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2
Chronicles Chapter Five
2 Chronicles 5
Chapter Contents
The ark placed in the temple. (1-10) The temple filled
with glory. (11-14)
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 5:1-10
(Read 2 Chronicles 5:1-10)
The ark was a type of Christ, and, as such, a token of
the presence of God. That gracious promise, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world, does, in effect, bring the ark into our religious
assemblies, if we by faith and prayer plead that promise; and this we should be
most earnest for. When Christ is formed in a soul, the law written in the
heart, the ark of the covenant settled there, so that it becomes the temple of
the Holy Ghost, there is true satisfaction in that soul.
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 5:11-14
(Read 2 Chronicles 5:11-14)
God took possession of the temple; he filled it with a
cloud. Thus he signified his acceptance of this temple, to be the same to him
that the tabernacle of Moses was, and assured his people that he would be the
same in it. Would we have God dwell in our hearts, we must leave room for him;
every thing else must give way. The Word was made flesh; and when he comes to
his temple, like a refiner's fire, who may abide the day of his coming? May he
prepare us for that day.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 2 Chronicles》
2 Chronicles 5
Verse 1
[1] 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.
The gold —
The remainder of those vast sums mentioned, 1 Chronicles 22:14.
Verse 5
[5] 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.
The ark —
The ark was a type of Christ, and a token of the presence of God. That gracious
promise, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, does in
effect bring the ark into our religious assemblies, if we claim it by faith and
prayer. And this we should be earnest for: the temple itself, if Christ leave
it, is a desolate place.
Those … — As
many of them as were fit for use, it is probable, were still used. The rest
were carefully laid up, as monuments of antiquity.
Verse 9
[9] 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.
To this day —
When this history was first written; not when it was reviewed by Ezra: for
after the return from Babylon, neither staves nor ark were any more seen.
Verse 11
[11] 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:
By course —
According to David's appointment, 1 Chronicles 24:1-31; 25:1-22, which was only for the ordinary
service, but in extraordinary solemnities, such as this, they all came
together.
Verse 14
[14] 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.
Glory of the Lord —
And this beautified it more than all the gold with which it was overlaid, or
the precious stones with which it was garnished. Yet even that was no glory, in
comparison of the glory of the gospel-dispensation.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on 2 Chronicles》
05 Chapter 5
Verse 1
Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the Lord was
finished.
Dedicated things
I. David before
his death dedicated certain treasures to God.
II. Solomon most
scrupulous in carrying out his father’s wish.
III. Solomon’s
example worthy of our imitation. (J. Wolfendale.)
The joy of the finished work
I. The
accomplishment of finished work is the cause of joy.
II. The power to
accomplish this work should be ascribed to God.
III. Hence in every
undertaking we should ask for god’s direction. (J. Wolfendale)
Things that are never finished
There are some buildings that are never finished. We never finish
our life-building; the life-temple goes up evermore--let every man take heed
how he buildeth. Do not suppose that you can finish your education. In the
higher education you only finish that you may begin; you close one book as a
pledge of your qualification to open another. How, as boys at school, we used
to be discouraged by this process of advancement! Having closed the arithmetic,
who was willing with his whole heart to open his algebra? Many persons could
have comfortably left school without beginning it at all. But there is always a
higher aspect of things to apprehend and apply. The table ends at twelve times
twelve, but not multiplication. So we can never finish reading the Word of God.
Solomon could finish his temple, but he could not finish the written record; it
never ends, or it ends as the days end. How do the days close? To begin again.
Each day the sun says as he westers in the golden clouds, not “Farewell,” but
only “Goodbye: we meet again presently; meanwhile, sleep well! “So with the
Bible; when we have read it we want to read it. You can never finish love. If
you can finish it, you never
began it. Love grows. There are some persons who have run out of that passion
and sunk into earthliness and coldness. Then they never knew the inspiration of
love. (J. Parker, D.D.)
Verse 1
Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the Lord was
finished.
Dedicated things
I. David before
his death dedicated certain treasures to God.
II. Solomon most
scrupulous in carrying out his father’s wish.
III. Solomon’s
example worthy of our imitation. (J. Wolfendale.)
The joy of the finished work
I. The
accomplishment of finished work is the cause of joy.
II. The power to
accomplish this work should be ascribed to God.
