5:1 When Solomon had finished constructing the Lord’s temple, he put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and all the other articles) in the treasuries of God’s temple.
After the temple was completed, the holy items were moved into the temple.
5:2 Then Solomon convened Israel’s elders—all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families—in Jerusalem, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David (that is, Zion).
The original tabernacle was in Gibeon. The ark of the covenant was kept in a separate tent which was located in Jerusalem. Solomon gathered the leaders of Israel to a celebration where the ark of the covenant was moved into the temple.
5:3 All the men of Israel assembled before the king during the festival in the seventh month.
This celebration occurred in the seventh month, which was the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles looks forward to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to establish His Millennial Kingdom.
5:4 When all Israel’s elders had arrived, the Levites lifted the ark.
Only the Levites could move the ark. The ark must be moved by staves. Uzzah was killed for touching the ark during an earlier illegal transfer of the ark.
5:5 The priests and Levites carried the ark, the tent where God appeared to his people, and all the holy items in the tent.
The Mosaic Law only allowed certain Levitical families to carry certain parts of the tabernacle in an exact method which was detailed in Scripture.
5:6 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered.
During the celebration, possibly hundreds or thousands of sheep were sacrificed. These sacrifices pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel had to be agriculturally wealthy to afford the multitudes of sacrifices that they performed on a daily basis. Sacrifices were offered every morning, evening, Sabbath, new moon, and on Jewish feast days
5:7 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place under the wings of the cherubs.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant into the Holy of Holies.
5:8 The cherubs’ wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles.
The golden cherub’s wings extended over the ark and the poles.
5:9 The poles were so long their ends extending out from the ark were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. They have remained there to this very day.
After Israel returned from the Babylonian Captivity, the temple was destroyed and the ark of the covenant was gone. “This very day” referred to the time of the scribe who originally wrote this historical incident. The author of Chronicles decided to allowed this statement to stand as it was, possibly hoping that it would have an emotional impact on the returning exiles.
5:10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. (It was there that the Lord made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt.)
The two tablets contained the Ten Commandments. Each tablet most likely contained all Ten Commandments with five commandments on each side of the tablet. God always required two witnesses, so there may have been two copies of the Ten Commandments. According to the author of Hebrews, the ark also contained Aaron’s rod and a pot of manna. These extra objects may have been added to the original contents sometime later than Solomon, or they could have been lost.
11 The priests left the holy place. All the priests who participated had consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented.
The priests left the Holy of Holies, never to return again. The High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. The Holy Place would be visited daily by appointed Levitical priests. The priests were responsible for adding oil to the Menorah, keeping the incense burning, and changing the shewbread.
5:12 All the Levites who were musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, wore linen. They played cymbals and stringed instruments as they stood east of the altar. They were accompanied by 120 priests who blew trumpets.
A large Levitical musical band played messianic music at this celebration. The Levitical music was so famous throughout the world, that the Babylonians asked the Israelites why they did not play this music at the canals of Babylon. The Jewish Levites refused to play their music while they were captives in a foreign land.
5:13 The trumpeters and musicians played together, praising and giving thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they loudly praised the Lord, singing: “Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!” Then a cloud filled the Lord’s temple.
The Levitical music glorified God. The modern music of today glorifies sin. Rock and roll is a euphemism for the sexual act.
5:14 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud; the Lord’s splendor filled God’s temple.
The Shechinah Glory is the visible representation of God. The Shechinah Glory filled the tabernacle in the wilderness. The Shechinah Glory filled the temple during this celebration. The Shechinah Glory filled the Lord Jesus Christ while He was on earth. Every eye will see the Shechinah Glory return at the second coming of Jesus. The Shechinah Glory will be present forever in the heavenly temple of the New Jerusalem.