2 Chronicles chapters 5 and 6, in parallel with 1 Kings 6-8, have a congruence of several ideas that succinctly show the character of God. These ideas are the utility of fear to bring about obedience, God's view of man's sinfulness and man's need for forgiveness, and God's requirement that men act in faith apart from the few times when God proves himself.
From 2,973 years ago, we read King Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. The prayer centers on the will of people to obey God. It is as applicable to people today as it was back then. The people who were present at the temple dedication had an advantage: they witnessed the power of God, and they saw humble leaders leading worship of God. Our faith benefits from the historical record of these great events.
As an aid to understanding Solomon's prayer, let's review how the temple came to be.
The Bible references concern the Jewish temple which was planned by King David but built by his son, King Solomon. Solomon inherited from his warrior father a kingdom that had peace on all sides and respect among all nations that heard of Israel and Israel's God. The king of Tyre1, Hiram, who had been friendly to David, heard that Solomon was building the temple. Solomon and Hiram agreed that Tyrians and Israeli work forces, rotating 10,000 at a time up to Mt. Hermon, would harvest valuable cedar logs. (These were the famous Cedars of Lebanon, of which some still exist high on the mountain. The flag of the nation of Lebanon shows a cedar.)
Tyre received wheat, barley, wine, and olive oil in return, all from abundant harvests that Israelites were bringing in, with God's blessings. A reader with knowledge of the modern geography of Israel might wonder where this agricultural fertility was located, given the lack of irrigation at that time and the present barrenness of so much of Israel. But we know from 2 Samuel 18:8 that there were even thick forests in the limestone plains and the foothills in the time of Solomon, forests that were cut down in later conquests by Babylonians and Romans. Then erosion washed away the soil to leave the barren areas that we see today. At the time of Solomon, the forests were dense and wild. There were natural pits in the foothills and as limestone sinkholes, because we read that David and other brave men would descend into the pits to fight wild animals. During war, fighters fleeing into the forests would get lost and die: "the forest claimed more lives than the sword."
Cedar logs were taken down to the Mediterranean and floated to an Israeli port. Somewhere between the port and Jerusalem, they were cut into boards and beams. Wooden ceiling beams were required to hold up the clear span of the temple's roof, which was 30 feet across and over four stories high. There were no intermediate pillars within the temple. Stone for foundation and walls was quarried near Jerusalem and dressed remotely from Jerusalem. 1 Kings 6:7 says there was no sound of any iron or bronze implement at the temple site. The site was no common construction site, it was a sacred place even while the temple was being built.
As the temple neared completion, all of the inside, even the floors, was covered with the most valuable and decorative material available, gold2. But the temple was not a glittering reception hall like the king's cedar palace. Only certain priests and Levites, and only males, could enter the temple, and little sunlight entered the temple, through a small number of narrow windows, 1 Kings 6:4. A select few could tell the generations what was in the temple. The wonders inside the temple were God's design for his own glory.
The temple was dedicated with great deference to God in a national ceremony in 960 B.C. 2 Chronicles 6 records the prayers made by Solomon, delivered from a bronze platform in front of the temple. (2 Chr 6:12-21: the platform was modest, 7 feet square and 4 feet tall.) Early in the ceremony, countless numbers of sheep and cattle were sacrificed, according to the blood-sacrifice laws received by Moses. At Solomon's command, the 484-year-old ark3 and the Tent of Meeting were brought through the concentric courts of the temple, through gates. A number of priests carried the ark with poles, but no one could see the ark because it was always draped when in transit. Priests carried the ark past the great, bronze columns of the portico, through the Holy Place, and past doors and curtains into the Most Holy Place, where the ark was placed under the gold-covered wings of the two cherubim. Sounds of singing, trumpets, and cymbals filtered in from the courts.
The Most Holy Place was so special that, once temple sacrifice became routine, only the High Priest would enter, and then only once a year. So the dedication was a singular event for the priests who carried the ark into the Most Holy Place. The priests set the ark in place and filed out as the High Priest started to remove the coverings from the ark. "Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple."
In the court, King Solomon proceeded with the dedication ceremony. Whether the sight of the Glory caused him to depart from his prepared speech, we do not know. O Lord, "hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive." "When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you and when they turn back and confess your name...forgive the sin of your people." "Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart...so that they will fear you and walk in your ways." "All the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you." "There is no one who does not sin." "When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple" for the second time that day.
2 Chronicles 7: "I have heard your prayer...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land...My eyes and my heart will always be there" in Jerusalem.
The fear of the Lord is sometimes thought to mean merely respect for the Lord. But most biblical occurrences of the word can sensibly mean being afraid. Any person is afraid when startled, and a person is fearful when apprehensive of unknown danger or anticipated punishment. There are several records in the Bible of fire coming down from heaven. Anyone nearby was startled or traumatized. God does not always tread lightly on the feelings of people. That is just the way it is. Considering fear accompanying apprehension, the Bible has many warnings to obey God, and consequences for disobedience are often itemized. God made people with abilities to judge, remember, and choose. Having a will to obey, and getting beyond stubbornness, are important parts of following God. Young children fear punishment, and adults should not outgrow that.
