2 Chronicles 2:1 says, And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdom. Solomon decided to build a house for God and a house for his kingdom. He was to have the temple built first, and then his palace. Matthew Henry points out that the palace was not so much for Solomon's convenience and glory, but to bring honor to the nation of Israel from the nations around it. We should likewise first do God's kingdom work, and then build up things that will show His greatness to the world, and not just our greatness. I don't believe that God ever blesses His people just so they can brag about or show of their riches. Verse two adds, And Solomon told out threescore and ten thousand men to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred to oversee them. Solomon then had seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand men to hew out of the mountain, and thirty-six hundred men to oversee them. It took a lot of people to build the temple, and much of the work was what we might call grunt labor, but it was necessary for it to be done. What we do for God today may not be glorious in the view of the world, but we should not feel above doing it, and we need people to make sure that we are doing things in an organized way. Verse three continues, And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me. Solomon was not above reaching out to others for help, and he did so with Huram, who had helped David by sending him cedars. He asked Huram to deal with him just as he had with David his father. As followers of Christ, we should never feel that we are too good to reach out to others for help when we need it, and we need to pray that they will treat us fairly. Verse four states, Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel. Solomon told Huram that he was going to build a house to the name of God, or dedicated to Him, for the purpose of worshipping Him. I believe that whatever we are doing as Christians and as a group of believers collectively should be to honor God, and our church buildings should be there to worship in and glorify God. Verse five adds, And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. Solomon said that the house he built was going to be great, because his God was great and above all other gods. Of course, there is really only one God, and all others are just manmade creations. Verse six continues, But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him? Solomon then asked who was worthy to build God a house. He asked who he himself was to build as house for God, to serve to burn sacrifices. Solomon knew that God was too great to be confined to one place, but that people could gather at a particular place to worship and offer their sacrifices to Him. We may build beautiful buildings in which to worship God today, but we must never try to confine God to that building. Verse seven says, Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide. Solomon the asked Huram to send him a man who was skilled in building to help those that were in Judah and Jerusalem. Solmon acknowledged that they people of Tyre were better at doing ornate work than the people of Israel were. We may need the help of non-Christians when we are doing work for God today, and we should never feel that we are so much superior to them that we don't reach out for help. Of course, when it comes to spiritual matters, we must look to God's people and not the world for guidance. Verse eight adds, Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, Solomon asked Huram to not only send him cedar, fir and algum trees, but to send men who knew how to work with them in building, and he said that the workmen from Israel would work under them. We may have to work under people who are not Christians today, and we should never believe that we are too good to do so. We do have to make sure that we remain true to God when we do. Verse nine continues, Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great. Solomon said he wanted timber in abundance, because he was going to build a great house to God. If we build something for God today, we should want it to be the best that it can be, but I don't believe that means it should be ornate. Verse ten concludes, And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil. Solomon promised to pay well those from Tyre who did the work. We need to pay those who may not be Christians but who help in the building of works for God a fair and honest price. If they choose to donate their work, that is good, but we should never expect them to do so.
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