Introduction

‘When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshipped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” 2 Chronicles 7:1-3

THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE

After praying to God, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices, 2 Chronicles 7:1.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.

‘Other Biblical accounts of fire coming down from heaven to consume sacrifices are. 1. At the Mosaic tabernacle, Leviticus 9:24. 2. Before Manoah, Judges 13:20. 3. At the Davidic altar on Mount Moriah, 1 Chronicles 21:26.’

Notice that the glory of the Lord filled the temple, 2 Chronicles 7:1. This was God’s way of demonstrating that He accepted the offering that was made. The priests couldn’t enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it, 2 Chronicles 7:2.

When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, it’s no wonder that everyone knelt, worshipped, and thanked God for His goodness and His enduring love, 2 Chronicles 7:3.

‘Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the LORD’s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing. Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat portions. So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.’ 2 Chronicles 7:4-10

When we read about the number of sacrifices being made here, 2 Chronicles 7:4-5 / 1 Kings 8:62-63, there’s no doubt that Israel at this point in time, anyway, were totally committed to God and His laws, 2 Chronicles 7:1-10.

The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the LORD’s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, ‘His love endures forever.’ Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing, 2 Chronicles 7:6.

Solomon had to consecrate the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple, and present offerings because the bronze altar was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings, 2 Chronicles 7:7 / 1 Kings 8:64.

Lebo Hamath, 2 Chronicles 7:8 / 1 Kings 8:65, was the northern region of Palestine between Mount Hermon and Lebanon, and the Wadi of Egypt was a small river south of Gaza in the southern part of Palestine.

They celebrated for a total of fourteen days, 2 Chronicles 7:9 / 1 Kings 8:65. This would be seven days of celebration at the Feast of Dedication and seven more days of celebration for the Feast of Tabernacles, 2 Chronicles 7:9 / Leviticus 23:36 / John 7:37.

The following day, Solomon sent the people away. The people blessed him and then went home filled with joy and glad hearts because of all the good things God had done for his servant David and His people Israel, 2 Chronicles 7:10 / 1 Kings 8:66.

Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.

‘They were contented with their king, at peace among themselves, and happy in their God, so that they returned to their houses magnifying their God for all his bounty to them, their country, and their king. How happy must these people have been, and how prosperous, had their king continued to walk uprightly before God! But alas! the king fell, and the nation followed his example.’

THE LORD APPEARS TO SOLOMON

‘When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, the LORD appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’ “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’” 2 Chronicles 7:11-22

After completing the building work of the temple and his royal palace, Solomon achieved all he had desired to do, 2 Chronicles 7:11 / 1 Kings 9:1. Although it was never God’s desire to have a temple built, 2 Samuel 7:5-7, God accepts it, and so the temple was consecrated with the presence of God, 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. God appears to Solomon, 2 Chronicles 7:12 / 1 Kings 9:2-3.

Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.

‘The design of this appearance, which was in a dream, as that was at Gibeon, was to assure Solomon that God had accepted his service, and had taken that house for his dwelling-place, and would continue it, and establish him and his descendants upon the throne of Israel for ever, provided they served him with an upright heart; but, on the contrary, if they forsook him, he would abandon both them and his temple.’

God says when He shuts up the heavens so that there is no rain, or commands locusts to devour the land or sends a plague among His people, He says there are four terms and conditions required for God to hear them, forgive them and their land, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 / Psalm 85:6 / Jeremiah 2:2 / Malachi 3:7 / Revelation 2:4.

1. The first thing that God is looking for is for people to remember they are called by His name, 2 Chronicles 7:14 / Ephesians 4:1 / 1 Thessalonians 2:12.

2. The second thing that God is looking for is for people to humble themselves, 2 Chronicles 7:14 / Isaiah 57:15 / Revelation 3:14-22.

3. The third thing that God is looking for is for people not to have a complacent heart, 2 Chronicles 7:14 / Jeremiah 29:12-13 / Isaiah 55:6-7.

4. The fourth thing that God is looking for is for people not to have a disobedient walk, 2 Chronicles 7:14 / John 14:15 / Isaiah 1:19.

God says if they meet those terms and conditions, then His eyes will be open and His ears will be attentive to the prayers offered in this place, 2 Chronicles 7:14. It was God who chose and consecrated the temple so that His Name may be there forever, His eyes and His heart will always be there, 2 Chronicles 7:16.

God once again lays down the terms and conditions for Solomon. He had to walk faithfully with the Lord, 2 Chronicles 7:17 / 1 Kings 9:3-4. If he wanted to continue to be David’s successor, then he had to obey God’s commands, 2 Chronicles 7:18 / 1 Kings 8:24-26.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.

‘The answer given by God to Solomon’s prayer is reported more fully in 2 Chronicles 7:12-22. When God puts His Name in the temple, He does it, in intention, ‘forever.’ He will not arbitrarily withdraw it; there it will remain ‘forever,’ so far as God is concerned. But the people may, by unfaithfulness, drive it away, 1 Kings 9:7-9.’

God also tells him if he or his descendants turn away from God, disobey His commands and decrees, serve other gods and worship them, then God will cut off His people, and reject the temple, 2 Chronicles 7:19 / 1 Kings 9:5-7. Sadly, this is exactly what Israel did under Solomon’s reign and through Solomon’s example, 1 Kings 11:5-12.

Notice the consequences of breaking God’s terms and conditions: Israel will be cut off from the land, 2 Chronicles 7:19-20 / 1 Kings 9:7, people will mock and scoff at them; 2 Chronicles 7:20 / 1 Kings 9:8-9 / 2 Chronicles 29:8 / Micah 6:16 / Jeremiah 18:16 / Jeremiah 19:8.

And the temple will become rubble, 2 Chronicles 7:21 / 1 Kings 9:8, and God really wants Israel to understand just how bad things will get for them if they commit idolatry, Jeremiah 26:18 / Micah 3:12.

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