2 Chronicles 5:11

2 Chronicles 5:11 says, And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:  The priests who were sanctified went into the holy place first, not waitng for it to be their turn to do so.  The Ark needed to be placed in the holy of holies as soon as possible, and there would be time to set the schedule for the priests to enter later.  Of course, any time we come before the Lord, we need to come as spiritually pure as we can.  Fortunately, we are not limited in the time that we can come to Jesus Christ in worship or in need.  Verse twelve adds, Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)  They also came with singing and music praising God when they placed the Ark of the Covenant in the temple.  When we gather to worship God today, we need to come singing and making music to praise Him.  Verse thirteen continues, It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;  Those playing the trumpets and singing were united in their worship to the point that the sounded as if they were one.  We need that same unity in worship. Too often, we just sit silently while songs are being sung in church, but even if we don't think we are the best of singer, we can make a joyful noise.  If someone has a problem with it, that is their problem and not ours.  When they did this, the cloud that represented God filled the house.   We need spirit filled church buildings today, and if we are truly worshipping God, I believe they will be.  Verse fourteen concludes, So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.  The cloud was so great that the priests couldn't stand to minister, because the glory of the Lord had filled the house.  If this happened in church today, we might get upset because it interrupted our beautifully planned service, but I hope not.  I do believe that when true worship breaks out that the Holy Spirit will fill the building.

2 Chronicles 5:1

 2 Chronicles 5:1 says, Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the Lord was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God.  When the work of building the temple was completed, Solomon brought all the things dedicated to the temple by David inside the temple.  I believe as followers of Christ, everything we own should be dedicated to God and brought to Him for His use under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse two adds, Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.  Next, Solomon assembled all the main people in roles of leadership over the people of Israel for the purpose of bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the temple.  The Ark of the Covenant represented God, and when we as Christians gather today, we gather at the foot of the cross, which is where we find the love of God represented at its greatest.  We don't just bring the gospel into the church building though, but we spread it throughout the land.  Verse three continues, Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.  All of Israel was assembled for the feast, and we as followers of Christ should always be assembled to feast on God's word when we come together.  Verse four states, And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.  The elders of Israel were there, but it was the Levites who took up the Ark, which was what God had instructed.  If we are together with people of power, we still must make sure that we are obedient to God's word and don't just give in to those in power.  Verse five adds, And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.  They didn't just bring the Ark, but they brought the tabernacle that housed it and all the holy vessels as well.  When we come to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we need to bring everything we have with us, and we need to accept all of His word to guide us in life every day.  Verse six continues, Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.  Solomon and those gathered there made a sacrifice so great that what they sacrificed could not even be counted.  We need to be generous in our sacrifices to God, since He is the one Who blesses us with everything to start with.  Verse seven says, And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:  The Ark of the Covenant was brought into the most holy place under the wings of the cherubim, which was also referred to as the oracle of the temple.  This was the place the priests would go to to seek God's will for the people.  As Christians, the most holy place for us must be our heart, and we should go to God individually and as a group to seek His will as He speaks to each heart.  He is not going to lead His people in opposite directions spiritually.  Verse eight adds, For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.  The cherubim covered the Ark from above, and as Christians, we are covered by something even greater, and that is the love of God which comes down from above.  Verse nine continues, And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.  They removed the staves that were used to transport the Ark and left them where they could not be seen from outside.  The Ark was not going to need to be transported anymore, and once we have accepted Jesus Christ into our heart, He will never be moved.  Verse ten concludes, There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.  All that was in the Ark was the two tablets containing God's commandments given to Moses at Mount Horeb.  God's commandments were to be their guiding force in life.  As Christians, we have God's commandments written in our heart, and under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, this should be our guiding force.

