Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+009

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 9 (ESV)

 

22 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 24 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 25 And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. 27 And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Israel was prosperous when Solomon was king. Solomon was rich and honorable throughout his life manifesting God’s care for his people and Solomon himself. God’s faithfulness and love are manifested in peaceful times but Christians will also face difficult periods. The perseverance and hope of Christians in difficult periods reflect our faith and obedience to God. Through difficulties, God can also mold our lives manifesting His love for us at a deeper level.
2. As God’s people, we should know how to be in riches or in poverty; how to be in peace or in difficulties (Phil. 4:12). In any case, people should see our love for God through our lifestyle so that God will be glorified. Reflect whether your life is rich or poor? Peaceful or difficult? Could you lead a life glorifying God in any circumstances?

 

PRAYER:

Humbly come before the Lord and thank Him for all the smooth-going and difficulties. Thank Him for molding your life and providing all your needs. Commit to God that you are willing to stay close to Him and glorifying Him through any circumstances.

 

HYMN:

“God Is Good All The Time” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt-OouIx8Lk

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+008

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 8 (ESV)

 
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.”

12 Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord that he had built before the vestibule, 13 as the duty of each day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. 14 According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their offices of praise and ministry before the priests as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David the man of God had commanded. 15 And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.

16 Thus was accomplished all the work of Solomon from the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Solomon carefully obeyed God’s will in building the temple and offering sacrifice but he disobeyed God’s command forbidding him to enter into marriage with foreign women and thus turned away from God (1 Kings 11:1-2). No matter how spiritual we may think our life is, a little disobedience from God will steer us to the path of destruction.
2. Be vigilant in every aspect of your life especially in your relationship with people and not to leave any chance for sin. Reflect on the principle that a small leak will sink a great ship. Do not belittle any sin no matter how small you think it is.

 

PRAYER: 

Ask God to examine your heart to see if there is any sin you think is trivial or hidden? If there is, repent and ask God for forgiveness. Ask God to mold your life so that you will break away from the bad habits in your life and obey God in all things.

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+007

 

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 7 (ESV)

 

1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” …

 

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.

 

REFLECTION:

1. It symbolized God’s presence when fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. In Lev. 9:22-24, when Aaron offered the first sacrifice in the tabernacle, fire also came down from heaven. This is the true meaning of temple dedication because only God has the cleansing power to consecrate the utensils. Reflect in your daily life if you are always with God, fill with His glory?
2. After Solomon’s prayer for temple dedication (Ch. 6), it could be a few months or a few years for the construction to complete gradually (7:11). At this time, God told Solomon that He had listened to his prayer. People often expect God to listen to their prayer immediately. If we do not see any effect, we will doubt whether God has listened to our prayer. Indeed God listens and he also provides. We should trust that God will answer our prayer at a suitable time. Reflect how many of your prayers were answered by God? How many were not answered? Did you wait for God’s answer with patience?

 

PRAYER:

Meditate on God’s holiness and your impurity. Ask God to refine you as refining gold so that you will keep moving forward towards the goal of holiness. Call to God for an unanswered prayer and ask Him to give a patience and obedience in waiting for His will.

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+006

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 6 (ESV)

 

4 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, 5 ‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel; 6 but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ 7 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. 9 Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’ 10 Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 11 And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Solomon mobilized vast amount of labour and money, and spent a long time to finish building the temple. With this achievement, he could rightly be proud of the labour and effort he contributed. However, Solomon did not take the credit to gain worldly glory but he humbly admitted the temple belonged completely to God. He further emphasized that building the temple was not according to his own plan but rather fully following the sovereign will of God. In fact every detail of temple construction was under the God’s supervision.
2. We should treat ourselves similarly today. When we achieved expected results, we should know that they did not come from our ability or diligence, and we should give glory and praises to God because He is the true reason for all the achievements. Reflect if you have some achievements that satisfied you? Do you really believe these achievements were obtained without God’s hand at work? Give all the glory to God!

 

PRAYER:

Humbly come before God and give Him the glory and praises for your achievements. Ask God to continue to guide you, use you, and help you live a Christ-centred life that will glorify Him.

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=2Chronicles+005

 

2 Chronicles Chapter 5 (ESV)

 

1 Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.

2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion…

 

7 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. 9 And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. 11 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; 13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,

“For he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever,”

the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Why was Solomon so focused on the temple? First the temple is a symbol of God’s sovereignty. Through the temple, God made Jerusalem the centre of worship so that future generations will keep their pure faith unchanged. At the same time, the temple is also a symbol of God’s holiness. People will respect God when they see the beauty of the temple; this is a similar background when the prophets see the great vision. Even more, the temple is the sign of the covenant between God and the Israelites. The temple made the Israelites pay attention to God’s commandments more than the achievement of the kings (the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments inscribed was placed inside the ark in the temple). The temple is the place where God meets His people, and a symbol of God’s forgiveness for His people. The design of the temple, the utensils and the custom of worship all carried deep meanings to the people of Israel, reminding them the severe consequences of sin, the punishment of impurity and how much they needed the forgiveness of sin. All the above factors gives the temple a very important role in the Old Testament. Reflect on these factors if they are still applicable to the church nowadays?
2. The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord into the Most Holy Place and then they came out. Outside the Most Holy Place is the Holy Place where there was the table for bread, the altar of incense, and the golden lampstand. Normally the High Priest could only enter the Most Holy Place once every year on the Day of Atonement. In this special moment, other priests would enter the Most Holy Place and help move the ark to a new place. When they were entering the Most Holy Place, the Levites would sing praises to God knowing that God was pleased with the new place for the ark (5:13). The first worship service held in the temple began with praise and proclamation of God’s presence and goodness. When we worship God, we should also begin by witnessing God’s love. Through praise, we will prepare our heart, and tell Him our needs. By remembering God’s love and mercy, you can be filled with thanksgiving and praise God every day. Psalm 107 is an example of how David remember God’s eternal love. Meditate if our worship today can reflect the abundance of the worship in the temple before.

 

PRAYER:

Come before God with a thankful heart and meditate on God’s boundless grace and love. Offer to God your deepest worship and praise. Ask God to help us live an abundant life so that as we love one another in the church, it is like living in God’s glorious temple