III. Hence in every
undertaking we should ask for god’s direction. (J. Wolfendale)
Things that are never finished
There are some buildings that are never finished. We never finish
our life-building; the life-temple goes up evermore--let every man take heed
how he buildeth. Do not suppose that you can finish your education. In the
higher education you only finish that you may begin; you close one book as a
pledge of your qualification to open another. How, as boys at school, we used
to be discouraged by this process of advancement! Having closed the arithmetic,
who was willing with his whole heart to open his algebra? Many persons could
have comfortably left school without beginning it at all. But there is always a
higher aspect of things to apprehend and apply. The table ends at twelve times
twelve, but not multiplication. So we can never finish reading the Word of God.
Solomon could finish his temple, but he could not finish the written record; it
never ends, or it ends as the days end. How do the days close? To begin again.
Each day the sun says as he westers in the golden clouds, not “Farewell,” but
only “Goodbye: we meet again presently; meanwhile, sleep well! “So with the
Bible; when we have read it we want to read it. You can never finish love. If
you can finish it, you never
began it. Love grows. There are some persons who have run out of that passion
and sunk into earthliness and coldness. Then they never knew the inspiration of
love. (J. Parker, D.D.)
Verses 2-10
To bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
The removal of the ark
I. The time of its
removal.
1. Remarkable in itself. The building finished in November was not
dedicated until the October of the following year. Feast of Tabernacles most
suitable time to dedicate temple.
2. Remarkable in its influence. “The magnitude of the event is marked
by the fact that now for the first time since the Exodus we have the year and
month recorded” (Stanley)
.
II. The method of
its removal. Similar to the ceremony of removing from the house of Obed-edom.
III. The ceremonies
which accompanied its removal.
IV. The solemn
deposit in its resting-place. (J. Wolfendale.)
Verse 12-13
Also the the Levites, which were the singers.
The temple choir
I. Music and
revelation from God. “There is no fuller revelation of God in Nature than is
found in these laws of sound, by which He comes into the very heart of man,
even to its inmost recesses of love and adoration; and it requires only a
sensitive, child-like heart to interpret this speechless music locked within
Nature as the voice of God pleading to be let out into music, and praise
through the heart of man, for so only can His works praise Him.”
II. Music as a
science to cultivate.
III. Music
consecrated to its highest use in the worship of God. (J. Wolfendale.)
Music in the churches
I propose to speak about sacred music.
I. Its importance.
This is apparent--
1. From the fact that God commanded it. Through Paul He tells us to
admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and through David
He cries out, “Sing ye to God, all ye kingdoms of the earth.” I think there are
more commands in the Bible to sing than there are to pray.
2. From the impressiveness of the exercise. You know something of
what secular music has achieved. One inspiriting national air is worth thirty
thousand men as a standing army. In the earlier part of the late war the
Government proposed to economise in bands of music, and many of them were sent
home; but the generals in the army sent word to Washington: “You are making a
great mistake. We are falling back and falling back. We have not enough music.”
Then the Government changed its mind: more bands of music were sent to the
field, and the day of shameful defeat terminated. Many of you are illustrations
of what sacred song can do. Through it you were brought into the kingdom of
Jesus Christ.
3. From its power to soothe perturbation.
4. From its power to arouse to action.
II. Some of the
obstacles in the way of its advancement.
1. It has been impressed into the service of superstition.
2. An inordinate fear of criticism.
3. There has been so much angry discussion on the subject.
4. The erroneous notion that this part of the service could be conducted
by delegation. (T. De Witt Talmage.)
United praise as a means of grace
I. That the glory
of the Lord began to appear when the assembly were employed in praise and
thanksgiving. Praise is the most acceptable service we can be engaged in:
“Whoso offereth praise giorifieth Me.” Prayer is an expression of our indigence
and weakness. Thanksgiving expresseth our relish of the sweetness of benefits
received; but praise rises above all selfish regards, and directly terminates
on the greatness and amiableness of God Himself. The habitations of the blessed
continually resound with the high praises of God. Did we praise God more, He
would give us greater cause to praise Him. It is suggestive that the Lord’s
Prayer both begins and ends with adoration.
II. The subject of
praise, which God honoured with this token of His acceptance, was His own
goodness and everlasting mercy. God is best pleased with our praises when we
adore and celebrate those perfections of His nature which dispose Him to pity
the miserable, and have the kindest aspect towards the children of men.
III. The seriousness
and fervour of this devout assembly. They devoted their whole strength and
activity, as if they were ambitious to spend themselves in this heavenly
employment. The devotion of the soul is the soul of devotion.
IV. The harmony and
unanimity of these ancient worshippers. “They were all as one, and made one
sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord” (Acts 2:1-2; Psalms 133:1-3.; Matthew 5:23-24). (R. Walker.)
