Wednesday, September 5, 2012

2 Chronicles 1

Solomon asks for wisdom when God appears to him in a dream. It seems Solomon is trying his best to be righteous before God as he takes over the kingdom.

Verse 1 speaks of "securing the kingdom". Securing the kingdom could involve some pretty earthy things. It could involve judging some people worthy of death or banishment. Yet God blessed Solomon (1).

Solomon communicated with his people. This is so important. Many leaders do not spend the time to communicate. Then he went both to the old altar at Gibeon and then the new altar set up by his father in Jerusalem. He honors the old and the new. He tries to cover all his spiritual bases.

He sacrifices lavishly. That sacrificed meat has to be eaten. All this fresh meat was likely to be shared with all the people who came for the coronation/celebration. So the people were rewarded for supporting Solomon. They received a lavish meal which they could rarely get otherwise.

Probably as a result of Solomon's honest attempt to please God, without expecting anything in return, God responded by appearing to him (7). Solomon asked for wisdom. Many of us remember this story. God granted him wisdom and gave him riches too.

The rest of the chapter shows how the happened. Israel controls major trade routes between Africa and Asia. As Solomon builds up his power, the writer numbers his horses and chariots, he able to extract tolls from traders as they passed through Israel.

But also Israel becomes the middle man. They buy chariots and horses and then sell them at a profit to those who wish to buy them. Chariots and horses were used primarily for war. Solomon is essentially controlling the sale of implements of war.

Solomon, by virtue of the location of Israel controlled the trade routes and as they became a local power the people amassed great wealth. Jerusalem, at least in Solomon's time, became a world city.

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