2 Chronicles 4:10

 2 Chronicles 4:10 says, And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.  After telling of the doors, there is another reference to the location of the molten sea.  Since this was to be used for the purification of the priests, it may be that the importance of it before entering the temple was being emphasized.  I do know that we need to be purified by the blood of Christ before we enter into God's house if we are going to worship Him effectively and we can never forget that.  Verse eleven adds, And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basons. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God;  Huram was the craftsman, and he finished the work he was to do for Solomon by making the pots, shovels, and basins.  As Christians, we will never fully complete the work of God in this lifetime, but Jesus Christ completed the work of redemption once and for all time when He died on the cross as a penalty for all sin.  Still, we can choose to go to hell even with our sins forgiven if we don't accept His gift of salvation.  Verse twelve continues, To wit, the two pillars, and the pommels, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars;  We have a continuation of the works that were done in the building of the temple, some of which was decorative.  Verse thirteen states, And four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths; two rows of pomegranates on each wreath, to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were upon the pillars.  The things listed in this verse and the last would have been more to make things look beautiful than for a specific purpose, I believe, and though we need to do things for God's glory, I am not sure He is impressed if we put too much of our resources into just making things look beautiful in the church.  Veres fourteen adds, He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases;  These would have been more functional than just decorative, and whatever we do for God today should have a useful function in His church.  Verse fifteen continues, One sea, and twelve oxen under it.  The oxen could have been considered decorative, but they also served a purpose of holding the molten sea.  Verse sixteen says, The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Huram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the Lord of bright brass.  We are told once again that Huram was the one who crafted all the things in the temple.  He likely had help, but he was the one who designed them, I would think under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  If we are building for God today, we need to do so under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seventeen adds, In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.  We are told where they were made.  Our place of worship should always be at the foot of the cross, and any thing we do for God should be done because we have come to Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on that cross.  Verse eighteen continues, Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.  We are told that Solomon made all the vessels in great abundance, but he actually just had them made.  Jesus Christ has provided salvation in great abundance, so that none will be left out, and we need to always give Him the glory for anything we accomplish spiritually.  Verse nineteen states, And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;  The next few verses simply state the things that Solomon had built for the temple, I believe under the leadership of God.  Verse twenty adds, Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold; Verse twenty-one continues, And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold;  Verse twenty-one concludes, And the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.  The temple was completed and ornate, and Jesus Christ later declared Himself to be the temple.  Instead of being ornately adorned, He was battered and bruised, but He is the only way to salvation.  We come to Him and through Him to worship God.

2 Chronicles 4:1

2 Chronicles 4:1 says, Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.  The next several verses simply tell of the size of the various things that Solomon made for the temple, starting with the altar. A cubit was about eighteen inches, so the altar was fairly large.  Of course, the size of the altar isn't what is important, but the fact that we worship at it is.  Verse two says, Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.  This was a large basin used in the purification of the priests.  This was at the entrance before they went in.  Today, we as followers of Christ are a part of the priesthood of believers, and we can only be purified by the blood of Christ.  Verse three continues, And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.  There were statues of oxen the supported the molten sea.  Verse four states, It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.  There were twelve of these oxen total, with three looking out in each direction.  We are purified by the blood of Christ, and His blood is there to purify people in all the world, if they will only accept His sacrifice for them, and He reaches out in all directions.  Verse five adds, And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.  This verse tells us of the thickness of the molten sea and how it was decorated.  We cannot decorate the cleansing of the blood of Christ, nor should we try to, but His shed blood is ample to cleanse all who believe, and never has to be refilled.  Verse six continues, He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.  There were ten lavers to wash the things brought as a sacrifice to God in, but the molten sea was for the priests alone.  We do not have different places to be cleansed and to cleanse sacrifices, but everything is cleansed by our faith in Christ as long as we are living by that faith. Verse seven says, And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.  There were ten golden candlesticks to provide light in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left.  Jesus Christ is our Light today as Christians, and He shines His light on all equally.  Verse eight adds, He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basons of gold.  There were ten tables, five on the left and five on the right, that held a hundred basins made of gold.  These would have been used for the people to at least symbolically cleanse themselves before entering the temple.  We cannot be satisfied with just being symbolically clean but must be spiritually cleansed by the shed blood of Christ.  Verse nine continues, Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.  Solomon had the court of the priests built and doors for the court and covered them with brass.  This gave them strength and beauty.  The cross of Christ is the only door to salvation, and it is not a thing of beauty, but it will endure forever.  It is the only way to salvation and spiritual cleansing.

2 Chronicles 3:10

2 Chronicles 3:10 says, And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.  We continue with the account of the particulars of the building of the temple.  Everything was still being overlaid with gold.  Solomon wanted to make everything beautiful for God, but God still wasn't going to be confined to a building, and no matter how beautiful we make church buildings today, God is not going to be confined there.  Verse eleven adds, And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.  This verse and the next two give the size of the cherubim.  Verse twelve continues, And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.  Verse thirteen concludes, The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.  Verse fourteen states, And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.  The cherubim were standing on their feet with their wings spread, facing inward, or away from the people.  The veil was made to separate the people from the holy of holies, but the veil was rent when Jesus Christ died for our sins.  We all have equal access to God through Jesus Christ and don't have to go through anyone else to know His will for our life.  Verse fifteen adds, Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.  Solomon made some high pillars and put chapiters, or caps, on top of them.  Verse sixteen continues, And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.  He also made ornate chains to put on the heads of the pillars.  I believe the only real purpose of these was to make the temple look more impressive.  This may not be the case, but I do know that we should never do anything in the name of God just to make what we are doing or ourselves look impressive.  Verse seventeen concludes, And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.  Solomon had the two pillars raised before the temple and named them.  Matthew Henry implies that the names meant establishment and strength.

