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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>S E C O N D C H R O N I C L E S</B></FONT>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. VIII.</FONT>
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<P>
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In this chapter we are told,
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I. What cities Solomon built,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:1-6">ver. 1-6</A>.
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II. What workmen Solomon employed,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:7-10">ver. 7-10</A>.
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III. What care he took about a proper settlement for his wife,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:11">ver. 11</A>.
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IV. What a good method he put the temple-service into,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:12-16">ver. 12-16</A>.
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V. What trading he had with foreign countries,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:17,18">ver. 17, 18</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Solomon's Buildings.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 992.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, wherein
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Solomon had built the house of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and his own house,
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2 That the cities which Huram had restored to Solomon, Solomon
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built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
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3 And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah, and prevailed against it.
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4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store
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cities, which he built in Hamath.
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5 Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether,
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fenced cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
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6 And Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and
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all the chariot cities, and the cities of the horsemen, and all
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that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and
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throughout all the land of his dominion.
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7 <I>As for</I> all the people <I>that were</I> left of the Hittites, and
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the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the
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Jebusites, which <I>were</I> not of Israel,
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8 <I>But</I> of their children, who were left after them in the
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land, whom the children of Israel consumed not, them did Solomon
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make to pay tribute until this day.
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9 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no servants
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for his work; but they <I>were</I> men of war, and chief of his
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captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen.
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10 And these <I>were</I> the chief of king Solomon's officers,
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<I>even</I> two hundred and fifty, that bare rule over the people.
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11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the
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city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he
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said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of
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Israel, because <I>the places are</I> holy, whereunto the ark of the
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L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> hath come.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This we had
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+9:10-24">1 Kings ix. 10-24</A>,
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and therefore shall only observe here,</P>
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<P>
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I. Though Solomon was a man of great learning and knowledge, yet he
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spent his days, not in contemplation, but in action, not in his study,
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but in his country, in building cities and fortifying them, in a time
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of peace preparing for a time of war, which is as much a man's business
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as it is in summer to provide food for winter.</P>
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<P>
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II. As he was a man of business himself, and did not consult his own
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ease, so he employed a great many hands, kept abundance of people to
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work. It is the interest of a state by all means possible to promote
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and encourage industry, and to keep its subjects from idleness. A great
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many strangers there were in Israel, many that remained of the
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Canaanites; and they were welcome to live there, but not to live and do
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nothing. The men of Laish, who had no business, were an easy prey to
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the invaders,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jdg+18:7">Judg. xviii. 7</A>.</P>
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<P>
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III. When Solomon had begun with building the house of God, and made
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good work and quick work of that, he prospered in all his undertakings,
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so that <I>he built all that he desired to build,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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Those who have a genius for building find that one project draws on
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another, and the latter must amend and improve the former. Now observe,
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1. How the divine providence gratified even Solomon's humour, and gave
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him success, not only in all that he needed to build and that it was
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for his advantage to build, but in all that he had a mind to build. So
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indulgent a Father God is sometimes to the innocent desires of his
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children that serve him. Thus he pleased Jacob with that promise,
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<I>Joseph shall put his hand on thy eyes.</I>
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2. Solomon knew how to set bounds to his desires. He was not one of
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those that enlarge them endlessly, and can never be satisfied, but knew
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when to draw in; for he finished all he desired, and then he desired no
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more. He did not sit down and fret that he had not more cities to
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build, as Alexander did that he had not more worlds to conquer,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Hab+2:5">Hab. ii. 5</A>.</P>
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<P>
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IV. That one reason why Solomon built a palace on purpose for the
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queen, and removed her and her court to it, was because he thought it
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by no means proper that she should <I>dwell in the house of David</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>),
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considering that that had been a place of great piety, and perhaps her
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house was a place of great vanity. She was proselyted, it is likely, to
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the Jewish religion; but it is a question whether all her servants
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were. Perhaps they had among them the idols of Egypt, and a great deal
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of profaneness and debauchery. Now, though Solomon had not zeal and
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courage enough to suppress and punish what was amiss there, yet he so
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far consulted the honour of his father's memory that he would not
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suffer that place to be thus profaned where the ark of God had been and
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where holy David had prayed many a good prayer and sung many a sweet
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psalm. Not that all the places where the ark had been were so holy as
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never to be put to a common use; for then the houses of Abinadab and
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Obed-edom must have been so. But the place where it had been so long,
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and had been so publicly attended on, was so venerable that it was not
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fit to be the place of so much gaiety, not to say iniquity, as was to
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be found, I fear, in the court that Pharaoh's daughter kept. Note,
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Between things sacred and things common the ancient landmarks ought to
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be kept up. It was an outer-court of the temple that was the <I>court
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of the women.</I></P>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ch8_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Solomon's Devotion.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 992.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> on the
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altar of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, which he had built before the porch,
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13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to
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the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons,
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and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, <I>even</I> in the
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feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the
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feast of tabernacles.
