Saturday, May 4, 2024

II Chronicles 1, Gold as Common as Stones

The ancient Hebrew scroll of Chronicles comes down to us as two parts, 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles in the Christian Bible. The division occurs at the death of King David and the coronation of his son, Solomon. It is about 970 BC. It is time for Solomon to establish his kingdom.

2 Chronicles 1:1-3, Assembly at Gibeon
Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. Then Solomon spoke to all Israel--to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families-- and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God's Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the LORD's servant had made in the desert.

The people assemble at "the high place" at Gibeon, an ancient village seven miles northwest of Jerusalem because the Tabernacle was there. (Gibeon is now modern Al Jib, just within the Seam Zone of the West Bank.)

2 Chronicles 1: 4-6, Offering at Gibeon
Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.  Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

Solomon is preparing to build a permanent temple in Jerusalem, where the ark now rests inside a tent. But Solomon first must bring the Tabernacle from Gibeon to Jerusalem and so, at Gibeon, where the altar currently resides, he stops and worships. 

The author casually mentions that Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar at that time -- I'm going to suggest that "thousand" is ancient Near East hyperbole for "a lot", since killing and burning one thousand animals would take an incredible amount of time!

The building of the altar by Bezalel is recorded in Exodus 31: 1-11.

2 Chronicles 1:7-10, Dream at Gibeon
That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

Solomon answered God, "You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, LORD God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

After worshiping at the altar in Gibeon, Solomon has a dream in which YHWH offers to give Solomon his heart's desire. Solomon wisely asks for wisdom.

2 Chronicles 1:11-13, Request granted
God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."

Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel. 

Solomon's request is granted. This request will be followed by the Golden Age of Israel, a time of vast political power, material wealth and an emphasis on the Wisdom writings: Proverb, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, some of Psalms, possibly Job. 

2 Chronicles 1:14-17, Chariots and horses
Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 

Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue--the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

This chapter roughly parallels 1 Kings 3

Chariots and horses denote military power. The silver and gold are described as "as common as stones", more hyperbole for "quite a lot of silver and gold." This accumulation of large amounts of horses, silver and gold flies directly in the face of the Mosaic instructions to not accumulate horses, silver, gold or wives. (See Deuteronomy 17:16-17.) Solomon's wives are not mentioned by the Chronicler but Solomon -- who had asked for wisdom! -- will sadly accumulate quite a lot of wives also. (See 1 Kings 11:1-5; the wives, like the gold, will also be "as common as stones"!)

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