September 9th, 2012
II Chronicles 5 (1 Kings 8)
“Power Worship”
FYI: Due to the condensed message (because of the extra music). Video of this service was not recorded.
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Ephesians 5:19-20
Background Information:
- The first step in the activities of dedication was for the king and the assembled national leaders to bring the ark up from the old citadel of Zion to the temple area situated on the more northerly ridge of Moriah (3:1; Ps 48:2). For forty years the ark had remained in the tent that David had first pitched on its arrival in Jerusalem (1 Chr 15:1; 16:1). (Frank E. G belein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 459)
- The first temple was under construction for seven years and was completed in the eighth month of Solomon’s eleventh year as king (1 Kgs 6:38). Evidently he was willing to wait for an additional eleven months before he dedicated it (compare 1 Kgs 8:2 with 1 Kgs 6:38). Perhaps he did this in order to have a sufficient period of time to plan and to prepare for a huge festal gathering of God’s people. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 60-61)
- Appropriately enough, Solomon chose the regular “festival in the seventh month” (vs. 3) as dedication day. Its Hebrew name was Succoth, the Feast of Tabernacles in English. One of the three great festivals of the Israelite church year, Succoth served to remind God’s people of the time when they had wandered in the desert and had lived in tents; at that time only God had been their dwelling place (Ps 90). After the period of wandering, God had settled them in the spacious land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What better time to transfer the ark to its new home than during the festival that commemorated these events! (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 61)
- (v. 3) The festival in the seventh month was the Feast of Tabernacles, celebrating God’s protection of Israel as they wandered in the desert before entering the promised land. The purpose of this annual festival was to renew Israel’s commitment to God and their trust in his guidance and protection. The festival beautifully coincided with the dedication of the temple. As the people remembered the wanderings in the desert when their ancestors had lived in tents, they were even more thankful for the permanence of his glorious temple. (NIV Life Application Bible, 720)
- The occasion for the ark’s processional is “the festival that is in the seventh month” (2 Chr 5:3): that is, Sukkoth, or the Festival of Booths (see Lv 23:33-35). Later in the Chronicler’s History, the first sacrifices offered after the return from exile, on the newly rebuilt altar of burnt offering, will also be in celebration of Sukkoth (Ezr 3:1-6). Further, this festival will follow the first public reading of Ezra’s Torah (Neh 8:1-18)–appropriately enough, as according to Dt 31:10-13, every seven years the law is to be read to the assembly of all Israel during the Festival of Booths. That Solomon’s temple should be dedicated during this festival of the law may seem strange at first. We tend to separate right worship and right action, as though the pursuit of social justice and the celebration of God’s grace were two different, distinct spheres of action. In Scripture, however, these realities are always held together. So, in Ps 24:4, the ones who may ascend to the Lord’s temple to worship and receive blessing are “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.” Similarly, James baldly states, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead” (Jas 2:26). In Chronicles, this principle finds reflection in the linkage of Moses the lawgiver and David, recipient of God’s gracious promise of kingship (see 1 Chr 22:13; 28:11-19). For Solomon’s temple to be dedicated during Booths recalls again this connection. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 130-31)
- (v. 9) Two explanations are feasible. 1) This statement, still there today, may be an idiomatic way of saying, “from then on” or “in perpetuity”. If so, it simply means that as long as the temple stood, the poles continued to be visible from the Main Hall. 2) The Chronicler (following the writer of Kings) may simply have copied from an earlier record which was composed while the temple actually stood. Whatever the case, it is clear that the Chronicler was not saying that the poles of the ark were present in his own day. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 231)
- (v. 10) The ark originally contained the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s Staff (Num 17:10-11); and a jar of Manna (Ex 16:32-34).
