Read 2 Chronicles 8
Solomon’s Other Activities
8 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, 2 Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram had given him, and settled Israelites in them. 3 Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4 He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath. 5 He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and with gates and bars, 6 as well as Baalath and all his store cities, and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.
7 There were still people left from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these people were not Israelites). 8 Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these people remaining in the land—whom the Israelites had not destroyed—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites for his work; they were his fighting men, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 10 They were also King Solomon’s chief officials—two hundred and fifty officials supervising the men.
11 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
12 On the altar of the Lord that he had built in front of the portico, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord, 13 according to the daily requirementfor offerings commanded by Moses for the Sabbaths, the New Moons and the three annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. 14 In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered.15 They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter, including that of the treasuries.
16 All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid until its completion. So the temple of the Lordwas finished.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom.18 And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.
Go Deeper
As we well know, Solomon was the wisest person to ever live and also a successful builder. During a twenty-year span, he built a magnificent temple for the Lord and a glorious palace for himself. He spent seven years building this first temple in Jerusalem, certainly a significant achievement of King Solomon’s reign. Approximately 400 years later, however, the Babylonians destroyed the temple. And even though a second temple would be built years later and then remodeled and enlarged during King Herod’s rule, it would again be destroyed; this time by the Romans.
Solomon’s construction of the temple fulfilled a desire of his father King David, who was the one who initially planned to build the Lord’s temple. God allowed King David’s son, Solomon, to build the temple instead. The construction and eventual destruction of the temple serves as a good reminder that while a physical temple for God is not everlasting, our bodies offered as a living temple are. For all who place their trust and faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior allow their bodies to serve as the living temple of God’s Holy Spirit, forever.
After completing the first temple to honor God, Solomon spent thirteen years building a new palace for himself. It is interesting to note that the construction time almost doubled for his personal palace. The extravagant palace helped Solomon attract Pharaoh’s daughter to marry him. Over time, Solomon would have many, many more wives. In fact, the numerous marriages that followed eventually led Solomon to look towards other gods and away from the one true God (1 Kings 11:3-4).
Solomon’s choice to take countless wives and concubines was a direct disobedience to God. God laid out His will, gave Solomon wisdom (again, he was the wisest person to ever live), and still Solomon made the choice to disobey. The consequences of his choices would later impact Solomon’s life. We are invited to devote ourselves fully to God and invite His Spirit to indwell in us, a living temple. We are also given the choice to obey or disobey. It is a daily choice: live today for God or for our flesh. What is your choice today?
Questions
- If you could wish for anything from God, what would you ask for? (Review 2 Chronicles 1:10 or 1 Kings 3:3-15 for Solomon’s request.)
- Where have you prioritized the desires of your flesh over those of God? Confess those to God now.
- What specific actions will you take today to live for God?
Did You Know?
The Wailing Wall, also known as the Western Wall, is the remaining portion of the temple. The first temple constructed by King Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, rebuilt the second temple and completed it in 516 BC.
According to GotQuestions.org, approximately 400 years later, King Herod renovated and expanded the second temple, and it stood until its destruction by the Romans in AD 70. All that remains today of the temple is the Wailing Wall, which stands 187-foot-high, extends for 1,600 feet, and at least seventeen layers are below street level. The exposed portion of the Wailing Wall is a religious destination for many people around the world.
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8 responses to “2 Chronicles 8”
Solomon knew what was right and wrong but did the wrong anyway. Sounds way to familiar ( insert sad face).
11 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “ My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”
Freedom
God gives us freedom of choice minutely. For who is able?
When God let Solomon choose whatever he wanted after David died, Solomon ask for wisdom and knowledge, a discerning heart, able to distinguish between right and wrong.
Solomon says something deeply profound to God: “You have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties… for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Ki 3:7,9)
Solomon realizes that he, is not been chosen but by God and that he needs God’s wisdom in order to succeed with this big of a job. 1 Kings 3:10 simply says “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. James 1:5 says that “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him.”