Fear is associated with another point of Solomon's prayer. Solomon prayed, "When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you..." The same prophecy shows up when God spoke to Solomon in private, after dedication day. In light of various Jewish rebellions against God before the occupation of the promised land, and records of the tribes turning away from God before and after Samuel, there was no hiding the fact that Israelites had a propensity to rebel, and the biblical warning was to fear calamity. Solomon's own son, Rehoboam, recklessly caused the division between Judah and the other tribes, and it was downhill from there until the conquests by the Assyrians and Babylonians. The prophecy of rebellion from God was known. There was plenty to be fearful of, anytime there was pause to consider the long term, beyond the glory times of Solomon.
Fear of the Lord shows up in Deuteronomy chapters 28-32 so prominently that it is worth noting here. At this time, Moses4 is near death and transmits to the nation the Lord's message about faithfulness vs. apostasy. "If you do not obey, ...these curses will come upon you...terror will fill your hearts...what I am commanding you today is not too difficult...the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart...now choose life." "These people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods." In Moses' last address, he told the nation, "You are sure to become utterly corrupt" but "the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Moses showed them plenty to be fearful of but gave a reason for hope.
There are plenty of other warnings to fear the Lord in the Bible.6
Here is something for parents to think about. If you raise your children without spanking, and they never fear punishment, does that build into your children an inability to fear God?
In the foregoing text, God proved himself to the Jews in several instances through supernatural appearances. But these are exceptions to the general rule that God requires people to act in faith: "You are saved by grace through faith." But proof, when the cloud or the glory fills a place, or when the cloud by day and the fire by night aided the Israelites during the forty years, is sometimes God's action of choice. If God had not given proof by the appearance of the glory, the time would have been ripe for skeptics to say, "Solomon, this ceremony and the grand temple are all well and good, but God is not there." It is a good thing when people choose the right when there is no proof and no reward. Beyond that, the choice of a right action must sometimes be in the face of out-and-out persecution by opponents. Many prophets were threatened and replied, "You do what you will, but know that what I tell you is what the Lord tells me."
Solomon asked God to forgive disobedience. Forgiveness is completed by Jesus' blood sacrifice. He was willing to set aside his power and endure shame and pain in fulfilment of the Old-Testament law of the sacrifice. This is his gift to us, but it is only effective if we receive the gift.
Solomon's prayer was for all people, not just Jews. "All the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you." There were provisions in the Jewish law for proselytes to become part of the Jewish nation. After Jesus' time on earth, Peter led the way for non-Jews to be full participants in receiving forgiveness and the Spirit. The modern missionary movement advances the kingdom of God toward all peoples.
The temple dedication and Solomon's great prayer are a reminder to fear God, obey God, accept Jesus' forgiveness, and act with faith in God.
1 Early on, King Hiram sent 4.5 tons of gold. Tyre was wealthy from trade. The fleets of Hiram and Solomon are mentioned at 1 Kings 9 and 10.
2 We can speculate that God created the physical properties of gold specifically so it would be a wonderful finishing material for the temple. 1) Gold is found in nature uncombined with other elements. When it is in sand and silt, it is easy to see. When used in architecture or as the ritual implements for temple sacrifice, gold is special in that it does not tarnish. 2) Gold is malleable and ductile, suited to rolling as sheets and applicable (as beaten gold) to carved wood and stone. Even in ancient times, it could be drawn to a small gauge and sewn into fabric. 3) The color of gold, before the 1970s, was calculated to be in the ultraviolet like other metals, but it turns out to be due to relativistic quantum chemistry and the 5d-6s transition being lowered due to relativistic effects.
3 Exodus chapter 25 gives the size of the ark: 4 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet. The cover integrated two cherubs with wings spread upward and toward each other, overshadowing the cover. God told Moses, the humblest man on earth, "There [between the cherubs]...I will meet with you and give you all my commands." Moses heard the voice of God coming from the clear air between the cherubs.
4 Exodus 33 and 34 relate some of the nature of God and the special relationship God had with Moses. The happenings at the temple in Jerusalem when Solomon led the dedication can be interpreted in light of Exodus 33 and 34. Before the tabernacle had been built, "Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp...calling it the 'tent of meeting.' Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent." Moses' "aide, Joshua son of Nun, did not leave" his place beside the tent. "Moses said to the Lord, 'You have been telling me, Lead these people.' " "Teach me your ways." "Remember that this nation is your people. The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you'...Then Moses said, 'Now show me your glory.' 5 And the Lord said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you...I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy...no one may see me and live.' " "There is a place...where I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." "The Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed His Name...he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.' " Moses had bowed to the ground in worship. "Forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance. Then the Lord said: 'I am making a covenant with you. [A covenant of love, Deuteronomy 7:12.] Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you.' "
"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai...with the two tablets...he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord."
In Exodus 40, craftsmen finished the elaborate Tent of Meeting and furnishings and erected it. "The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter." Leviticus 9: "Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering...all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face down." Numbers 7: "Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord...the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim."
5 How Moses could get away with asking God for this is amazing. But we need to remember that Moses was the humblest man on earth. He was receiving proofs from God all the time, and he was asking for some more proof when he asked to see the Glory.
6 Proverbs 1 They hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord Proverbs 9 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 15 The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. Proverbs 3 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.