2 Chronicles Overview Part 2 - Build Up The Temple To Wisdom
Most joyful church: gone to Most Holy Place and came out.
Come out of living chaos by this meeting.
Chaos - dissension, hurts -> Order = Build temple
Build the temple
2 Chronicles Overview
1. Solomon who inherited David <1-9>
2. 20 kings that succeeded and failed <10-36:21>
3. Judah's exile -> 70 years -> Restoration <36:22,23>
1. Solomon who inherited David <1-9>
1) Wisdom
(1) What is wisdom?
Not a fulfillment-in-a-flash but what is Gained
Gained from: History -> Gone through prayers -> Wisdom
Gained Through: Daily problems of denying self, shepherding, writing proverbs -> Wisdom
Fearless attitude to anything: Love wisdom and it will come out from hiding to you
(2) How can we activate wisdom?
(i) Know God <Pro 1:7>
(a) Know God the Father
Omnipotent, abundant, eternal, righteousness, love
<1Co 2> Spiritual insights
Wisdom by CREATING the heart in men
(ii) Know Jesus Christ
(iii) Know Holy Spirit (Conviction)
(b) Know yourself (Me)
(c) Know the world
(d) Receive life, power (perfect will), love God love men (serving)
(3) Steps To Receive Wisdom
i) Already revealed
More and more wisdom as history inherits
Dissect/reveal -> wisdom
ii) Bible (Foundation) -> 4 meetings -> newspaper -> Get in touch with people -> Then join together all these.
iii) 1000 sacrifices (Die and Resurrect)
Hang on to absolute truth, yet accept, keep in touch, and go in to the difficulties and relationships that happened around you
2) Build the temple
<3-4> Courtyard, Holy Place, Most Holy Place
Wisdom for living and serving: practise adapting to the problem and reacting to it = building the temple
* 12 tribes (all churches: Lutheran, Charismatic, etc) <==> Every people <--> Every family <--> Every region <--> All nations and era
(1) Individual <1Co 3:16> <2Co 4:16-18>
(1) Purpose
(2) Wisdom (various)
(3) Heart (Love God, love men)
(4) Test and approve
(5) Submission
(2) Family <Gen 17:1-22>
(i) Circumcision (make covenant): discern
(ii) <Eph 5:22-6:4> Spousal, Parent-child (Be like one)
(3) Regional evangelism
(i) Church <Eph 4:1-16>
(ii) Same (one Father, Lord, HS) and different (join together)
(iii) Effectiveness: Worship, fellowship, equipping, co-working, evangelism
(4) World Evangelism <Acts 19:8-20>
(i) 8 beatitudes people, family
(ii) Message
(iii) Gather (come together) 3 years
Most joyful church: gone to Most Holy Place and came out
I prayed for a most joyful church, the joy that is found when gone to the Most Holy Place in the heart, met God and come out of that state. No one is born naturally in joy, not even David. When we come to God, suddenly, the Holy Spirit convicts us and the whole atmosphere is changed so that we shall praise Him. No one can learn this, even for his whole life, for the Holy Spirit instructs this. No one can stand up in the midst of sufferings, but when we go to the inner doors where we discover that God has words to speak to us, our countenance will change.
Come out of living chaos by this meeting
The times when we come for such gatherings are so important. We come to receive answers. If not, this is not Christian living. When saints gather, the Lord wants to give us the most blessings. When we are together here at this place, we must earnestly pray. Do not go home and then seek the Lord. When we are at home or in the world, the voices of temptations are so much stronger. When you seek the Lord and receive grace in this place, your life and all spiritual atmosphere in your fields shall change. Do not look down on the times now.
Chaos - dissension, hurts -> Order = Build temple
When I think about the people in this world, "What are they doing? Do they know where they are going to?" I see that when the couple of this world splits, they will surely have only hurts remaining in their hearts. The whole world is in confusion. However, when Jesus Christ came into the world, He made everything chaotic to order. This is called building the temple. The meaning of building the temple is having order and format in our thinking, our lifestyles, our family living, etc. When we love someone, we need already built-up laws, order and process to love, so that we will be protected and we will love correctly and those we love will receive our love well. When we do our job, without having an already built-up temple, we will be proud.
