Living in a Secular World. (2 Chronicles 2 1-17)

This Podcast is a project to complete an in-depth, daily study of the entire Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. 

Episode Notes:

Last time, in chapter 1, we watched Solomon begin his reign with worship, humility, and that unforgettable request for wisdom. He started well, and God honoured him. 

Now, in 2 Chronicles 2, Solomon moves from worship to work.  If chapter 1 showed us Solomon’s heart, chapter 2 shows us the work of Solomon’s hands.

 This is the moment where the young king begins preparing for the greatest building project in Israel’s history, the construction of the Temple. And what we see in this chapter is not just architectural planning; it is illustrating something of spiritual seriousness. Solomon understands that building something for the Lord requires careful preparation, thoughtful organisation, partnership with others, and a deep sense of reverence for the God he serves.

In chapter 1, Solomon asked for wisdom.

In chapter 2, we see him begin to use that wisdom.

So today, as we open 2 Chronicles 2, we’re going to explore Solomon’s vision for the Temple, as well as his understanding of God’s greatness. We will also note his partnership with King Hiram of Tyre, and the spiritual principle that lies beneath the entire chapter: 

 When God gives wisdom, He expects us to put it to work.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:14

My friends, welcome to the Bible Journey Daily Podcast. I've called today's episode Living in a Secular World. But before I begin, I'd just like to say a quick notice about transcripts. They're always available on most of the platforms that the podcast has put on, and they're created by AI by those podcast hosting sites, places like Apple, Spotify, etc. And they're, in fairness, they're usually pretty accurate. However, it has always been my position to put my transcripts in the public domain. So if you'd like my completely authorized and checked version of what I actually say, agreed by me, you can access individual transcripts for each episode by simply following the link to the host website where the podcast initially, and the link is in the episode notes. Now, in addition to that, I am now publishing at the end of each season, usually after a week or two, a complete book version of the entire series transcripts in PDF format. That is available to everyone who follows me on Patreon, not just those who support me on the financial tiers. Anyone who chooses to follow and access everything I'm creating over there will have access to a full transcript of all the episodes together in one place for a whole season. I hope you find them helpful. Okay, welcome back. Here we are. It's great to have you with me again as we continue our journey through two chronicles. Now last time in chapter one we watched Solomon begin his reign with worship, humility, and that unforgettable request for wisdom. He started well and God honored him. And now in two chronicles, in chapter two, Solomon moves from worship to work. If chapter one showed us Solomon's heart, chapter two will show us the work of Solomon's hands. This is the moment where the young king begins preparing for the greatest building project in Israel's history, the construction of the temple. And what we see in this chapter is not just architectural planning, it is illustrating something of spiritual seriousness. Solomon understands that building something for the Lord always requires careful preparation, yes, thoughtful organization, and partnership with others, as well as it being underpinned with a deep sense of reverence for the God he serves. One author said that Two Chronicles is a book that as a whole is about worship expressed through work. And I think nowhere is that clearer than in this chapter today. Solomon is not simply building a structure here, he's preparing a place where God's presence will dwell amongst his people. In chapter one, we saw Solomon ask for wisdom, didn't we? Well, today in chapter two we begin to see him use that wisdom practically. So we're going to open 2 Chronicles 2 and we're going to explore Solomon's vision for the temple as well as his understanding of the greatness of God who will be there and who will meet his people there. But we'll also notice his partnership with the king, with King Harem of Tyre and the spiritual principle that lies beneath the entire chapter. When God gives wisdom, he expects us to put it to work. So turn with me to 2 Chronicles chapter 2 and let's watch Solomon to prepare to build something for the Lord. Welcome to today's episode of the Bible Journey Daily Podcast. I think it was when I was a teenager or in my early 20s, but I never forgot the dilemma it raised in my mind, which was would you rather have a Christian mechanic who is competent at best, or would you have a non-Christian mechanic who is superb? Now Christians often feel to hire Christians is best simply because they're Christians, and of course there's nothing wrong with that. But if the issue is the quality of the work, it is more important to hire a believer to get the job done well. But what would the Lord say about this? Well, thankfully, we don't have to speculate in this one because we can read what God said and what in fact indeed Solomon did in today's chapter of Two Chronicles. So turn with me to a passage and let's see how Scripture helps us answer that very question. Is it acceptable to hire someone who's not a believer if they are the best person for the job? Because in this chapter today, Solomon faces that exact issue. Verse 1 begins by saying Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. So the first thing the passage tells us right from the get-go is simple. Solomon made a decision and he decided to build. And he decided to build the temple, which is of course the central subject of the narrative of the whole book, and indeed a palace as well. Now remember, this temple was not Solomon's own