Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: 2 Chronicles 3-4 and Augustine's Treatise on the Profit of Believing 12

2 Chronicles 3 – The building is located at the place David designated, “on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (3:1) on Mt. Moriah. It is started on the 2^nd day of the 2^nd month [mid-spring] of the 4^th year of his reign. The measurements are all given in “cubits of the old standard”—60 by 20 [90 feet long and 30 feet wide]. The vestibule 20 cubits long and 120 cubits high.

It is overlaid with pure gold. The nave [main room] is lined with cypress and covered with fine gold.  The house is adorned with precious stones. Cherubim are carved on the walls. “The total wingspan of the two cherubim standing side by side was 30 feet. One wing of the first figure was 7 and ½ feet long, and it touched the Temple wall” (3:10-11).

The curtains are made of blue and purple and crimson fabric and fine linen with cherubim worked (embroidered) in (3:14).  In front of the Temple there are two pillars 27 feet high with a capital of 7.5 feet on top. Chains are set on top of the pillars and pomegranates are on the chains.  The pillars—one to the right and one to the left of the temple are named Jakin and Boaz.

2 Chronicles 4 – The altar is made of bronze—30 feet long, 30 feet wide and 15 feet high (4:1).  “Then he cast a great round basin, 15 feet across from rim to rim, called the Sea. It was 7 ½ feet deep and about 45 feet in circumference. It was encircled just below its rim by two rows of figures that resembled oxen”(4:2-3). It is encircled with panels and stands on 12 oxen, three facing north, three south, etc. Their faces face outward. There are ten basins to wash in, five on each side and ten tables.  The doors to the court of the priests are overlaid with bronze. The Sea is at the southeast corner of the house.

Huram-abi also makes pots, shovels and basins. Solomon makes all the things that were in the temple—the golden altar, tables for the bread of the Presence (4:19) lampstands, lamps of gold, flowers, lamps, tongs, snuffers, basins, ladles, and firepans. The doors to the holy of holies and the doors of the nave of the temple were also of gold.

Augustine (354-439)

On the Profit or Benefit of Believing

12 - Wherefore I would that they would tell me, in what kind they place the, supposed, error of the Catholic Church. If in the first [some falsity that the reader is supposed to believe is true even though the writer knew it was not true], it is altogether a grave charge; but it needs not a far-fetched defense: for it is enough to deny that we so understand, as the persons, who inveigh against us, suppose [it is enough or an adequate defense if we say we do not accept the falsity as truth]. If in the second [when both writer and reader accept something as truth that is not true], the charge is not less grave but they shall be refuted by the same saying [that the interpretation put forward is simply not true and can be shown to be not true]. If in the third, it is no charge at all [because no harm comes from the falsity – it is interpreted in a way that makes the end of it all not a problem].

Proceed, and next consider the Scriptures themselves. For what objection do they raise against the books of (what is called) the Old Testament? Is it that they are good, but are understood by us in an ill [incorrect] sense? But they themselves do not receive them. Or is it that they are neither good, nor are well understood? But our defense above is enough to drive them from this position. Or is it this that they will say, although they are understood by you in a good sense, yet they are evil? What is this other than to acquit living adversaries, with whom they have to do, and to accuse men long ago dead, with whom they have no strife?

I indeed believe that both those men profitably delivered to memory all things, and that they were great and divine. And that that Law was published, and framed by the command and will of God: and of this, although I have but very slight knowledge of books of that kind, yet I can easily persuade any, if there apply to me a mind fair and no way obstinate: and this I will do, when you shall grant to me your ears and mind well disposed: this however when it shall be in my power: but now is it not enough for me, however that matter may stand, not to have been deceived?

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: 1 Chronicles 21-22, Ecclesiastes 6-7 and Augustine's Treatise on the Profit of Believing 8

1 Chronicles 21 – Satan, it says, inspires David to take a census. Joab tries to warn him that it will bring guilt on Israel, but the king insists. Joab comes back with a number of 1,100,000 of military age and readiness in Israel and 470,000 in Judah. Even in David’s reign they were conceived of as separate segments; either this or the writing of Chronicles comes after the division of the two kingdoms. But Joab does not complete the count in Levi and Benjamin’s territories “for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab” (21:6). Sure enough, the Lord strikes Israel. 

David repents and the Lord gives him a choice of three punishments: three years of famine, three months of military devastation, or three months of devastation by pestilence. David says, “I am in great distress; let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but let me not fall into human hands” (21:13). So the Lord sends pestilence and 70,000 die.

