THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

The Books Of The Chronicles: God's Preservation Of His Davidic And Levitical Covenants

XXII. Solomon's Reign: A Critical Lesson For Our Mini-Great Tribulation Era

(2 Chronicles 8:1-9:31)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

I am speaking to you this morning from our Church pulpit by way of this video presentation in the absence of our people, for the government has recommended that we not meet now due to the coronavirus pandemic. In view of that fact, the written notes and MP3 recordings of this sermon and of our regular weekly messages will continue to be produced and posted on our web site, for I am committed to keep on ministering God's Word in line with His calling.

Many people are afraid today, for this pandemic has shaken stock markets and economies and threatens many businesses and jobs on a worldwide scale. Also, this crisis follows soon after huge fires in Australia, a locust plague of Biblical proportions in Africa and other notable crises. In response, let me say three things by way of introduction:

(1) First, we are NOT now experiencing the Great Tribulation of Revelation 6:1-19:21. From 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, we understand that the Great Tribulation occurs after God takes us believers in Christ in the Church to heaven at the rapture. Rather, as I often teach, we are facing a mini-Great Tribulation predicted in Revelation 3:21 with 7:17.

(2) Second, though these two verses of Revelation 3:21 with 7:17 are Scripture's only prediction of what we now face, many Scripture passages on the Great Tribulation offer extensive applications to guide us Christians on handling our current mini-Great Tribulation. We will address such applications in our sermon conclusion section.

(3) Third, we know that since God will send the future Great Tribulation to punish the lost world for rejecting Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12), God is now sending a mini-Great Tribulation to discipline both the world and many so-called Christians who have turned from Him to ungodliness. Dale Mason's recent editorial in Answers magazine ("Why a 'Christian Worldview' Can Be Extremely Dangerous," Answers, March-April, 2020, p. 10) explains: "Today . . . possibly thousands of so-called Christian colleges . . . publishers and . . . television programs are not truly Bible-based . . . (F)or fundraising or other reasons, they may claim to believe in creation, marriage, and the sanctity of human life," but "by creation they mean some form of evolution. Their view of marriage isn't limited to the kind described in the Bible (between one man and one woman)" and "whether or not an unborn baby is human . . . depends on how . . . abortion providers define that concept . . . which increasingly means that the being developing in the mother's body isn't a human from fertilization." Such beliefs are clearly "influenced by the secular world," Ibid.

Need: So we ask, "How does God want us believers in Christ who live before the pretribulation rapture to handle the trials of our mini-Great Tribulation that He predicted would occur in our current, final era of the Church?"

I. Like many so-called Christians today, Solomon affirmed his devotion to God, 2 Chronicles 8:12-16:

A. Solomon built a magnificent temple in honor of the Lord, 2 Chronicles 8:16.

B. He also followed David's lead in arranging how the priests and Levites served in the temple, 2 Chron. 8:14-15.

C. Solomon also ordered the Biblical sacrifices to be performed to God in the temple, 2 Chronicles 8:12-13.

II. However, like many so-called Christians today, Solomon greatly disobeyed Scripture, 2 Chron. 8:1-9:28:

A. Solomon disobeyed God's Word in selling part of God's Promised Land to pagan king Hiram of Tyre:

1. Leviticus 25:23 ESV taught that God owned the Promised Land, that Israel's people were only sojourners.

2. Nevertheless, 2 Chronicles 8:2 reports how Solomon was given back the cities he had sold to Hiram king of Tyre for services rendered in his building projects, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to 1 Kings 9:10-14.

3. Thus, in insubordination to God, Solomon had sold land that belonged to the Lord to a pagan king!

B. Solomon disobeyed God's Word in subjecting versus annihilating Canaanites, 2 Chron. 8:7-9; Deut. 20:16-18:

1. Deuteronomy 20:16-18 ordered Israel to annihilate the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites in order to remove the temptations to potent idolatry these people groups offered Israel.

2. However, 2 Chronicles 8:7-8 shows Solomon did not eradicate these peoples but subjugated them so that they still lived among the people of Israel with their potently alluring forms of idolatry.

C. Solomon disobeyed God's Word in marrying a pagan Egyptian princess:

1. Deuteronomy 7:1-4 forbade Israel from marrying pagans lest they turn from God to follow false gods.

2. Yet, Solomon married an Egyptian princess, violating this command, 2 Chronicles 8:11 with 1 Kings 3:1.

D. Solomon disobeyed God's Word in multiplying wealth unto himself:

1. Deuteronomy 17:17b forbade Solomon from trying to become wealthy by his own effort.

2. Nevertheless, he multiplied wealth unto himself as Israel's king, 2 Chronicles 8:17-18.

E. Solomon disobeyed God's Word in acquiring horses from Egypt:

1. Deuteronomy 17:16a forbade Israel's kings from obtaining horses from Egypt to build up their nation's defense instead of trusting God for victory in battle, Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 295.

