Discussions

1. Rehoboam’s heart to follow God changed multiple times during his life. He obeyed God’s command not to flight against his brothers in the beginning of his reign (11:4), he led the people for three years walking in the ways of David and Solomon (11:17), but then he abandoned the law of God, unfaithful to God after he became strong (12:1). As a result God raised up Shishak king of Egypt to attack Jerusalem (12:2). Then Rebohoam humbled himself before God (v6). God sawed that Judah humble themselves, he spared them but still let them subject to Egypt, so that they may learn the difference between serving God and serving the kings of other lands (v8). Because Rehoboam humbled himself, he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah (v12). However at the end of his reign of 16 years, he did evil again because he had not set his heart on seeking God (v14). What lesson could we learn from the life of Rehoboam?

Discussions

1. Jeroboam rejected the priests of God, he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made (15). Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking God, followed the Levites to Jerusalem. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time (v17). When we see God’s people rejected God and worship idols, what should be our reaction? When there are division in God’s kingdom, who should we follow?

Discussions

1. Solomon received 666 talens of gold annually (9:1), made a great throne for himself (9:17); he was the greatest in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth (9:22); he had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots (9:25) and twelve thousand horses; he made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones; he married Pharaoh’s daughter (8:11); he put heavy yoke on the people (10:4). Do you think what he did please God? Please read Deut 17 before answer this question. Do you think what he did cause the division of the kingdom in chapter 10? Does the same principle apply to us today? If we do not follow Christ and obey His commands, what could happen to us?
2. Rehoboam listen to the advise of his young friends instead of the elders (10:8), as the result ten tribes of Israel rebelled against him (10:19). What lesson could we learn from the event?

The Glory of the Lord Filled the Temple

What is glorious sign to witness when the glory of the LORD filled the magnificent temple (v2)! It was an exciting, new chapter in Jews history. The temple was one of the most magnificent building at that time, they could see the glory of God filled the temple! For many Jews, this may be the very first time they see God’s glory in their life! As a result, they knelt facedown to worship and give thanks to the LORD (v3)!

Then God spoke to Solomon the second time (1st time in Gibeon in chapter 1). If Solomon walked before God and obeyed all of God’s commands, God will continue to establish his royal throne. If he turn away and forsake God’s commands and worshiped idols, God will uproot Israel from His land (v20). It is the same covenant that God had with the Jews before they enter the land of promised (Deut 28).

Today, we need the glory of God to fill our churches. The glory of God is with us when the Lordship of Jesus is uphold in His church. That means we truly let Jesus to be the Lord of our life.

When worship idols instead of Jesus, the glory of God will depart from us, and all we left is deserted temple without the glory of God.

Discussions:

1. When the temple was built, the glory of God filled the temple (7:1). And then God spoke to Solomon and warned him. If he walk before God as David his father did, God will establish his royal throne according to God’s covenant with David (7:18). If he turn way and forsake the decrees and commands of God, God will reject the temple (7:20). The same God’s principle can be applied to His church. In your local church, have you experience the glory of God? Have you seen the glory of God departed because of the disobedience of His people?

Description of the Temple

Illustration of Solomon’s Temple (from ESV Study Bible)

The Temples of God

The Tabernacle:

The house of God in Israel for 400 years was only a tent. Most of the time it stood at Shiloh after entering canaan, and later it was in Gibeon (2 Chro 1:3). See Exodus chapter 25-40 for its description.

Solomon’s Temple:

The plan was revealed by God to David (1 Chro 28:12, 19), and built by Solomon (2 Chro 2-4). Its glory was short-lived. It was plundered within five years after Solomon’s death and was destroyed by Babylonians 340 years later, in 586 B.C.

Zerubbabel’s Temple:

Also known as the Second Temple. Built after the return from captivity, it stood for 500 years. Its construction is recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Herod’s Temple:

This was the temple to which Christ came. It was an expansion of Zerubbabel’s Temple. It has taken Herod the Great 46 years (John 2:20) to build it.  It was a truly magnificent building of marble and gold, surrounded by courts and porticos. It was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. Jesus was furious when he saw the Jews had turned the temple into a market (John 2:16).

Christ’s Body:

Jesus called His body a temple (John 2:19-21). In Him God lived among men. Jesus said that earthly temples were not necessary to the worship of God (John 4:20-24)

The Church:

The church is a temple of God. God’s dwelling-place in the word. [Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. ] (1 Cor 3:16-17)

Individual Christian:

Each individual Christian is a temple of God. [Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;] (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Ezekiel’s Temple:

Ezekiel saw a temple in his vision (Ez 40-43). It was not an actual temple, but a vision of a future, ideal, restored temple.

The Temple in Heaven:

The tabernacle was a pattern of something in heaven. [But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.] (Heb 9:12).

