Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Chronicles 5-7.
I want to start today’s blog by noting more about the compilation of this book. A few days ago I had noted that the genealogies at the beginning suggested that this book was compiled after the return from exile. I still believe that to be true. However, today’s passage was originally written before the Exile. We know this because Solomon’s temple was destroyed at the time of Exile, but this passage tells us that the carrying poles for the ark of the covenant could still be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary at the time of writing. This tells us that the genealogies, and perhaps other notes, were added on to copies being made of a source document which predated the Exile. It would not surprise me to someday learn that parts of multiple source documents were combined into this one document.
I have always thought of the temple which Solomon had built as a temple of God or a temple for God. However, as I was reading the passage today, I noticed that while Solomon was addressing the people during the dedication of the temple he referred to it as “temple for the Name of the Lord.” So, Solomon did not perceive himself to have built a temple for the Lord, he only considered it as being for the Name of the Lord. I take two things from this. On the one hand it indicates, as Solomon noted in his prayer of dedication, no building, or even city or nation, can contain God. So, we do not need to go to a specific location in order to call on God. God can hear us and come to our aid, no matter where we are on earth. On the other hand, the Name of God is no small thing to be used without care or thought. We must be careful to give God’s Name the honor it is due. And I just realized there is a third thing that I take from this. Solomon built the temple for the Name of the Lord rather than for the Lord in an attempt to keep people from starting to worship the temple itself.
I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.