idea. It was God's assignment first revealed to his father David. David had indeed received detailed instructions, detailed instructions about its design, its furnishings, its dimensions even, and its purpose. David then purchased the site, gathered the materials. David prepared everything he could, but God denied him the actual privilege of being the one who would actually build it. That responsibility would fall to Solomon. And that's where we are today. So as soon as Solomon becomes king, he addresses himself to the work God has given him, and the chronicler, the writer, begins to record how he did it. Now verse 2 gives us a few statistics. It says he conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills, and 3,600 as four men over them. Bear those figures in mind because they return again at the end of today's chapter. So Solomon here recruits a massive workforce. But notice something important. He went into the hills. He drafted what is being alluded to here as resident aliens, foreigners. These were non-Israelites, likely, those who were living within the land. Now several scholars point out that Solomon intentionally is using skilled foreigners here for the labour. And this is the first hint that Solomon is not limiting the work of the temple construction to Israelites alone. He is selecting the best workers for the job regardless of their nationality or their background. And that brings us to our opening question again, doesn't it? Solomon here, remember, is building the most sacred structure in Israel's history, and he hires non-Israelites to help him do it. Why? Because they're the most skills. Solomon's decision is not being positioned as unspiritual here, nor it is seen nor is it seen as a compromise, it's being shown as wise. And then next we see Solomon send a request to Haram, the king of Tyre. Verse 3 says, Solomon sent his message to Haram, King of Tyre, and said, Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. So Solomon reaches out to Hiram, the very same king who supplied David with cedar for his palace, and he reminds him of that partnership he had with his father. As you dealt with my father David, he says, so deal with me. Now the chronicler's interest is not merely in the materials Solomon is using here, but in this communication between Solomon and Haram himself. Solomon's letter and his request, I think, reveal something really important. He's building the temple to glorify God, but he does not treat the temple as a duty imposed upon him by David, he treats it as his personal calling given to him now by God. Verse 4 continues, Now I am about to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God, and dedicate it to him for burning fragrance, incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening, and on the Sabbaths, at the new moons and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel. Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God. So Solomon lists the purpose of the temple, that being to dedicate it to the Lord, and to burn interests, and to set out the show bread, to also offer burnt offerings, both morning and evening, to observe the weekly Sabbaths and new moons, festivals, and other feasts. So Solomon is saying here, This is not just my project, this is God's project for the entire nation. And then verse 5 says that, and then he adds, The temple I'm going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all the other gods. Now Solomon here is not affirming the existence of these other gods. He's speaking, remember, communicating with a polytheistic king, a king who worshipped many gods, and he's communicating in a language he will understand, and he's in fact declaring the uniqueness and the supremacy of the Lord God of Israel. The text continues in verse six. But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him? Solomon here is pointing out that he knows that no building can contain God. He's not trying to confine God there, he's simply building a place for worship where people can meet with God, not a box to try and contain God therein. And then comes his key request Send me therefore a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers whom my father David provided. So Solomon asked Hiram to send his master craftsman, a man of unique specialist ability to help the Israelite craftsmen to train them even. Why? Because the Phoenicians were world renowned for their architectural and artistic skill, and Solomon wants the best. He is, after all, building for gods, and he wants excellence in how he approaches it. Verse eight continues, send me also cedar, juniper, and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. Now indeed, Lebanon's cedar was famous not only for its durability, but for its beauty and even its fragrance. It was rare, it was valuable, and Solomon clearly wants the finest materials for this temple. He says the temple I am about to build shall be large and magnificent. So Solomon is definitely not cutting any corners here. He's not settling for mediocrity in any way, he's not limiting himself even to Israelite labour. He's seeking excellence in everything he does, and he's seeking it because he's building for the Lord. So Solomon has made his decision now. He's assembled that workforce, he's written to this king of Tar and requested the best skills craftsman and the finest materials. And now the passage turns to the terms of payment. And that request and the reply to it are both things that are full of rich insight. In verse ten we see him say, I will give you, so this is the payment, the woodsman who cut timber, twenty thousand cores of groundwheat, twenty thousand cores of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil. Now these measurements may sound a little bit foreign to us, but in modern terms the amounts are really quite staggering. In reality, this is equates to 3,750 tons of each type of grain. Nearly 125 standard UK articulated lorries that we see going up and down our motorways here delivering to stores and shops. A massive amount. And also this 115,000 gallons of oil and 115,000 gallons of wine, that's over 20 fuel tankers that you might see going into your garage to refill it, your gas station. 