2 Chronicles 7:13 . If I command the locusts to devour the land That is, use my authority and power over them to cause them to do so. A metaphor elsewhere used in reference to irrational animals, as 1 Kings 17:4, Amos 9:3, which are not properly capable of receiving a command, or of paying obedience to it. Other national judgments are here supposed, such as famine, war, and the ravages of savage beasts. read more
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people shall humble themselves, and pray, &c. Thus national repentance and reformation are required. God expects, that if his people, who are called by his name, have dishonoured his name by their iniquity, they should honour it by accepting the punishment of their iniquity. They must humble themselves under his hand, must pray for the removal of the judgment, must seek his face and favour: and yet all this will not be sufficient, unless they turn from their... read more
2 Chronicles 7:15-16. My eyes shall be open, &c., unto the prayer that is made in this place Or, that shall be made in, or toward, this place; for he speaks of the answers which he would give to the prayers which should afterward be made there. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, &c. There will I make myself known, and there will I be called upon. read more
Construction of the temple (2:1-7:22)With the help of King Hiram of Tyre, Solomon prepared materials and arranged a workforce to build the planned temple (2:1-18; see notes on 1 Kings 5:1-18). Construction went on for seven years, until the temple, its furniture, its courtyard, and all other articles and decorations connected with it were completed according to plan (3:1-5:1; see notes on 1 Kings 6:1-7:51). The temple was then dedicated to God (5:2-7:22; see notes on 1 Kings 8:1-9:9). read more
appeared to Solomon. This was thirteen years after the dedication. Compare 2 Chronicles 7:1 with 2 Chronicles 8:1 . 1 Kings 6:37 ; 1 Kings 9:1 . The fire from heaven was the immediate answer to Solomon's prayer. This later answer shows that the prayers of God's people are ever fresh before Him. read more
which are called by My name = upon whom My name is called. read more
GOD'S RESPONSE TO SOLOMON'S PRAYER"Thus Solomon finished the house of Jehovah, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of Jehovah, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among... read more
12. the Lord appeared to Solomon by night—(See on :-). The dedication of the temple must have been an occasion of intense national interest to Solomon and his subjects. Nor was the interest merely temporary or local. The record of it is read and thought of with an interest that is undiminished by the lapse of time. The fact that this was the only temple of all nations in which the true God was worshipped imparts a moral grandeur to the scene and prepares the mind for the sublime prayer that... read more
D. God’s Blessings and Curses 7:11-22God responded to Solomon’s prayer with a special revelation. He promised to grant the petitions of the people, as Solomon had requested, if they manifested a true heart for Him (2 Chronicles 7:12-14). 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 are a short summary of the message of Chronicles. Raymond Dillard argued that 2 Chronicles 7:14 was also a "charter" for the rest of Israel’s history. [Note: Raymond B. Dillard, "Reward and Punishment in Chronicles: The Theology of... read more
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Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Chronicles 7:12
2 Chronicles 7:12. The Lord appeared to Solomon, and said, I have heard thy prayer That God had accepted his prayer was shown by his sending fire from heaven. But a prayer may be accepted, and yet not answered in the letter of it. God therefore appeared to him in the night, as he had done once before, (1 Chronicles 1:7,) and gave him a particular answer to his prayer. See notes on 1 Kings 9:2-9. read more