[For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.] (Heb 9:24).

John saw a temple in Revelation 11: [Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.].

Later, God and the Lamb had become the temple: [I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.] (Rev 21:22)

Seek His Kingdom First

v7: [That night God appeared to Solomon…] God appeared to Solomon because Solomon has the heart for God. He led the leaders of Israel to Gibeon to offer 1000 burn offerings to God (v6).

v12: [I will also give you wealth, riches and honor…] God did not only give Solomon wisdom and knowledge, He also gave him wealth, riches and honor although Solomon did not ask for these, because God was pleased with Solomon’s heart to serve Him and His people (v10). Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge not for the benefits of himself, instead he desired to use the wisdom and knowledge to lead the great people of God (v10).

When my son asked me for things so that he can help me to accomplish my plans, I am very pleased because his heart was thinking about his daddy. I would be so pleased that I would give him things that he did not ask.

The Lord Jesus taught us the same principle: [But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well] (Matt 6:33). So when we pray to our heavenly Father, learned to ask for things for the benefits of God’s kingdom, because that is what pleases Him. And in His grace, He would choose to bless us with things we did not even ask.

The Beginning of The Change of Heart of King Solomon

v14-17:

[Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem] (v14)

We are not sure how much time has passed after Solomon’s encounter with God, but the incident in v14-17 shown us that Solomon has started to depart from following the commands of the LORD. He started to accumulate chariots and horses. As a King, Solomon is supposed to copy the pentateuch and obey God’s command (Deut 17:18).

The law clearly states that:

[The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”] (Deut 17:16)

Solomon not only acquired horses, he acquired them form Egypt, which was specifically forbidden by God.

Solomon had a great start by searching the kingdom of God first. However, he soon started to use his wisdom to build the kingdom of Israel but ignoring God’s command.

We may have started in the right course with God, but we need to stay the course, and finish the course. The start, the journey, and the end are all important in God’s eyes.

Give Willingly to the LORD for all comes from the LORD (v1-20)

The temple of the Lord is built with gold, silver, bronze, iron and various precious stones (v2). In NT, we are God’s temple: [Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?] (1 Cor 3:16). Are you building your life with gold, silver and costly stones or with wood, hay and straw  (1 Cor 3:12)? The truth of our life as follower of Christ will be reveal on the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10).

[who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD?] (v5). A lot of people are willing to receive Christ because their sins will be forgiven. But how many believers are willing to consecrate himself to the LORD?

v6-9: King David’s set an great example to give his personal treasures to the building of the temple (v3), the leaders also give willingly to the Lord (v6). [Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver] (2 Cor 9:7). Giving as followers of Christ is not a rule, but is an outward response of our love for Christ and the people that He loves.

David’s prayer expressed the spirit of joyful giving beautifully: [All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever] (v17-18).

King David acknowledged and proclaimed that everything comes from God (v14). When we give, we are giving what comes from God back to Him! It is like a child give a portion of his allowance back to his father. Our heavenly Father is a father of abundance, after all, the owns the whole world! He does not need anything from us, but our willing heart and expression in giving back to Him pleases Him (v16). When my son wanted to share a toy that I bought for him with me, I am pleased and filled with joy, not because of the toy, but because of my son’s heart for me.

[my God, that you test the heart and are please with integrity]. God test our heart, He knows exactly what we think and where our heart is. Do not give (money or time or service) with the motive of letting other people think we love God like the Pharisees did (Matt 6).

The Legacy of David (v26-30)

[He ruled over Israel forty years…He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king] (v27).

At every funeral, our count the legacy of the deceased. So ;et’s count David’s legacy:

1. He united the nation of Israel
2. He gave the people peace in their land
3. He extended the borders of the kingdom
4. He provided much of the wealth that was used to build the temple
5. He instructed his son Solomon and the leaders to build the temple
6. He purchased the site on the the temple would be built
7. God gave David the plans for the temple
8. He wrote many psalms for the Levites to sing as they worshiped God, for us to read and sing
9. He organized the temple ministry and taught the people that the worship of God was the number one priority for them
10. He made two two major sins in his life: 1)adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, 2) the census of Israel. We learned from his mistakes

David lives an abundance life, because he was after God’s heart, and God blessed him. All of us will one day leave this world, what kind of legacy we want to leave behind? Is your life heading toward this direction? If not, it is still not too late to change, the Lord is asking: [Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD] (v5)?