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14 And he appointed, according to the order of David his
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father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the
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Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the
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priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by
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their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God
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commanded.
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15 And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto
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the priests and Levites concerning any matter, or concerning the
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treasures.
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16 Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the
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foundation of the house of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and until it was finished.
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<I>So</I> the house of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> was perfected.
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17 Then went Solomon to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, at the sea
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side in the land of Edom.
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18 And Huram sent him by the hands of his servants ships, and
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servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the
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servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence four hundred and
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fifty talents of gold, and brought <I>them</I> to king Solomon.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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I. Solomon's devotion. The building of the temple was in order to the
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service of the temple. Whatever cost he was at in rearing the
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structure, if he had neglected the worship that was to be performed
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there, it would all have been to no purpose. Assisting the devotion of
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others will not atone for our own neglects. When Solomon had built the
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temple,
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1. He kept up the holy sacrifices there, according to the law of Moses,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:12,13"><I>v.</I> 12, 13</A>.
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In vain had the altar been built, and in vain had fire come down from
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heaven, if sacrifices had not been constantly brought as the food of
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the altar and the fuel of that fire. There were daily sacrifices, <I>a
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certain rate every day,</I> as duly as the day came, weekly sacrifices
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on the sabbath, double to what was offered on other days, monthly
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sacrifices <I>on the new moons,</I> and yearly sacrifices at the three
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solemn feasts. Those are spiritual sacrifices that are now required of
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us, which we are to bring daily and weekly; and it is good to be in a
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settled method of devotion.
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2. He kept up the holy songs there, according to the <I>law of
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David,</I> who is here called the <I>man of God,</I> as Moses was,
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because he was both instructed and authorised of God to make these
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establishments; and Solomon took care to see them observed <I>as the
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duty of every day required,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>.
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Solomon, though a wise and great man and the builder of the temple, did
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not attempt to amend, alter, or add to what the man of God had, in
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God's name, commanded, but closely adhered to that, and used his
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authority to have that duly observed; and then <I>none departed from
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the commandment of the king concerning any matter,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.
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He observed God's laws, and then all obeyed his orders. When the
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service of the temple was put into this good order, then it is said,
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<I>The house of the Lord was perfected,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>.
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The work was the main matter, not the place; the temple was unfinished
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till all this was done.</P>
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<P>
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II. Solomon's merchandise. He did himself in person visit the sea-port
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towns of Eloth and Ezion-geber; for those that deal much in the world
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will find it their interest, as far as they can, to inspect their
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affairs themselves and to see with their own eyes,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>.
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Canaan was a rich country, and yet must send to Ophir for gold; the
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Israelites were a wise and understanding people, and yet must be
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beholden to the king of Tyre for <I>men that had knowledge of the
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seas,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+8:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>.
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Yet Canaan was God's peculiar land, and Israel God's peculiar people.
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This teaches us that grace, and not gold, is the best riches, and
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acquaintance with God and his law, not with arts and sciences, the best
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knowledge.</P>
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