Today’s passage: 2 Chronicles 2:1-18
Helpful thoughts:
- For the next several chapters, our attention will be given to the building of the Temple.
- Calling God the maker of heaven and earth was a common way to refer to the Lord among the pagan peoples. Our God is not just a mover of lightning and thunder. Our God is not just a grower of harvests. The Lord, He is God! He alone is the one true God.
- Solomon decrees this in his request to Hiram, and Hiram responds respectfully.
- The resident aliens could have consisted of descendants of the Canaanites who had been defeated in war or other immigrants who had moved to Israel after it had been established.
- These people were being given jobs through this project. Their lives would quite probably have just gotten better with these new responsibilities. (Exodus 22:21)
- Those who were given the job of “bearing burdens” just means they were responsible to transport the materials to Jerusalem for the construction.
Questions to consider:
- In what ways did Solomon deal respectfully with King Hiram and also present a good testimony of the Lord? What did he write about God that represented the Lord well? What can we learn from those truths about God and about our conversations with the lost concerning Him?
- How do we see God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer continuing to be fulfilled in this chapter? What is Hiram’s view of Solomon’s dealing thus far?
- Once Solomon set his mind to build, what did he do? Was he content to simply have the idea, or did he spring into action? What actions are you taking (Or could you take) to continue to work with Christ in building His church?