- The Ark of the Covenant disappeared from the Jewish Temple somewhere before or during the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 BC. In anticipation of the Ark’s disappearance, the prophet Jeremiah wrote Jer 3:16. Even before Jesus, Jeremiah’s prophecy revealed that there would be no more need for the Ark of the Covenant in the future. God had a better covenant He would bring to pass — the new covenant in His Son, Jesus Christ. (http://kingdavid.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/the-ark-of-covenant-and-of-jesus-christ-1/)
- Very interesting, but subject of indeterminate discussion, is the history of the ark. The notices of its journeyings from Mount Horeb are exciting (cf. Nm 10:33-36; 14:44; Josh 3:3-4; 6:6-11; 1 Sm 3:3; 4:3-22; 2 Sm 6). After it was placed in the temple the record falls silent. Possibly Shishak carried it off (1 Kgs 14:26), but it may have been in place in Jeremiah’s day (Jer 3:16) and destroyed when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 3, 453)
- (vss. 13-14) Only when the image of the god in procession had entered the temple and the deity had taken possession of it could the temple truly be said to be finished. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 130)
- The cloud, which was in fact “the glory of the LORD,” had first guided the people of Israel out of Egypt (Ex 13:21-22) and then through the wilderness (40:36-38); and it is associated with the angel of God (14:19; 23:20-23), presumably the preincarnate presence of Christ (Payne, Theology, 46-47, 168). At the dedication of the Mosaic tabernacle, almost five hundred years before Solomon, the cloud of God’s glory had filled that earlier sanctuary (40:34-35). In the days just before the Exile, Ezekiel had envisioned the sin of Israel as driving the glory cloud out of the sanctuary (Ez 10:18-19; 11:23); and it had not returned to the second temple, of Ezra’s day. Intertestamental Judaism still speculated about the “shekinah,” as it came to be called, meaning God’s “dwelling.” It appeared during Christ’s first coming (Mt 17:5; Acts 1:9), and it will accompany his glorious second advent (Acts 1:11; Rv 1:7; 14:14; cf. R.E. Hough, The Ministry of the Glory Cloud). (Frank E. G belein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 460)
The questions to be answered are . . . Why does the Chronicler include these details of the first temple dedication in his history to his post-exilic audience? And why should we care?
Answer: The Chronicler is attempting to get his audience to recognize the incredible blessing of God in their lives in the midst of their economic, religious and social poverty. God had been extraordinarily good to them in spite of their rebellion, apathy and disobedience. When you recognize God’s mercy and grace, not only is your worship better, but your life is better as well.
The Word for the Day is . . . Praise
What does the Chronicler desire for his audience to know from 2 Chronicles 5?:
I. God summons us to take time to recall all He has done for us (Feast of Tabernacles; 2 Chr 5:3; see also Ps 103:2-18; )
Music… will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer (www.goodreads.com)
Moses and his veil illustrate the fading of the old system and the veiling of the Jews’ minds by their pride, hardness of heart, and refusal to repent. The veil kept many Jews from understanding the references to Christ in the Scriptures they heard every week. When Moses turned to God, he removed the veil (see Ex 34:34). In the same way, when a person turns to Christ—God’s only Son—the veil is taken away by Christ himself. The veil represents the sin that clouds the person’s understanding about God’s great plan of salvation. The idea of turning implies repentance—a conscious rejection of one’s old ways and turning to God and his ways. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary 1 & 2 Corinthians, 321-22)
The veil had the same function in both Moses’ and Paul’s day, for it blocked the glory of the covenant that God had made with his people. It is a symbol of hardened hearts that refuse to accept and obey God’s Word. Although Moses conveyed God’s commands to the Israelites, they listened to him but declined to obey the stipulations of the old covenant. When they asked Moses to cover his face, they in fact turned away from God. Similarly, the refusal of the Jews to appropriate God’s covenantal promises in faith is a veil that obstructs God’s glory when his Word is read. Paul combines both the verb to harden and the temporal reference to this very day to show their relevance to his own day (see also Rom 11:7-8). (Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary 2 Corinthians, 120-21)
II. Our best worship is never worthy of what God deserves—therefore recognize His mercy and grace (2 Chr 5:6, 10)
Where words fail, music speaks . — Hans Christian Andersen
Earlier on, the ark contained the two tablets of stone in which the covenant was written, the rod of Aaron that had budded miraculously (Nm 17:1-11), and the jar of manna (Ex 25:16; Dt 10:2; Heb 9:4-5). Now only the two tablets of stone remain (2 Chr 5:10). The ark is relatively small: three feet nine inches long by two feet three inches wide by two feet three inches tall. The box is overlaid with gold, and the mercy seat covers the top of it. The ark contains the law of God, but God does not meet with us in the ark. Instead God meets with His children between the cherubim. This is symbolic of the fact that we cannot enter the presence of God by the law, only by His mercy. We deserve death, but God has offered us eternal life (Heb 9:22, 28). (Dr. Tremper Longman, Quicknotes, 1 Chr Thru Job, 66-67)
