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Solomon Responds to God’s Faithfulness: 2 Chronicles 6
In our last post, the glory of the Lord in the form of a Cloud filled the Temple. Imagine the collective crowd’s response in 2 Chronicles 6. Were they silent in awe? Cheering in joy?
How long did it take Solomon to regain his composure? He is the son of David, born to be king, a man of wisdom and heir to the promise. He turned from the awe-inspiring Cloud of Glory and spoke to God’s people in 2 Chronicles 6:1-11.
Solomon starts by stating God has:
- Chosen to dwell among them in a dark Cloud as He had before, during the time of Moses in Leviticus 16, Exodus 19, 24, 25, and 40.
- Kept his promise to Abraham and David that they would be His people and He would be with them.
- Fulfilled His promise that the Temple would be built on the ground David purchased.
- Kept His promise that Solomon would be king and would build the Temple.
From this point forward, the Temple and worship are central to their identity. The Temple is visible proof God has established His people in the Promised Land.
In his speech, Solomon rightly gives God all the credit. Despite all the hard work he and his father put into the building, it was God’s hand, not their hands, that made it a reality.
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
In 2 Chronicles 6:12-13, Solomon climbed a bronze platform in the outer courtyard in front of the bronze altar. He knelt down and spread out his hands to God in worship.
We can only guess how many people were present, but it was an “assembly of Israel” suggesting thousands and certainly including all the elders and leaders. It would have been quite an experience to be in that crowd.
Solomon’s first words in 2 Chronicles 6:14-15 are praising God for his covenant of love, which is a covenant of hesed. God’s keeping of His covenant is an act of hesed, or a kindness performed for the benefit of a person in need, in the context of a deep and enduring commitment between two people.
Israel is a people in need because of their sin and separation from God. Out of love for them, God provided a way to overcome their separation. Despite their sin, He met them here in the Temple in covenant with them.
Solomon praises God for his mercy in choosing to do this for Israel. He also notes the conditions of this covenant…that it is for those who continue wholeheartedly in God’s ways.
Then, in 2 Chronicles 6:16-17, Solomon turns to the future and asks God to keep His promise to David. The promise that there would always be a descendant of David on the throne.
Next, Solomon directs his focus to the Temple in 2 Chronicles 6:18. He acknowledges God cannot be contained or limited to this Temple or this Earth as the Apostle Luke said in Acts 7:44-50.
Like Solomon, Luke declares the Lord does not live in houses made by humans. Heaven is the Lord’s thrown, and the Earth His footstool.
Six Cries for Mercy and Restoration
Then, in 2 Chronicles 6:19-21, Solomon petitions God to hear the prayers of Israel. He goes on to list six life-threatening scenarios in which Israel may need God to hear their prayers and forgive them.
Solomon asks God to hear their prayers when:
- A person wrongs their neighbor. This speaks to Solomon’s heart for justice and unity in 2 Chronicles 6:22-23.
- Israel suffers defeat by an enemy because they have turned away from God. Solomon was concerned for their safety and peace in 2 Chronicles 6:24-25.
- They experience drought, famine, plague, or other natural disasters because they have turned away from God. Solomon fears for their physical suffering in 2 Chronicles 6:26-31.
- Foreigners who believes in God pray to Him in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33.
- They need victory in war in 2 Chronicles 6:34-35.
- They pray from exile. Solomon asks God to forgive them when they sin so greatly that God gives them over to their enemies.
This sixth cry for mercy and restoration was near and dear to the Chronicler’s heart. It’s the exact situation from which his readers have just returned, and, if our author has anything to say about it, it will never happen again.
From Solomon’s Prayer to Christ’s Promise
Lastly, in 2 Chronicles 6:36-39, Solomon petitions God to give attention to all the prayers and to arise and rest in this Temple. In his wisdom, Solomon is not blind to their history of sin and rebellion, and he ends his prayer by once more begging God to hear them whenever they cry out to Him.
Solomon’s focus was on forgiveness, because it’s key to their relationship with God. The purpose of the covenant, the Temple, and the nation is for Israel to be God’s people and live in relationship with Him.
It can never be a perfect relationship like it was in the Garden of Eden, but an imperfect covenantal relationship until the New Covenant, which is the covenant we benefit from today. In this New Covenant, there is a perfect king. He is the one who, as Revelation 3 puts it, is holy and true, who holds the key of David.
What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. The key of David is held by Jesus Christ, and only He has the key to an eternal relationship with God.
