II Chronicles 8
Solomon builds townsverses 1-2
And it came to pass at the end of twenty years
wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD
and his own house
that the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon
Solomon built them
and caused the children of Israel to dwell there
Solomon fortifies his kingdomverses 3-6
Solomon went to Hamath-zobah – and prevailed against it
and he built Tadmor in the wilderness – and all the store cities
which he built in Hamat
Also he built Beth-horon the upper – and Beth-horon the nether
fenced cities – with walls – gates – bars
And Baalath – and all the store cities that Solomon had
and all the chariot cities – and the cities of the horsemen
and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem
and in Lebanon – and throughout all the
land of his dominion
Solomon used foreigners for his labor forceverses 7-8
As for all the people that were left of the
Hittites – Amorites – Perizzites – Hivites – Jebusites
which were not of Israel – BUT of their children
who were left after them in the land
whom the children of Israel consumed not
them did Solomon make to
pay tribute until this day
Solomon made Israelites his leadersverses 9-10
BUT of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants for his work
but they were men of war – and chief of his captains
and captains of his chariots and horsemen
And these were the chief of king Solomon’s officers
even two hundred and fifty – that bare rule over the people
Solomon moved Egyptian wife out of Jerusalemverse 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
Solomon offers burnt offerings when prescribedverses 12-13
Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the
altar of the LORD – which he had built before the porch
Even after a certain rate every day
offering according to the commandments of Moses
on the Sabbaths – on the new moons
on the solemn feast – three times in the year
even in the feast of unleavened bread
feast of weeks – feast of tabernacles
Solomon used David’s plan for priests and Levitesverses 14-15
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
And they departed not from the commandments of the king unto the priests
and Levites concerning any matter – or concerning the treasures
Solomon confirmed work done on Templeverse 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
Solomon brought treasures with shipsverses 17-18
Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber – and to Eloth
at the seaside in the land of Edom
And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants – ships
and servants that had knowledge of the sea
and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir
and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold
and brought them to king Solomon
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house. (1129 “built” [banah] means to make something by combining materials and parts, develop buildings, fortify, make, establish a family, or procreate)
DEVOTION: We know that it took eleven years for Solomon to build the Temple. It took him another nine years to build his palace in Jerusalem. He was given the ability to learn how to build great building from the LORD. He build a great nation that was very rich by using his wisdom that the LORD provided to make wise decisions in many areas of his live.
He was given the ability to write proverbs and other books of the Bible that we have today. He was very gifted of the LORD in many areas but he sometimes lacked wisdom in personal relationships that would please the LORD.
This verse tells of his wars and lands conquered with the help of the LORD. He build cities to protect all of his victories with soldiers placed a outposts to warn of any future problems in his nation.
Each of the cities he built had a purpose. There were cities with chariots and cities with horsemen. Purpose was necessary to make the nation safe from any enemies.
We need to be making sure that what we are building is what the LORD wants us to build. Sometimes we are building or doing things that are to bring honor to ourselves rather than to the LORD. We are not to be building our own kingdoms in any church or mission organization. We are to be building something that will honor the LORD both now and in the future under different leadership.
In our building projects we need to make sure we are asking the LORD for wisdom so that it will honor and serve HIM for future years. We need to be builders of the kingdom of God, in our local churches and on the mission field the LORD has given us to serve HIM in for our personal service to HIM.
What are you doing with the wisdom the LORD has given you regarding building something that will last for the LORD when you are gone? Are you using the abilities the LORD has given you or settling for just doing little for the LORD?
CHALLENGE: There should be no people in the pews doing nothing with their God given gift from the Holy Spirit. BE A BUILDER!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David to 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, whereto the ark of the LORD has come.(6944 “holy” [qodesh] means things that are sacred or proper for religious worship, as opposed to what is common, Sanctuary, or consecrated)
DEVOTION: Solomon knew the difference between what was holy and what was not holy. He had married the daughter of Pharaoh as a political practice which the LORD didn’t like.
So he didn’t allow the daughter of Pharaoh in Jerusalem because it was a holy city but he built for her a home outside the city as she worshiped false gods. Solomon married many women for political reasons but they influenced him away from the LORD.
He ended up worshiping false gods which hurt the nation of Israel because the people followed the example of their king. It is never right to worship any other God but the LORD alone.
This was one of the causes of the downfall of the nation of Israel. After Solomon the kingdom divided over many things but one was also false worship. One of the downfalls of the United States was that they were founded on principles founded in the Bible but now we are trying to do as Solomon had done to mix the worship of one true God with the worship of false gods and man-made religions.