2. Nevertheless, Solomon not only acquired horses from Egypt (2 Chronicles 9:28), but he acquired so many horses that he built chariot cities for his horses and chariots and cities for his horsemen, 2 Chron. 9:25; 8:6.

F. Solomon disobeyed God's Word in turning to worship the false gods of his many pagan wives:

1. Deuteronomy 17:17a forbade Israel's kings from marrying many wives lest they worship their wives' gods.

2. However, Solomon married many foreign wives and worshipped their gods (1 Kings 11:1-8) so that the prophet Ahijah predicted the future loss of ten of Israel's tribes from Solomon's son (1 Kings 11:29-40). Ahijah's prophecy about this judgment is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 9:29b.

III. God punished Israel, splitting her into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 11:29-12:24), and both went apostate were sent into captivity. (2 Kings 17:22-23; 25:11)

Lesson: As Solomon and Israel heeded God in profession but not in living, leading to God's discipline, many of today's so-called Christians heed God in profession but not in living, leading to our mini-Great Tribulation.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ for salvation, John 3:16. (2) May we heed Scripture in not only professing to be Christians but also living like godly believers (as explained in the Conclusion section below).

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

(1) If current events really bother us, since God is allowing a mini-Great Tribulation to arise to get people to return to Him, may we examine ourselves and confess any sin we have to God, and turn from that sin, 1 John 1:9.

(2) We then need to rely on the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16) to obey Scripture opposite what many so-called Christians described in our introduction do (as follows): (a) Instead of compromising Scripture to raise funds, may we trust God to meet our financial needs (Hebrews 13:5-6) as He moves others to support our ministry, 2 Corinthians 9:6-10. (b) Instead of allowing for any evolution, may we heed our Savior's Matthew 19:4-6 example to treat Genesis 1-2 literally, leading us to hold to pure creationism. (c) Instead of allowing for marital unions aside from one man and one woman, may we heed Christ's Matthew 19:4-6 treatment of Genesis 1 and 2 as the same event (unlike Liberal Theology that views these chapters as giving contrasting events or accounts) to note the "man" ('ish) is called the "male" (zakar) and the "woman" ('ishshah) the "female" (neqebah) in the Hebrew Scriptures at Genesis 1:27 with 2:20-25. (Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 2, 3-4; B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 35-36, 61, 271, 666) (d) Instead of allowing for abortion at any time, may we heed Psalm 51:5 to see that one is a person at conception because he is then guilty of sin as a person, what makes abortion at any time after conception the taking of a human life.

(3) We note from passages on the Great Tribulation that occurs after the rapture how we Christians are to function in our mini-Great Tribulation before the rapture (as follows): (a) Christ will shepherd people who come out of the Great Tribulation, giving them balm (in Rev. 7:17), a ministry involving teaching (Matt. 9:36 with Mark 6:34). Thus, pastors like myself must now expound Scripture to God's people, providing them balm in explaining this era and teaching hearers how to respond to it, 1 Timothy 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 4:1-2 with Revelation 3:21; 7:17. (b) The Great Tribulation will involve trials of intrigue by evil rulers, financial turmoil and natural disasters (famine, disease, earthquakes, fires, comet strikes, etc.; Rev. 6:1-18:24), so we need to prepare to face some similar but lesser trials in our mini-Great Tribulation era. (c) We must hope for the pretribulation rapture and focus on fulfilling God's callings, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, 13-17. (d) Scripture passages on the Great Tribulation guide us on handling our mini-Great Tribulation as follows: (i) Isaiah 26:20-21 urges believers facing tribulation to "hide" until God's wrath is expended on the ungodly, so we should live cautiously, meekly avoiding needless exposure to conflicts and troubles. (ii) God calls us to be gracious to weak and needy people in our era, Matthew 24:45-51. (iii) We must beware of false prophets, spiritual scam artists who prey on men's fears in crises, so we should hold to Scripture alone as our final authority, Matthew 24:24-25. (iv) We should trust God instead of fearing evil men to avoid being controlled by them, Proverbs 29:25. (v) We should aim to be financially independent to protect our testimony and not be in any material need, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12. Biblical ways to gain financial independence include budgeting (1 Timothy 5:16), avoiding debt (Proverbs 22:7), being frugal (John 6:12), saving (2 Corinthians 12:14b) and investing boldly, for the long-term with diversification, and steadily adding to our investments (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6). (vi) Luke 18:8b and Matthew 24:13 call us to trust God and His Word to endure tribulation. (Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 77)

May we trust in Christ for salvation. In living in today's world, may we obey God's Word, living wise, sensible, humble lives as we trust the Lord to make life livable for us even in our mini-Great Tribulation era!