God’s Word for You

2 Chronicles 8:1-6 The work of government

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, October 18, 2024

8:1 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the house of the LORD and his own house, 2 Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram had returned to him, and settled some people of Israel in them.

What are we to make of these towns and villages? In 1 Kings 9:11-14, we are told that Solomon gave twenty towns to Hiram the King of Tyre. I have translated these as villages—the emphasis is not on population, but whether or not they had surrounding walls. This gift was to offset the cost of the massive amount of cedar logs that Hiram sent down to Israel to be used to build the temple and Solomon’s palace. Hiram’s reaction to the quality of the villages was less than enthusiastic. He called them “the Land of Kabul” (worthless, good-for-nothing). Now, there is an ancient Middle Eastern tradition of “rubbishing” something that is being negotiated; that is to say, of saying out loud that it is less valuable than it might really be. This is usually seen as a part of haggling: “My friend, this pot is not of very good quality. You shouldn’t ask me to pay three shekels; it’s only worth a shekel at most. But you and I are friends—I offer you two shekels,” and so on. Whether Hiram was just “rubbishing” the villages, or whether he was genuinely disappointed by them, we find that he gave or sold them back to Solomon. Perhaps they were only collateral against the payment of money owed for the cedar logs. But when Solomon got them back, he improved their value by building them up and fortifying them. They were no longer “kabul.” They were border towns with Israelites living in them.

3 Solomon then went up to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4 He built up Tadmor in the desert and all the villages for storehouses he had built in Hamath.

These places were in the far north. Hamath Zobah was a city more than a hundred miles north of Damascus, along the banks of the Orontes River (modern Hama). Tadmor was about a hundred miles northeast of Damascus, and “in the desert” is an excellent description of the place, since it was almost exactly midway between the Euphrates River and the Mediterranean Sea in the northern reaches of the Arabian Desert. Later it became known as Palmyra on account of its many surrounding palm trees—a welcome sight to weary caravans, “for if a palm be not a fruitful prognostication, I cannot scratch mine ear” (Antony and Cleopatra, I:2).

“Villages for storehouses” is a way of translating ‘aray miscanoth (עָרֵי הַמִּסְכְּנוֹת ) “cities of supply” (KJV, NIV “store cities”). They were waysides with tent-warehouses and graineries with local farms to fill them and a village to help protect them from robbers and raiders.

5 He rebuilt Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities, with walls and gates with bars. 6 He rebuilt Baalath and all his villages for storehouses, and all of the villages for his chariots and for his horses. He built whatever he wanted to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout all the land that he ruled.

The two Beth Horons, Upper and Lower, were just west of the “Saddle” of Benjamin, forming the border between Ephraim and Benjamin. They were technically inside of Ephraim (Joshua 16:5) but their history is continuously linked with that of Benjamin (Joshua 18:13-14). The Philistines raided these towns in the early days of Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 13:18). The pass of Beth Horon (which are the Upper and Lower villages is obvious to the observer) is the main entrance into the Hill Country of Ephraim from the Mediterranean plains, just as Jericho is the main entrance from the eastern side. Joshua called on the Lord to make the sun stand still while fighting there (Joshua 10:10-14). David won a victory over the Philistines on the plains below (2 Samuel 5:25). Judas Maccabeus won a great victory there over a Syrian army (1 Maccabees 3:16-25, for “it is not the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from heaven”—an excellent maxim to be remembered (1 Maccabees 3:19). Crusaders led by Richard (“he that robs lions of their hearts”) also ascended the same pass in the days of the Third Crusade (1189-1192).

Baalath cannot be identified with certainty, but notice the reference to villages for chariots and horses. These are garrisons; military camps built by Solomon to keep portions of his army as useful outpost stations. A curious detail here is that a portion of the lower levels of Jerusalem were once thought to be Solomon’s “stables,” but this vast underground area has been shown to be an elaborate reservoir for water (it was located under the southeastern corner of the upper temple area). Today, the chambers of this reservoir have been repurposed as a mosque.

Solomon did many things for the benefit of the kingdom while he had time, which is to say, during his reign. It is the responsibility of the government to see to the safety and protection of the people, and to promote their general happiness. It is a sin for a government or a leader to support one individual (such as a wealthy benefactor). Solomon warns: “To show partiality is not good—yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread” (Proverbs 28:21). And again: “Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2), and the Maker is also the Judge in the end. The role of the civil government is to protect not souls, but bodies and possessions from harm. It constrains men with the sword and with penalties (Augsburg Confession). Solomon’s role as the political ruler is demonstrated here by mentioning his armies, the capture of new cities, the walls and gates of towns and cities, and other things.

Our duty toward government is spelled out most clearly in the Fourth Commandment and in Romans 13. Paul says in part: “It is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants” (Romans 13:5-6). Just as we owe our obedience to our mothers and fathers, we also owe our obedience to our political rulers. No one chooses their own parents, and few in the history of the world have had any say in choosing their own government, but our choice or not, the government is established by God.

It is by God’s hand that kings reign and rulers make laws. It is by God’s hand that princes govern, and all who rule on the earth (Proverbs 8:15-16).

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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