2 Chronicles 6 Study Notes

6:24-25 The second scenario was one that is illustrated throughout the rest of 2 Chronicles. It involved the Israelites turning away from God and as a consequence being defeated before an enemy. Solomon asked that when the people came to their senses and prayed in the temple, God would forgive their sins and give them back the land they had lost.

6:26-27 The third scenario implied that a drought in the land had been caused by the Israelites’ turning away from the Lord. Again, Solomon’s prayer was that God would respond to sincere prayer in the temple by sending rain.

6:28-31 The fourth scenario included a number of disasters. Solomon petitioned God to listen to the prayers by people in the temple, but he stipulated that the prayers must be sincere because God knew the human heart. The temple was not a machine manufacturing forgiveness.

6:32-33 In the fifth scenario, Solomon made his request on behalf of every foreigner who might come to the temple to seek God. His prayer was that these foreigners would find their petitions answered, so Yahweh’s name would be glorified among those who lived far away. Many ancient people believed their gods were restrained by their location. The God who responded to people from far away was a God who set himself apart from the many false gods of the surrounding nations.

6:34-35 In the sixth scenario, Solomon asked God for strength in battle. Solomon was not asking God for a blanket support of military adventurism; instead, he sought the Lord’s help during those times when he would send them into war.

6:36-39 The seventh and last scenario would have been appropriate for the Chronicler and his contemporaries as they rebuilt the nation after the exile. The nation might be deported into a distant . . . country. This possibility had already been mentioned by Moses (Dt 28:33). Solomon asked that once the people repented and started to pray in the direction of the temple that the Lord would forgive them and bring them back to their own land.

6:40-42 Solomon concluded his prayer by asking God to take over the temple so the priests, the faithful people, and he—the anointed king—might rejoice in the nearness of God. He prayed that God would bless Israel for the sake of the promises to . . . David, which God did indeed do for Solomon and many generations of Judah’s kings (21:7; cp. 1Kg 11:11-13; 15:4; 2Kg 8:19; 19:34; 20:6).