God also desires to give us wisdom when we ask for it.
God does this because we ask for help. We know most of the time when we are doing the wrong things. It is back to freedom of choice. For me, I commit myself minutely to God, everyday all day. The choice is to embrace God or the world.
God thank You for all the things. God thank You for freedom of choice. God, help me to desire more and more of You. Thank You for helping me to choose those right things every minute. God continue to nudge me with Your Word with others in my life that are following You. I ask for wisdom and knowledge for the minutes of this day, to guide me with actions, and words that I speak. God let my heart beat with the rhythm of You. I desire for You to be a constant thought in my head today in these minutes. God let Your love flow from all of me, words, actions, deeds, thoughts, touch and joy be effervescing through out today in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even though one may be the wisest, richest and most famous, if obedience to God is compromised life unravels. We see this creep into Solomon’s life in choosing a pagan wife (v11) and in making his neighbors slaves (v8).
Yes, so tragic!
Agree
16 “So the temple of the Lord was finished.“
Possibly the highlight of Solomon’s lifetime! If only he’d stayed in that mindset of obedience and purpose! Likewise for me!
This chapter raised the following questions for me, and as I studied, here’s what I found:
1. Why did Solomon marry Pharaoh’s daughter (v.11)?
While Solomon’s marriage may have been politically expedient — a royal alliance for peace and trade with Egypt — it was spiritually disobedient. Solomon recognized the spiritual problem, but tried to address it through strategic management — rather than wholehearted obedience.
2. Was Solomon disobedient when he built whatever he felt like (v.6)?
God authorized the Temple, not every project Solomon “desired.” Here we see Solomon begin to stray into self-directed expansion — building for himself rather than for God.
3. Was Solomon disobedient when he used conscripted (forced) labor (v.8)?
Though common for kings, this practice echoed the same oppression Israel had escaped from. Solomon’s use of conscripted labor suggests he was becoming more like the kings of the nations — than the servant-leader God intended.
4. Why the contrast — administrative obedience vs. personal indulgence (v.14)?
Solomon was meticulous in following David’s instructions for priestly order and temple service — structural obedience — but less attentive to personal holiness. He excelled in ritual faithfulness — yet fell short in relational faithfulness to God.
This contrast is the essence of Solomon’s decline — religious precision without heart surrender. It’s a sobering reminder that outward order doesn’t always equal inward obedience.
5. What do we make of Solomon’s ships bringing back treasure (vv.17–18)?
Solomon’s ventures reflected great prosperity — but also growing attachment to wealth and foreign luxury. Which leads me to ask: did Solomon’s success glorify God — or subtly shift the glory toward Solomon?
This chapter shows Solomon is already a complex and deeply conflicted figure. He’s trying to be, if not spiritually obedient, then at least spiritually traditional — upholding what had been done before, following in (at least some of) David’s footsteps.
But how sad to see this man, only one generation removed from “the man after God’s own heart,” already so “conformed to the pattern of the world.” He’s doing a great many “kingly” things instead of ruling with humility, obedience and surrender to the sovereignty of God.
It looks as if Solomon is trying to serve two masters — the commands of God — and the customs of the world.
Let’s see how that turns out for him.
I’m sorry to say, I can totally relate. So often I try to maintain outward order while abandoning inward obedience. Like Solomon, I think I can live both ways too — and what a sad deception that is.
We already know how that turns out.
Evil ( selfishness and pride) wormed its way into even Solomon’s heart. God gave him so much wisdom and yet the enemy found a way in…
On the outside, Solomon may have appeared to be doing everything right. But, on the inside, he was slowly drifting from God. His slow drift would eventually cause him to marry 1,000 wives and worship other gods. From Solomon’s mistakes, God reveals seven lessons on maintaining your walk with Him. These include: (1) maintaining integrity, (2) avoiding compromise, (3) trusting God, (4) staying separate from evil, (5) having an obedient heart, (6) accountability, and (7) contentment.