This didn’t work in the Old Testament and it is not working today. We are getting further and further from the truth of the Word of God each year. Many don’t even consider America to be a Christian Nation now.
Many of the churches in America are not teaching the truth of the Word of God but are places where people can go to be entertained and promised blessings if they just give their money and live as they please.
This is not the teaching of the Word of God. This is not something knew as we see it in the life of the children of Israel and we are just as sinful as they are. It is sad but true.
Even with all this happening we still even have Pharisees in our churches that think they are better than others in the church and are willing to look for others sins instead of looking at their own sin.
God is going to have to judge us for leaving our first love like the children of Israel left their first love. Leadership in very important because sin usually starts at the top down.
CHALLENGE: Our church leaders need to worship the LORD in spirit and in truth. Not in a judgmental manner but in a loving manner that causes people to want to get closer to the LORD. Leaders set examples for the rest to follow.
: 13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles. (4150 “solemn” [mow’ed] means place for meeting, a festival that occurs at an appointed time, a point of time, assembly, festival, or designated time)
DEVOTION: Solomon made sure that the priest sacrificed to the LORD on the basis of the instructions given to Moses in the wilderness. There were to be sacrifices done at a daily rate. There were to be sacrifices done on a weekly time table. There were three appointed yearly feasts that all the men were required to attend and offer sacrifices through the priests during those times.
The LORD had a schedule that was to be followed by the priests and Solomon made sure that the priests were doing their duties for the LORD when they were supposed to be doing them. Animal sacrifice was done to look forward to the time when the Lamb of God would be sacrificed.
There has been a change in the New Testament because there is now no need to sacrifice animals on an altar because the ultimate sacrifice was made by Christ on the Cross. HE fulfilled what the animal sacrifices could not fulfill. HE was able to take all the sins of the world on HIS back and give every individual an opportunity to become a follower of HIM. The choice is made by each individual as to whether they accept HIS sacrifice for their sins.
Each of us has to make sure that we realize that a choice has to be made and when the commitment is made we follow through in our service to the LORD on a daily basis.
We are to come together on a weekly basis and worship the LORD in a local church that honors the LORD. As we worship it includes times of singing, serving and giving to the LORD in appreciation for what HE has done for us. We are the priests today that will serve the LORD throughout eternity as we worship HIM both now and in heaven.
CHALLENGE: Start serving with your whole heart EACH DAY!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 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. (8003 “perfected” [shalem] means complete, safe, peaceful, whole, full or peace)
DEVOTION: How many of us start a job and never finish it. How many projects do we have in our office or shop or house that have never been completed? Finishing a job gives such satisfaction.
Here we have a king finishing not only one job but two. He completed the building of the Temple. He completed the building of his palace. He went on to build up the towns around Jerusalem for a national defense against invaders. He was a finisher.
The house of the LORD was completed. Not only was the building complete but the priests and Levites were working in their proper order. The services and the offerings were being offered and prepared properly. There was a beautiful building and staff working to bring praise to the LORD. Solomon’s greatest work was on the temple.
After twenty years in office, he had built his own house and the Temple. The rest of the chapter tells us that he continued to work at establishing and enriching his kingdom. He was honoring the LORD. He was doing all that the LORD had asked him to do that this time.
The Bible tells us that it is God who is working in us to will and to do HIS good pleasure will complete it in us. Every trial that HE allows in our life is for our building up in the faith. Every circumstance is under HIS control.
Each of us has a special responsibility God has planned for us from before the foundation of the world the LORD knew who would be HIS followers. Sometimes we might think that there is no purpose or plan for us. That is wrong. There is a plan. The LORD gives us the ability to do what HE has planned with our lives.
Are we staying close to HIM? Are we listening to HIM as HE instructs us regarding our future? Are we open? Are we in prayer regarding our special responsibility?
Paul at the end of his life said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Can we say the same about our life so far?
CHALLENGE: Ask the LORD for HIS direction in your life. If we ask, HE will tell and we also will have a crown of righteousness waiting for us at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Praise HIS name!!!)
: 18 And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants, ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon. (3045 “knowledge” [yada] means perceive, acquaintance, understanding, learn to know, find out and discern, be skillful in, or be wise)
DEVOTION: It is necessary for us to know our limitations in life. Here we have a foreign king whose people understand what it means to sail in the water. They were very skilled in getting ships or boats from one location to another. They were available to Solomon to go to places that his people who either get lost trying to go to or who would get into situation that would cause their ship or boat to sink.
