2Ch 3:2 | KingComments | STEP | The building and dedication of the temple play an important role in the life of Solomon. The building is described in 2 Chronicles 3-4. In 2 Chronicles 3:1 Solomon starts to build. The description of the building runs until 2 Chronicles 4:10. He is seen as the builder, although others have actually built. The same goes for the Messiah Who will build the temple by others. There are seven temples in Scripture: 1. the temple of Solomon (destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar); 2. the temple of Zerubbabel (after the exile; this temple was changed and expanded by Herod and destroyed in the year 70 by the Roman armies led by Titus); 3. the temple in which the antichrist will show up; 4. the temple of Ezekiel, built in Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace. These are all material temples. There are also three spiritual temples, temples in which the Spirit of God dwells: 1. the physical body of the Lord Jesus ( ); 2. the church of God, the spiritual body of Christ and the spiritual house of God ( ; ); 3. the body of the individual believer ( ). For us, the deeper meaning of the temple of Solomon is its spiritual meaning. In the temple, just like in the tabernacle, we have in the picture a revelation of God’s glory in Christ. Of Him we read “and dwelt among us”, which is literally “and tabernacled among us” ( ). Everything in the temple refers to Him. There is a significant difference between the description of the temple in the first book of the Kings and that in the second book of the Chronicles. In the first book of the Kings the description is longer and gives much more details. In the second book of the Chronicles, written after the exile, the description may be more concise because the description of the first book of the Kings already exists. In the second book of the Chronicles we have a description of the altar and the veil. This is not in the first book of the Kings, while that book describes the dwellings of the priests and we do not find these in the second book of the Chronicles. We can say that the main differences in description are seen in the following aspects: 1. The temple is the dwelling place of God. That’s more what comes out in the first book of the Kings. There we also find priestly dwellings connected to the temple. That underlines the main idea of dwelling. This has a spiritual application. Just as God bodily dwelt in Christ when He was on earth and also dwells in Him now He is heaven ( ), so He dwells in the church as a temple. 2. The temple is a place of worship, where man can approach God on the basis of sacrifice. That is more the side of the description in the second book of the Chronicles. There we find the altar to sacrifice and the veil that speaks of approaching. There are some other differences between the tabernacle and the temple. 1. The tabernacle is a movable tent, while the temple is a permanent building. 2. Therefore, as a next difference, everything in the temple can be larger and more numerous. 3. The temple has priestly dwellings, you can dwell there. In the tabernacle there are only ‘pitches’. 4. The temple has its singers. 5. There are also the huge cherubim. Everything in the temple is much larger and more than in and around the tabernacle. This is in accordance with the extent to which God is known and served in the land. The only thing that stands in its original size and as the only sample both in the tabernacle and in the temple is the ark with the mercy seat and the cherubim. The tabernacle is found in the letter to the Hebrews, which we can call a ‘wilderness letter’. This letter speaks about the life of the believer on earth. Israel has travelled through a literal wilderness, believers travel through a world that is compared to a wilderness. The Hebrews live in the land. They have never seen the tabernacle and are only familiar with the temple. Yet the letter to them does not refer to the temple, but to the tabernacle, for the previously mentioned reason that they are seen as living in the wilderness of this world. The letter to the Ephesians places us spiritually in the promised land and in that letter we hear about the temple ( ). There the believers of the church are in the heavenly places in possession of all the blessings of the land ( ). An Israelite comes to the temple on three special occasions: on the occasion of the Passover, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths ( ). We find these three feasts also in Leviticus 23 among the seven feasts mentioned there ( ). Several of the seven feasts of the LORD are harvest feasts, which also include the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. In a way, this also applies to the Passover with which the Feast of the First fruits is connected. On the occasion of the various harvests in Israel, the Israelite then goes to the temple with the fruit of the harvest, the blessing of the land, and brings it before God. This fruit is not found in the wilderness. To have fruit, the people must live in the promised land. God has a temple in the promised land, that the fruit of the land may be brought there. For us this has a spiritual meaning. Everything that has to do with Christ as the blessing of the land, we may bring to God. That is, we can tell God what we have all seen from the Lord Jesus and what heavenly blessings we have received from Him. The place where Solomon starts to build the house of the LORD is indicated in connection with several names. It is “in Jerusalem”, that is the city God has chosen for it. It is the city of His election. It is “on Mount Moriah”. The threshing floor of Ornan ( ) appears to be here on Mount Moriah. It is the mountain where Abraham offered his son ( ). Moriah is reminiscent of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. We do not see a God Who demands a sacrifice, but a God Who gives a sacrifice. The sacrifice that God has given in His Son forms the basis for the building of God’s temple now, which is the church. The next name is that of David to whom the LORD has appeared. In the first book of the Chronicles there is talk of “the angel of the LORD” who appears to David ( ), while here it is said that the LORD Himself appears to David. This is a clear indication that by the angel of the LORD the LORD Himself is meant. God the Son appears as the Angel of the LORD before He becomes Man. The LORD appears to David the moment He stretches out the sword over Jerusalem. However, the verdict is not carried out. The place designated for the temple has to do with the judgment that has raged and been brought to an end ( ). This is “the place David had prepared” to build the temple there. The threshing floor belongs to a heathen, the Jebusite Ornan, but was taken from him – and thus from the Canaanites – and made into a place where God can have His house built. In the time of the New Testament, this is the time after the cross and since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God has also conquered a place from the Gentiles and built His temple there. After the indication of the place where Solomon starts building the temple, we are informed when building starts ( ). The chronicler only mentions that Solomon starts building in the fourth year of his reign. If we compare this with the dating in the first book of the Kings it is striking that the chronicler does not make a relation with the exodus from Egypt ( ). He will have omitted mentioning that, because he is more focused on those who have left Babylon to come and live in Israel again.