Build the temple
There is building of the temple in our individual life, family, church, region and the world. Do we know what to do when we wake up in the morning? Do we know how to link the church with the region? If the temple is built and this extends to blessed fellowships, you will surely see that the spiritual atmosphere in the society will change. This has been proven in history in the big nations. Therefore, building the temple is not a matter of a person or of just a church.
The Lord has the greatest love for us. However, this is not that easy to seek or to be found casually. We can praise the Lord, but we will not be always able to do so in our conditions, unless the temple is built.
2 Chronicles Overview
1. Solomon who inherited David <1-9>
2. 20 kings that succeeded and failed <10-36:21>
3. Judah's exile -> 70 years -> Restoration <36:22,23>
Passage Reading: 2Ch 1:6-17
2Ch. 1:6 Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
Before we build the temple, we must really die and resurrect before the Lord.
2Ch. 1:7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, ÒAsk for whatever you want me to give you.Ó
2Ch. 1:8 Solomon answered God, ÒYou have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.
2Ch. 1:9 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.
2Ch. 1:10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?Ó
Lord, give me wisdom! Give me the system!
2Ch. 1:11 God said to Solomon, ÒSince this is your heartÕs desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honour, 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,
2Ch. 1:12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.Ó
2Ch. 1:13 Then Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting. And he reigned over Israel.
2Ch. 1:14 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, [Or charioteers] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with
him in Jerusalem.
2Ch. 1:15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.
2Ch. 1:16 SolomonÕs horses were imported from Egypt - [Or possibly Muzur, a region in Cilicia; also in verse 17] and from Kue [Probably Cilicia] the royal merchants purchased them
from Kue.
2Ch. 1:17 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels [That is, about 15 pounds (about 7 kilograms)] of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. [That is, about 3 3/4 pounds (about 1.7 kilograms)] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
Solomon had everything, and this is because he had wisdom.
1. Solomon who inherited David
1) Wisdom
(1) What is wisdom?
Not a fulfillment-in-a-flash but that is gained
Wisdom is neither intelligence nor knowledge. This is Proverbs 1:7. Solomon went through the fact that his brother before him died due to his father's adultery. He also went through the times when his elder brothers plotted against one another. David protected Solomon probably like how Jacob taught Joseph with all wisdom and promises. In fact, Solomon already had wisdom before he asked God for it. Therefore, when David passed the kingdom, he mentioned to Solomon, "You are a wise man; the Lord will instruct you." Therefore, Solomon's wisdom did not come when he asked. Neither did God give him wisdom immediately like lightning coming from above. We must also know that wisdom does not come when we become pastors one day. Much wisdom comes when the time it is appropriate. One example was when he judged the baby of the widow and the woman claimed the baby. That time, the whole Israel saw the anointing upon Solomon, and glory thus came to Solomon and the Lord.
History -> Gone through prayers -> Wisdom
There is wisdom in the company, and there is wisdom to comfort our spouses and our parents. Do we have wisdom to first comfort people in their weaknesses, and then tell them the reasons after that? Where does the wisdom come? This is from all the things from morning till evening that happened, and these went through prayers (checked, judged, tested and approved). Some went through problems and accumulated more hurts, but some went through trials and gathered much more wisdom. All wisdom begins from here. When wisdom activates within you, you shall build and develop on it. Wisdom comes this way.
Daily problems of denying self, shepherding, writing proverbs -> Wisdom
Through problems that Solomon met when shepherding people, the times to judge
Israel, and through the proverbs he wrote daily, he gathered more and more
wisdom. For me, I gathered much wisdom through these 4 years of full-time
serving of the Lord. However, this is really still insufficient. In the past
before I served and shepherded, though I knew a lot of mysteries regarding
Jesus Christ, and I could give a lot of answers, I saw that the people I prayed
for, had no convictions. However, this is different now as I gathered wisdom
now.
Love wisdom and it will come out from hiding to you
Those who love wisdom are really blessed. Wisdom must come to you. If problems and challenges come, do not reject them! Really love wisdom. In all your events and happenings, learn wisdom. You are different if you have such a vessel!
(2) How can we activate wisdom?
How does wisdom come?
(i) Know God <Pro 1:7>
(a) Know God the Father
Omnipotent, abundant, eternal, righteousness, love
If you know that the Lord is omnipotent, you will not be afraid. Paul was not afraid even when met with the storm and murderers because he knew that he would not be ashamed.