Solomon was wise to use men who understood the sea rather than just send his men out on the water and never return. So he made a partnership with Huram and his man to take his men to locations where they could get wealth for Israel. He would pay the men of Huram, and also have what he wanted from the different countries where the ship would travel.
We need to know our limitations in life. Some of us are talented in areas that others are not as talented. We have to learn what we can but we need to also make sure that we turn some things over to those who are more knowledgeable in an area where we seem to have trouble learned.
I learned to use a power tool for the first time when I was 23 years old. I had never used one before that and was handed a tool to put holes in floor beams to run electric through for a new building. It was no fun. My knuckles were sore at the end of that day. There were many other people in the crew who could do construction better than me and they did. It was not a job that I was talented in. I was a good laborer that had no skill. I would from that experience ask myself what “George” would do every time I thought of doing a project that required power tools or any other tools from that point on.
In the church we need to make sure that we use the gifts that the LORD has given us to serve HIM and not try to do things that we are not gifted in. Too often we have individuals who think they are gifted in an area and they are NOT. If they are told that they are not gifted they sometimes take up their tools and go someplace else to try to serve with a gift they don’t have and it turns out the same way.
CHALLENGE: Understand the gift or gifts the LORD has given you and apply yourself in that area of service to the LORD.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Foreigners paid tributeverse 8
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
House of the LORDverses 1, 16
Took twenty years for both
Temple and his house
Ark of the LORDverse 11
Burnt offerings on altar of the LORDverses 12, 13
Offerings of the commandment of Moses
Every day
Sabbaths
New moons
Solemn feasts
Feast of unleavened bread
Feast of weeks
Feast of tabernacles
Levites to their charges to praise and minister before the priests
Priests and Levites departed not concerning the treasures
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandments of Mosesverse 13
David = man of Godverse 14
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 11, 12
House of the LORDverses 1, 16
Ark of the LORDverse 11
Altar of the LORDverse 12
God – Elohim (Creator)verse 14
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Hittitesverse 7
Amoritesverse 7
Perizzitesverse 7
Hivites verse 7
Jebusitesverse 7
Daughter of Pharaohverse 11
Land of Edom from Ezion-geber to Elothverse 17
Huram sent servants with knowledge of the seaverse 17
Ophirverse 18
450 talents of gold
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Holyverse 11
Praiseverse 14
Ministerverse 14
Man of Godverse 14
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Solomonverses 1-18
Took twenty years to build
House of the LORD
His own house
Cities of Huram restored
Prevailed against Hamath-zobah
Built Tadmor in the wilderness
Built Beth-horon upper and neither
Built store cities
Chariot cities
Cities of the horsemen
Built in Jerusalem
Built in Lebanon
Didn’t make any children of Israel
Servants but men of war
Daughter of the Pharaoh
Appointed order of courses of the Priests
Prepared from foundation to perfected house of the LORD
Received gold from Ophir
Children of Israelverses 2, 8, 9
Dwelt in Huram
Consumed not some cities but they paid tribute
Chief of Solomon’s officers
250 men – rule over people
Davidverses 11, 14
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
DONATIONS:
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QUOTES regarding passage
8:17–18 Solomon and Hiram engaged in a joint maritime venture. Hiram provided ships and personnel although Solomon was the initiator of the venture. Even though Solomon had mastery over the land routes to the north, he apparently was able also to tap into the trade with Africa. The ships referred to in v. 18 sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents of gold for Solomon’s use. The location of Ophir is a subject of debate. It has been identified variously with India (Josephus, Ant. 8.164), Punt (Somaliland on the coast of Africa), and West or South Arabia. According to 9:21 and 1 Kgs 10:22, the voyages took three years. The list of commodities given in 1 Kgs 10:23 may provide a clue, but these items could have been transported to Ophir, which may have been a transfer point in a trade with more distant regions. The identification of Ophir remains an open question. (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 240). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Solomon himself sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built in front of the portico. This was not the altar within the holy place that was reserved for the priests. (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 239). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
12 Solomon “sacrificed,” but only through priestly mediators (cf. on 1 Chronicles 16:1). He would not have assumed the right to do so directly, any more than he personally would have “built the altar” (cf. the wording of vv.1–6). (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 468). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
8:12–15 This section expands on 1Ki 9:25, and indicates that Solomon was, in spite of his disobedience in marriage, still faithful to the religious practices required in the temple. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Ch 8:12–15). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Solomon, however, though not a priest, is authorized to do a great deal in respect of the temple (12–15). He defers to the command of Moses (13) and the ordinance of David (14), but the mention of these august names simply shows that his own commands (15) are to be ranked with theirs. All that he sets up is intended as a framework for his people’s worship of their God. (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 405). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be.
