2 Chronicles 4 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
2 Chronicles 4 Short Summary:
In 2 Chronicles 4, Solomon commissions the construction of the furniture which was to sit within the Temple grounds. The chapter briefly describes the altar of burnt offerings, the altar of incense, the bronze sea, the washing basins, the golden lampstands, and other furniture Solomon’s craftsmen designed for the magnificent temple in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 4 Extended Summary
WHEN:
2 Chronicles 4 discusses events that took place in the early years of Solomon’s reign, specifically from his 4th to 11th year as king.
Solomon was king for 40 years according to 1 Kings 11:42, from approximately 1015-975 B.C.
CHARACTERS:
Solomon – Son of David and the 3rd king of God’s people in the Promised Land.
Huram-abi – A talented craftsman who helped Solomon build the special items which went into the Temple. He is called “Hiram” in 1 Kings 13 and in 2 Chronicles 4.
WHERE:
The capital of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah was Jerusalem.
The Temple was built in Jerusalem at the location where Araunah’s threshing floor once stood on Mount Moriah (2 Sam 24; 1 Chron 21:18; 2 Chron 3:1).
OUTLINE:
*This chapter has a parallel in 1 Kings 7:13-51*
SOLOMON BUILDS THE ALTARS AND FURNITURE OF THE TEMPLE (4:1-22):
This chapter documents Solomon’s construction of the Temple and the furniture within it.
Solomon had a bronze altar built, the Altar of Burnt Offering, it was 20 cubits long, 20 wide, and 10 cubits tall.
Next, Solomon had a huge metal bowl cast, which held so much water it was called a “sea.”
This water was for the priests to wash themselves as they served in the Temple.
The huge bowl was 10 cubits from brim to brim and 5 cubits tall.
As a platform, it was placed on the backs of 12 metal oxen, three pointing in each cardinal direction.
The great metal bowl was placed at the southeast corner of the Temple.
Ten golden lampstands and ten tables were put inside the Temple, five on the north side and five on the south side of the Holy Place.
Ten washing basins and their stands were made for washing the things used during the burnt offerings. Five basins were put on the south side and 5 were put on the north side of the Temple.
Solomon’s craftsmen also made the golden altar of incense, which sat in front of the Most Holy Place.
In addition to these things, a number of gold tools and utensils were made for the priests to use when completing their Temple duties.
APPLICATION:
As you read about the Tabernacle and the Temple, keep in mind, these things were never meant to be permanent. God wasn’t going to be worshiped and sacrifices were not going to be offered in a Temple forever.
The Temple, the priests, and the sacrifices were a shadow of a better system of worship that would arrive with Jesus.
In Hebrews, Jesus is described as a superior high priest and as a superior sacrifice (when contrasted with the animals sacrificed at the Temple).
As you read about the Temple and the purpose it served, store that information away in your mind, so you can reflect back on it when we talk about Jesus’ work.
Hebrews 9:23-24 - Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites [ceremonies and sacrifices], but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