2 Chronicles 3:1

2 Chronicles 3:1 says, Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.  Having everything assembled, Solomon began to build the temple, or have it built would be more accurate.  When we assemble things to build something for God under His leadership, we don't need to just continue to wait, but we need to start to build.  I don't believe we will please God if He has blessed us with enough to start doing His work and we are afraid to start because we lack faith in Him to continue to provide for the work to be completed.  Verse two adds, And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.  Solomon had reigned for over three years when he started building.  We aren't told why he waited this long, but I will assume there was a reason, which might have been the gathering of the timbers and stones needed for the building, even if David had amassed the gold, silver, brass and iron needed.  I do know that we must have enough support materials to build things with even if we already have the expensive things in place.  Verse three continues, Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.  The next few verses give the dimensions of temple, and it was a large building.  Even if we are not building a large, ornate building to worship in, we still need to build it in accordance with the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse four states, And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.  We are also told that as things were built, they were overlaid with gold.  Not only was the temple large, it was very ornate as well.  Still, I don't believe that God calls us to build large ornate buildings today, because Jesus Christ is our temple.  I am not saying that we shouldn't build things for God's glory, but simply that we sometimes seem to put more importance on buildings than we do on the work of God that should go on in them.  Verse five adds, And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.  Solomon had the ceiling overlaid with gold, but also had it decorated with palm trees and chains.  I believe these would have been engraved palm trees.  Verse six continues, And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.  Solomon had precious stones added to make the temple more beautiful.  The temple was going to represent God, so it needed to be magnificent, but we as followers of Christ represent Him today, so we need to make our lives magnificent for His glory.  Verse seven says, He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.  He overlaid the beams and posts with gold and decorated the walls with cherubim.  Verse eight adds, And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.  The most holy place was within the temple and was about ten yards square.  This was the place where the priests went to meet God and was limited in its access to the people, but as Christians, we all have total access to God all the time.  Verse nine continues, And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.  Then, we are told the weight of the nails and their cost and once again that everything was over laid with gold.  Our bodies as followers of Christ are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we are overlaid with His blood and not gold.

2 Chronicles 2:11

2 Chronicles 2:11 says, Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.  Huram wrote to Solomon, stating first that since God loved His people, He had made Solomon their king.  God still loves His people, followers of Christ, and He still appoints people to be spiritual leaders today.  Verse twelve adds, Huram said moreover, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the Lord, and an house for his kingdom.  Huram continued by acknowledging that the God of Israel had made heaven and earth, and that God had given Solomon wisdom and prudence and understanding, so that he might build a house for God and a house for the king of Israel.  Matthew Henry says that Huram was a proselyte to the God of Israel. We must first acknowledge that God is the only God, Who created everything, and then rely on Him for wisdom to do what He calls us to do.  Then, we should do the things of God first, and rely on Him to bless us with all that we need in this life.  Verse thirteen continues, And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's,  Though it says that he said he sent a cunning, or skillful man of his father Huram, we are told that Huram wrote this letter, so it would have been him who was sending the man..  Still, he sent him a skillful person to help build the temple.  Verse fourteen states, The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.  This man's mother was from the tribe of Dan, so he was both Jewish and Gentile by birth.  It no longer matters where we are born or who our parents were in order to be saved.  There is no longer Jew and Gentile in God's kingdom, but all Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ.  Verse fifteen adds, Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let him send unto his servants:  Huram asked that Solomon send the wheat, barley, oil and wine that he had said he would send for the help that Hiram provided.  We should never expect someone to do the work needed to be done to build and maintain churches today without being willing to pay our part, especially if we have promised to do so.  Verse sixteen continues, And we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.  Huram said he would have the timber cut and get it to Joppa, and Solomon could get it the rest of the way.  We need to work together to accomplish God's work in the world today.  Verse seventeen says, And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred.  Solomon found a hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred strangers in Israel.  We cannot just count on those who are not Christians to do the work of God, but we must actively be involved ourselves.  Verse eighteen adds, And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.  Solomon then divided this group of men into three different crews, seventy thousand to be those who carried materials, eighty thousand to hew stone out of the mountains, and thirty-six hundred to be overseers.  Some of us as followers of Christ today are more grunt labor than supervisors. but we all need to work under the leadership of Holy Spirit.