2 Chronicles 8 records many of King Solomon’s accomplishments. They included the construction of the Temple and his palace; the defeat of a number of Israel’s enemies; and the remnant of the indigenous people of Israel being subjected to forced labor, while the citizens of Israel became soldiers and other workers for Solomon’s kingdom. Solomon followed his father, David’s desires when it came to appointing the Levites to manage the Temple’s work. We find an interesting comment in 2 Chronicles 8 that will ultimately be the undoing of Solomon. We’re told he married Pharaoh’s daughter, but he wouldn’t let her live in David’s home or be where the Ark of the Covenant was, because it was holy. What we see here is Solomon knew he was compromising by marrying this woman, yet he did so anyway. Eventually, he married hundreds of wives, with many of those marriages being for political advantage. The result was Solomon’s zeal for the LORD declined, and eventually he worshiped foreign gods. We must learn the lesson Solomon didn’t: compromising in matters of our faith in the LORD will always lead us to a place we don’t want to go.
2 Chronicles 9 records the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon. During Solomon’s reign many leaders who heard of his wisdom and wealth came to see for themselves, and all were astonished, but none more than the Queen of Sheba. As we read of Solomon’s wealth, we realize the tremendous blessing God poured on his life, and it is important for us to remember the reason for all this material blessing, was Solomon had asked for wisdom to rule God’s people well. Keeping first things first, always brings God’s blessing. As Jesus would put it 1,000 years later, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well. Chapter 9 closes with the record of Solomon’s death. He ruled over Israel for forty years, which was consider a generation in Old Testament times. The Chronicler doesn’t go into the gory details of Solomon’s abandonment of the ways of the LORD in his old age, but simply tells us he was buried with his father, David.
2 Chronicles 10 starts with the account of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, becoming king. We find out right away that Rehoboam was not as wise as his father, because when the people of Israel, led by Jeroboam, come and ask him to ease the burden on them, so they will remain loyal to him, Rehoboam asks for three days to consider their demand. During that time, he asked the elders who had guided his father. They suggested he agree with the peoples’ demands. But then he went to his own advisors, who were young men as he was. They told him to tell the people he would increase their burden. When he did so, the people rebelled, and the nation was divided into Israel and Judah. The Chronicler uses chapter 11 to tell us Rehoboam was going to attack Israel, but the LORD told him not to do so. So, Rehoboam secured the borders of Judah, and brought the priests and Levites to Judah. This would leave Jeroboam in a position where he thought he needed to set up his own worship places, including two golden calves, so the people of Israel wouldn’t go to Jerusalem to worship and offer sacrifices, and then be persuaded to turn back to being loyal to Rehoboam. This turned out to be a fatal mistake, as the northern kingdom abandoned the true God of Israel and would never have an honorable king throughout their history.
As we turn to Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable of a man who threw a wedding feast, but the invited guests wouldn’t come. Then the man had his servants go out into the highways and byways and call anyone who would come to join them. As the man walked through the wedding banquet, he found a man without wedding clothes, so he cast him out. The point of the parable is clear. Many who thought they were God’s people rejected Him, (this would include the Pharisees, and Sadducees of Jesus’ time), and many who were considered outcast would be included. Yet, even the outcasts who were included needed to be “dressed” appropriately. Jesus said many who are last will be first. That’s good news for all of us, who don’t think we’re all that, and who come to Jesus humbly accepting His salvation in our lives.
After Jesus’ parable, the religious leaders took turns attempting to trick Jesus into saying something for which they could arrest Him, or something that would turn the people away from Him. First, they asked Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. They thought he would be trapped regardless of how He answered, because if He said they ought to pay taxes to Caesar, the Jewish people would be upset. If He said they ought not to pay taxes to Caesar, then they could turn Him into the Romans. Instead, Jesus had them show Him a coin and asked whose picture and inscription it was? When they said, “Caesar’s.” He responded, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s!” Next, the Sadducees attempted to trip Jesus up by asking a question about the resurrection. Because they didn’t believe in the resurrection, they used an example of a woman who was married to seven different brothers in succession. Each brother married the woman after the brother before him, died. Then the woman died. They asked Jesus, “So, to whom will she be married in the resurrection, since they all had her?” Jesus wasn’t challenged at all by this question. He responded they were wrong, because they didn’t know the Scriptures or the truth of God. He pointed out we are neither married nor given in marriage in heaven, but we are like the angels in heaven. He then gave a powerful illustration of the resurrection, by reminding the Sadducees when God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, He said, “I ‘am’ the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” even though they had all been dead long before Moses came along. Jesus’ point was they were alive when the LORD spoke to Moses, because He said, “I ‘am’,” not “I ‘was’ the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Another attempted to trick Jesus by asking Him, which was the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus responded quickly, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength,” and offered a second one that as like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No one could argue with that. Finally, Jesus turned the tables back on the religious leaders by asking them how the Messiah could be the Son of David, when David called Him LORD? After this no dared to ask Jesus anything. We do well to remember Jesus can answer all our questions, and we cannot outwit Him. As we go about our lives, we can rely on Him to guide us in any and every situation we face.