Who is Greater?

O. T.#935 "Who is Greater?"
Feb. 28, 2017
2 Chronicles 2-Part 2
And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.   Chronicles 2:5 KJV

LET IT GLOW

Who is greater? We will find the answer to that question today, according to King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, other than Jesus Christ. Stay with me, friends.

Do you recall what King Solomon was determined to do? He was determined to build the Temple for the Lord and his palace. The next 3 chapters describe the construction. Before we get into all of that, Solomon sends within the message to King Hiram of Tyre and announces the purpose of building the elaborate new Temple in verse 4:

• He would build it in the name of the LORD his God;
• dedicate it to Him;
• burn sweet incense before God;
• have continual showbread there;
• offer burnt offerings morning and night and special times to Him.

This was an ordinance forever to Israel. God had commanded it, but we know that Israel was not always faithful in doing it through the years.

I highlighted verses 5-6 NLT, folks. Solomon said This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods. But who can really build Him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain Him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for Him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to Him?


An Israeli king is witnessing to a heathen king? He has it right. Yes, the greatness and supremacy of Solomon's God as the True God is proclaimed. Wow! He is declaring God's omnipotence. Yes, He is greater and above all other gods, for they are only man-made idols of stone and wood. Jehovah is the only One True Living God. Who can put God in a box in a building? He is everywhere at the same time. What a mighty God we serve!

Let me add, Jesus Christ is the only way to this God. In John 14:6, Jesus is speaking: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

Do you believe this, dear one? It is the foundation of the Christian faith. Are we daily doing as Paul asked in Romans 12:1, that we present our body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service?
Are we sharing The Way, The Truth, and The Life with others?



LET IT GROW

David, who was Solomon's father, had  previously purchased  building materials needed for the task from King Hiram of Tyre, then stocked them up ready for Solomon's use.
Solomon realized that his laborers were not as skilled as Hiram's skilled servants, so he sent a request to use them, plus materials list in 1 Kings 5. The timbers of Tyre were sent by way of the Mediterranean Sea to Joppa, which was Jerusalem's nearest port. Solomon's payments were in the form of food from Israel. A peace treaty had been made between the two kings.

Here is an interesting thing. I have heard of the cedars of Lebanon, but didn't know the particulars of it. The cedars of Lebanon came from that mountain range, which ran northeast through Syria and almost parallel with the Sea, was 900 feet above sea level.

Solomon had a great labor force of 70,000 laborers, 30,000 quarry stone cutters, and 3,000 foremen. Get this, Solomon would send those laborers in shifts, 10,000 every month. Now is that a wise strategy? They could spend 2 months home ion between the month gone.

They quarried large blocks of high quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple.

Do we give our best in the Lord's service, whether it be our things or our labor?

LET IT GO

Proclaim how great my God is.

Give/do my best for His glory.