The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 37

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1, 2.-Beginning to build. "Solomon began to build the house of the Lord." We are frequently in a similar position; we are starting some sacred enterprise, which, directly or indirectly, affects the Church of Christ, the kingdom of God. What are the sentiments and what is the spirit appropriate to such an occasion? But we ~ay first learn from the text- I. THAT, TO A LARGE EXTENT, OUR POSSESSION IS OUR HERITAGE. It was a very great privilege Solomon was now enjoying, and it must have been felt by him to be a high honour and a keen gratification. How much of it he owed to his father! It was David who conceived the idea; it was he who gained the sanction of Jehovah; it was he who had practically gained the valuable co-operation of Hiram (1 Kings v. 1); it was he, also, who had secured an admirable and acceptable site for the building (1 Chron. xxi. 18; xxii. 1). If we examine we shall find that a very large part of our acquisition, whether it be property (in the usual sense of that word), or knowledge and intellectual power, or honour, or affection, or even character, is due to that which we have inherited froru those who came before us. II. THAT GREATER WORK DEMANDS FULLER PREPARATION. The building of the temple was certainly one of the very first things that Solomon considered and deter- mined upon when he came to the throne. Yet it was not until" the second month, in the fourth year of his reign," that the erection actually commenced. So great a work took large preparation. We show our sense of the real seriousness and magnitude of the work we do for God when we take time and spend strength in its preparation. To go with haste and heedlessness to any sacred work, even though the •• house of the Lord" we are building is not one of magnificence (1 Chron. xxii. 5), is a spiritual mis- demeanour; to enter upon any great undertaking in the name and cause of Jesus Christ without much patient thought and earnest effort in the way of preparation is wholly wrong. Ill. THAT THE COMMENCEMENT OF A GREAT WORK IS A MEMORABLE MOME:tIT. It was fitting that the very day when this great work began should he recorded, as it is in Holy Writ (ver. 2). It was a memorable moment in Solomon's reign and in the history of the Jews. For then began to rise a building which had an immense and, indeed, an incalculable influence on the nation, and so upon mankind. Such times are sacred. Of all those days to which, in later years, we look back with interest and joy, none will stand out so clearly, and none will give us such pure and strong gratification, as the days when we instituted some movement i11 the cause of Christ, in the service of our fellow-men. IV. THAT THIS HOUR OF COMMENCEMENT SHOULD BE A VEBY SACRED TIME TO OUR SOULS, It may well be one of: 1. Joyful eagerness; for there is something very inspir- ing in the act of commencing a truly noble work-it exhilarates and animates the soul. It should also be one of: 2. Special prayerfulness; for then we urgently need the gnid, ing and guarding hand of our God to be upon us. 3. Steadfast purpose ; for there will be unanticipated difficulties and disheartening delays, possibly much temporary disap-- pointme11t and partial failure, and a strong, resolute purpose will be needed to carry us through to the end. 4. Unselfish devotedness. We must ever keep in mind that the "house" we are erecting, of whatever kind it be, is the house " of the Lord." If we fail to realize that it is for (Jhrist that we are working, our labour will lose its excellency, its inspiration, and its reward.-C. Vera. 3-9.-Four elements of faithful service. These are- I. OnEDIENOE; the intelligent carrying out of Divine direction. Close nnd careful correspondence with the commandment was more particularly enforced under the  38 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [arr. m. 1-17.