. Hezekiah
    1. (one of the BEST kings in the south, but also not perfect – in the middle of his reign, he became proud, but immediately repented) 29:2 “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.”
14. Manasseh(Hezekiah’s son)
    1. H was one of the BEST kings, but immediately, his son became the MOST wicked of all the kings in the south and he reigned the longest period (55 years). 33:2 “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.”
15. Amon (M’s son – EVIL)
    1. 33:22 “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord as his father M had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols M had made.”
16. Josiah (A’s son)
    1. The LAST good king in the history of the southern kingdom 34:2 “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”
17. WICKED Johoahaz (3 months reign)
    1. NO evaluation in this book – 2 Kings 23:32 “Jehoahaz – He did evil in the eyes of the Lord just as his fathers had done – dethroned by the king of Egypt.”
18. WICKED Jehoiakim
    1. 36:5 “He became king when he was 25 years old and he reigned 11 years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
19. WICKED Jehoiakin
    1. 36:9 “He was 18 when he became king and he reigned 3 months and 10 days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
20. WICKED Zedekiah
    1. 36:12 “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, his God and did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah who spoke the Word of the Lord.”

And then, the southern kingdom was destroyed by Babylon. It is because of the evil kings (esp the 4 at the end) that they were conquered by Babylon.

Remember Athaliah was not a new generation in the dynasty, but the mother of a previous king. Also, the last three kings there are the sons of Josiah. That’s why there are not 20 generations but only 17 generations.

Lessons

What can we learn? MUCH

The throne of David has been destroyed, but the line of David remains.

All this threatened the Messianic line, but it remains unbroken, it can be seen clearly in the genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3.

The theme of 2 Chronicles is TEMPLE. ALL stories focus on the temple, the worship of God.

1. TEMPLE is the symbol of worship, approaching God, it is the symbol of prayer for all nations.
2. The TEMPLE is a shadow and pattern of Christ.
3. The TEMPLE is a shadow of the presence of God, a shadow of the approach to God, a shadow of the house of prayer for all nations salvation.

CHRIST is the REALITY of the presence of God, the approach to God, the house of prayer for all nations.

1. Timothy “This is a trustworthy saying, that Christ came to earth to die for sinners.”
2. Jesus says, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in 3 days (his body)”

Jesus himself is the IMAGE of the invisible God, the radiance of God’s glory.

1. He is the EXACT representation of God’s being. He is in very nature God, the true God, God’s only Son.
2. To believe in Jesus is to believe in God.
3. To reject Jesus is to reject God.
4. All things we do to/for Jesus is seen as doing to/for God.

If we truly accept Jesus, it means that Jesus is IN you. That’s why 1 Cor 3:16 says “YOU are a temple of the Holy Spirit. If anyone destroys the temple, God will destroy him because God’s temple is holy and sacred.”

1 Cor 6:9-12 “Don’t you know? You are a temple of the Holy Spirit. You were purchased at a high price, therefore honor God with your body.”

We are walking temples today because the Holy Spirit is in us.

Proclaim: “I am a temple, walking temple, living temple because the Holy Spirit is living in me.”

Let’s pray.