Eclectic Topics in no Particular Order
Various Topics Discussed
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Someone wrote: “I have a question. If every time the concept of salvation is mentioned in the T'nach (bible) it always refers to physical lives being rescued from danger. Then what is 2 Chronicles 6:41’s salvation representing? “Now therefore arise, O Lord G-d , into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord G-d , be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.” So how then does a priest being clothed with salvation rescue them from physical danger ?” ****************************** This isn’t a claim. It isn't a prophecy either. It is a prayer. The speaker is King Solomon. The occasion is the dedication of the first Temple. Always read the Bible IN CONTEXT to understand it. This is a prayer. Solomon is dedicating the holy Temple. Solomon is not saying the priests are “clothed in salvation.” Solomon is not saying the priests are “clothed in salvation” in the sense of their souls being saved (not a Biblical concept, a later Christian one taken from paganism). Let's explore this. Up until “now” the Jews had a traveling Temple, the mishkan (Tabernacle) which they built in the desert following the exodus from Egypt. “And they shall make Me a holy [place], and I may dwell among them.” (Sh’mot / Exodus 25:8). The mishkan (portable Temple) had moved more than a few times – and had existed often in times of war (David was a warrior king as was Saul before him). From the Chabad: “The Mishkan traveled with the Israelites for 40 years in the desert. When the people entered the Land of Israel, the Mishkan came with them. For fourteen years, the Mishkan stood in Gilgal while the Israelites conquered and divided the land. Then they created a house of stone in Shiloh and spread the curtains of the Mishkan over it. The sanctuary of Shiloh stood for 369 years. At the end of that period, the sanctuary was moved to Nov, and then to Givon.” Divrei Hamayim Beit / Chronicles II 6 is Solomon speaking as he dedicates the Temple. Before we skip to verse 41 (the one you have asked about) let’s review a few other verses which precede it. Solomon is praying: "Then he knelt on his knees...and spread his hands towards Heaven... May You turn to the prayer of Your servant [Solomon]...to hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant prays before you this day... "May you hear the supplications of Your servant [Solomon] and of Your people Israel...may you hear and forgive... "And if Your people Israel are defeated by the enemy because they sinned against You, and they repent and return to you and praise Your name and they pray before You in this Temple You will hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel and return them to the land that You gave to them and to their forefathers.... "You will hear from heaven, Your place, and forgive, and give to each man according to his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of the children of men... "And also to the stranger, who is not of Your people Israel, but will come from a distant land because of Your great name, Your strong hand, and Your outstretched arm, and they will come and pray toward this House. "You shall hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and You shall do whatever the stranger calls upon You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as [do] Your people Israel, and that they may know that Your name is called upon this House, which I have built." These last two paragraphs are particularly important because it is clear that non-jews may pray to G-d and be heard. There is no such thing as the Christian covenant because all people had a path to G-d and a covenant with G-d. This path does not include idolatry. It also does not require them to become Jewish. We Jews have our own covenant with G-d, but He is not our G-d alone. He's the G-d of everyone. If G-d listens to prayer – prayer and repentance of ALL people then the thought that only Jesus can “save” your soul is destroyed. You don’t need him – indeed he is a barrier to G-d, not a conduit to Him. But you didn’t ask about those verses, so let’s address verse 41 which (in translation) says “And now, arise, O L-rd G-d to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might; Your priests, O L-rd G-d, shall be attired with salvation, and Your pious ones shall rejoice with the goodness. The Temple is G-d’s place. Solomon prays that G-d, the ark of the covenant AND the priests will be clothed in peace, righteousness and security. It is a desire, a prayer – not an “absolute.” The speaker is not G-d, it is Solomon. Solomon asks G-d to listen to all sincere prayers made in the Temple and even towards it at a future time when they may not be near it or it may not even exist physically… He is asking G-d’s blessing on the Temple as a place for G-d Himself and for His ark and His priests… It is a prayer, not prophecy. These are the words of Solomon and although they are divinely inspired they do not raise to the level of prophecy. The priests are now in their (hopefully as Solomon opines) permanent home of the Temple. No longer nomads traveling in the Mishkahn / Tabernacle. Rashi wrote of this specific phrase that G-d, the ark and the priests "shall be attired with salvation: because they will not wander from place to place, like (Isa. 11:5): “And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins.” The Hebrew word here is תְּשׁוּעָה / t'shuah. This is a feminine noun. Remember all nouns in Hebrew are either feminine or masculine. It means rescue or help, deliverance. No more wandering, they have found their home – and peace. Solomon did reign in peace, unlike his father, David, a warrior king. Solomon is praying that the Temple be a place of peace and permanency for G-d, the ark and the people (including the priests who served there). Read the entire chapter because it's clear that the most important function of the Temple is the ability to communicate with G-d. "And the king turned his face about and blessed all the congregation of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel stood... "And You shall turn to Your servant's prayer and to his supplication, O L-rd my G-d; to hearken to the cry and to the prayer that Your servant is praying before You." M’lachim Alef / 1 Kings 8 addresses the dedication as well. The verses in Divrei Hayamim Beit / 2 Chronicles 6:41-42, at the end of King Solomon's prayer of dedication, are an almost verbatim repetition of T'hillim / Psalm 132:8-10. "Arise, O L-rd, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your devout ones sing praises. For the sake of David Your servant, turn not away the face of Your anointed." This psalm is one of 15 Songs of Ascents (T'hillim / Psalms 120-134) which was chanted by the Levites standing on the 15 steps of the Temple that led to the Court of the Israelites. In T'hillim / Psalm 132:9 the reading is "righteousness" instead of "salvation" as in Divrei Hayamim Beit / 2 Chronicles 6:41. Both the dedication of the Temple as described in M’lachim Alef / 1 Kings 8 and the verses of T'hillim / Psalm 132 reenforce that the attempt to use Divrei Hayamim Beit / 2 Chronicles 6:41 to bolster the Christian concept of salvation falls apart upon examination.
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