2Ch 5:2-7:7 | TNotes

5:3 ^a The dedication of the Temple took place during the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn. This seven-day festival required a pilgrimage to the central place of worship (Deut 16:13-15 ^b). The seventh month marked the end of Israel’s harvest season, allowing landowners to leave for a week without concern for fields or crops.
5:5 ^c the special tent: “Tent of Meeting” is the name used in Exodus to indicate the function of the Tabernacle (e.g., Exod 33:7 ^d). The Tabernacle was the dwelling place of the divine presence (e.g., Exod 25:8-9 ^e) and the place where God met with his people through the priests. After the Temple was built, this special tent had no further function.
Summary for 2Chr 5:7-8: 5:7-8 ^f The giant cherubim were symbols of the universal and eternal rule of God.
5:9 ^g The Hebrew phrase to this day might be an idiom meaning from then on. The Ark was evidently not in the Temple following the Exile, when the Chronicler wrote.
5:10 ^h The Ark contained only the tablets of the covenant (see Exod 25:21 ⁱ; Deut 10:5 ^j). The pot of manna Aaron placed in the Ark (Exod 16:33-34 ^k) had apparently been lost.
Summary for 2Chr 5:11-14: 5:11-14 ^l The Chronicler complements the dedication of the Temple with a detailed description of a great celebration. He names the three specific orders of singers and all their kinsmen. The 120 ... trumpeters apparently included five priests from each of the 24 divisions (1 Chr 24:3-19 ^m). The sanctified priests, their standard apparel of fine linen robes, the musical instruments, the singers, and the trumpeters were all correctly positioned. When the priests exited, the musicians raised their song, and the cloud of the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple.

‏ 2 Chronicles 6

Summary for 2Chr 6:1-2: 6:1-2 ⁿ The dedication ceremony culminated in Solomon’s poetic proclamation that expressed the most basic concept of the Temple. God had chosen to dwell in the thick cloud of darkness. The dedication of the Temple affirmed God’s choice of Israel as his people and his continuous presence in their midst.
Summary for 2Chr 6:4-6: 6:4-6 ^o Israel’s history as God’s people, originated at the Exodus, reached a climax when God chose David to be king and Jerusalem to be his capital. Both the city and the dynasty were aspects of God’s promise to David (see 1 Chr 28:4 ^p; cp. 2 Sam 7:8-17 ^q; Ps 2:6-7 ^r).
Summary for 2Chr 6:10-11: 6:10-11 ^s The Chronicler blends the covenant of Sinai, represented by the Ark, with the Jerusalem Temple and the Davidic dynasty; he makes no mention of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, only implying it with reference to the Ark. God’s covenant relationship with Israel under Solomon and David formed the basis for the community’s relationship with God at the time of the Chronicler.
6:18 ^t even the highest heavens cannot contain you: All creation can be seen as God’s true temple—the palace of the divine King (see Isa 66:1-2 ^u).
Summary for 2Chr 6:21-39: 6:21-39 ^v In his covenant with Israel, the Lord established blessings and life as consequences of obedience, and curses and death as consequences of disobedience (Deut 27:11–28:68 ^w; 30:15-18 ^x). Solomon prayed for God to hear ... and forgive when the people failed to keep God’s covenant. The seven “if-then” petitions of his prayer represented any future situation that the people of the covenant might encounter. In each case, Solomon described the situation and asked God to intervene to help his people.
Summary for 2Chr 6:22-23: 6:22-23 ^y Petition 1: Solomon asked for justice to prevail when guilt and innocence cannot easily be determined. An example of such a case would be theft (Exod 22:7-9 ^z); the plaintiff and the defendant would both take oaths before God, and the person determined to be guilty would pay double.
Summary for 2Chr 6:24-25: 6:24-25 ^aa Petition 2: Solomon asked God to grant relief in response to repentance when sin causes misfortune. Prayer provides an opportunity for redemption, and God’s people experience his pardon through restoration.
Summary for 2Chr 6:26-27: 6:26-27 ^ab Petition 3: Solomon asked that God would guide his people to follow the right path so that sin would not prevent God’s blessing of rain for the land.
Summary for 2Chr 6:28-31: 6:28-31 ^ac Petition 4: Solomon showed a special sensitivity to human suffering by including both the private sorrow of those whose pain is hidden and the public distress of those whose pain is apparent. The prayer is personal, appealing to God’s knowledge of each individual motive. A further appeal pleads for God’s instruction so that the pain of failure might lead the individual to follow God’s ways in the future.
Summary for 2Chr 6:32-33: 6:32-33 ^ad Petition 5: Solomon expressed concern for those from other nations who voluntarily joined the society of the covenant when they saw God’s blessings on those who obeyed it (Deut 4:6-8 ^ae). These foreigners, no less than native Israelites, were the object of Solomon’s prayer for mercy before God.
Summary for 2Chr 6:34-35: 6:34-35 ^af Petition 6: Solomon asked God to hear the prayers of the people when they went out at God’s command to fight their enemies.
Summary for 2Chr 6:36-39: 6:36-39 ^ag Petition 7: Solomon’s prophetic concern that Israel might be completely exiled is evident in the final petition of his prayer. There were many exiles in the history of Israel, but complete destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple were the greatest challenges to faith. Solomon’s petitions looked to the Temple as a resource for faith; in a foreign land, the people might remember the chosen place and pray. The mention of land, city, and Temple (6:38 ^ah) suggests total destruction, not partial exile. The Temple might no longer be present, but the people could still direct their prayers to God in heaven, who would hear and forgive.
Summary for 2Chr 6:41-42: 6:41-42 ^ai Solomon’s prayer concludes with the quotation of a psalm (Ps 132:8-10 ^aj). This prayer was the final part of transferring the Ark to its place in the Temple. Prayers with psalms had also accompanied David’s transfer of the Ark to Jerusalem (1 Chr 16:7-36 ^ak); Solomon’s use of a psalm recalls the time when the Ark was first brought to its proper place.

• God is called to arise, not to war (cp. Num 10:35 ^al) but to his resting place in the Temple.
6:42 ^am In harmony with the opening of the prayer (6:15-17 ^an), Solomon asks God to remember his unfailing love for ... David; this refers to the covenant promise that God made to David (1 Chr 17:4-14 ^ao; see Isa 55:3 ^ap).

‏ 2 Chronicles 7:1-7

Summary for 2Chr 7:1-3: 7:1-3 ^aq When the Ark was brought to its place (see 5:13-14 ^ar), the glorious presence of the Lord descended on the Temple. The divine glory remained in the Temple, preventing the priests from entering to perform their service (see thematic note for The Glory of God at end of chapter and thematic note for God’s Glory with His People at end of chapter).
Summary for 2Chr 7:4-6: 7:4-6 ^as The offering of sacrifices was essential to dedicate the dwelling of the Most High on earth; the sacrifices also provided food for the people during the fifteen days of celebration. The numbers of animals sacrificed match those found in 1 Kgs 8:63 ^at.