20 full tankers, 20 of wine, 20 of oil. The point is this is a massive payment, a generous exchange for the skilled labours and the rare materials he's requesting. So the point is clear. Solomon wants the best and he's willing to play generously for excellence. He's building for the Lord after all, and he refuses to cut corners. But we also next read Hiram's reply. Continuing in verse 12, and Hiram added, Praise be to the Lord the God of Israel, who made the heaven and the earth. He has given David a wise son, endowed him with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself. Now this is remarkable language, isn't it? Remember, it's coming from a Gentile king. But it does raise an obvious question, some have asked over the years, was Harem a believer now? Now at first glance it sounds like it, and that's I must confess was my view when I first read this passage many years ago. But when you study in depth, you'll actually find that most Bible commentators say no, that's not the case. One commentary I read said it this way The neighbouring sovereigns adapted the Jewish name of God in their communication with Israelite kings, identifying him perhaps with their own chief deity. Another says the pious language used here creates a presumption among some that Harem may have gained some knowledge of Israel's God through his long friendship with David, but that presumption may be delusive. In other words, Harem is probably just being respectful here. He's being diplomatic. Harem is acknowledging Israel's God in the polite, courtly language of his day, but it is not necessarily language experts who read this say really a confession of personal faith here. But still the words are important, they matter. They show at the very least that Israel's witness has reached the Gentile nations around them, and they also show that David's influence had left a mark on many. And they show that Solomon's project was drawing attention to the Lord himself, and this is of course exactly what God intended for Israel to do, that the nations would see the glory of God through his people. And of course it ultimately foreshadows the ultimate son of David to come and what Jesus Christ will accomplish fully. Anyway, so Harem sends his master craftsman, picking up in verse thirteen. It says, I am sending you Huram Abbe, a man of great skill, whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is also experienced in all kinds of engraving, and he can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord David, your father. So Harem sends his best. This man is skilled in all types of gilt and metal work, as well as working with stone, wood, purple and blue cloths, all those crimson fabrics, engraving also. In fact, it says any plan, quotation, Solomon's craftsman might require he can do. So this is no common labourer here. This is a real master artisan, a man of rare ability, the greatest in the land. And Solomon has asked for excellence, and Harem sends his best. And again we see the principle that Solomon is not limiting the work of the temple to just Israelites. He's seeking out the finest craftsman available even from among the Gentile nations around them. So none of this is being positioned as compromise, it's just the outworking of godly wisdom. And we see Harem accepts the term the terms in verses 15 and 16. It says, Now let my Lord send his servants the wheat and the barley, the olive oil and wine he promised, and we will cut the logs from Lebanon and that you need, and we will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem. So he agrees to Solomon's terms completely, and he promises to cut the timber and indeed transport it by sea by floating it down the coast to Joppa, thereafter allowing Solomon's men to carry it in land to Jerusalem. This is a huge logistical partnership on an enormous scale, and it shows how God is using even Gentile nations to help build his house, his temple. The chronicler elsewhere notes that in Solomon's day, Israel was drawing Gentile nations to the Lord as witnessing them, and this is of course part of Israel's purpose. And indeed it anticipates the reign of the greater sun when the nations will stream before the Lord when he comes on his second on his return. Now, today's chapter, today's passage ends with a surprising little detail at the end in the last two verses. It says Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel after the census his father David had taken, and there were found to be 153,600. Here's these figures again. He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers, 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, and 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working. So Solomon carries out a sentence of all the foreigners, and they were found to be 153,600 workers. There's those figures again. But what is revealed here is that they are mainly Canaanites, resident aliens who Israel had not destroyed, but now we're using them, employing them as laborers. So the chapter, in a sense, ends exactly as it began, with a tally of workers. But the point is unmistakable. It's saying, look, these aren't just Israelites who build the temple, it's the foreigners who are also helping build the temples. The Gentiles are involved in this. Solomon has drawn his workforce not from Israel alone, but from resident foreigners and some who were compelled into public service from outside. And that I think brings us full circle to our opening question today. Is it acceptable to hire someone who is not a believer if they're the best person for the job? Well, the short answer is Solomon did exactly that. And he did it for the most sacred project in Israel's history. So this was another short compared to some of the chapters we've covered, but deeply interesting