From 2 Chronicles 6-8

Solomon has completed the temple. He now dedicates it to the LORD and prays for it and the people of Israel. In todays we look at closer detail at what he says about sin and forgiveness.

This post is part of my bible in a year series.

Passage and Comments

12 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 13 Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven, 16 Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’ 17 Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David. (2 Ch 6:12-17)

Solomon’s prayer is also in 1 Kings and covers some of the elements in the above passage.

18 “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! (2 Ch 6:18)

Solomon starts off his prayer in worship. He starts with God.

Solomon has just built a majestic temple. It was huge. It was full of gold. Inscriptions of angels and gardens were engraved everywhere. But even the greatest of temples cannot contain the LORD God. He is too big. Too awesome. Too high. Too powerful. The heavens cannot contain him. How could this temple?

Now he turns to their own lowly state.

19 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, 20 that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 21 And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. (2 Ch 6:19-21)

Solomon asks that the LORD will keep looking out for them. Solomon assumes the LORD’s attention could be elsewhere. On other matters. Solomon asks the LORD keep them in his sight. To watch over them.

Solomon asks the LORD will keep listening to their prayers. The LORD could refuse to listen. To focus his attention elsewhere. The LORD can hear peoples prayers and this is what Solomon is asking.

The LORD keeps his people in sight and hears their prayers.

Of course if the LORD does this there will be things he likes and things he doesn’t.

22 “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, 23 then hear from heaven and act and judge your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness. (2 Ch 6:22–23)

The LORD is the righteous king. He judges wrongdoing and rewards righteousness. The temple would be the place where justice was done. Legal decisions were made.

If a man who has done wrong, gives a false testimony at the temple, Solomon asks the LORD repay him for his guilt. To punish him for wrongdoing. The reverse is also true. Solomon asks the LORD vindicate the righteous and reward them for what they have done.

The justice executed in the temple was to involve supernatural acts where the LORD himself would dispense his judgments.

Deuteronomy 28-29 gives a list of blessing and curses for covenant obedience and disobedience. The curses in Deuteronomy are.

I’ve broken the curses down into specific categories;

• Pestilence, disease and drought (Dt 28.20-24)
• Defeated by enemies (Dt 28.25-26)
• Boils and tumors (Dt 28.27-29)
• Increased crime, family and property plundered (Dt 28.29-35)
• Foreign rule (Dt 28.36-37)
• Locusts (Dt 28.38-40)
• War, Exile and Captivity (Dt 28.41-44)
• Famine and Starvation (Dt 28.54-57)

Solomon is now about to describe a series of situations where something bad has happened or is happening to Israel. These are directly associated with Israel’s sin.

Surprise surprise God’s people still sin. Sinners even more. When Israel sins bad things happen to them. But even in the midst of their sin and rebellion God has compassion on them. He wants them to repent. He gives them a chance.

The LORD is just. He will punish wrongdoing. He is also amazingly patient and compassionate.

The curses above should help us to understand these situations are actually curses sent by the LORD to urge Israel to repent and receive forgiveness from the LORD. Some of the curses are in fact good things. They are intended to discipline Israel and restore her.

24 “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to them and to their fathers. (2 Ch 6:24–25)

If Israel is defeated by their enemies they should remember this is a covenant curse (Dt 28.25-26). They have sinned. Therefore they need to repent (‘turn again’), acknowledge the LORD and seek his forgiveness.

Solomon asks the LORD to hear their prayers from heaven and forgive.

Solomon says if they do this the LORD will ‘bring them again to the land’ suggesting another covenant curse – exile (Dt 28.41-44

26 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance. (2 Ch 6:26-27)

If the heavens shut up and there is no rain, the people of Israel are meant to interpret this as another sign they have sinned. Its another covenant curse (Dt 28.20-24).

Solomon asks the LORD to hear their prayers from heaven and forgive.

28 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 29 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, 30 then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, 31 that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers. (2 Ch 6:28-31)

Famine, pestilence, locusts. More covenant curses (Dt 28.20-24; 28.38-40; 28.54-57).

Solomon asks the LORD to hear their prayers from heaven and forgive.

32 “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, 33 hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name. (2 Ch 6:32-33)

Solomon breaks the flow of covenant curses by mentioning a foreigner. Solomon doesn’t seem to regard him as a sinner. He views him in a positive light.

