2 Chronicles 1 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

2 Chronicles 1

Solomon Worships at Gibeon

1:1 Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. 3 And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness, was there. 4 (But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) 5 Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the LORD. And Solomon and the assembly sought it¹ out. 6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

7 In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” 8 And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. 9 O LORD God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” 11 God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” 13 So Solomon came from² the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

Solomon Given Wealth

14 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 15 And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 16 And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders would buy them from Kue for a price. 17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels³ of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Footnotes

[1] 1:5 Or him
[2] 1:13 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew to
[3] 1:17 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

Commentary

v1: Solomon was blessed by God, God was with him. Solomon established himself firmly over the kingdom; the same words are used in 1 Kings 2.12; Solomon cleansed the land of those enemies within. We recognise that enemies within are more dangerous than those outside.

v2-6: Solomon sought the Lord. He first declared his intentions to the leaders of the nation, and then went to Gibeon. Although the ark had been brought up to Jerusalem, the bronze altar and the tabernacle remained at Gibeon. Similarly there were two lines of priests, even though Zadok had been anointed, 1 Chr 29.22. Solomon went to the place of sacrifice to meet with God.

v7: Solomon remained at Gibeon, where God met with him. His wonderful command, "Ask!" The Lord Jesus also encourages us to ask, Matt 7.7-8; 21.22. We struggle to grasp the staggering generosity of our God. He is always more willing to answer than we are to ask.

v8-10: Solomon's request started with an acknowledgement of God's blessings upon him. He asked that God would fulfil His promise made to David. He was conscious of the needs of the people, and his own weakness, and therefore asked for God's help and wisdom. It seems Solomon knew that we can do nothing without God.

v11-12: Solomon's heart; an answer to David's prayer, 1 Chr 29.19.

The Lord God honoured Solomon, giving him more than he asked for; he did not ask amiss. (James 4.3)

v13: Solomon returned from Gibeon, having received from God.

v14-17: Solomon began to accumulate wealth. He head horses and chariots from Egypt; see Deut 7.16; this may be considered a 'minor' error, but it was an indication of future failure and disobedience. We should seek to please God in all areas of our lives. The blessing of God on our lives does not guarantee our own faithfulness.