chapter. Because when Solomon decided to build the temple, he definitely used a large number of foreign laborers and foreign craftsmen, those with impeccable qualifications. So what does that say about living and working alongside unbelievers in the secular world? Well, one commentator I read put it beautifully when he said, No temple could be built by one man. Blessed by God, everything worth doing is worth doing by cooperation and by acknowledging the labors of others. In other words, God's work often requires Many hands, and not all of them will always be believers. So let me make two final simple observations from this. The first I focused on, Solomon used unbelievers here, and he used them to build the sacred temple of the Holy God. He chose, you see, the most qualified people he could find, even though they were not even Israelites. He hired the best, the craftsmen, the best stonecutters, the best timber workers, the best from overseas, and God allowed it. And this tells us that excellence itself, in fact, honors God, even when it comes through the hands of unbelievers. Now I began by asking whether you should hire a Christian mechanic or a highly, more highly qualified non-Christian mechanic. And the answer I would say, well, it's not simple, because every situation is, of course, different. Sometimes you may choose a Christian, but if the issue is quality and if the work must be done well, the scripture shows us and allows that hiring the most qualified worker is okay. In fact, it is the wise thing to do. Solomon did it and God blessed us, which tells us the secondary thing, which I think is really important to note, is that excellence matters to God. Insisting on hiring only Christians for every job may not, in fact, be the best idea. In fact, a couple of years ago I spoke with a pastor who just completed a massive major building project on the church and I asked him what advice he would give another pastor if they were trying to do the same. And he said, don't just hire someone because they're a Christian. He explained that the non-Christians, who were all vetted, he hired, were professional, reliable, and excellent. But the Christians he hired were sometimes less skilled and less dependable. Now, of course, that does not mean that Christians will always or even occasionally do sloppy work, and it does not mean that believers are irresponsible in any way. It simply means that sometimes it's best to hire the best people to do the best job. Now, if I was to give you a more personal example that you might look into your own situation, maybe this will make it a bit easier for you to understand. Say you needed emergency heart surgery. Would you choose a Christian fresh out of medical school who'd never done the procedure before, or would you be inclined to choose a surgeon who had performed a thousand successful procedures exactly the same as the one you need to have without asking what faith he was? For me, that wouldn't be a difficult choice. I think it would be best to go for excellence. But let me add one more really important caveat here and a final observation. In Christian ministry, there should be both excellent and an aspect of worship. We've been talking about building projects today and illustrating it with stories of car repairs or medical procedures, everyday things. But when it comes to worship, the rules change. When it comes to Christian ministry or music or the ministry of the word or prayer, the ministry just of a community shepherding a frock, we need believers to do that. I would rather have Christians who are not the most polished musicians in the world than hire non-Christians who are more talented, because in the ministry of worship, for example, the heart matters much more than the level of skill. And in the work of the church, we need people ultimately who know the Lord. But in the everyday work of life, the building of things, the repairing of things, the crafting and the designing, Scripture shows and allows us the fact that excellence itself honours the Lord, whether the work is a believer or not. Solomon used unbelievers here to build the temple, and God blessed that work. You see, it's really about bringing together wisdom and work and wisdom and worship. So as we close our study today, we've seen Solomon really make some practical, wise decisions. He chose the best craftsman, he partnered with the Gentile nations, he paid generously for excellence and he honored God in his intentions, and he used the wisdom God gave him to begin the greatest building project in Israel's history. You see, this chapter teaches us that God's work often requires many hands and excellence itself can honor him. But it also teaches us that wisdom is knowing when to seek skill and when to seek spiritual maturity. Solomon used unbelievers for the work of building, but he only ever used believers for the work of worship within that building. And that distinction, friends, still matters today. Thanks for being with me. We have indeed watched Solomon prepare, plan, partner, and gather the workforce needed to build this temple. But now in chapters three to four, the building itself begins to rise. And that's where our next episode takes us. It's going to be a big one. I'm going to try and tackle two chapters tomorrow, and my working title for it is What Can a Building Teaches Us? Because you see, the temple wasn't just a structure, it was meant to be a message, a sort of sermon in stone, a theology in timber, and a picture, a template of God's holiness, beauty, and indeed his presence. So join me next time as we explore two chronicles, chapter three and four, in fact, into the first verse of chapter five, and discover what the architecture, the materials, and the design of the temple reveal about the God we worship. But until next time, may the Lord give you wisdom in your work and in your worship, and indeed in every decision you make. And I'll see you tomorrow in our next episode. Bye bye for now.