Do you know God? Look at the Christians of this age. They snatch anything and fear everything. Those who really know the Lord will let people have their ways.
<1Co 2> Spiritual insights
Sometimes, we can see a child or a new believer who is so wise. However, we see some Christians struggle so much yet gather nothing in the end. How are we able to know God?
Wisdom by CREATING the heart in men
I discover that I need wisdom to lead the church. If I protect the church so much, the church will never learn. However, when I reflect, I ask myself, "Am I spoon-feeding too much in my shepherding?" I see how Ronnie treated Sara's children, "I will not give you any money. You save up yourself these few months if you want to go to the church camp. "So, even though they come from a family that is poor, they are able to save up to go for the church camp. This enables them to receive what they have sowed. There is so much wisdom in this.
(ii) Know Jesus Christ
(iii) Know Holy Spirit (Conviction)
God is not one who gives immediately when we ask for wisdom. God has already given and has always been giving.
(b) Know yourself (Me)
It is not that when you become someone that you will then be able to have wisdom. You must know yourself. This is what the Lord has given and that is the best. When I teach children education, I teach about blessed meetings. If you teach and spoon-feed everything, they will not learn.
(c) Know the world
Then you will know everything, and the children you will bear. We saw a lot in the history of the church.
The above, knowing God, knowing self and knowing the world, is the very start of how to gather and activate wisdom.
(d) Receive life, power (perfect will), love God love men (serving)
In the past, I spoke a lot to my Christian boss. He knows a lot of philosophies and wisdom when sharing his experiences with people. However, he cannot evangelise and this is why I felt sorry for him. When he spoke to me, I could not receive any intimacy of the Lord even though we talked everything about the bible. I do not have a lot of experience, but I can evangelize.
In the past, I could quarrel and win everything by confronting people. However, when I am blessed, I lost the energy to confront people. When I see the timetable of the Lord, I will not say or touch anything. This is for the purpose of edifying people. Otherwise, it will only seem that I want to prove myself right. One day, I thought, even if I can prove that I am correct and my wife is wrong, will she love me more?
The Lord tells us to see and hear the wisdom. People are born in chaos into the world. There is confusion in all living, whether in family living or in the use of money. I continue to emphasize this, that we must build the temple in our life, living and our interpersonal relationships. This must continue on till the ends of the world.
(3) Steps To Receive Wisdom
i) Already revealed
More and more wisdom as history inherits
Now, I ask you. Many people misunderstood that when Solomon asked God for wisdom, God gave him wisdom in a flash. In the past, I thought so, but we know this is not the case now. Noah had wisdom, and Abraham gathered his wisdom from Noah. Moses gathered his wisdom from Abraham. This is a link. Who is wiser, Solomon or us all? Solomon did not know that planes could fly. He did not know about computers, or the many different faces of marriages in this era. There are more and more problems, but there is only one answer - Jesus Christ. Wisdom is gathered more and more as history goes. Solomon was 3000 years ago and we had gone through.
Dissect/reveal -> wisdom
However, it is not that if you have marriage problems, you will have wisdom. The crux of how wisdom comes is that we must reveal and dissect the problem, and that we must understand it. I am going to give you the steps of wisdom now. You must get in touch, activate it, then dissect it. Have we ever understood how people come to become friends so well, yet do not have anything to do with each other after 10 years? Have we ever understood that the way to love now is so and so, yet the marriage becomes less and less interesting as time goes by? Many people read the bible differently from how I read the bible. I use a fixed perspective, with the knowledge of the their background to explain the bible to them.
ii) Bible (foundation)
If you must receive wisdom, you must read the bible well, and meditate more on it. This must become the foundation of everything.
4 meetings
For the sake of understanding the bible, you must attend all the 4 meetings.
Newspaper
If you are working now, you must work well now. If you are studying now, study well now. However, if possible, read the newspaper for 1 hour every day. Without reading the newspaper, how can we know the world and get in touch with life?
Get in touch with people
Also, get in touch with people.
Then join together the above.
iii) 1000 sacrifices (Die and Resurrect)
Then come before the Lord and offer the 1000 sacrifices like Solomon. If you do not die completely, to sacrifice for equipping, to be blessed, how can you gather?