 

Plans for Building the Temple

v1: David called all his leaders into Jerusalem for the announcement of building the temple.

v2: It is interested that David called the leaders his brothers and his people. By calling the leaders who serve under him brothers, he put himself on the same level as them, even though he is the king. This is a reminder to the leaders in today’s church, God may have called you to be pastor or elder, but you are still at the same level at the rest of the church, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and there is only one head in the church, the Lord Jesus.

v3: The tabernacle was the resting place of God on earth, now David had a strong desire in his heart to build a magnificent temple as the resting place of God. Today’s, God’s resting place is the Church of Jesus Christ. It is not a cathedral, but is the people who profess Jesus as Lord.

v3: David did not hide the fact that God did not built him to actually build the temple, because he was a warrior and have shed blood.

v4-8: David is preparing the people to support his son Soloman as his successor, as the 3rd King of Israel, who will carry out the responsibility to build the temple.

v7-8: David reminded his son Soloman and his people that they need to follow all the commands of God, so that God will establish the Kingdom of Israel and the Land of Israel forever. However history told us that at the later stage of King Soloman life, he married married gentiles wife and worship their idols. The Jews also followed their king to worship idols. As a result, the kingdom of Israel fell apart and the land of Israel fell into the hands of the foreign kingdoms.

v7-8: As the Church of Christ, we are called to follow our Lord Jesus and worship no idols.

v9: [serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.] God knows our heart and the motives behind our thoughts and actions. Are you serving the Lord will the right motive? Are we serving the Lord for our own glory, or for the glory of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords?

v11-19: Just like how God gave details instructions of the tabernacle, all the articles in the tabernacle, and service of the priests and levies in the court and the tabernacle, God had done it the second time with King David through His Spirit (v12). God has revealed to King David regarding the plans of the temple buildings (v12), the service of the priests and the Levites (v13), and the instructions of the articles within and around the temple (v14-18).

v19: David had wrote down these revelations from God so that his son Soloman would know exactly how the temple would look like. Just like God had asked Moses to [make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you] (Ex 25:9), God is asking King Soloman to build the temple exactly like the pattern He had revealed to King David.

v19: The building of the church of Christ is the same as the building of the tabernacle and the temple. We ought not to build His church based on our own understanding and worldly methods, but with the revelations from God, according to the patterns which He has revealed to us in the scriptures.

v20-21: The father was encouraging the son on the building of this magnificent temple for God. King David encouraged Soloman [be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you]. The encouragement was almost the same as the encouragement from Moses to Joshua (Deut 31:7-8). Today’s many fathers spent too many time criticizing their children, instead, fathers need to encouragement their children to be strong and courageous. We need to encourage our children to be strong and courageous, do not afraid or get discourage when faced with challenges in life, because the Lord Jesus will never forsake them.

Gatekeepers and Treasurers

This chapter list the names of the gatekeepers, their duties was already described in chapter 9, verse 17-27. Although they had many duties, their chef duty is the guard the treasuries of the temple (9:26). It was a very important work, because all the treasures in Israel was stored in the storehouse in the temple. These treasures included the plunder taken in battle, and treasures dedicates by Israelites for the temple (v26-28).

The treasurers were assigned to take care of the treasuries. Working together with the gatekeepers, they keep the treasuries.

What are the treasures in the church today? I can think of many things but I like to focus on perhaps the most importance one: the teachings of Christ, the truth. A church needs gatekeepers to protect the truth. The enemies always is looking for gaps in the church to attack (2 Tim 4:4) the teaching of Christ, the job of the gatekeepers is to know the word of God well, and to guard the truth.

Serving the LORD with music

This chapter is about the musicians who served in the house of God.

We notice the following characteristics in the music ministry:

1. The musical ministry was led by three men, instead of just one man: Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun (v1)
2. Multiple kind of musical instruments were used: harps, lyres and cymbals (v1)
3. The leaders were prophesying through music. Prophesy means foretelling and forth telling. The musicians were proclaiming to truth of God through their musics (v1)
4. They used music to give thanks and to praise the LORD (v3)
5. Heman, one of the three leaders was also the king’s seer. A seer is someone who has strong senses of the will of the God. (v5)
6. The musicians were under supervision of their fathers, whom were under supervision of the king (v6).
7. All of them were trained and skilled in the music for the LORD.

Music was not part of the original worship in the tabernacle as commanded by the LORD through Moses (Ex 23 – 40). Although Moses himself was a musician, he wrote Plasm 90, and he lead the Israelites in a song to praise the LORD after the LORD has led them across the red sea (Ex 15).

David established the musical worship in the house of God, and since then the Jews and Christians have been worshipping God using musics.

How can we apply what we learn in this chapter in today’s church?

The worship of God through music is a significant part of Christians worship. Although we have leaders who led the singing,  it is extremely important that these leaders need to be Godly men, who are under the supervision of the King, our Lord Jesus.

Our songs need to be proclaiming truth, that means lyrics should have the depth and breadth of the truth revealed in scriptures regarding who the Lord Jesus is and what He did for us.

The musicians should be gifted in their skills. They should be trained so that the music would help the saints in worshipping the LORD.