On psalmody
I. Why or for what
end music is used in religious worship. By the constitution of our nature
music, by a mysterious and potent agency, awakens the heart, concentrates the
thoughts, and elevates the soul, and the end of music in religious worship is
to assist our devotions, by an application to our affections of that which has
upon them a powerful action to excite and direct them; by engaging us in an
exercise in which sympathy has large scope, and every one acts upon the rest,
to enable us to animate each other; to pour forth our praises and adorations in
a way that is significant and edifying, delightsome and impressive. Hence--
1. The absurdity of making music in our religious services a mere
matter of entertainment.
2. All kinds of music which have no tendency to aid and gratify
devotion ought to be banished from the house of God.
II. Some of the
examples and authorities for making music a handmaid to religion (Job 38:7; Genesis 4:21; Exodus 15:20; Psalms 47:6; Psalms 98:7; Ephesians 5:19; Matthew 26:30).
III. After what
manner the first Christians performed this service. The nearer we come to the
model of the primitive Church in this, the nearer we shall approach to
perfection. The psalmody of the first Christians was plain, simple, and solemn.
Their tunes were, probably, easy and few, and the character of them such as
expressed humility and love, and was calculated rather to melt than to capture
the heart. Afterwards, as piety declined, it became necessary to re-excite and
re-animate it by more striking music; and the whole congregation was divided
into two parts, which sang responsive to each other.
IV. Some brief
suggestions how we may use this part of divine service to our own benefit and
the glory of god. (Bp. Dehon.)
Advantages of music in public worship
I. “they lifted up
their voice.” Those whom nature has gifted with a voice ought to lift it up not
only in making responses but also in singing the praises of their Creator and
Redeemer. The choir should not be deputed by the congregation to praise God in
their stead. Its office is rather to lead their united praises.
II. In acceptable
worship the praise of the heart must accompany the praise of the lips: “They
were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord.”
Their hearts were all at one “with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of
music.” Those who sing loudly the praises of God should let heart, lips, and
life be a well-tuned instrument devoted to the service of the sanctuary. The
man who sings beautiful words with an angel’s tongue, and leads an unholy life,
pronounces his own condemnation.
III. Those who are
anxious that the praise of the heart should accompany the praise of the lips
will find themselves greatly aided by instruments of music: “They lifted up
their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music.”
Instrumental music unites voices which would otherwise be discordant, and
removes the diffidence of those who might otherwise be silent in the service of
the sanctuary. Instrumental music removes weariness from the mind, banishes
wandering thoughts, and enables us to mount above the world and the things of
the world, and to hold high converse with the adorable Trinity. It also conveys
to us a lively image of the worship and services of the heavenly sanctuary. (Revelation 14:2; Revelation 14:8). We must learn to
distinguish between the natural effect of music on the senses and the spiritual
effect of Divine truths on the soul.
IV. The
subject-matter of praise: God’s goodness in creation and redemption.
V. God’s testimony
of approbation: the cloud filled the house. This was designed to impress their
senses with an awful reverence of God.
VI. The time when
God gave them this remarkable token of His approbation: “When they lifted up
their voice.” Conclusion: “So that the priests could not stand to minister by
reason of the cloud.” These show that, when Christ should come, the priests
should not minister in their former manner. We are now called upon to renounce
every altar but the Cross, and every sacrifice but the Victim which bled on
Calvary. As s spiritual priesthood, we have “to present our bodies a living
sacrifice.” (Canon Arthur R. Pennington.)
That then the house was
filled with a cloud (with 2 Chronicles 7:1-8).--
Temple glories
The two passages of Scripture which I have read to you give you
two pictures. In the first you have the cloud, in the second you have the fire;
and in these two together you have the sacred mystic symbols of the presence of
the Eternal God in the midst of His people.
I. The first of
these passages affords me the first head of my discourse. Let us note--
1. The occupation in which the people were engaged. They were
praising God--
They sung that old psalm, “His mercy endureth for ever.”
2. While thus engaged the cloud filled the sacred places.
3. Then a solemn awe fell on all that were gathered that day.
4. The suppliants felt they might pray more earnestly because they
prayed surely.
II. The first text
has had reference to the past. The next dwells specially upon the future. After
praise, joined with solemn prayer and sacrifice, the fire came down.
1. How much the preacher wants this fire! Oh! I have heard a man
preach a sermon to which an angel might have listened for its faultless
truthfulness, but it lacked fire; but I have known another whose ministry was
faulty in many respects, but yet he spoke like a man that meant what he said,
with his heart boiling over at his eyes, and men were moved and many souls were
saved.
2. But we need this fire upon the hearers too. How well people listen
when they come to hear something! What a noble effect is produced when once the
fire comes upon a congregation! (C. H. Spurgeon.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》