Hang on to absolute truth, yet accept, keep in touch, and go in to the difficulties and relationships that happened around you
In recent times, I read about happenings in Myanmar and how every nation viewed this country. It is our government's turn to chair ASEAN this year, and our nation spoke up to say, "We are absolutely against the junta (military government)." Yet, when every nation wants to sanction Myanmar, our nation tells them that though we are against this form of governance, they are part of our family. God gives grace to such a Gentile. At first face, our prime minister says they are really wrong, yet underneath, he gets in touch with Myanmar. Especially in our church, we also gather a lot of knowledge. If we are unable to use this knowledge in our family and work, there will be no use. Gather all these and go home and join together. Therefore, read the newspaper and get in touch with people. When your parents have problems, get in touch and go with them. Wisdom will then come to you. If you only immediately say who is wrong and who is right, many times you will see things wrongly and wisdom will not come to you. Therefore, when you attend classes here, you must join together everything. If not, your message will only be one that is copied when other people hear, and you will never learn. I do not have as many fields like all of you and the people I meet are all good people (in the church). You have your fields where you can meet a lot of cunning people. However, you must join together. Do not think that such people can be your friends and some can never be. Our ministry must always be in touch with people. Go out with your family or friends, and learn along. Equipping is not in this classroom, but it is actually in the people you get in touch with.
2) Build the temple
<3-4> Courtyard, Holy Place, Most Holy Place
Wisdom for living and serving: practise adapting to the problem and reacting to it = building the temple
If we must be ministers to serve the Lord, we must have wisdom. If a believer does not have wisdom, I cannot imagine how he goes to the company and work. For 4 to 5 times of going through the same situations at work, we will receive a perfect will and a wisdom to know how to work and our bosses will like us. Serving is really about touching a person's life. It is about adapting to the problem immediately and then reacting to it. If we do not practise, we only complain and times of 10 years will just pass away. I see that our church brothers and sisters are still good, but the believers of this era do not really have wisdom in their dealings. In 2 Chronicles, we must really build up the temple of wisdom.
Passage Reading
2Ch. 2:1 Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself.
This palace was not for himself, but for the glory of God. Because I love my wife and my children, I must gather authority in the church. This is not for myself. When you lead small groups, you must gather authority so that voices will not come up here and there. God must become the head to lead the church. Then the glory of Israel would expand and shine. Do not think that being the head is so easy. If the church has some happenings, the first to repent is the pastor. The small group leader must repent first if the members meet with problems.
2Ch. 2:2 He conscripted seventy thousand men as carriers and eighty thousand as stonecutters in the hills and thirty-six hundred as foremen over them.
2Ch. 2:3 Solomon sent this message to Hiram [Hebrew Huram, a variant of Hiram; also in verses 11 and 12] king of Tyre: ÒSend me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in.
2Ch. 2:4 Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly,
and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on Sabbaths and New Moons and at the appointed feasts of the LORD our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.
Look at this, this was according to the plan laid out from God to Moses.
2Ch. 2:5 ÒThe temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.
2Ch. 2:6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices
before him?
2Ch. 2:7 ÒSend me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled craftsmen, whom my father David provided.
2Ch. 2:8 ÒSend me also cedar, pine and algum [Probably a variant of almug; possibly juniper] logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are skilled in cutting timber there. My men shall work with yours
2Ch. 2:8 to provide me with plenty of timber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent.
2Ch. 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing-floor of Araunah[Hebrew Ornan, a variant of Araunah] the Jebusite, the place provided by David.
Why did we leave our previous church and experienced another split-up again? This is not for just a good fellowship but to build the temple.
2Ch. 3:2 He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
2Ch. 3:3 The foundation Solomon laid for building the temple of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide [That is, about 90 feet (about 27 metres) long and 30 feet (about 9 metres) wide] (using the cubit of the old standard).
2Ch. 3:4 The portico at the front of the temple was twenty cubits [That is, about 30 feet (about 9 metres); also in verses 8, 11 and 13] long across the width of the building and twenty cubits [Some Septuagint and Syriac manuscripts; Hebrew and a hundred and twenty] high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.
2Ch. 3:5 He panelled the main hall with pine and covered it with fine gold and decorated it with palm tree and chain designs.
2Ch. 3:6 He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim.
