I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Chronicles 1-4.

The first thing I want to write is something that has been going through my head for a few weeks.  I realized that this blog varies between entries which talk about how the passage I am reading speaks to my faith to what it tells me about the historical context of the Bible to how it influences my biblical interpretation (I was going to use the word hermeneutics there, which would have been an example of me sometimes using more obscure words than necessary).  Basically, this blog is whatever thoughts the passage I am reading that day bring to me.  I would prefer if those thoughts were about ways the passage teaches me to be a better servant of Christ, but sometimes those thoughts go in different directions.  Nevertheless, I think that those thoughts have value and illustrate how reading the Bible over and over again can teach us things we missed previously.  Today’s thoughts are an example of that.

 I am not sure I was ever aware before my reading through the Bible this year that when King David moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he did not move the Tabernacle or the altar which had been built when Moses was alive.  I had not even been aware that they still existed at that time.  I first noticed the fact that the Tabernacle and altar were still at Gibeon when I read the 1 Kings passage about Solomon becoming king but did not comment on it at the time.  However, when I was presented with that understanding again today I realized that it changes my perception about what was going on in passages both before and after this.  I have always viewed the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the Exodus altar in unity.  That unity meant that to me, the Temple was a transformed Tabernacle.  However, this passage shows us that the early Israelites did not view it that way.  In fact, it made me realize that the Ark and the Tabernacle had been in separate locations since the Ark was captured by the Philistines in Eli’s day, and perhaps before that.  All of this suggests that the pre-Davidic Israelites had developed a practice whereby certain priests, Samuel is an example, traveled around and offered sacrifices to God locally for those who were unable to travel to where the Tabernacle or Ark were.  

I may have mentioned this next thought in my discussions about the similar passage in 1 Kings.  When I was growing up I was taught that what made Solomon’s request so wonderful was that he asked for wisdom rather than wealth or fame.  The lesson being taught was that wisdom should be valued more highly than either of those other two.  There is truth to that lesson, but it misses an even more important lesson which Solomon’s request teaches.  Solomon’s request was not for wisdom for himself.  Solomon requested wisdom in order to serve God’s people better.  We should seek how we can better serve God’s people.  So, we should seek wisdom because wisdom will always help us serve others better.  But there may be other things which are just as necessary for us to do the tasks to which God has called us.  Note: one element of any task to which God has called us is serving others.