‏ 2 Chronicles 3:2

Introduction

The building and dedication of the temple play an important role in the life of Solomon. The building is described in 2 Chronicles 3-4. In 2 Chronicles 3:1 Solomon starts to build. The description of the building runs until 2 Chronicles 4:10. He is seen as the builder, although others have actually built. The same goes for the Messiah Who will build the temple by others.

There are seven temples in Scripture:

1. the temple of Solomon (destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar);

2. the temple of Zerubbabel (after the exile; this temple was changed and expanded by Herod and destroyed in the year 70 by the Roman armies led by Titus);

3. the temple in which the antichrist will show up;

4. the temple of Ezekiel, built in Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

These are all material temples.

There are also three spiritual temples, temples in which the Spirit of God dwells:

1. the physical body of the Lord Jesus (Jn 2:21);

2. the church of God, the spiritual body of Christ and the spiritual house of God (1Cor 3:16; 1Tim 3:15);

3. the body of the individual believer (1Cor 6:19).

For us, the deeper meaning of the temple of Solomon is its spiritual meaning. In the temple, just like in the tabernacle, we have in the picture a revelation of God’s glory in Christ. Of Him we read “and dwelt among us”, which is literally “and tabernacled among us” (Jn 1:14). Everything in the temple refers to Him.

There is a significant difference between the description of the temple in the first book of the Kings and that in the second book of the Chronicles. In the first book of the Kings the description is longer and gives much more details. In the second book of the Chronicles, written after the exile, the description may be more concise because the description of the first book of the Kings already exists. In the second book of the Chronicles we have a description of the altar and the veil. This is not in the first book of the Kings, while that book describes the dwellings of the priests and we do not find these in the second book of the Chronicles.

We can say that the main differences in description are seen in the following aspects:

1. The temple is the dwelling place of God. That’s more what comes out in the first book of the Kings. There we also find priestly dwellings connected to the temple. That underlines the main idea of dwelling. This has a spiritual application. Just as God bodily dwelt in Christ when He was on earth and also dwells in Him now He is heaven (Col 1:19 ; Col 2:9), so He dwells in the church as a temple.

