Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20070128.htm

1 AND 2 CHRONICLES: GAINING DIRECTION OUT OF THE AIMLESSNESS OF APOSTASY
Part III: Gaining Direction From God's Work In The Reign Of Solomon, 2 Chronicles 1-9
C. Learning To Gain God's Blessing In Humanly Overwhelming Challenges In His Assignments
(2 Chronicles 3:1-5:14)
  1. Introduction
    1. When God leads a believer to perform a certain service, humanly overwhelming factors he faces can tempt him to tread timidly or be indecisive for fear that he might make a mistake that makes God very angry!
    2. However, God has gone before the believer to prepare his way for service, cf. Eph. 2:10; thus, if he heeds God's clear guidelines en route, his ministry goals become attainable, and he enjoys God's rich blessing!
    3. This lesson is graphically illustrated in Solomon's work to build the temple of the Lord (as follows):
  2. Learning To Gain God's Blessing In Humanly Overwhelming Challenges In His Assignments.
    1. David felt Solomon was too "young and inexperienced" for the "great" work of the temple construction (1 Chron. 29:1 NIV), and even Solomon saw his need for God's wisdom to govern Israel, 2 Chron. 1:8-10.
    2. However, Solomon not only built the temple, but saw God wonderfully approve of it by filling it with His cloud to such an extent that the priests could not even see to minister there, 2 Chronicles 5:1, 13-14!
    3. Though Solomon became endowed with great wisdom from God to do this (2 Chron. 1:10-12), he took simple, practical steps to follow clear guideliness that insured God's blessing (as follows):
      1. Solomon did the work that he knew God had assigned to him, 2 Chron. 3:1a; 1 Chron. 28:3-6:
        1. 2 Chronicles 3:1a simply notes that Solomon began to build the temple of God.
        2. Well, 1 Chronicles 28:3-6 reveals that his father David had testified that God had chosen him from among his sons to do just that, so Solomon addressed the task he KNEW God had assigned him!
      2. Solomon followed the precedents of godly men before him in selecting the place to build the temple, cf. 2 Chronicles 3:1b with 1 Chronicles 21:25-22:1 and Genesis 22:1-2, 11-14:
        1. The location for the temple was called Mount Moriah according to 2 Chronicles 3:1b.
        2. This spot followed extensive precedents of God's work in godly men before Solomon: (1) Centuries before, God had told Israel's first patriarch, Abraham to take Isaac his son to Mount Moriah to offer him up there as a sacrifice, Genesis 22:1-2. (2) Well, the spot where God rescued Isaac from death by providing a substitute ram for him later became the temple site where God came to the spiritual aid of his people as they sought Him, Gen. 22:11-14. (3) Then, in David's life, God had indicated this site, which was Araunah's (Ornan's) threshingfloor in David's era, was to be the temple site, 1 Chron. 21:25-22:1. (5) So, Solomon heeded the precedent of God's work in his godly forefathers.
      3. Solomon took time to prepare himself to accomplish God's assignment, 2 Chron. 3:2 with 2:1-18: he mobilized his workers and communicated with Hiram, king of Tyre for the training of his workers and gathered the materials to build, taking three years with such preparations to produce a quality building!
      4. Solomon heeded God's revealed will in following the building plan God had given to his father, and that David in turn had given to Solomon, 2 Chronicles 3:2 with 1 Chronicles 28:19.
      5. Solomon did his best to make the temple construction beautiful to God's glory, 2 Chron. 3:3-4:22: (a) As an example, as an overlay for all of the inner walls of the Holiest of Holies, Solomon used 22 tons of pure gold worth over $250 million! (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to 2 Chron. 3:8). (b) As another example, the brass laver, a solid brass basin cast three inches thick, held 11, 600 gallons of water for the sacrifices; it sat upon 12 brass oxen facing outward at the base in clusters of three each that respectively pointed to the four points of the compass, 1 Chron. 4:5; Ibid., ftn. to 1 Chron. 4:5!
      6. Solomon honored the Lord in his work, bringing the ark of God's presence into the finished temple with accompanying appropriate formal worship, 2 Chronicles 5:1-13b.
      7. Thus, God approved of Solomon's work by filling the building with His cloud, 2 Chronicles 5:13b-14!
Lesson: Though the task of building the temple seemed humanly overwhelming to him, Solomon's building of the temple was met with God's approval as (1) he did what he knew God had assigned him, (2) he followed the precedents of his godly forefathers, (3) he took the time to prepare to do the work, (4) he used God's blueprint, (5) he did his best work and (6) he honored the Lord in the effort!

Application: May we follow such guidelines in serving the Lord to find Him richly blessing our efforts!