2 CHRONICLES 3 (SUMMARY OF A READING)
2 CHRONICLES 3 (SUMMARY OF A READING)
“And Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on mount Moriah, where he appeared to David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite”. Solomon now takes up things in the light divinely given to David; he begins on the ground of sovereign mercy; he has come to God’s thoughts. Moriah means ‘shewn by Jehovah’; it suggests that human thoughts are left and what is divinely provided is appreciated. It was in “the land of Moriah” that Isaac was to be offered up, but “Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said at the present day, On the mount of Jehovah will be provided”, Genesis 22: 14. When we read in Scripture of things remaining “to this day”, it means that their import remains; it comes down to our day. This is true of all that is shewn by Jehovah; whatever God has made known of Himself and of His own provision forms the basis on which His house is built. We, like David and Solomon, have to learn that all must stand in the sovereignty of mercy.
“And this was Solomon’s foundation for the construction of the house of God”. What Solomon did in connection with the house was foundational, and it is to be observed by all who would labour rightly in the building of the house today. All construction of the house must conform to Solomon’s foundation. God would have us to keep in mind the thought of a foundation; it stands in contrast with the changing thoughts and opinions of men. Paul said, “As a wise architect, I have laid the foundation, but [p. 282] another builds upon it. But let each see how he builds upon it. For other foundation can no man lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”, 1 Corinthians 3: 10, 11. The foundation abides; it is permanent, and the stability of the structure depends upon it. The habitation of God today is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the corner-stone”, Ephesians 2: 20. That foundation includes all the teaching of the apostles, and whatever the outward departure may be, as foretold in 2 Timothy, “the firm foundation of God stands”, 2 Timothy 2: 19. Solomon’s foundation appears to include all that he did for the construction of the house; it is to be observed as fundamental instruction by all who take any part in building the house, and this should include all saints. If His house is God’s chief interest on earth who that loves Him would wish to have no hand in building it?
Certain dimensions are given in verses 3 and 4 which are intended to help us to understand the proportion in which things stand to one another in the mind of God. The width of the house appears to suggest what is adequate for the setting forth to men of what God is as dwelling here, for the house is primarily where God dwells so as to be known by men. When the Lord was here His body was the temple, and there was the perfect declaration of God to men in Him. But He was not the house in the sense in which it is typified by the house built by Solomon. It is He who, as glorified, builds the house. Things have now taken an extended form, requiring that the Gentiles shall be brought in as a constituent part of the house; we might say the principal part of it. This was not possible while the Lord was on earth. The divine thought is that a permanent structure should be set up here in which God dwells, and in which He is expressed. This is brought about as the result of the Spirit being here, and He would not be here if [p. 283] Christ had not gone to the Father. There is a wonderful extension of things now. One of the first things we need to learn is how things are proportioned. The length of the porch is the same as the breadth of the house and each is equal to the length and to the breadth of the holiest; the holiest and the brazen altar are equal in breadth and length to one another.
The most holy place sets forth in a typical way the most intense presentation of holiness possible. The most holy is the thought of holiness in the highest possible degree, but the altar is equal to it; indeed, “most holy” is really ‘holy of holies’, and this intense form of expression is applied to the altar as well as to the most holy place, (see Exodus 29: 37). Christ at the cross sustained the glory of God in relation to sin in such a way that divine holiness has come fully into view before the whole moral universe, but it is God glorified in holiness so that He may be presented to men in the supremacy of His grace. The length of the porch is the same as the length and width of the holiest and of the altar. However we may know God in the holiest and at the altar it is all brought into the public testimony of His grace. The porch being four times as high as the rest of the building is to shew that the presentation of God in grace to men is intended to be the most conspicuous feature of His house. The elevation of the testimony of grace will hardly be understood unless we see that it was rendered at the beginning by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. The one hundred and twenty on the day of Pentecost were the most prominent objects in Jerusalem at that moment. How they towered high above the temple and all its ritual! Of course in principle the porch is a permanent feature of the house; it sets forth to men what is presented to them of God as a Saviour-God.
