(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(2 Chronicles 8:1-18) Now it came about at the end of the twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 that he built the cities which Huram had given him, and settled the sons of Israel there.
3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities which he had built in Hamath. 5 He also built upper Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, which were fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; 6 and Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots and cities for his horsemen, and everything that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the land under his rule.
7 All of the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 that is, from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, Solomon raised them as forced laborers to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves from the sons of Israel for his work; for they were men of war, his chief captains and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. 10 These were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250 who ruled over the people.
11 Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the porch; 13 and he did so according to the daily rule, offering them up 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 Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for this is what David, the man of God, had commanded. 15 And they did not deviate from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites in any matter or regarding the storehouses.
16 So all the work of Solomon was carried out from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. 18 And by his servants Huram sent him ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and took from there 450 talents of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
3 Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities which he had built in Hamath. 5 He also built upper Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, which were fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; 6 and Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots and cities for his horsemen, and everything that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the land under his rule.
7 All of the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 that is, from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not destroyed, Solomon raised them as forced laborers to this day. 9 But Solomon did not make slaves from the sons of Israel for his work; for they were men of war, his chief captains and commanders of his chariots and his horsemen. 10 These were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250 who ruled over the people.
11 Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, because the places where the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the porch; 13 and he did so according to the daily rule, offering them up 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 Now according to the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their duties of praise and ministering before the priests according to the daily rule, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for this is what David, the man of God, had commanded. 15 And they did not deviate from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites in any matter or regarding the storehouses.
16 So all the work of Solomon was carried out from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord, until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the seashore in the land of Edom. 18 And by his servants Huram sent him ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and took from there 450 talents of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Verses 7--8 stood out to me, especially now, in these contentious times that we live in. We know from previous chapters that Solomon was not racist. He prayed that the foreigners would come to Israel to know more about God. The Israelites were chosen by God for this very purpose - so that other nations would come to know Him. The Israelites were to be a light and an example for the world to see God's glory and power. The very hope of the gospel message is included in God's promises to Abraham, (in the Abrahamic covenant, Genesis 12:1-3)..
The Canaanites had been a cursed race from their very beginning (Genesis 9:24-27) . Besides being wicked, their deaths were justified because they would attack the Israelites. In the scripture above, it says that those remaining were made to be forced laborers... except for the ones who had become part of the Israelites people.
We know that this happened. Just for an example, the Canaanite prostitute, Rahab, made the Israelites her people, and gave to birth to Boaz. As well, Ruth, a Moabite, made the Israelites her people, and she made their God, her God. Marrying Boaz, both women became ancestors of Jesus.
God does not discriminate! He is just and looks at our hearts. And He desires that all come to know Him personally through Jesus. .Instead of being slaves to sin, God wants us to be free in His glory and grace, choosing to serve Him, and Him alone.
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