A Dedication Like No Other: 2 Chronicles 7
In 2 Chronicles 7:1-10, God is pleased with His chosen people and fire comes down from heaven to consume the sacrifices they offer. Then the glory of the Lord fills the Temple.
This day, this celebration, and this Temple are a big deal. The dedication celebration lasted seven days with seven more days of celebration for the Feast of Tabernacles.
As we discussed in our last post, the Feast of Tabernacles is one of many Israelite celebrations. See a complete list in our Feasts and Festivals in the Bible show note.
Solomon likely dedicated the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles for several key reasons. First, many Israelites gathered in Jerusalem for this pilgrimage festival, ensuring a large audience for the dedication as required by Deuteronomy 16:16.
Second, the feast commemorated the Israelites’ desert wanderings in temporary shelters, symbolizing a move from the temporary Tabernacle to the permanent Temple and emphasizing God’s enduring presence.
Over 100,000 men were gathered for the dedication and celebration. The sacrifices needed for the celebration were so great that the bronze altar was not big enough. Solomon had to consecrate the middle of the courtyard to provide additional space for offerings.
From the Temple to Eternity
The Temple was the ultimate symbol of God’s relationship with Israel. It represented permanence and a future. It was costly and so much more beautiful than the Tabernacle.
What the Israelites could not begin to fathom was that this beautiful new Temple was nothing compared to what is to come. In fact, no one had any idea until the Apostle John, who was alone and in exile on the island of Patmos, had a vision.
In Revelations 21:1-4 and 22, John wrote about this vision which merged the man-made Tabernacle and Temple with the Garden of Eden. Together, the three transformed into something more glorious–a new Heaven and a new Earth. It was a place where there is no Temple because God dwells among His people.
The Tabernacle and Temple were temporary ways God could dwell among His people, but God’s plan was always for something more intimate and eternal. Something beautiful beyond all we could imagine. A new Heaven and a new Earth where God’s dwelling place is among His people.
God’s Call to Faithfulness Then and Now
The Lord only spoke directly to Solomon two times that we know of. The first appearance, or theophany, was in 1 Kings 3 when God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted and Solomon chose wisdom.
The second is in 2 Chronicles 7:11-18 when God acknowledges He heard Solomon’s prayers. He promises His heart will always be at the Temple if the people obey His commands and Solomon walks faithfully.
If they can just do that, then God promises, as He promised David, to establish Solomon’s throne. This is not new to Solomon. God reiterated the same rules of faith and obedience to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David.
The warning cast a shadow on the success of the Temple dedication.
Unfortunately, as the Chronicler will document in the coming chapters, the Israelite kings did not heed the warnings of 2 Chronicles 7:19-22. Solomon did not obey, and he was unfaithful to God.
As a result, Israel lost the Promised Land and the Temple. Solomon’s descendants lost the throne. It must have pierced the returning exiles’ hearts as they suffered the consequences of these choices.
Nevertheless, the Chronicler’s post-exilic readers were in a new situation. They had the chance to learn from the past. They were rebuilding the Temple.
What does that mean for us today? We are the church. Our bodies are a Temple, and Christ dwells within each of us.
Our hope does not rely on sacrificing at a physical building. As 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, our hope rests in Christ, our mediator.
Obedience, faithfulness, humility, and repentance are still a part of the relationship equation with God. But thankfully, unlike the Israelites, we have direct access and a guarantee of forgiveness through faith in Christ.
🎧 Ready to dive deeper? Listen to episodes of the Bible Book Club Podcast here.
Themes of this podcast:
God’s faithfulness invites our worship and dependence. God has fulfilled His promises—from dwelling among His people to establishing the Temple and Solomon’s reign. In response, Solomon bows in worship, recognizing that God alone is the source of every good thing. Remembering God’s faithfulness will naturally lead us to humility, gratitude, and trust.
Prayer and repentance sustain the covenant relationship. Whether facing personal injustice, national defeat, or exile, the Israelites are invited to return to God through repentance. This foreshadows the New Covenant truth that God always hears the cries of a repentant heart.
This earthly Temple foreshadow God’s eternal presence. The Temple dedication was glorious, but even Solomon acknowledged God cannot be contained in buildings. From the Tabernacle to the Temple to the Church, every dwelling place of God points forward to His ultimate plan: our eternal home with Him.
Show Notes:
Feasts and Festivals in the Bible
