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2 Chronicles 8 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.
Psalms 20:7 NASB
“Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 “He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.”
Deuteronomy 17:16-17 NASB
As Solomon acquired more cities and gathered more resources, we read that he needed more space for storage. Specifically, for horses and chariots. What’s interesting about that is God had instructed that kings should not multiply horses for themselves. The temptation was to trust in the horses instead of God as outlined in Psalms 20.
Furthermore, the very next command God gives for kings is found in verse 17 of Deuteronomy 17. He shall not multiply wives for himself. Why? Because his heart will turn away. The second part of that verse speaks to wealth – specifically silver and gold. The last verse of 2 Chronicles 8 talks about the immense amount of gold Solomon acquired (17 tons, in fact) from his deal with Huram.
So essentially, in one chapter, Solomon has broken three of the commands directed toward kings from the Deuteronomy passage above. This was a problem. As Hank has written, all the while he is continuing to offer sacrifices before God knowing that he has strayed. The alternative, of course, would be to cease from this worship activity which wouldn’t be good either. And this leads me to my point.
Many times we stray. Often, it is a daily struggle. The temptation the enemy works on us is to just go ahead and throw in the towel in all aspects of life. If you cheat your diet by eating one cookie, you might as well hit the buffet. If you fell to lustful thoughts in the morning, you might as well look up graphic images later in the afternoon. The scenarios are endless. Fill in the blank. It’s an all-or-nothing attitude.
I will at least give Solomon some credit. He didn’t stop worshiping the Lord even though he was making terrible choices. It may have been that he was ignorant (unlikely) or that he was simply hoping God would approve his decisions. Whatever the case, he needed conviction. We all need conviction. This is something I ask God for often – sometimes hourly. I believe He will give us insight to where we are going astray and help us repent of our behavior. It’s vital to our relationship with our Father.