God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident.
Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God.
Train them up in the authority of His Word.
Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control.
Empower them to know they can change the world.
Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world but hopeful that they can do something about it.
Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan.
He knew Daniel could handle the lions den. 
He knew David could handle Goliath.
He knew Esther could handle Haman.
He knew Peter could handle persecution.
He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it!
Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose YOU to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime.
Rise up to the challenge.
Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers and Peters!
God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world.
He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth.
Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them, but they were born for such a time as this.
~Alex Cravens (The Notebook Café)
On Being A PASTOR by Derek J. Prime & Alistair Begg
What is done in public on a Sunday is like the tip of an iceberg, Behind all true preaching by shepherds and teachers there are houses of study and preparation liked with deep involvement in people’s lives – an involvement in which there are no regular “working hours.” Pastoral care is an one and the same time the most demanding and rewarding task there can be. (p. 142-3)
Shepherding is synonymous with pastoral care: It is the practical, individual, and spiritual care of Christ’s people as His lambs and sheep. (p. 143)
Pastoral care has as its objective the fulfillment of the goals we established in chapter 3: the feeding of the flock, the proclaiming of the whole will of God, the presenting of every believer perfect in Christ, the preparing of God’s people for works of service, and equipping them to be fishers of men. (p. 144)
As undershepherds, we may be so concerned for the spiritual welfare of the flock that we neglect our need for others to be concerned for our soul’s well—being. For this to happen is to fall into the snare of professionalism. “Who is the undershepherd’s shepherd?” is the key question. (p. 144)
It is only as we own our need of pastoral care that we are able to exercise it with humility and reality to others. (p. 145)
Knowing people’s names and circumstances provides a basis for intelligent intercession for them. (p. 149)
Worst Day of the Year
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. – HABAKKUK 3:18
If you woke up feeling especially blah this morning, you’re in good company. January 24 is now officially “the most depressing day of the year.” Those are the findings of Dr. Cliff Arnall, an English psychologist who specializes in seasonal disorders at the University of Cardiff in Wales. His formula for analyzing such things includes seven variables—the weather, personal debt, monthly salary and even the amount of time since Christmas, among other things—that determine people’s feelings of happiness.
He figures January 24 is when credit-card bills start rolling in, reminding us how we got carried away again with our holiday spending. By now many of our New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside or at least been riddled with pockets of compromise.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe you really are feeling it today. But what Dr. Arnall may not understand is that our joy and contentment doesn’t have to be taken away by the bleak clouds of winter or the long wait until our next vacation. As followers of Christ, a settled sense of well-being and belonging can be ours no matter what our set of circumstances.
Hear again the words of a man who knew what to do with a January 24 kind of feeling: “Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:17-19). God is there with you every day of the year. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
2 Kings 18
Hezekiah institutes a reign of righteousness.
INSIGHT
It is wonderful that such a wicked man as Ahaz had such a righteous son as Hezekiah. It is difficult to stand against moral disintegration–especially when it is all around you and generally accepted. It is also likely the fall of the Northern Kingdom is a great incentive to root out idolatry. God richly rewards Hezekiah for his moral courage and leadership, demonstrating the validity of 2 Chronicles 16:9: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
Not Many Wise Men
“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (1 Corinthians 1:26)
For the most part, the rich and famous of this world, the wise and powerful, have always looked down on the followers of Christ and the Scriptures. This seems increasingly true today, and many believers have been led to compromise as a result. Rather than being discouraged by the intellectual snobbery of educated and powerful unbelievers, however, we should rejoice in this further proof of the prophetic inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.
This passage is, in fact, a remarkably fulfilled prophecy, true for almost 2,000 years. Christians have founded great universities to train people in God’s truth, only to see them taken over, one after another, by the ungodly leaders of this present world. Missionaries have carried the gospel to heathen lands, only to be superseded by wealth-seeking materialists who exploit and subvert their converts.
Paul did not say “not any,” of course, but “not many.” God always has raised up a few brilliant or powerful men (such as Paul himself) who have devoted their abilities and influence to the Lord and His Word, but these have always been the exception. There have been a few godly kings and generals, a few Christ-honoring artists and musicians of great talent, but they are far outnumbered by the others.
But we must remember that God said long ago that was the way it would be. “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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