On dedication day they sang the same song David had taught the people to sing when the ark had been brought to Jerusalem: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good” (1 Chr 16:34). Israel would sing that song again when, many years later, King Jehoshaphat would lead the congregation out for battle (20:21). It’s a song we will never stop singing, because “his love endures forever.” (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 67)
III. God joyfully inhabits the sincere praise of His people (2 Chr 5:11-14; Ps 22:3 – KJV)
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent. -Victor Hugo
We read once more that when the glory of the Lord filled the house the priests could not stand to minister because the cloud of the “glory of the LORD filled his temple” (1 Kgs 8:11). This is the secret of getting rid of self. Get filled with God and then there will be no room for you. Do not try to turn yourself out but take Him in, and sin and self will go in the blessedness and glory of a divine preoccupation. (A.B. Simpson, The Christ in the Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, 385)
Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens. — Maria von Trapp
Praise is the most acceptable service we can be engaged in: “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth 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. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 15)
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 a 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. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 15)
Some of the examples and authorities for making music a handmaid to religion (Job 28:7; Bn 4:21; Ex 15:20; Ps 47:6; 98:7; Eph 5:19; Mt 26:30). (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 16)
There is a profound spiritual lesson in this. We do not glorify God by looking at ourselves but by looking into him. It is so easy to get lured into a performance-based approach to the Christian life, in which we are always looking at ourselves to see how we are doing spiritually. It is also easy to waste time worrying what we look like to others. Instead, we should be looking to Jesus. Only then can we reflect his glory to others. As we look to God, we are transformed by his splendor. And then when people look at us, they see his glory shining through. (Philip Graham Ryken, Preaching the Word Exodus, 1074)
All who played and sang did so in unison, as with one voice (5:13). Rather than a variety of songs playing here and there (as was often the case in the daily affairs of the temple), the massive company standing before the altar was entirely unified. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 232)
Not until united voices were raised in thankful praise was the mystery of divine acceptance felt and an assurance of God’s presence given: The house…was filled with a cloud;…for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God. Apathetic worshipers in church are like a wet blanket of fog, a dismal cloud amidst which the willing long for the clear shining of radiant thankfulness. The unmusical cannot participate in the rendering of hymns with good effect; but there are times of prayer when all can help or hinder. Worship is easily affected by spiritual “temperature.” No religion faces the dark aspects of life so gravely as Christianity. But it has such an answer to give that it should excel all religions in joyousness. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 3, 454)
IV. Our worship is a mere shadow of, and is always trumped by God’s reality (2 Chr 5:13-14)
It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception.” (When asked about his theory of relativity) – Albert Einstein
Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t. —Johnny Depp
Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. — Ludwig van Beethoven
The temple is “filled with a cloud” (5:13), which symbolizes God’s “glory.” At a similar point in the Exodus dispensation, when the tabernacle was completed, the same phenomenon had occurred (Ex 40:34-35). It was God’s seal of approval on the venture. Now the resting place of the ark is authenticated as in accord with the will of God. The narrative deliberately harks back to the parallel in the old age: God is affirming the new sanctuary in the same way, and the repetition is corroborative. Interestingly, there is a similar appeal to the glory that enveloped the tabernacle in a description of the beginning of the Christian era: “The Word became flesh and dwelt”–one might say “tabernacled” to bring out John’s thought–“among us, and we beheld His glory” (Jn 1:14). In Jesus there was a new manifestation of divine presence. The Fourth Gospel develops that imagery by giving to Jesus the value of the temple (Jn 2:19-22). What the temple was, now He is: the new dispensation is described in the language of the old. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 223-24)
We have already had the description of the temple, emphasizing its magnificence and opulence (3:1-5:1). But, without the Lord’s glory, the temple remains empty and without enduring significance. It is merely a building–a very pretty and expensive building, granted, but only a building nonetheless. Now, we come to the rites whereby the temple will be occupied by the Lord. Of course, in Israel there is no image of the Lord to carry in procession. Instead the ark, the footstool of the Lord, is carried into the most holy place, to symbolize the Lord’s taking ownership of the sanctuary (5:2-6:2). The cloud of the glory, the manifestation of God’s presence, shows that this is no empty rite: the Lord is here, and this temple has now become God’s house. (6:2; 1 Kgs 8:13). (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 130)
