Lesson 41-Solomon Builds the Temple THEN SOLOMON BEGAN TO BUILD THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD IN JERUSALEM He built it on Mount Moriah, where Abraham took Isaac and where the Lord had appeared to his father David. Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself. He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them. He wanted to build a temple that was the finest possible, and he-- sent this message to Hiram king of Tyre: Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. He said-- The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. 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? He ask Hiram, king of Tyre, for help; he said-- 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. Send me also cedar, juniper and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. Hiram wrote him a letter that said,- Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you their king.praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself. He also sent other things Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem. Solomon organized the workers. He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working. II Chronicles 2:1f.
Lesson 42-The Ark is Brought to the Temple THE TEMPLE WAS FINISHED AND SOLOMON brought gold and silver and furnishings from his father David and placed them in the temple. Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD s covenant from Zion, the City of David. They all came to Jerusalem, and-- When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, and they brought up the ark, and the tent of meeting, and all the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priests carried them up. The Israelites offered as sacrifices-- so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted. Then they brought the Ark of the Covenant-- The priests then brought the ark of the LORD s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. The poles that were for carrying the Ark of the Covenant-- were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary. Inside the Ark of the Covenant were. two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. Then there was a celebration and-- All the Levites who were musicians.stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: He is good; his love endures forever. 2 Chronicles 5
Lesson 43-Jerusalem Destroyed SOLOMON REIGNED FOR FORTY YEARS then he died and was buried in the city of David his father, with his ancestors. His son Rehoboam became king. Rehoboam decided to lay a heavy yoke on the Israelites, Those who lived in Israel went home. However, Rehoboam still ruled over Judah, which included Jerusalem and Bethlehem, but after three years he abandoned the law of the Lord. Meanwhile, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, rejected the priests and appointed his own priests and also made goat and calf idols. Then-- After five years Rehoboam s position as king was established and he had become strong, and he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD. Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord-- Shishak, king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then the prophet Shemaiah went to Rehoboam and the leaders--- And he said to them, This is what the LORD says, You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak. The LORD is just. Then God said--. I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance..they will, however, become subject to him [Shishak], so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands. But-- Shishak king of Egypt.carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made.
Lesson 44-Kings and Judges REHOBOAM DIED AND HIS SON ABIJAH BECAME KING, AND THEN HIS SON ASA BECAME KING, AND then his son Jehoshaphat became King of Judah The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel..His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah. In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent teachers out to the towns of Judah--. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people. And-- The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat. But Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahab king of Israel. Ahab asked Jehoshaphat Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead? But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, First seek the counsel of the LORD. The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. The one prophet of the Lord was brought before them and he prophesied that Ahab would be killed at Ramoth Gilead and he was. Jehoshaphat appointed judges, and then he died and was buried in the City of David, His first-born son, Jehoram succeeded him as king, and-- When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel.He did evil in the eyes of the LORD Jehoram died and He passed away, to no one s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Lesson 45-More Kings AHAZIAH, THEN JOAH, BECAME KING--Ahaziah s his mother encouraged him to act wickedly, and he died after one year. Ahaziah had one son, Joash, who then became king. The priest Jehoiada said-- The king s son shall reign, as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David and Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, Long live the king! They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne. Joash repaired the temple The men in charge of the work rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it and made articles for the LORD s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. But then-- After the death of Jehoiada, [Joash] abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. Then-- Zechariah, son of Jehoiada stood before the people and said, This is what God says: Why do you disobey the LORD s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you. And Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash,and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. Then Amaziah his son succeeded him as king. He did what was right, but not wholeheartedly, and.he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. The anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah,
Lesson 46-A Good King JOTHAM, AHAZ, AND HEZEKIAH WERE KINGS OF JUDAH--Jotham did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but Ahaz did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and engaged in detestable practices for example, he sacrificed his children in the fire. Hezekiah, however, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the LORD and repaired them. He said: Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the LORD our God and forsook him..they did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. Therefore, the anger of the LORD has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem Then-.these Levites set to work they went in to purify the temple of the LORD, as the king had ordered, following the word of the LORD They brought out everything unclean that they found in the temple of the LORD. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. Then they celebrated- The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed. When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. They sang psalms of David-- So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped. So-- the service of the temple of the LORD was reestablished. Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.
Lesson 47-The Fall of Jerusalem MANASSEH, JOSIAH, JEHOAHAZ, JEHOIAKIM, AND ZEDIKIAH were also kings of Judah. Manasseh followed detestable practices; Josiah did what was right and instituted reforms; Jehoahaz was king for only three months and was dethroned by the king of Egypt; Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of the Lord; and Zedikiah also did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Finally-- The Lord sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. Then He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. And [Nebuchadnezzar]carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
Lesson 48-Edict of Cyrus IN THE FIRST YEAR OF CYRUS, KING OF PERSIA, God moved the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia-- in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: The proclamation said This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem. And-- Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites everyone whose heart God had moved prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings. And-- Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. Ezra 1:1f
Lesson 49-Rebuilding the Temple THEN KING DARIUS found a scroll of the edict of King Cyrus, that read-- This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. King Darius then issued an order..and Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. And the temple was completed--.on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. And-- Then the people of Israel the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses. And On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. Ezra 6:1f.
Lesson 50-Ruth and Naomi IN THE DAYS WHEN THE JUDGES RULED there was a famine in the land So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem. Now Naomi s husband died and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. Then both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. In the meantime.the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there..[they] set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back, each of you, to your mother s home..may the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband. Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud and said to her, We will go back with you to your people. Then. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. Look, said Naomi, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her. But Ruth replied, Don t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.