2 Chronicles 7

This chapter follows 2 Chronicles 6, in which Solomon offers his prayer of dedication for the temple. God answers that prayer, and the temple's dedication and the accompanying feast come to a close. Its content corresponds to the end of 1 Kings 8 and the beginning of 1 Kings 9.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 When Solomon finishes praying, fire comes down from heaven and consumes the sacrifices. The glory of the LORD fills the house so that the priests cannot enter, and the people bow down in worship and give thanks.
• Verses 4–7 The king and the people offer sacrifices. Solomon offers twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. The Levites praise the LORD with the instruments David had made. Because the bronze altar cannot hold all the offerings, the middle of the court is consecrated and the sacrifices are offered there.
• Verses 8–10 The dedication of the altar is observed for seven days, followed by a seven-day feast. On the twenty-third day of the seventh month the king sends the people home.
• Verses 11–16 After the temple and the king's house are completed, the LORD appears to Solomon by night and tells him that He has heard his prayer. He promises that when calamity comes, if the people humble themselves and pray, He will hear and heal their land.
• Verses 17–22 The LORD promises to establish Solomon's throne if he walks as David did. But He warns that if they serve other gods, He will pluck the people up out of the land and cast the temple out of His sight.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 7:3 "For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever" is a confession that recurs throughout Chronicles as a refrain of temple worship.
• 2 Chronicles 7:14 "shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face … will heal their land" is a promise to answer repentance and prayer and is the most widely quoted verse in the chapter.

People and Places

• Solomon: the king of Israel who completed and dedicated the temple.
• David: Solomon's father, who made the instruments the Levites used in praise. Verse 18 recalls the Davidic covenant made with him.
• Priests and Levites: those responsible for the sacrifices and for praise.
• Temple in Jerusalem: described as the place God has "chosen" to put His name.
• The entering in of Hamath and the river of Egypt: an expression marking the northern and southern limits of the land of Israel.

Points for Reflection

• The scene of fire falling from heaven (v. 1) and the promises of verses 13–15 are absent from the parallel text in 1 Kings and appear only in Chronicles. The descent of fire is often read alongside Leviticus 9, which recounts Aaron's first sacrifices, and 1 Chronicles 21, which recounts David's sacrifice.
• The feast in verse 8 was kept for seven days in the seventh month and is generally understood to be the Feast of Tabernacles.
• Verse 14 was originally a promise given to Israel in connection with the temple. Some readers apply it directly to modern nations, while others regard the church as the people of God and apply it spiritually.
• The warning of verses 19–22 is later borne out in the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian exile (2 Chronicles 36). The New Testament speaks of Jesus' own body (John 2) and of the church (1 Corinthians 3:16–17) as the temple.

In the Korean Church

Verse 14 is frequently used as the text for prayer meetings for the nation and its people, special early-morning prayer meetings, and New Year prayer services. The dedication scene of verses 1–10 is also used as a sermon text for church dedication services.