Read 2 Chronicles 1 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
1:1-10 {s} Solomon asked of YHVH wisdom and knowledge to judge rightly
1:11-13 {p} YHVH granted his request, and added riches, wealth, honor
1:14-2:2 {p} Solomon increased chariots, horses, silver, gold/ determined to build YHVH’s house
The Strong themes:
1:1-13 {s+p} Solomon asked wisdom and knowledge to judge rightly; YHVH granted it
The Chiastic structure:
And the altar of bronze that Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of YHVH; and Solomon and the assembly sought it. 2 Chr 1:5
How unusual that the grammar of the text explicitly states that Solomon and the assembly sought the altar of bronze, instead of YHVH Himself.
To seek is Strong’s H1875 דרש darash, “to seek, to frequent.”
dalet ד = door (enter, move, hang)
resh ר = head of man (head, first, top, beginning, man)
shin ש = two front teeth (sharp, press, eat, two, again)
The Hebrew Root Word parable is of entering the door (dalet) of a man (resh) again and again (shin); that is, to frequently visit him, to often look for him.
The Chronicler takes pains to mention that Solomon made a journey to Gibeon because that was where the tent of meeting was, that Moses had erected in the wilderness. In Torah, the tabernacle was called the ‘tent of meeting’ or ‘tabernacle of meeting’ because it was the appointed place to worship YHVH—for the two, God and man, to draw near to meet—just as the Sabbaths and feast days were the appointed times to worship YHVH.
That it was the altar of bronze that Bezalel had made upon which Solomon offered his burnt offerings, reveals that Solomon followed the Law of Moses to worship YHVH via His prescribed means. That Solomon offered burnt offerings tells us that these were not mandatory to atone for sins or trespasses, but were voluntary, brought in order to draw near to God in worship.
Solomon and the assembly were seeking the presence of YHVH in worship. Solomon was deliberately drawing near to YHVH in the only way he knew how, and YHVH responded by drawing near to Solomon to confer His blessing upon his reign.
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