The greater house is double the size of the most holy place, which seems to indicate that there is enlargement of [p. 284] what is for the pleasure of God as we move outwards. The shewbread, which had its place in the greater house, is, as it were, an extension of Christ in His saints for the pleasure of God. The candlesticks symbolise the present light maintained by the Spirit in the house. How it expanded in the early days from the ministry of the twelve to that of Paul, and then, long after, the writings of John were given specially as light for the last days of the assembly! And it has been so in the recovery of the truth; all that was in the Lord’s mind did not come out at once. Things came out, and were developed with increasing light, as the saints were spiritually able to bear them. The Lord had in mind that there would be great enlargement on the part of His saints as the result of the coming of the Comforter, and then the action of His gifts as ascended had in view that all saints should “arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ”, Ephesians 4: 13. It is not that divine things become greater in themselves but they become greater in the apprehension of saints and as spiritual formation and growth go on there is an enlarged sphere in which God can find pleasure.
“The greater house he boarded with cypress-wood”. It is noticeable that neither cedar nor olive is mentioned in 2 Chronicles in connection with the building of the house, nor is stone mentioned in this description. Cedar and olive and stone would suggest excellent quality in the material used, and its stability and permanence. These things would have reference to what the saints are viewed as God’s elect, “called according to purpose”, and hence they are prominent in Kings which gives the heavenly side. But cypress-wood, alone being mentioned in the chapter before us, indicates, I believe, that the Spirit of God, in this connection, would emphasise the thought that it is men who form the house. God makes use of that [p. 285] order of being, He can use men as He could not use angels; it is a time of His “good pleasure in men”, Luke 2: 14. Men have a wonderful place in the mind of God; He has made it possible for all men to be saved and to have a place in His house. Attention is called in Chronicles to what is put upon the material used rather than to the choiceness of the material itself. From the viewpoint of grace there are wonderful possibilities for men, and none in the human family is shut out from them.
If men are to have a place in God’s house they must have His Spirit, and so take on an entirely new character. I think this is set forth in the cypress-wood being “overlaid with fine gold”. There are certain antecedent movements in the soul leading to repentance and to the belief of the glad tidings, but the Spirit being given as the seal is the definite marking off of persons for God, and it is from that point that true spiritual formation proceeds. This is, in us, a continuous work so long as we are here. We have in the type the complete divine thought, and it is reached in the measure in which we are spiritual. Believers are to take character from the presence of the Spirit, to give place to Him so that the flesh is practically set aside and what is of God comes into evidence. This is how the overlaying with fine gold is brought about. “Palm-trees and chains” were set upon it, which speaks of overcoming and of being held. The measure of the Spirit’s work in those who have the Spirit is largely indicated by their ability to overcome the power of the flesh and of the world. And we only do so as we are held by the love of Christ. The Bridegroom in the Song speaks of His heart being ravished by one chain of the spouse’s neck. He is held by her attractiveness. And in 1 Kings the oracle was shut off with chains of gold, suggesting that it was retained as the peculiar place for the Ark of the covenant. In this chapter there are chains on the top of the two pillars carrying a hundred pomegranates;
[p. 286] that is to say that the public testimony carries the evidence of fruit being secured for God on the principle of captivation. The greater house carries the mark of this.
“He overlaid the house with precious stones for beauty” is a feature which is not mentioned in Kings; it is an added thought of beauty to enhance the house in our estimation in a day of departure and recovery. Along with spirituality there will always be precious and distinctive apprehensions of Christ, coming out in their result as spiritual beauty in the saints. The house being “overlaid” with precious stones suggests a complete covering — the divine thought being that nothing is seen but features of Christ. The body exists that features of Christ may come out in it for the pleasure of God, and the house is beautified as those features cover it. In these types we see the full divine thought that our exercises and desires and prayers may take character from it, so that it may be worked out in a practical way. Things are all, as yet, in the constructive stage, and the type is given to show us to what end we are working.
