11 Chronicles Chapter 5

2Chronicles 5:1 Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God.

David's desire and heart is shown here. He dedicated the silver, gold and other treasures to the Lord and Solomon remembered them. This is mind boggling in the age we live in.

The Ark Brought to the Temple

2Chronicles 5:2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.

Time to bring up the ark of God out of the tent set up for it and bring it into the house built for the Lord. The feast here in the seventh month is the feast of tabernacles which is around our month of October. It is also called the feast of booths. More about the feasts are in Leviticus 23.

The first day of the seventh month was the feast of trumpets. The 10th day is the day of atonement and the 15th day is the feast of tabernacles.

2Chronicles 5:4 And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.
5 And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.

They did this according to the law given by Moses. The ark was that sacred that it was not be touched by the hands of men but had to carried with staves so they could carry the ark without touching it. Doing it this way would avoid the tragic event that happen when a man was killed for touching the ark when David had the ark moved the 1st time. The 2nd time David moved it, he had searched and found out what he did wrong so that no one would accidently touch the ark.

2Chronicles 5:6 Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.
7 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims:
8 For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.
9 And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day.

The ark has not been seen after the Babylonican captivity when Israel returned to their homeland. It has not been seen since then. Only God knows where it is.

2Chronicles 5:10 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
11 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course:
12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)
13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;
14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

This had to be so awesome to attend. This was true praise and worship. God filled the house with His glory. God honored their worship and He saw the love and they had for Him that day.

Here is the reason for the feasts:

Leviticus 23:41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

Oh, if only we could all keep our first love for our Lord. We who are believers in Jesus are no longer obligated to keep the feasts God ordained for Israel but we should keep the first love for the Lord. We can keep the Jewish feasts if we desire but most of us would not know how. We no longer have the ark of the covenant. No one knows where that is. Perhaps it is because Jesus made a new covernant with the house of Israel.

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

This is also written about in the book of Hebrews: Jesus brings in a better covenant. The first one has vanished away.

Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

All who believe in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life and be part of the kingdom of God forever. Jews and Gentiles are part of this new and living way. When the Jews rejected Jesus as a nation, the gospel went to the Gentiles although individual Jews like the apostles and other believers in Jesus received Him, the nation as a whole did not. There is a day coming that they will receive Him. There is a latter day restoration of Israel. That is the new covenant mentioned in Jeremiah.

11 Chronicles Chapter 6