2Ch. 3:7 He overlaid the ceiling beams, door-frames, walls and doors of the temple with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.
2Ch. 3:8 He built the Most Holy Place, its length corresponding to the width of the temple - twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. He overlaid the inside with six hundred talents [That is, about 20 tons (about 21 metric tons)] of fine gold.
2Ch. 3:9 The gold nails weighed fifty shekels. [That is, about 1 1/4 pounds (about 0.6 kilogram)] He also overlaid the upper parts with gold.
2Ch. 3:10 In the Most Holy Place he made a pair of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold.
2Ch. 3:11 The total wing-span of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits [That is, about 7 1/2 feet (about 2.3 metres); also in verse 15] long and touched the temple wall, while its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the other cherub.
2Ch. 3:12 Similarly one wing of the second cherub was five cubits long and touched the other temple wall, and its other wing, also five cubits long, touched the wing of the first cherub.
2Ch. 3:13 The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main hall. [Or facing inward]
2Ch. 3:14 He made the curtain of blue, purple and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it.
2Ch. 3:15 In the front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits [That is, about 52 feet (about 16 metres)] long, each with a capital on top measuring five
cubits.
2Ch. 3:16 He made interwoven chains [Or possibly made chains in the inner sanctuary; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.] and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains.
2Ch. 3:17 He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin [Jakin probably means he establishes.] and the one to the north Boaz. [Boaz probably means in him is strength.]
Why must cherubim wings reach out? This means that the angels are continually working.
In the era where there were only barbarians, we really thank God that such wisdom were given and accumulated only to Israel then.
* 12 tribes (all churches: Lutheran, Charismatic, etc) <==> Every people <--> Every family <--> Every region <--> All nations and era
In the 12 tribes, people are blessed. If you live central to the temple, your family will get well. Our spirit must be united: one Father, one Lord, and one Spirit.
(1) Individual <1Co 3:16> <2Co 4:16-18>
Do we have the treasure in our hearts? This is our perspective.
(i) Purpose
Do we have the purpose? Do not blink your eye, for the only problem solver is here.
(ii) Wisdom (various)
(iii) Heart (Love God, love men)
If a person does not have this when living on earth, he is just a "convenient robot". When he eats, he releases the food later. When he is in sorrow, sorrow leaves him after a while.
(iv) Test and approve
(v) Submission
(2) Family <Gen 17:1-22>
(i) Circumcision (make covenant): discern
The family must first be circumcised. This is to be separated from the world.
(ii) <Eph 5:22-6:4> Spousal, Parent-child (Be like one)
How shall the relationships be like? Spouses must be like spouses, and parents must be like parents, and children must be like children. And this likeness must be that fixed by the Lord. The husband shall know how to lead, but this is not just bringing home money. This is about leading by having gone to the Most Holy Place to lead. The wife must submit to the husband. The husband is not perfect, and therefore requires the wife to help. For a family in chaos, who is the one leading? The one leading is the parents. If the parents are not believers, then the one who is the most blessed inside among the siblings is the leader. He is the one chosen by the Lord. If you are living with the family, you definitely have the responsibility for God will surely let you feel for them.
(3) Regional evangelism
(i) Church <Eph 4:1-16>
What is regional evangelism central to? The first and foremost is "church".
(ii) Same (one Father, Lord, HS) and different (join together)
(iii) Effectiveness: Worship, fellowship, equipping, co-working, evangelism
The fellowship has its roles. After proclaiming God's word in the worship, fellowship must take over to provide love. If fellowship is not strong, many people who are hurt are not able to be comforted.
The main characters of the church lead all these meetings. They see the vision so that they are able to desire to submit to get things moving.
(4) World Evangelism <Acts 19:8-20>
Hall of Tyrannus (2 years)
(i) 8 beatitudes people, family
First, seek out such people.
(ii) Message
The people of 8 beatitudes are attracted by the messages of God. If we just provide food for people, people will come only for food. Therefore, small group members shall provide food instead. Therefore, a preacher or the one sharing shall be more straightforward and true to the spirit of the message at the start of the ministry. If we attract people with easier-to-listen message at the start, it is more difficult to change a person or change the message after that.
(iii) Gather (come together) 3 years
Transcript written for 2 Chronicles Overview Part 2 for the Discipleship Training on 5 Oct 2007.