The Lord contemplates the destruction of Jerusalem but then recalls his angel.  In the moment of his relenting, the angel is by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. “David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces, And David said to God, ‘Was it not I who gave the command to count the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, O Lord my God; be against me and against my father’s house; but do not let your people be plagued!’” (21:15-17)

        

The angel commands that David set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor. David offers to buy the site. Ornan offers everything to David, but David pays full price and then presents the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for a grain offering. The Lord commands the angel to put the sword back into its sheath.  Art the time the Lord’s tabernacle was in the high place at Gibeon, but David feared to go before it “for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord” (21:30). So he establishes a new house for the Lord and his altar.

1 Chronicles 22 – David intends to have the temple built at this spot.  All the preparations are made—materials are gathered: stones, iron for nails, bronze, cedar logs. He worries that his son will not have the experience to carry out the task as it should be done. He charges Solomon with the task and tells him he himself could not do it because the Lords word revealed to him that he had “shed much blood and . . .waged great wars” (22:8), so he cannot build the house. The Lord’s word says, “See, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man of peace.  I will give him peace from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.  He shall build a house for my name.  He shall be a son to me, and I will be a father to him, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever” (22:9-10).

The words here are very messianic in flavor. They exceed the mere wish of a father for the success of his son. It is David who wishes wisdom for Solomon in this text. It seems that all the achievements of Solomon are to be attributed to David—he has decided on the building of the Temple; he has assembled the materials; he has prayed that his son will have wisdom. He orders all the leaders of Israel to help his son.

The great work God gives us too is the building up of His Kingdom – that Temple on earth were man lives the life God intended for him from the beginning and for it we need tons of wisdom, tons of human experience from which to draw the mortar, and many, many tons of faith. It will not be the work of one generation, but the total offering of all who have ever strived for it with God’s help.

Ecclesiastes 6 – “There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever wants, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth. This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy” (6:1-3).

Often the “good things” we have in life are undercut in some way. Leaving us without contentment or a sense of meaning. No one ever seems to have “enough.”

And he says that everything is just destiny. “in the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?” (6:12)

Ecclesiastes 7 – “A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born” (7:1).

“Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time” (7:3-4).

“Don’t long for ‘the good old days.’ This is not wise. Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life. Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life” (7:10-11).

“Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life” (7:14).

“Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins” (7:20).

Wisdom is good because it gives us protection. Still, in many ways, wisdom is “beyond [our] reach. Reality lies beyond [our] grasp; and deep, so deep, who can discover it?” (Jerusalem Bible 7:24-25).

Augustine (354-439)

On the Profit or Benefit of Believing

8 - For that both history of the Old Testament, and ætiology, and analogy are found in the New Testament, has been, as I think, sufficiently proved: it remains to show this of allegory.

Our Redeemer Himself in the Gospel uses allegory out of the Old Testament. "This generation," says He, "seeks a sign, and there shall not be given it save the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so also shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

For why should I speak of the Apostle Paul, who in his first Epistle to the Corinthians shows that even the very history of the Exodus was an allegory of the future Christian People. "But I would not that you should be ignorant, brethren, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized into Moses, in the cloud, and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed with them; and that Rock was Christ. But in the more part of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. But these things were figures of us, that we be not lustful of evil things, as they also lusted. Neither let us worship idols, as certain of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as certain of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand men. Neither let us tempt Christ, as certain of them tempted, and perished of serpents. Neither murmur we, as certain of them murmured, and perished of the destroyer. But all these things happened unto them in a figure. But they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world have come.

Now, it is interesting that that “end of the world” that the earliest Christians talked about – because Christ talked about it in Mark 13 – now has to be seen somewhat figuratively as well. Augustine is living more than three hundred years after Christ walked. Maybe when he says that “we” are the ones “upon whom the ends of the world have come” he is still seeing the words as applying to his generation, but I think he may be saying that “the ends of the world” is a spiritual time, a conclusion of the “narrative” begun in the Old Testament and that narrative is mostly one to be received/interpreted spiritually.

There is also in the Apostle [Paul] a certain allegory, which indeed greatly relates to the cause in hand, for this reason that they themselves are wont to bring it forward, and make a display of it in disputing. For the same Paul says to the Galatians, "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one of a bond-maid, and one of a free woman. But he who was of the bond-maid was born after the flesh: but he who was of the free woman, by promise: which things were spoken by way of allegory. For these are the two Testaments, one of Mount Sinai gendering unto bondage, which is Agar: for Sinai is a mount in Arabia, which borders upon that Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But that Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all."