2. The temple is a place of worship, where man can approach God on the basis of sacrifice. That is more the side of the description in the second book of the Chronicles. There we find the altar to sacrifice and the veil that speaks of approaching.

There are some other differences between the tabernacle and the temple.

1. The tabernacle is a movable tent, while the temple is a permanent building.

2. Therefore, as a next difference, everything in the temple can be larger and more numerous.

3. The temple has priestly dwellings, you can dwell there. In the tabernacle there are only ‘pitches’.

4. The temple has its singers.

5. There are also the huge cherubim.

Everything in the temple is much larger and more than in and around the tabernacle. This is in accordance with the extent to which God is known and served in the land.

The only thing that stands in its original size and as the only sample both in the tabernacle and in the temple is the ark with the mercy seat and the cherubim.

The tabernacle is found in the letter to the Hebrews, which we can call a ‘wilderness letter’. This letter speaks about the life of the believer on earth. Israel has travelled through a literal wilderness, believers travel through a world that is compared to a wilderness. The Hebrews live in the land. They have never seen the tabernacle and are only familiar with the temple. Yet the letter to them does not refer to the temple, but to the tabernacle, for the previously mentioned reason that they are seen as living in the wilderness of this world. The letter to the Ephesians places us spiritually in the promised land and in that letter we hear about the temple (Eph 2:21-22). There the believers of the church are in the heavenly places in possession of all the blessings of the land (Eph 1:3).

An Israelite comes to the temple on three special occasions: on the occasion of the Passover, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths (Deu 16:1-15). We find these three feasts also in Leviticus 23 among the seven feasts mentioned there (Lev 23:1-36). Several of the seven feasts of the LORD are harvest feasts, which also include the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. In a way, this also applies to the Passover with which the Feast of the First fruits is connected. On the occasion of the various harvests in Israel, the Israelite then goes to the temple with the fruit of the harvest, the blessing of the land, and brings it before God. This fruit is not found in the wilderness. To have fruit, the people must live in the promised land.

God has a temple in the promised land, that the fruit of the land may be brought there. For us this has a spiritual meaning. Everything that has to do with Christ as the blessing of the land, we may bring to God. That is, we can tell God what we have all seen from the Lord Jesus and what heavenly blessings we have received from Him.

Building the Temple

The place where Solomon starts to build the house of the LORD is indicated in connection with several names. It is “in Jerusalem”, that is the city God has chosen for it. It is the city of His election. It is “on Mount Moriah”. The threshing floor of Ornan (1Chr 21:18-30 ; 1Chr 22:1) appears to be here on Mount Moriah. It is the mountain where Abraham offered his son (Gen 22:2). Moriah is reminiscent of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. We do not see a God Who demands a sacrifice, but a God Who gives a sacrifice. The sacrifice that God has given in His Son forms the basis for the building of God’s temple now, which is the church.

The next name is that of David to whom the LORD has appeared. In the first book of the Chronicles there is talk of “the angel of the LORD” who appears to David (1Chr 21:16), while here it is said that the LORD Himself appears to David. This is a clear indication that by the angel of the LORD the LORD Himself is meant. God the Son appears as the Angel of the LORD before He becomes Man.

The LORD appears to David the moment He stretches out the sword over Jerusalem. However, the verdict is not carried out. The place designated for the temple has to do with the judgment that has raged and been brought to an end (1Chr 21:15-18). This is “the place David had prepared” to build the temple there. The threshing floor belongs to a heathen, the Jebusite Ornan, but was taken from him – and thus from the Canaanites – and made into a place where God can have His house built. In the time of the New Testament, this is the time after the cross and since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God has also conquered a place from the Gentiles and built His temple there.

After the indication of the place where Solomon starts building the temple, we are informed when building starts (2Chr 3:2). The chronicler only mentions that Solomon starts building in the fourth year of his reign. If we compare this with the dating in the first book of the Kings it is striking that the chronicler does not make a relation with the exodus from Egypt (1Kgs 6:1). He will have omitted mentioning that, because he is more focused on those who have left Babylon to come and live in Israel again.