FRAMEWORKS:
2 Chronicles 2: Solomon prepares
for building the Temple
[Introductory
Notes: Having been commissioned by David before he died,
Solomon now starts setting up the construction process by first
appealing to the king of Tyre, known previously by David as a
timber supplier, for timber and for craftsmen to help in the project.
Hiram, the king of Tyre gladly goes along with his requests.]
v.1,2
Solomon starts the Temple building project
v.1
Solomon gave
orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord
and a royal
palace for himself.
v.2
He
conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters
in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them. [see
v.17,18 below for who these are.]
v.3-10
Solomon sends to Hiram
v.3
Solomon appeals to Hiram for timber
v.3
Solomon sent this message to Hiram 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.
v.4-6
He explains the magnitude of his task
v.4
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 the Lord
our God. This
is a lasting ordinance for Israel.
v.5
‘The
temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater
than all other gods.
v.6
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?
v.4
He asks him for help of skilled craftsmen
v.7
‘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.
v.8,9
He asks for large amounts of timber
v.8
‘Send
me also cedar, juniper and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know
that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants
shall work with yours
v.9
to
provide me with plenty of timber, because the temple I build must
be large and magnificent.
v.10
He offers to provide large amounts of supplies for these workers
v.10
I
will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty
thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley,
twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive
oil.'
v.11-16
Hiram Replies
v.11,12
Hiram acknowledges the Lord's work
v.11
Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon:
‘Because
the Lord
loves his people, he has made you their king.'
v.12
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.
v.13,14
He says he will send a skilled craftsman
v.13
‘I
am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill,
v.14
whose
mother was from Dan and 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.
v.15,16
He says send the supplies and we'll cut the wood
v.15
‘Now
let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive
oil and wine he promised,
v.16
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.'
v.17,18
Summary [from verse 2]
v.17,18
Solomon takes all the foreigners in Israel and makes them
workers
v.17
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.
v.18
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.
Continue
to Ch.3