The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 28

before t.he birth of Solomon (2 Sam. xi. 2), is disputed, chiefly on the ground thnt he must then be.ve reigned considerably over forty years, whereas Menandel' (Josephus • Contra A pion,' i. 18) e.esigns to Solomon's friend a reign of thirty-four years. Dute. rcia1~ of fifty years was not impossible either then (Uzziah, eh. xxvi. 3; Manasseh, eh, xxxiii. l) or now (George III., Queen Victoria). The proposal to regard Solomon's friend as the son of David's ('l'henius, Bertheau) is exposed to the difficulty that the father of Solomon's friend was Abibaal (Josephus)-& difficulty which may be removed by supposing that Abib&e.l we.s a surname of the first Hiram, or that the first Hiram was the father of Abibe.e.l. There is, however, no sufficient ground for challenging the identity of the two Hirams; and upon the whole it is as likely that Menander and Josephus have erred as to the length of Hiram's reign, as it is that the Hebrew writers have confounded father and son. 2. The communication made. 11 I build an house," etc. .Ancient kings were wont to erect temples to their tutelar divinities. Urukh ofChaldea founded temples-of the moon at Ur, of the sun at Larsn, of Venus at Erech (' Records,' iii. 9); while the magnificent shrines of Memphis, Thebes (Karnack), and Edfou were con- structed by Eg:vptian Pharaohs II for the houses of the gods whose existence is for endless years" (Brugsch, 'Egypt under the Pharaohs,' i. 322). These may be used to illustrate the nature of Solomon's project. III. THE PROJECT EXPLAINED. (Vers. 5, 6.) • Solomon's temple was to be "great," "exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries" (1 Chron. xxii. 5). A resplendent edifice, designed: 1. For a lofty purpose. For the honour of a great God. (1) .An absolutely supreme God: 11 Great is our God above all gods" (Deut. iv, 39; 1 Kings viii. 23). (2) .An infinitely exalted God: "The heaven of heavens cannot cont.ain him" (1 Kings viii. 27; Jer. xxiii. 24). (3) .A personally accepted God. Solomon called him "the Lord my God" (Exod. xx. 3). Theoretical theism is value- less; theism;like David's (Ps. lxiii. 1) alone profitable. (4) .A profoundly revered God : " Who is able to build him a house?" " Who am I, that I should build him a house?" God should be feared by all who approach him (Deut. xxviii. 58; Josh. xxiv. 14; 2 Kiugs xvii 36; Ps. xxxiii. 8; Matt. x. 28; 2 Cor, vii. 1; Heb. xii. 28). Man never knows his own littleness till he examines himself in the light of God's greatness. (5) A truly national God: "The Lord our God." Solomon conjoined his people with himself. Christ taught his disciples to pray, "Our Father" (Matt. vi. 9). 2. Far a noble use. Not to contain this i=easurably great and glorious Divinity (eh. vi. 18), seeing that Jehovah dwelleth not in temples made with hands (Isa. lxvi. 1; .Acts vii 47), but inhabiteth eternity (Isa. lvii. 15), and filleth heaven and earth with his presence ( J er. xxiii. 24); but to be a visible centre for his worship, to be dedicated to him for the burning before him of sweet incense, etc. Hitherto the people had sacri- ficed in local sanctuaries (1 Kings iii. 2), Solomon himself being no exception (eh. i. 3; 1 Kings iii. 4); henceforth the nation's sacrificial worship was to be concentrated in the capital and to circulate round the temple. The different parts of that worship here mentioned are those specified by Moses in connection with the tabernacle. (1) The burning of sweet incense (Exod. xxv. 6), which .Aaron was directed to do every morning and evening in the holy place (Exod. xxx. 7); (2) the presentation of the shewbread (Exod. x.xv. 30); and (3) the offering day by day contiaually of the burnt offering (Exod. xxix. 39). The first symbolized the adorations presented to Jehovah by his worshippers (ReV'. v. 18); the second, the spiritual sustenance Jehovah provided for his servants (Ps. cx:x.xii. 15); the third, the self-consecration expected by Jehovah of all whose sins were covered by sacrificial blood (Rom. xii. 1). The assertion that in the first temple the evening offering was purely cereal (Robertson Smith, 'The Old Testament in the Jewish Church,' p. 421) is without foundation (Theniue, on 2 Kings :xvi. 15). IV. THE PROJECT PBEPA.BED FOB. (Vere. 2, 18.) 1. The furnishing of workmen. (Vers. 2, 18.) (1) Their number: 70,000 burdea-bea.rers or l~bourers, 80,000 ti';Dber- hewers or skilled woodmen, 3600 overseers or superintendents, m all 153,600, quite an army of workmen. The discrepancy between 1 Kings v. 16 and this account vanishes by observing that to the 3300 overseers in Kings falls to be added 650 chief officers (1 Kings ix. 53), while the 3600 of Chronicles require to be supplemented by 250 chief officers (eh. viii. 10), thus ma.king both totals equal 3850. A gang of 100,000 men, changed every ihree months, laboured for ten years in building a causeway along en. 11. 1-18.] THE SECOND IlOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 29