◄ 2 Chronicles 6:6 ►
But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.'
Study Bible
But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there
This phrase highlights God's sovereign choice of Jerusalem as the central place of worship and His divine presence. Jerusalem, known as the City of David, holds significant historical and theological importance. It was the site where Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22) and later became the political and spiritual center of Israel under King David. The choice of Jerusalem is a fulfillment of Deuteronomy 12:5, where God promised to choose a place for His Name to dwell. This decision underscores the city's role as the focal point of Jewish worship and the location of the Temple, which Solomon built. Jerusalem's selection also foreshadows its future significance in biblical prophecy, as seen in Revelation 21:2, where the New Jerusalem descends from heaven.

and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel
This phrase emphasizes God's covenant with David, establishing his lineage as the ruling dynasty over Israel. The Davidic Covenant, found in 2 Samuel 7, promises that David's descendants would rule Israel forever, ultimately pointing to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is often referred to as the Son of David (Matthew 1:1). David's selection as king was not based on human criteria but on God's sovereign will, as seen in 1 Samuel 16:7, where God looks at the heart rather than outward appearance. David's reign is characterized by a deep commitment to God, despite his personal failings, and serves as a type of Christ, who would be the perfect and eternal King. This choice also highlights the unity of the tribes of Israel under a divinely appointed leader, reflecting God's desire for His people to be governed according to His purposes.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jerusalem
The city chosen by God as the place for His Name to dwell. It holds significant spiritual and historical importance as the center of worship and the location of the Temple.

2. David
The king chosen by God to lead His people, Israel. David is a central figure in the Bible, known for his heart for God and his role in establishing Jerusalem as the political and spiritual capital.

3. Solomon's Temple Dedication
The context of this verse is Solomon's prayer during the dedication of the Temple, a pivotal event in Israel's history, symbolizing God's presence among His people.
Teaching Points
Divine Choice and Sovereignty
God's selection of Jerusalem and David illustrates His sovereign will and purpose. Believers can trust in God's choices and timing in their own lives.

The Importance of Worship
Jerusalem as the chosen place for God's Name emphasizes the centrality of worship in the life of God's people. Christians are called to prioritize worship in their daily lives.

Leadership and Responsibility
David's selection as king highlights the responsibility of leaders to shepherd God's people according to His will. Christian leaders are encouraged to lead with integrity and a heart for God.

God's Presence Among His People
The choice of Jerusalem signifies God's desire to dwell among His people. Believers are reminded of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives today.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does God's choice of Jerusalem as the place for His Name impact our understanding of worship and its significance in our lives today?

2. In what ways can we see God's sovereign choices at work in our personal lives, and how should we respond to them?

3. How does David's example as a leader chosen by God inspire us to lead in our own spheres of influence?

4. What parallels can we draw between God's presence in the Temple in Jerusalem and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer?

5. How can we apply the lessons from God's choice of Jerusalem and David to our understanding of God's plans and purposes for the church today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 8:16
This verse parallels 2 Chronicles 6:6, where God reiterates His choice of David and Jerusalem, emphasizing the continuity of His divine plan.

Psalm 132:13-14
These verses highlight God's choice of Zion (Jerusalem) as His dwelling place, reinforcing the theme of divine selection and presence.

Acts 13:22
This New Testament reference to David underscores his role as a man after God's own heart, chosen to fulfill God's purposes.
Sermons
God Dwelling in DarknessArchdeacon Grant, D.C.L.2 Chronicles 6:1-10
The Dedication of the Temple: 2. the Address of SolomonT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 6:1-11
The Performance of God's PromiseJ. Wolfendale.2 Chronicles 6:4-11
David's Intention to Build the TempleW. L. Watkinson.2 Chronicles 6:6-9
Pious Purposes Frustrated But RewardedS. Eldridge.2 Chronicles 6:6-9
The Rejected Service, But Approved MotiveD. Davies.2 Chronicles 6:6-9
The Unfulfilled IdealThomas G. Selby.2 Chronicles 6:6-9
People
David, Solomon
Places
Egypt, Holy Place, Jerusalem
Topics
Chosen, David, Fix, Jerusalem, Rule, Selection
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 6:6

     1351   covenant, with David
     6640   election, privileges

2 Chronicles 6:3-11

     8638   benedictions

2 Chronicles 6:4-11

     1429   prophecy, OT fulfilment

Library
December the Eighth Judged by Our Aspirations
"Thou didst well, it was in thine heart." --2 CHRONICLES vi. 1-15. And this was a purpose which the man was not permitted to realize. It was a temple built in the substance of dreams, but never established in wood and stone. And God took the shadowy structure and esteemed it as a perfected pile. The sacred intention was regarded as a finished work. The will to build a temple was regarded as a temple built. And hence I discern the preciousness of all hallowed purpose and desire, even though it …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" 2 Chron. vi. 18. It was the wonder of one of the wisest of men, and indeed, considering his infinite highness above the height of heavens, his immense and incomprehensible greatness, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and then the baseness, emptiness, and worthlessness of man, it may be a wonder to the …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Eleventh Lesson. Believe that Ye have Received;'
Believe that ye have received;' Or, The Faith that Takes. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them.'--Mark xi. 24 WHAT a promise! so large, so Divine, that our little hearts cannot take it in, and in every possible way seek to limit it to what we think safe or probable; instead of allowing it, in its quickening power and energy, just as He gave it, to enter in, and to enlarge our hearts to the measure of what …
Andrew Murray—With Christ in the School of Prayer

Sanctification.
VI. Objections answered. I will consider those passages of scripture which are by some supposed to contradict the doctrine we have been considering. 1 Kings viii. 46: "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near," etc. On this passage, I remark:-- 1. That this sentiment in nearly the same language, is repeated in 2 Chron. vi. 26, and in Eccl. …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Entire Sanctification
By Dr. Adam Clarke The word "sanctify" has two meanings. 1. It signifies to consecrate, to separate from earth and common use, and to devote or dedicate to God and his service. 2. It signifies to make holy or pure. Many talk much, and indeed well, of what Christ has done for us: but how little is spoken of what he is to do in us! and yet all that he has done for us is in reference to what he is to do in us. He was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again from the dead; ascended to heaven, and there …
Adam Clarke—Entire Sanctification

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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