2 Chronicles 7:8-11 Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation… I. THE OCCASION. 1. The dedication of the altar. Probably a part is here put for the whole. The writer means by the dedication of the altar the dedication of the whole temple. That this should have been followed by a feast was appropriate, since (1) all labour carried to a successful termination, as the temple had been, is fitted to occasion joy; and (2) the fact that sinful man is permitted to consecrate anything to Jehovah ought ever to excite within the heart glad emotions. 2. The Feast of Tabernacles. It would seem that the solemnities connected with the dedication were commenced seven days at least before the fifteenth of Tisri, the date of the Feast of Tabernacles, and that on the fifteenth this latter feast began, and was celebrated with unusual magnificence. II. THE GUESTS. 1. Solomon the king. So is Christ himself ever present at the banquets he provides for his people, whether on earth within the Church militant, or in heaven in the Church triumphant. With reference to the former Christ says, "I will sup with him" (Revelation 3:16); as regards the latter it is written, "The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall be their Shepherd" (Revelation 7:17); "I will drink it," the fruit of the vine, "new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). 2. All Israel with him, from the entering in of Hamath, the northen boundary of Palestine, to the river of Egypt, its southern limit. So will all the followers of God, the spiritual children and subjects of the heavenly King, be admitted to the banquet of salvation, both here and there - "he with me" (Revelation 3:16). III. THE DURATION. Seven days. 1. Preceded by a seven days dedication service, during which the multitudes of victims were slain by the king and the people - not by the priests, who were merely employed in sprinkling the blood upon the altar. 2. Followed by a solemn assembly on the eighth day, the last and the great day of the feast (John 7:37). On the twenty-third day of the seventh month the assembly broke up, and the people returned to their homes. IV. THE GLADNESS. 1. Its character. The people's joy was sincere, deep, and exhilarating. Not only at the termination of the festal season, but throughout its continuance, the celebrants were merry in their hearts. 2. Its cause. Different from the mirth which stirred the heart of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:36), theirs proceeded from a contemplation of Jehovah's goodness to David, who had been the originator of the temple-building scheme, to Solomon, who had carried it out, and to them who were to profit by it. Learn: 1. That national feastings are as proper to religion as national lastings. 2. That sovereigns and their subjects should at times unite in public expressions of religious feeling. 3. That good rulers are often long remembered by their people. 4. That God's goodness can be displayed to his saints long after they are dead. 5. That the greatest good a king or his people can receive from Heaven is religion, and the means of sustaining and advancing it. - W. Parallel Verses KJV: Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt. |
    |