When one looked into the most holy place from the main room of the temple, the near ends of the poles could just be glimpsed, looming out of the blackness of the inner room. There they remain, we are told, “to this day” (5:9; 1 Kgs 8:8). It is strange that the Chronicles should preserve this statement from Kings. In the Chronicler’s day, of course, there were no poles; indeed, the ark itself was only a distant, painful memory. When Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 587 B.C., the ark vanished from history. Probably, it was stolen and broken apart for the gold. Still, the memory of the ark and what it had symbolized remained powerful for the people of Israel. Despite the loss of the premier symbol of God’s kingship, they had experienced God’s forgiveness, grace, and deliverance, and knew that God still reigned. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 131)
In general the Chronicler has modeled his account of the building of the temple on the earlier manufacture of the tabernacle; at completion both structures receive divine approval through the appearance of the cloud/pillar. The inability of the priests to perform their functions because of the presence of the cloud (5:14; 7:1-2) repeats the experience at the dedication of the tabernacle (Ex 40:34-35); the disciples would find their contact with the transfigured and glorified Christ similarly overwhelming (Mt 17:6-7). (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 43)
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. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 15)
God no longer lives in a tent or tabernacle built by human hands. God’s glorious manifest presence is not to be found in an ornate temple of marble, gold, and precious stones, but rather in Jesus. Jesus is the glory of God in human flesh, the one in whom God has finally and fully pitched his tent.
God has now chosen to dwell with his people in a yet more personal way, in the Word who became flesh: in Jesus! The Word, Jesus of Nazareth, is the true and ultimate glory of God, the complete and perfect manifestation of the presence of God among his people. The place of God’s glorious dwelling is the flesh of his Son! The glory which once shined in the tent/tabernacle/temple of old, veiled in the mysterious cloud, was simply, if you will, of that exceedingly excelling glory now embodied in the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ (cf. Col. 1:19). (www.wordpress.com)
People tend to think of “glory” in terms of brightness, but it is certainly more than that. It is utter wholeness, completeness. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary 1 & 2 Corinthians, 316)
Paul did not discount the glory of the old covenant. He fully acknowledged it, but he made it clear that it was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new covenant. The new ministry of the Spirit is even more glorious. The changed hearts and lives of believers is an even more miraculous work of God than lightning, thunder, and earthquakes. In fact, this greater glory was eclipsing the glory of the old covenant. Just as the bright light of the sun makes a flashlight useless, so the surpassing glory of the new covenant renders the lesser glory useless. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary 1 & 2 Corinthians, 318)
The glory that the Spirit imparts to the believer is more excellent and lasts longer than the glory that Moses experienced. By gazing at the nature of God with unveiled minds, all of us Christians can be more like him. “Become more and more like him” is literally in Greek “are being transformed.” The same word appears in Mt 17:2 and Mk 9:2, where it refers to Jesus’ transfiguration, and also in Rom 12:2, where it refers to Christians’ moral transformation. The gospel reveals the truth about Christ, and the Spirit of the Lord works within us, transforming us morally as we understand and apply it. Through learning about Christ’s life, we can understand how wonderful God is and what he is really like. As our knowledge deepens, the Holy Spirit works within us to help us to change to become more like Christ (for more on moral transformation, see Jer 31:33; Ez 36:25-27; Rom 6:1-4; 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15). Becoming Christlike is a progressive experience (see Rom 8:29; Gal 4:19; Phil 3:21; 1 Jn 3:2). “Becoming more and more” expresses the Greek tense of the verb Paul used here. Being transformed into Christ’s likeness is a continual process. “Reflect his glory even more” translates Paul’s literal phrase in Greek: “glory to glory.” Thus, Paul was saying that as the Holy Spirit works through our lives, we–step-by-step–come closer to God’s perfect way of living. It occurs little by little as the Holy Spirit points out more areas of our lives that need to be submitted to God’s will; and we, than, freely submit to God. The Holy Spirit works through the preaching of God’s Word, the reading of Scripture, our prayer life, and the wise guidance of other mature believers to lead believers on God’s wonderful path of righteousness. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary 1 & 2 Corinthians, 323-24)
In Scripture the presence of God is often indicated by the mention of a cloud. In several cases, as also here, it is a bright, white, or luminous cloud (cf. Ex 13:21; 16:10; 40:35; 1 Kgs 8:10, 11; Neh 9:19; Ps 78:14; Rv 14:14-16). (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary Luke, 506)
A nuclear cloud shortly after detonation is probably the closest physical thing we have to relate to the glory cloud of God. — Pastor Keith
As the ark now comes to its resting-place, the Temple is filled with a cloud and, like Moses, the priests cannot minister because of the presence of the Lord’s glory. The point of this reminiscence of Moses is to suggest that in Solomon’s day, as in his, the people of God are on the verge of something new and great. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 125)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: Never forget to remember all God has done for you. (Ps 103)
Worship point: The more you know of God and His mercy and grace directed to you, the more you will worship.