“The gold was gold of Parvaim”. It is significant that the kind of gold should be specified, even as we read in the next chapter of “pure gold” and of “perfect gold”. It seems to suggest that there may be gradations of purity and excellence even in that which, in a general way, is spiritual in character. There are “spiritual manifestations” in the assembly, but it does not follow that they are all of equal value. Gifts are all spiritual in character, but some are greater than others, and are to be earnestly desired. But, having spoken of gifts, the apostle adds, “And yet shew I unto you a way of more surpassing excellence”, 1 Corinthians 12: 31. That way is the way of love; it answers to the “gold of Parvaim” with which the house was covered. Even love may have its gradations, for the Lord spoke of loving much and loving little. But the [p. 287] divine thought is that in the house of God the divine nature shall be everywhere in evidence, and in the highest degree of excellence. God would have spirituality of the highest degree, love of the most surpassing excellence, to mark His saints as composing His house. And cherubim being engraved on the walls intimate to us that where spirituality exists all will be in harmony with the government of God.
As regards “the house of the most holy place” (verse 8) it is very striking to notice the immense amount of “fine gold” used to cover it — “amounting to six hundred talents”. The nearer we come to God the more essential is spirituality of a refined order. The object of all God’s chastening is that we may partake of His holiness, and holiness is to be perfected in His fear. As having to do with “the most holy place” holiness and love are required in large measure. It is only as “partakers of the divine nature” that we could have any suitability for that place. But six hundred talents suggests not only a partaking of that nature but a large formation in it. It suggests richness and maturity in Christ, the result of growing up to Him in all things. It is the complete divine thought, given to us in the type for consideration, though we may have to own that we have not yet reached this in spiritual stature. But it is what the saints may come up to as divinely wrought, and I think this is what is in view in the type rather than what they are abstractly as in Christ. Nails are only mentioned in this book in connection with the most holy place, and their weight is given in “shekels of gold”. They seem to convey the thought of saints being held together in relation to the most holy thoughts of God. Those thoughts are infinitely precious in themselves, but the divine pleasure is enhanced by the saints taking them up as firmly held together in a spiritual way. The epistle to the Ephesians shews how God would have His saints held together in relation to the most holy thoughts of His love. Nails imply [p. 288] firmness and fixedness so that nothing is held in a loose or uncertain way. The oneness of the house as secured by the nails reminds us of the Lord’s prayer, “Holy Father, keep them in thy name which thou hast given me, that they may be one as we”, John 17: 11. Such is the divine thought, and it is for us to see that it comes into evidence in a way that testifies to the reality of it, even though in remnant conditions. Thank God!, it is possible for saints today to have to do with His most holy thoughts collectively, and in absolute unity of heart and mind. Many would say that such a thing is practically impossible, but, on the other hand, many witnesses could be found to testify that it is possible, and that they have known it in spiritual reality. No christians should dismiss it from their minds as a thing impossible to be known down here. Why should not saints be held together in oneness in relation to Christ as the Ark and the Mercy-seat and the Revealer of God as the Father? Why should they not all be practically in the unity of the Spirit? Human thoughts have come in to hinder this, but they are such as cannot be carried into the most holy place. If we value what is there we shall be glad to let them go.
The upper chambers are mentioned along with the most holy place. Of the three floors of side-chambers which are spoken of in 1 Kings 6 only the upper chambers are mentioned here. This suggests that things are viewed here on a high level, as in John’s gospel where Jesus speaks of “part with me”, and of preparing a place in His Father’s house for His own, “that where I am ye also may be”. In Paul’s teaching the high level comes out in Ephesians 2, where the saints are spoken of as raised up together and made to “sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus”. The upper chambers are spoken of here by the Spirit of God as if they were identified in His mind with the most holy place. They are highly spiritual in character, and can in no way be entered upon by man as in the flesh,
[p. 289] or by the natural mind. The most holy place can only be entered by going through the veil. The flesh of Christ, carrying with it the thought of His death, is the way in. We can only go in on the ground that all connected with ourselves as in the flesh has been ended in His death, and that where we were ended the love of God was revealed.