The Gentile comes into the community. He does so for the ‘sake of the LORD’s great name’. Imagine that, he hears about the LORD. How did he hear? Someone told him! An evangelist! He hears and believes how great the LORD is and what he has done and decides to travel a long way to worship him.

Solomon asks the LORD to hear his prayers from heaven.

Solomon asks this so that ‘all the peoples of the earth may know the LORD’s name and fear him’. He also wants all the people of the earth to know about the ‘house’ of the LORD. When the LORD answers his prayer, the nations will know about it and be drawn themselves to him.

34 “If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 35 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause. (2 Ch 6:34-35)

In this instance Israel has not sinned. But they are at war and they need the LORD’s help. Solomon asks the LORD to ‘maintain their cause’. This is clearly related to the battles they are fighting. They need to win. If they don’t they will die and their cities plundered.

Solomon asks the LORD to hear their prayers from heaven and maintain their cause.

36 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near, 37 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ 38 if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 39 then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you. (2 Ch 6:36-39)

The context still seems to assume Israel is at war with their enemies. If in the context of the war they sin. Bad things can happen. The covenant curses invoked mean they will be defeated (Dt 28.25-26) and taken into exile (Dt 28.41-44).

Solomon asks the LORD to hear their prayers from heaven, maintain their cause and forgive.

In all of these curses, Solomon warns Israel against sin and reminds them over and over again the LORD is both just and loving. Just in the way he punishes sin and wrongdoing and abides by his covenant agreement with Israel. Loving in that he has provided a series of warnings before he destroys them for their sin and forgives their sin when they confess their sins and repent.

God’s wants all his people to know he listens to their prayers and forgives. The temple is clearly a place of prayer and forgiveness.

40 Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

41 “And now arise, O LORD God, and go to your resting place,

you and the ark of your might.

Let your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation,

and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.

42 O LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one!

Remember your steadfast love for David your servant.” (2 Ch 6:40–42)

Solomon finishes his prayer calling upon the LORD. Three people groups are identified. The priests minister in the temple. The Saints (all Israel) rejoice in the LORD. The anointed one, presumably Solomon the King pleads for the LORD to keep him in sight.

All the people are reminded again of the LORD’s covenant promises and care of David.

Story of Israel

The passage says a lot about sin. Sin comes under the judgment of God, in that it contradicts his nature and opposes his purposes. There are many passages which refer to the LORD’s judgment on sin. Lets have a look at one in Isaiah.

21 For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain. (Isa 26.21)

God’s judgment is in proportion to the seriousness of the sin (Jer 21.14; Dt 25.2). God also judges sin in several ways. He causes sin to bring evil to the sinner (2 Chr 6.23; Dt 19.19; Es 7.10; Ps 7:15–16 ; Is 30:13). God abandons people (Isa 64.7; Dt 31:17–18 ; Jos 7:11–12 ; La 4:16 ; Eze 39:23–24) and untimely death is God’s judgment on all sin (Gen 2.17; Le 20:1–17 ; 1 Ch 10:13 ; Pr 11:19).

As we have seen there are curses for disobedience as part of God’s covenant with Israel (Lev 26:14–39; Dt 28:15–68). In the passage above, Israel is repeatedly reminded of these curses and that if they sin, the LORD will want them to repent and receive forgiveness.

This is one of the primary reasons for the temple.

Unfortunately, Israel and Judah lapse into sin and wrongdoing. They abandon the LORD and forget the purpose of the temple. Their sin resulted in exile (2 Ki 17:7–23; 2 Ki 24:10–20).

Story of Jesus

Solomon’s dedication of the temple highlights that the Jews believed sins were forgiven at the temple. People came to the temple, prayed to God and asked him for forgiveness only he could give.

Since the fall of course people have been sinning. Therefore until Jesus returns and finally sets this world to rights there will always be a need at various times for God’s people to come to our merciful father and ask him for the forgiveness that only he can give.

These concepts have not changed, but in the gospel Jesus removed the need to go to the temple for forgiveness.

2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mk 2:1–12)

God’s people now go to Jesus for forgiveness.

This is the long point of today’s passage. We’ve been reminded again and again that God hears the prayers of those who pray to him, repent and ask for forgiveness. People of all nations no longer need to go to the temple. Rather we come to Jesus and receive what only God can give.

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Copyright © Joshua Washington and thescripturesays, 2015. All Rights Reserved.

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