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2 Chronicles 5

This chapter describes the final stages of King Solomon's work in constructing the temple, focusing on the installation of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. The chapter highlights the unification of Israel for this significant event, the importance of the temple in worship, and the visible manifestation of God's presence in the form of a cloud filling the temple, symbolizing His approval and dwelling among His people.

2 Chronicles 5:1 (NKJV)
1 So all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

Solomon completed the monumental task of building the temple, fulfilling a project that began with his father, David. David had dedicated treasures—silver, gold, and sacred furnishings—that Solomon now placed in the temple's treasury. This act reflects continuity between David’s preparation and Solomon’s execution of the divine plan for worship in Israel. The temple, now complete, stands as a symbol of God’s covenant and the nation's unity under Solomon's reign.

2 Chronicles 5:2-5 (NKJV)
2 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the City of David, which is Zion.
3 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king at the feast, which was in the seventh month.
4 So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.
5 Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up.

Solomon gathered Israel's leaders—elders, tribal heads, and family chiefs—to participate in the sacred ceremony of bringing the Ark of the Covenant to its rightful place in the temple. The Ark, symbolizing God’s presence and covenant, was moved from the City of David, Zion. The event took place during the Feast of Tabernacles, which was held in the seventh month. This moment marked a unifying occasion for all Israel, with the Levites and priests handling the sacred objects, maintaining proper ritual protocol.

2 Chronicles 5:6 (NKJV)
6 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.

The entire assembly, led by Solomon, offered innumerable sacrifices of sheep and oxen as the Ark was brought to the temple. The overwhelming number of sacrifices shows the people's reverence and gratitude toward God. It also underscores the scale of the occasion, emphasizing the Ark’s profound importance as the symbol of God's covenant and His presence among them.

2 Chronicles 5:7-9 (NKJV)
7 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim.
8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
9 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.

The priests carefully placed the Ark in the Most Holy Place of the temple, beneath the wings of the cherubim, which symbolized divine protection and God's throne. The Ark's poles, which extended beyond the inner sanctuary, allowed its presence to be discerned from the Holy Place but not from outside, signifying the Ark’s holiness and the careful boundaries placed around access to God's presence. This placement fulfilled the final stage of Solomon’s work on the temple.

2 Chronicles 5:10 (NKJV)
10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.

Inside the Ark were only the two stone tablets of the Law, given to Moses at Horeb (Mount Sinai). These tablets represented the covenant between God and Israel, reminding the people of their special relationship with Him and the laws that guided their conduct. The Ark, with its sacred contents, served as a perpetual reminder of God’s faithfulness and Israel’s obligations under the covenant.

2 Chronicles 5:11-12 (NKJV)
11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions),
12 and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets—

The priests, having sanctified themselves, emerged from the Most Holy Place. All divisions of priests participated in this momentous occasion. The Levite singers, descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, stood in unity, dressed in white linen, symbolizing purity. Accompanied by musical instruments, including cymbals and trumpets, the assembly created a grand, harmonious sound that expressed their praise and worship. The 120 trumpets added to the magnificence of the event, enhancing the spiritual atmosphere of the dedication ceremony.

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NKJV)
13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,
14 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

The unity of the musicians and the singers, combined with the powerful proclamation of God's goodness and enduring mercy, set the stage for a visible manifestation of God's presence. A cloud, symbolizing the glory of the Lord, filled the temple, so much so that the priests could not continue their service. This cloud signified God's approval and His dwelling among His people, mirroring similar occurrences during Israel’s wilderness journey. The overwhelming sense of God’s presence underscored the sacredness of the temple and the magnitude of this moment in Israel’s history.

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