The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 99

holy hearts will be the home of a happiness which grows and deepens with passing years, with mutue.l service, and with united efforts to train and bless.-C. Vere. 12-16.-Peifecting the sanctuary. It was indeed a great thing to be able to write that "the house of the Lord was perfected" (ver. 16). Much had to be done however, before that could be written. It was necessary- ' I. THAT THl!l MATERIAL SHOULD BU11SEBVE THE SPIRITUAL. Though the last stone had been carved and carried, and the last piece of furniture placed in its position though the temple stood and shone before the eyes of Israel in all architectural corn~ pleteness, yet was it not truly "finished" (ver. 16) until it was made a right use of until sacrifice smoked on its altar, until "Solomon offered burnt offerings unto th; Lord" (ver. 12). No edi6ce or erection of any kind, no work of art, nothing that is visible and material, can be said to have attained its end as an instrument of worship until it has been the means and medium by which the soul of man ascends to the Spirit of God and makes its offering "unto the Lord." Until that point is reached, it is as the sacrifice without the consuming fire; it is essentially imperfect. It is the wise, the true, the spiritwl use we make of them that crowns and completes all instrumentalities in the service of God. II. THAT METHOD BE EMPLOYED AS WELL AS INBPIBATION 0ALLED FORTH. "After a certain rate every day, according to the commandment" (ver. 13); "according to the order" (ver. 14). It is well, it is needful, to do everything to elicit zeal, to call forth spontaneous service; without this there is no life, and therefore no acceptance with God. But there must be method also. That Christian Church (or that Christian man) that thinks it (he) can dispense with regulation and order in its (his) devotion makes a serious mistake. The waters of a river are more essential than the banks; but the river would do very ill without these-it would soon be lost in diffusion. Piety that is not regulated is liable to be thus lost. Method is far lower down than inspiration, but it is an aid which the strongest and the worthiest can by no means afford to despise or to neglect. III. THAT ATTENTION BE GIVEN TO THE BUMBLE AND MINUTE. Provision was made for "the courses of the priests;" but the "porters also" were considered and cared for (ver, 14). These humbler ministrants had a part to play, a service to render, as well as the higher officials, and their work was specified and recorded. A.nd all arrange- ments were made "as the duty of every day required;" regard was had to hourly necessity, and no smallest service was overlooked. In the worship we render and in the work we do for so great a Lord as our God, for so gracious a Master as onr Divine Friend and Saviour, there is nothing actually small. One post may be lower than another, one duty may be slighter than another; but everything we do for him "that loved us and gave himself for us" is redeemed from insignificance ; and if we have the true spirit in us we shall leave nothing of any kind undone which will make the smallest contribution to the perfecting of his service; we shall give heed to the humble and the minute as well as to the lofty and the large. IV. THAT OFFERING BE PRESENTED TO GoD AS WELL AS BLESSINGS ASKED OF HIM. The priests and the Levites were to" praise" as well as to" minister" (ver. 14). They were to sing as well as to sacrifice, to offer gratitude to God as well as to seek mercy and grace of him. And surely the service of the sanctuary will by no means be per- feoted until we bring to God the best we have to offer. We seek greatest things of him, let us bring greatest things to him; let us bring to his house and to himself our most reverent thought, our we.rmest gratitude, our most serious and fixed resolution, our sweetest and purest song. Unto him that loved us we will yield the richest and worthiest offering our heart can render; our voice can raise.-C. Vers. 1-6.-Solomon's building operations. I. PALACE-BUILDING. Like Seti I., Rameses II., and other Pharaohs (Brugsch, 'Egypt,' etc., ii. 14), like Urnk, Kham- murabi, and other early Chaldean kings (' Records of the Past,' i. 3; iii. 9), like ancient Oriental mone.rchs generally, Solomon was a great builder. The first twenty years of his reign were occupied in erecting "palaces," or royal residences_. 1. A house for Jehovah, the King of kings, i.e. the temple on Moriah, which requmd seven years for erection (1 Kings vi. 37, 38). In according precedence to the temple, Solomon acted  100 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [err. vm. 1-18.