2 Chronicles 8 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
2 Chronicles 8 Short Summary:
2 Chronicles 8 is a record of Solomon’s accomplishments and the riches of his kingdom. Solomon had fleets of ships travelling all around the world, collecting gold and other exotic items. He undertook building projects and renovations in the cities he controlled. His kingdom expanded south to the Red Sea and north to the Euphrates River.
2 Chronicles 8 Extended Summary
WHEN:
2 Chronicles 8 discusses events that took place in the middle years of Solomon’s reign, after he finished building his palace and the Lord’s Temple. Solomon was king for 40 years according to 1 Kings 11:42, from approximately 1015-975 B.C.
It took Solomon 7.5 years told build the Temple (1 Kings 6:38) and 13 years told build his palace in Jerusalem (1 Kings 7:1).
CHARACTERS:
Solomon – Son of David and the 3rd king of God’s people in the Promised Land.
Hiram – King of Tyre. He provided Solomon with wood from the forests in Lebanon to build the Temple and the king’s house.
Pharaoh’s Daughter – She was given to Solomon in marriage as part of alliance between Israel and Egypt.
WHERE:
Solomon’s house and the Temple of the Lord were in Jerusalem.
Solomon built ships at Ezion-geber, which was 200-250 miles south of Jerusalem on the Red Sea.
Ophir (8:18) was likely the name of a region, rather than a city. Its location is unknown. Theories propose Arabia, India, Africa, the Philippines.
OUTLINE:
SOLOMON’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE GROWTH OF HIS KINGDOM (8:1-18):
After 20 years of building his royal house and the Temple of the Lord, Solomon undertook the improvement of several territories in his control.
He renovated places like Hamath, Tadmor, Upper Beth-horen, and Lower Beth-horen. He fortified other cities and build throughout Israel and Lebanon.
To do much of the work, he drafted the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who lived in Israel. These were the descendants of the foreign nations the Israelites failed to drive out of the land when they originally conquered Canaan.
The people of Israel worked as soldiers, officers, commanders, and horsemen.
Solomon appointed priests to work in the Temple offering the sacrifices prescribed in God’s law. These priests ministered during the holy days, Sabbaths, new moons, and the 3 annual feasts (Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths).
According to 1 Kings, Solomon travelled to Ezion-geber, on the Red Sea, where he had a fleet of ships.
Solomon’s ships travelled to Ophir and brought back 450 talents of gold (33,750 lbs or 15308 kg). Needless to say, Solomon was extremely rich.
APPLICATION:
Solomon was a very ambitious man, he had building projects in the north and fleets of ships in the south, but he would have been better off investing less time in his ambitions and more time with the Lord.
As you’ll know if you studied 1 Kings, part way through his reign, Solomon started straying from the Lord.
Ambition isn’t a bad thing in itself, but ambition needs to be checked when it becomes detrimental to our relationship with God.
No career achievement or net worth is as important as drawing close to God.