In the knowledge of God revealed in love there is “the new and living way” by which we have “boldness for entering into the holy of holies by the blood of Jesus”, Hebrews 10: 19. “The veil” has a place in this description though it is not mentioned in Kings. If we think of the saints from the standpoint of the epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians we do not think of a veil, and Kings corresponds with that. We are reconciled by the Fulness of the Godhead “in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it”; that is, before the Fulness (Colossians 1: 22). As thus presented there is perfect suitability for the most holy place. In Ephesians we are seen as taken into favour in the Beloved, and seated in Him in heavenly places. We cannot bring in the thought of a veil in that connection. From the standpoint of the epistle to the Hebrews we need to go through the veil to enter the realm of the most holy things, and it is from that point of view that the veil is introduced in Chronicles. We cannot enter the holiest, or know the privilege of the upper chambers, apart from going through the veil.
“And in the house of the most holy place he made two cherubim of image work, and they overlaid them with gold”. This is an added feature, which had no counterpart in the tabernacle. The faces of these cherubim were “toward the house”; that is, they faced outward in contrast with the faces of the cherubim which were made “out of the mercy-seat”, Exodus 25: 19. The faces of the latter looked inward and downward “toward the mercy-seat”,
[p. 290] representing the divine government as infinitely complacent in the mercy-seat, and in the blood that was sprinkled upon it. But the two cherubim in the temple looked outward; they represent the government of God in its universal outlook, but as it is known in the most holy place rather than in its public action. The wings are specially prominent, being mentioned eight times in three verses, clearly suggesting the thought of protection. We are told in chapter 5: 7, 8 that when the ark was brought to its place it was “under the wings of the cherubim; and the cherubim stretched forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves above”. But it will be remembered that the length of the ark was two cubits and a half, while the wings of the cherubim extended over twenty cubits. So that, while the ark and the mercy-seat came under their protection, a much wider range of things was in view, including the whole width of the house. God would have us to know in the most holy place that His government protects all that is of Himself as set forth in His house. Outwardly, what is spiritual, including the testimony of the glad tidings, may seem to be weak and defenceless; it seems to have no power to stand up against great and hostile powers; but it is all the time protected in a secret way by the government of God. The outward look of the cherubim embraces all nations, and their mighty outstretched wings are all the time protecting what is of God. Men outside have no idea of this, but it is known for the comfort of God’s elect in the most holy place. The unseen government of God is always acting for the protection of what is of Himself. It is not always publicly manifest that it is so, for He has often allowed His saints to be persecuted and even killed. But in nearness to Him it is understood that the wings of His government are outstretched in protection over what is precious to Him. But for this everything that is of God [p. 291] would have disappeared long ago from the face of the earth. Faith knows the secret, though at the present time it is not apparent to men. The government of God is veiled, but it is known to be a great reality by those who have access to Him.
The fact that there are two cherubim in the most holy place would hardly refer to testimony, for testimony is not rendered there. I think the two may suggest divine government acting in a combined or co-operative way, so that a full result is reached in divine operations. In relation to God’s protective government there is often a combination of forces working together to bring about the end that is before Him. We see this illustrated in the book of Esther. God breaks up man’s combinations, as at Babel, but His combinations destroy the power of what is hostile to His thoughts and purposes. Two, when seen on God’s part, confirm a thing. We have probably little idea how far-reaching have been the movements of divine government in favour of what is of Himself spiritually, or how effective they have been. It is a comfort to be reminded and assured of this, and especially at a time when so many powerful forces seem to be working adversely to what is of God.
Then in the last section of the chapter we have two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, which stand “before the house”. They represent what is set up here in public testimony. Jachin means, ‘He will establish’, and Boaz means, ‘In Him is strength’. God has established a witness for Himself here, and He is the strength of it. The testimony is to what God has established, and to the fact that the source of strength is in Him. The pomegranates on the top of the pillars would speak, I think, of the attractiveness which God would put upon His saints as they bring forth the evidence that they have come under the reign of grace, and find their strength in Him. Romans is the great epistle of establishment (Romans 1: 11; Romans 16: 25), and in [p. 292] chapter 16 we have a list of persons in whom fruit appeared in an attractive way. God establishes His saints in Christ, and then He becomes their strength so that fruit comes out in them which is worthy of God and attractive to all who fear Him.