Without a doubt the most famous verse in all of the Chronicles is…
“…if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and will pray and will seek my face and will turn from their evil ways, then I myself shall hear from the heavens and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 LEB
I know that we all – in whatever country we live – wish to apply this verse to ourselves. But while the Lord is merciful and does respond to humble repentance, this promise is not about America or any other land or people except Israel. That is the only land Yahweh ever chose for Himself.
The context of this verse is important as well. And it makes assertions that some of us tend to find uncomfortable. BUT – we do not avoid the uncomfortable parts of scripture.
“Then Yahweh appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I hold back the heavens so that there is not rain, and when I command the locust to devour the earth, and if I send disease among my people, then, if my people who are called…”
2 Chronicles 7:12-13 LEB
The drought is not because of El Niño or a solar cycle (though that may be what scientists call their observations). God says He is withholding the rain.
The locust plague is not (cue Sir David Attenborough’s voice) “a powuhful act of Nachuh.” Yahweh said He “commands” the locust to devour the earth.
And the Lord says it is His prerogative to “send disease” among His people.
Note that all of these are specifically about
- God’s people
- God’s land
Verses 19 through the end of chapter 7 take on a new light when you consider that they were written after the things promised in those verses had actually happened.
“And as for this house, which was exalted, all who pass by it will be appalled and will say, ‘Why has Yahweh done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they forsook Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out from the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought upon them all this evil.’ ”
2 Chronicles 7:21-22 LEB
If there was a verse 23 to this chapter it might read: “And don’t think for a minute that it can’t happen again.”
God wasn’t bluffing when he warned Solomon of these things. And by the time Chronicles is written about 400 years later, everyone knows it.
Before we leave the chapters related to the dedication of the Temple I’d like to highlight three more things.
THE CLOUD OF GLORY ☁️
The Cloud of God’s presence was not a new idea. Remember this?
“And the cloud covered the tent of assembly, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. And Moses was unable to go into the tent of assembly because the cloud settled on it and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle.”
Exodus 40:34-35 LEB
God appears in the exact same way when He settles into the Temple and the same thing happens – people cannot go inside because of the Cloud.
This is the same “Pillar of Cloud” that led them through the Wilderness for 40 years.
And speaking of divine pillar manifestations…
FIRE FROM HEAVEN 🔥
The LORD appeared as Fire in the burning bush. He was the Pillar of Fire to lead and protect Israel in the Wilderness. He also descended on Mount Sinai as a Fire. The writer of Hebrews describes God as “a consuming fire, 12:29.”
At the Exodus and Sinai and the Tabernacle, Israel saw God as Fire and a Cloud. 🔥☁️
At the dedication of the Temple, we again have both Fire and Cloud. 🔥☁️
That’s not a coincidence. But fire “falling from Heaven” is not an everyday occurrence in scripture. At the dedication of the Temple, when Solomon finishes his prayer, fire comes out of heaven and consumes the sacrifices on the huge altar. It’s not the first time this has happened but it’s certainly rare.
Here is a list of the times that the Bible says that fire “fell from Heaven” or “came out from the LORD”:
- Sodom & Gomorrah
- Job’s flocks/shepherds (attack of Satan)
- At the first offerings in the Tabernacle
- Nadab & Abihu
- 250 men in Korah’s rebellion
- David’s offering on the threshing floor to stop the plague
- Dedication of the Temple
- Elijah on Mount Carmel
- Elijah and the 2 groups of 50 men
- The Day of Pentecost
- Sign performed by the False Prophet
- Gog & Magog (Rev. 20)
Is it just me, or does there seem to be a bit of a pattern here? I color-coded it. Here’s the key:
- Black – whole civilization in rebellion, interesting that both have a name pairing.
- Red – Fire from heaven but it isn’t truly from God. It’s from Satan.
- Orange – Fire as specific judgment, oddly it is: 2 men, then 250 men, the 2 groups of 50 men. That’s weird.
- Purple – Sign of God’s approval
Interesting, huh?
THE TIMING OF THE DEDICATION
The dedication of the Temple coincided with the Feast of Tabernacles; also called the Feast of Booths or Shelters, or, in Hebrew, Sukkoth (sounds like sue-coat).
“So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim.”
1 Kings 8:2 NLT
“For the next seven days Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters. A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days.”