Spiritual Challenge: Take time daily (journal, prayer, accountability partner, etc.) to remember all God has done for you. If you ever find your worship as less than amazing and electrifying, consider your problem may be you have forgotten to remember all God has done for you.
If you don’t see the absolute holiness of God, the magnitude of your debt, the categorical necessity of God’s just punishment of your sin, and therefore the utter hopelessness of your condition, then the knowledge of your pardon and deliverance will not be amazing and electrifying! — Tim Keller
Quotes to Note:
The temple was not a replacement of the tabernacle. It was larger and more splendid, but the temple incorporated and furthered the worship ideology of the Mosaic period. The chief change was that the tabernacle was mobile and that the temple was a permanent structure. This development corresponded to Israel’s change from a moving people to a stable empire. In a word, Solomon’s temple brought Moses’ tabernacle to greater heights. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 230)
In Ex 40:34-38, when the tabernacle was finished, the tent was filled with the cloud of the Lord’s glory. In Ezekiel’s vision of the glorified temple, after the temple structure had been revealed to the prophet, the glory of the Lord filled the sanctuary (Ez 43:5). Just so, when the ark was carried in procession into the most holy place, Solomon’s temple was filled with the cloud of the glory, and so inhabited by the divine presence (5:13-14; 1 Kgs 8:10-11). In each setting, the nearly tangible manifestation of the Lord’s presence, called the “glory” (the Hebrew term kabod carries a connotation of weight and forceful presence), is said to “fill” the sanctuary. Only then is the sanctuary truly complete. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 129)
The glory-cloud assured wandering Israel that their mighty God was near, guiding them and protecting them from danger (Ex 14:19, 20). It also revealed God’s majestic holiness on earth in such a way that sinful humans could not fully bear the sight of it, even though they were not seeing the full and essential brightness of God in heaven. Notice how the glory-cloud kept Moses out of the tabernacle and how it prevented the priests from continuing their service in the temple (compare Ex 40:35 with 2 Chr 5:14).
The special revelation of the glory of the LORD belonged to Israel as part of their unique heritage as God’s chosen people. In this way God set them apart from all the other nations of the world. The heathens worshiped sculpted gods that could not save, that had mouths but could not speak, that had eyes but could not see (Ps 115:5). Israel, however, could boast, “[Ours] is the adoption as sons; [ours] the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises” (see Rom 9:4, 5). Israel’s God was true; all other gods were lies. God’s glory settled on the temple as a clear sign to Israel and to the entire world that he intended to be found here and nowhere else! (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 70-71)
Now it would be perfectly correct to call any one of the priestly sons of Aaron a Levite, since every one of them was born into Levi’s tribe. At the same time, this somewhat unusual diction does leave us asking the question, Why would the Chronicler want suddenly to alter his normal manner of speaking?
An answer can be found by considering what the standard operating procedure was for moving the ark. Normal practice, as prescribed by Moses, was for the nonpriestly Levites to carry out this job (Nm 3:31; 4:15). There had, however, been at least one other time when the priests were called upon to carry the ark. This occurred when Joshua first led the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land (Jo 3:3). It seems reasonable to suppose that the priests were given the honor again at this time because the two occasions were felt to be of similar importance. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 64-65)
Christ:
The power
behind worship
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