Day 76 Reading Schedule: 1 Chronicles 28-29, 2 Chonicles 1-3

1 Chronicles 28: David's Request for the Construction of the Temple

[Overview]

This chapter records the final days of David's life, when he summarized his life. This chapter consists of his will, the scene where he made his final offering for the construction of the temple, and his final prayer of thanksgiving. However, we cannot find any loneliness or emptiness in David's final moments. Rather, we can only find parts where he is thankful to God. First, David appoints Solomon as his successor and asks him to work hard to build the temple (verses 1-10). He then hands over the blueprints for the temple to Solomon (verses 11-19) and encourages him (verses 20-21). In this chapter, we can see King David's supreme faith as he obeyed God's will and carried out God's plan until the very end.

[Explanation]

This chapter records the lessons he learned for the construction of the temple after David had been king of Israel for 40 years and had endured countless hardships and adversities.  Before he retired, he told the people and Solomon to fear the Lord and build His temple. He also advised Solomon to keep the statutes and ordinances of God. 

1 Chronicles 29: The Temple Construction Gifts and David's Death

[Summary]

The previous chapter and this chapter are the concluding parts of this book and also the final summary of David's 40-year reign. First, the scene where King David asks the people for cooperation and donations for the construction of the temple is described (verses 1-5). Next, the scenes of the princes of Israel offering their wealth to God in response to King David's touching advice (verses 6-9), the joyful King David offering a prayer of thanks (verses 10-19), and the whole of Israel joyfully offering sacrifices (verses 20-22) are mentioned. Then, the scene where Solomon succeeds David as king (verses 23-25) and David's death (verses 26-30) are mentioned, bringing the history related to David to an end.  This book intentionally emphasizes the legitimacy of King David by showing that King David's interest was focused on the temple and the faith in Jehovah. 

[Explanation]

David, who asked the high officials of Israel for cooperation in building the temple and inspired Solomon with a sense of mission, now invited the people to participate in the construction and started a fundraising campaign. David praised God in front of the offerings that were joyfully collected, and the people were filled with joy. This chapter also records the death of King David, who achieved political and religious stability in Israel, and the subsequent ascension to the throne of Solomon. 

2 Chronicles 1: Solomon's Thousand Burnt Offerings and His Wish 

[Overview]

This chapter is the first chapter of the first half of this book that deals with the history of Solomon's monarchy, and records Solomon's ascension to the throne and related secondary events. It is based on the incident of Solomon's ascension to the throne and the burnt offering at the high place of Gibeon.  The first half describes the scene of seeking divine wisdom as a means of ruling through the Gibeon burnt offering (verses 1-12), and the second half describes the wealth and honor enjoyed as a result (verses 13-17). The author of this book is giving a positive overview of the eternity of the Davidic kingdom and the history of the kingdom of Judah to the Israelites who returned from captivity in Babylon, which is the purpose of the book, and is fostering dreams and visions for the future. Just as Solomon offered burnt offerings to God first, our believers should also prioritize God’s glory in all things and put the wisdom that God gives first in all things. 

[Explanation]

This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 29, which records the succession of David’s son Solomon to the throne. In this chapter, which introduces Solomon’s ascension to the throne and his thousand burnt offerings, we see Solomon going to Gibeon and offering a thousand burnt offerings as a confession of faith to dedicate himself and his people to God. It also depicts Solomon’s prayer for wisdom and God’s grace in response, which allows Solomon to enjoy wealth and honor. 

 2 Chronicles 2: Preparation for the Construction of the Temple

[Overview]

This chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter, which highlighted the grace of God granting wisdom as a means of governance as a matter of Solomon's faith, and depicts Solomon preparing for the construction of the temple by God's grace. It consists of the first half, where he asks King Huram of Tyre for technicians and lumber (verses 1-10), and the second half, where Huram's kind response to the request is recorded (verses 11-18). Solomon's active participation of Gentiles in the construction of the temple is an expression of the fact that 'God is greater than all gods', and also foreshadows the future unity of Jews and Gentiles in God's kingdom and sovereignty.

[Explanation]

Solomon decided to build the temple according to his father David's will. This chapter mentions Solomon gathering workers to build the temple and requesting materials and technical assistance from King Huram of Tyre, and the content of Huram's response. It also records the fact that he employed not only Israelites but also Gentiles living in the land of Israel as laborers for the temple. 

2 Chronicles 3: The Construction of the Temple in Jerusalem

[Overview]

This chapter mentions the time and place when the temple was built (verses 1-2), and records the size of the temple and the construction of the Most Holy Place and the pillars of the temple (verses 3-17). However, this chapter focuses on the construction of the two important rooms in the temple, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, and describes the two pillars erected in front of the temple, thus illustrating the characteristics of the temple that will be rebuilt in the future. While the Book of Kings describes the construction of the temple in more detail and devotes more space to describing the aspects of the temple construction in detail, this chapter only summarizes the main parts and characteristics of the temple. Furthermore, while the Book of Kings records the promise of God and the construction of the temple in parallel, this chapter only mentions the construction of the temple, showing only the work of the temple construction at that time. Therefore, this chapter can be said to be a unique example of materials on the reconstruction of the temple for the Israelites who returned from captivity.

[Explanation]

This chapter and the next chapter mention the actual construction of the temple.  This chapter summarizes the construction of the temple more concisely than the parallel articles in 1 Kings 6 and 7, and focuses on the construction of the two important rooms in the temple, the sanctuary and the most holy place.