Bible in one year 7/2/2022 2Chronicle Chapter 8- 10 Solomon's wisdom & Queen of Sheba
By Rev.Katherine Liu
Bruce
Christian Arts
Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry &
Counseling
2Chronicles Chapter 8
Solomon’s Fame, organization, navy
At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon
built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, Solomon rebuilt the villages
that Hiram had given him, and settled Israelites in them. (vv.1-2), He also
built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath.
He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with
walls and with gates and bars. As well as Baalath and all his store cities, and
all the cities for his chariots an for his horses whatever he desired to build
in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.(vv.3-6).
All the people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and
Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), that is, their descendants
remaining in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed- these Solomon
conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day. But Solomon did
not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men,
commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers.
(vv.7-9).
Solomon brought
Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for
her, for he said, “ My wife must not live in the palace of David king of
Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”(v.11). In
keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of
the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist
the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gate
keepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the men
of God had ordered. (vv.14).Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the
coast of Edom. And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers, men who
knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four
hundred and fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
(vv.17-18).
Chapter 9 Queen of Sheba’s visiting
When the
queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with
hard questions. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him
to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well
as the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his
officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes
and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was
overwhelmed.(vv.1-4).
And she said to the king, “ The report I heard in my own country about your
achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said
until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of
your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy
your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you
and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you
and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord of your God for
Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them,
to maintain justice and righteousness.”(vv.5-8).
Then she gave the king 120 talents of
gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been
such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (v.10). the king
Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more
than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her
own country.(v.12).
King Solomon was greater in riches and
wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. All the kings of the earth sought
audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after
year, everyone who came brought a gift articles of silver and gold, and robes,
weapons and spices, and horses and mules. (vv.22-24). He ruled over all the kings
from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of
Egypt.(v.26) Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. Then he
rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. And Rehoboam his
son succeeded him as king.(v.30).
Chapter 10 The kings of
Judah Rehoboam (931-913: 1Kings 14:21-31)
This chapter describes the division of the kingdom
of Judah from the majority of Israel. Because the northern division (Israel)
was apostate from the beginning , the chronicler does not mention Jeroboam’s
being made king (1Kings 12:20).
Rehoboam
went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. When
Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King
of Solomon), he returned from Egypt. So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all
Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him. “
Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the
heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”(vv.1-4).
Rehoboam
son of Solomon consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during
his lifetime. They replied, “ if you will be kind to
these people and please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always
be your servants.”(v.7). But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave
him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him, “ Tell the people who have said to you,
your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter’- tell them, ‘ My
little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father laid on you a heavy
yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will
scourge you with scorpions.’”(vv.8-11). Rehoboam followed the advice of the
young men and replied harshly to Israel “
My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged
you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”(v.14). So the king did not
listen to the people, for this turn of events was from God, to fulfill the word
the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the
Shilonite.(v.15).
When all Israel saw that the king
refused to listen to them, they answered the king: ‘ What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your
tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!” (v.16). So all the
Israelites went home. But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of
Judah, Solomon’s song Rehoboam still ruled over them. King Rehoboam sent out
Adoniram who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to
death.(v.18) King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape
to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to
this day.(v.19).
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
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