Reading: 2 Chronicles 5-8, Psalm 72

In just about any epic story, there is a moment where the heroes celebrate victory. Aragorn’s coronation and marriage to Arwen in The Lord of the Rings. In Star Wars they are all over the place. The memorable ones being the medal ceremony in A New Hope, and the party on the Forest Moon in Return of the Jedi. The scene of Solomon completing the Temple and bringing the Ark of the Covenant up to it is one of those.

The Chronicler has set us up for this. We have read several times that the Ark was not in the Tabernacle tent, and had not been at least since the early days of Samuel, when the sons of Eli had taken it to battle and it was captured by the Philistines. That is a fun story, but at the resolution of it the people of Israel are no longer able to meet with God in the Day of Atonement. The priestly line has pretty clearly failed to meet expectations, and the whole system set up in the book of Leviticus to allow humans and God to occupy the same space appears to be fractured. The story of Solomon building the Temple and bringing the Ark into it is a moment full of promise, and that it is accompanied by extensive celebration should be no surprise to the reader. But there is a glaring oddity that sticks out in the Chronicler’s account of the Ark’s arrival in the Temple.

When last we heard about what was in the Ark, it contained three things: The tablets of the Covenant made through Moses, the rod of Aaron’s priestly authority, and a jar of Manna from the days wondering in the desert. The Chronicler goes out of his way here to mention that there is nothing in the Ark but the tablets of the Covenant. This of course begs the question of where the other items went, but I don’t think that is the point of it being mentioned here. Recall that the Chronicler’s audience were enormous Bible nerds. They knew what was supposed to be in the Ark. The conspicuous absence of two of the three items would mean something very important to them.

First, the rod of Aaron’s priestly authority. This was the story where Aaron’s rod blossomed when the authority of his house was challenged back in the book of Numbers. It was to be a sign of the priesthood of Aaron’s house. It is missing. Almost all the stories we have about the priests in the Hebrew Scriptures are stories of failing in their role. I believe the Chronicler is making a point with the disappearance of this staff. The memorial of Aaron’s authority is gone, and with it goes the authority. The priestly line of Aaron is just a placeholder now, awaiting the better priest to come. Second is the jar of Manna. The unmerited provision of God for his people in the desert. This is the story where the grumbling people get blessed by God and receive miraculous provision from God in the midst of it. It is gone as well. This one is less obvious to me, but I think the Chronicler is saying something about how the attitude of the people has taken this provision from them.

So the Chronicler inserts this stick bomb right in the middle of the celebration of victory as the Ark comes up to the Temple. Solomon was brought on the scene as a new Adam, a new Moses, and a new David. But now there is this huge gaping hole in the life of Israel. With no priesthood, there is no Day of Atonement even with the Ark in the Temple. Bummer. How are the people going to be atoned for if the Levitical system doesn’t have the proper pieces in place?

The Chronicler answer this question in the speech and prayer of Solomon. While in the book of Kings Solomon is presented with all his human flaws, here he comes off really well. Like his father David, the Solomon being presented here is less historical figure and more future hope. The Chronicler assumes we all know the history already, and is using Solomon to make a point. In this case, a point about how the people of Israel can be made right with God. Solomon’s prayer has a pattern to it: When the people disobey and are disciplined, if they turn from their ways and pray in repentance, God please deliver them. There is no mention of sacrifices or penalties, just the prayers of the people towards and in the house of God. Then Solomon, the prototype Messiah figure, makes this massive offering of a bazillion animals, which God sends fire from heaven to consume. And God says, Yes. If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will forgive their sin and heal their land. No priests officiating this Covenant. Just a King who has passed the test that Adam failed. A King whose knowledge of good and bad rests in obedience to God rather than his own wisdom.

The book of Chronicles has been taking the history of Israel and using it to argue for a major change in the way the people of God interact with their Creator. I think this scene is the climax, the culmination of his argument. This is what needs to happen- a new Adam needs to build a new Temple governed by a New Covenant brought about by unparalleled Sacrifice. This will address the defunct priesthood of Aaron’s house, and the end of the miracle food Manna, which is itself a callback to the Garden of Eden. Though he is recounting past events, the Chronicler is telling the people of his day and time to stop looking back and start looking forward. The old ways are broken, only the Messiah can save them now.