2
Chronicles is simply a continuation of 1 Chronicles. Originally they
were one book. Chapter 1 begins, “Solomon
son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom”
but the first sentence emphasizes “the
Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great“.
Greatness requires more than just the accumulation of wealth.
Although the Ark had been moved to Jerusalem, the Tent of Meeting
(Tabernacle) remained in Gibeon. Solomon’s first act was to gather
the leaders of Israel in Gibeon to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. We
read that he “offered
a thousand burnt offerings“.
As a reminder, in the Burnt Offering the entire animal was offered
as a sacrifice to God. It is critical to understand the Burnt
Offering was a temporary covering of sin and had to be repeated over
and over. According to Leviticus 1, the animal was in place of the
offerer; “Then
he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will
be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him“.
It was impossible to store up righteousness; you could not “pay
ahead”. Hebrews 10:10 makes it clear that as believers today “we
have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all“.
His sacrifice was a one-time event, but forgiveness is not. We can
and should seek forgiveness regularly.
Next
we read of the defining moment in Solomon’s life. That night God
appeared to Solomon in a dream and said to him, “Ask
for whatever you want Me to give you“.
To Solomon’s credit, he asked in complete humility, “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.
Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people“.
The Lord was delighted with Solomon’s request, “Since…
you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of
your enemies… 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“.
Our God “who
is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”
does not hold back from blessing us! The two biggest mistakes we
make are, not bringing our prayers before God; and not asking in
accordance with His Spirit. People point to John 13:14 “And
whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son”
as if it is a holy loophole. “In Jesus Name” is not a magic
formula, it means simply in obedience to His will. That means we
must read His Word.
And
God kept His Word, “The
king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones“.
But the chapter ends with a reminder that even the wisest of men can
not ignore the wisdom of God’s Word. “Solomon
accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and
twelve thousand horses… Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt…
They imported a chariot from Egypt“.
Deuteronomy 17 expressly prohibits the king from this, “But
he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to
return to Egypt to multiply horses… Neither shall he multiply wives
for himself, lest his heart turn away“.
There is good news for all of us that have fallen short of
perfection, “If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”
(1 John 1:9). This is God’s Will!