The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 40

Vers. 1-17.-The building of the temple. I. THE SITE, 1. Central. At Jerusalem. (1) Natural. Jerusalem, the metropolis of the kingdom, the political and religions centre of the country, was entitled to contain the chief symbol round which the political and religious life of the nation was in future to revolve. (2) Appropriate. As the king had a palace in the capital, it was fitting the king's King, Jehovah, should there have a temple. (3) Convenient. Since the temple was to be Israel's meeting- place in their national assemblies, it was better the structure should stand in the chief city of the realm than in a provincial town. (4) Significant. It seemed to say that henceforth Solomon was to seek the security of bis throne, the stability of bis govern- ment, and the welfare of bis empire in the worship of Jehovah and the practice of religion. 2. Conspicuous. On Mount Moriah, which had been so named because of Jehovah's appearing on its summit to Abraham (Gen. xxii. 2), rather than because it had been pointed out to David by Jehovah (Bertbeau)-a mountain situated north-east of Zion, and now styled" The Haram," after a Mohammedan mosque with which it is crowned. .According to present-day measurements, rising to the height of between 2278 and 2462 feet above the level of the Mediterranean (Conder, 'Handbook to the Bible,' p. 359), it was a fitting site for the temple, which, besides being firmly established as founded on a rock, would thereby be visible from afar, and so a centre of attraction for travellers approaching the city. So is Christ's Church, like it, founded on a rock (Matt. xvi 18), and, like it, should be a city set upon a hill (Matt. v. 14). 3. Consecrated. In the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. (On the suitability of the Haram summit to be a threshing-floor, see Exposition.) In addition to the theophany which had there occurred in connection with the offering of Isaac, a similar manifesta- tion of Jehovah had recently taken place in the lifetime of David (1 Chron. xxi. 15- 30). It was thus to Solomon a spot doubly hallowed. If in David's eyes, because of the old patriarchal altar that had stood thereon, the place was invested with a special charm, in Solomon's this charm would not be diminisbed, but intensified, by the recol- lection of the altar his father had built. IL THE TIME. 1. Specific. "In the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign, began Solomon to build;" i.e. 480 years after the exodus from Egypt (1 Kings vi. 1); or, according to another reckoning, 592 year~ subsequent to. that event, 240 after the building of Tyre, and 143 years 8 months prior to the foundmg of Carthage (Josephus, '.Ant.,' viii. 3. 1; 'Against Apion,' i. 17, 18). Great events make deep indentations on the memories of men as well as on the course of time. 'l'he build- ing of the Solomonic temple, of more than national, was of world-wide importance. 2. Early. It shows the high conception Solomon had of the work delegated to him by his father, as well as marked out for him by God; indicates the earnestness and enthU£iasm with which he undertook it, that he set about its performance almost at the earliest possible moment, "in the fourth year of his reign," before erecting for him- self a palace, or for his country a chain of forts. It is an Old Testament form of the New Testament lesson, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. vi. 33). ou. m. 1-17.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 41