2 Chronicles 7:8-9 NLT
There are 7 annual “appointed times” that God commanded Israel to observe plus the weekly Sabbath. I fully believe that each one is a prophetic picture.
Jesus fulfilled the spring festivals in person in His first coming to earth. And He fulfilled their meaning on the very days they were observed:
- Passover (Christ is the Pascal Lamb)
- Unleavened Bread (Christ is perfectly righteous)
- Firstfruits (Christ is the first fruit from the dead)
The Holy Spirit fulfilled the middle, summer festival of Weeks (Pentecost) where 2 loaves of leavened bread were offered from the new grain harvest. This was indicative of the Jewish & Gentile believers who were the first harvest.
I believe that the 3 fall festivals will be fulfilled in person by Jesus at His return on the very days of those festivals:
- Trumpets (See Rev. 8-11)
- Day of Atonement (a day to “afflict your souls when sin is dealt with, I suspect this is the dreaded “Day of the LORD,” the Day of Wrath, Rev. 16)
- Tabernacles (the harvests are over, everyone rejoices and rests and lives in little shelters made of tree branches)
🤨 Question.
Yes?
🤨 If the feasts are prophetic and they celebrated Tabernacles by living in little huts, is that some sort of prophetic message? Like after the judgment day do we all have to live in little stick huts?
I don’t know, but I kinda wonder if there might be a period where the few humans left on planet earth after judgment day are basically living in little stick shelters. Like after the Flood – I think people lived pretty primitively for at least a few years until the planet recovered.
🤨 It doesn’t sound very fun – unless you’re one of those weird people who like to be dropped off in the wilderness with nothing but a knife and a flint.
Well… We’ll find out someday.
A couple of interesting things about the Feast of Tabernacles… It’s the only feast mentioned after the return of the Lord and its observance will be globally mandatory. This is a long quote, but important:
“Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.
And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped. In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters. Any nation in the world that refuses to come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will have no rain. If the people of Egypt refuse to attend the festival, the Lord will punish them with the same plague that he sends on the other nations who refuse to go. Egypt and the other nations will all be punished if they don’t go to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.”
Zechariah 14:3-5, 9, 16-19 NLT
😦 That. Is. Wild.
I know, right? I honestly don’t quite understand why that festival and no others are required but that’s what the text clearly says. It’ll make sense when the time comes.
One more thing…
The Prophet Haggai was on the 6th day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Word of the Lord came to him. And it was about the Temple – the 2nd one that had just been built. It was smaller and not nearly as golden and glorious as Solomon’s Temple had been. In this prophetic message, the Lord tells Haggai that there is going to be a shake up.
“I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
Haggai 2:7-9 NLT
That 2nd Temple was the one that Jesus came into. He was first carried in by Joseph and Mary and held in the arms of Simeon in THAT temple. Then he was found there as a boy of 12 discussing the Law with the teachers. He taught on the steps. He debated the Pharisees and healed the lame and blind in the courtyards. He wrote in the dirt and forgave the woman caught in adultery. And He drove out the money changers… all in THAT 2nd temple that appeared less splendid than the first one.
Jesus, the true glory of God did indeed come into the 2nd temple. And He was greater than the appearance of a cloud or fire. And for some reason, the Lord decided to give this prophecy to Haggai during the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Church is the Temple now. And I kinda wonder if perhaps we will be complete and dedicated (glorified) on the Feast of Tabernacles too, just like the first temple.
I’m not sure what that would look like, but I won’t be a bit surprised if it involves a fire and a cloud. 🔥☁️
PSALM 136
You need to know the Hebrew word hesed or khesed. (Kinda clear your throat before the H sound.)
The LORD’s hesed is what this Psalm says (over and over) “endures forever.”
There is no word in English that is the equivalent of hesed. That’s why translations of it have various nuances:
- Faithful love (NLT)
- Loyal love (LEB)
- Steadfast love (ESV)
- Faithfulness (NASB)
- Love (NIV)
- Mercy (KJV, LXX)
- Loving-kindness (AMP)
Which is it? ALL of them.
Hesed is loyal-loving-faithful-steadfast-merciful-kindness. D
David, in Psalm 63:3 sang that it is “better than life itself.”
And it continues forever.
To The Reader 