2Chronicles 25

Why worship gods you know can't help you?

I don't know but that's what Amaziah did. After he defeated the Edomites, he took their idols -- who hadn't helped them against him -- and set them up in his palace to worship them. The God of Israel, of course, did not approve.

Review: THE WAY OF THE WILD HEART by John Eldredge

This book is very similar to Eldredge's Wild at Heart, which makes sense given that it's a companion to and an expansion of that book. Like that book, it has a thin veneer of Christianity, but it's only a veneer.

The biggest problem is that the book is simply nonbiblical. At best, it expands on Scripture; at worst it flatly contradicts it. While the discussion of the various stages of manhood is interesting, the reader can't help getting the impression that he's learning more about Eldredge than about the ostensible subject of the book.

I'm sure that wasn't his aim. I'm sure he just wanted to write a book that would help people. Unfortunately, I can't review his intentions,only the book as it is, and that's what I don't recommend.

2Chronicles 24

Joash started so well to have ended the way he did. He was the one who brought back the temple tax, which was used to restore the temple and make it better.

Of course, Solomon could've told him you have to finish just as well.

Review: THE COLLAPSE OF SEPARATION AMONG FUNDAMENTALIST BAPTISTS by David Cloud

It's taken me a while, but I've finally figured out what makes Cloud and I so different: our ideas on separation. It's certainly a biblical concept, as the New Testament specifically tells us to be different from the world. I believe that means not chasing trends so we can be like everyone else, but with a little Jesus on top. That's become a very bad habit in some churches.

Cloud, however, seems to see separation as a list of things to do; churches have to be like the one into which he was converted or they've "compromised". Any such groups have to be separated from. This is a fairly common view among Fundies, but there are two very serious problems with it. The first is that it not only is it not found in Scripture, but this kind of shunning is antithetical to it. The second is that it leads to an "us four and no more" attitude, in which we assume that only those who agree with us exactly are saved.

This book is essentially a list of "compromises" made by churches Cloud used to consider faithful. I don't recommend it; it seems like it's longer than it is.

2Chronicles 23

It's interesting that while Josiah is known as a reformer, the reforms started before he even before he took the throne. One of the most important was keeping anyone unclean out of the temple.

Even the queen couldn't violate that, which may have helped keep Josiah alive.

XII. Education

Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage. The new birth opens all human faculties and creates a thirst for knowledge. Moreover, the cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support of the churches. An adequate system of Christian education is necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ's people.

In Christian education there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute. The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.

2Chronicles 22

Huh. Turns out it was Jehoram who was the king and was married to Ahab's daughter. Azariah was one of the brothers he had killed. Sorry about that.

This chapter deals with his son and heir, Ahaziah, and his wife, Athaliah, presumably Ahab's daughter. Azariah was bad, but his mother was worse. Upon taking her son's throne,  she tried to have her grandsons killed.

That's one bad granny.

Review: TWELFTH NIGHT by William Shakespeare

This is another of Shakespeare's comedies based on mistaken identity/gender. This must have been a plot he liked.

Unfortunately, it also feels overly familiar. There's nothing that sticks out, and very little that I remember about the play. As far as I'm concerned, that's more than enough reason to not recommend it. 

2Chronicles 21

Azariah acted like a member of Ahab's family because he was.

The Bible is clear that Azariah disobeyed God just like the kings of Israel. Ahab was arguably Israel's worst king, and he was even worse when hag-ridden by his wife Jezebel. Even if he had started out good, Azariah didn't have a chance once he was married to their daughter.

It's just voyeurism, you know

Let me ask you a question. Would you like to stand outside someone's house and just watch them? Assume for the moment that you can't be caught. You could see how they eat, how they sleep, and how they treat each other. You could even look in on their most private moments.

Of course, most of us wouldn't want to do that. We'd be Peeping Toms, living our lives through others. Voyeurism isn't just illegal. That would be bad enough. It's also deeply weird.

So why is pornography any different? It's just people doing things they shouldn't with people they shouldn't do them with, in places they shouldn't be doing them. And there we are, watching.

Please don't think I'm letting the people who make it off. I'm not. The things they do are wrong. However, I think it's safe to say that a good many of them wouldn't do those things if there weren't money to be made from it, and the only reason there's money in it is that so many people are willing to pay for the privilege of being Peeping Toms.

I have to confess that I had a problem with porn for years. Specifically, the problem was that I had no problem with it. I didn't see anything wrong with pornography, though I didn't want my wife, my children, my parents, the people I went to church with, the ones at work ... really, i didn't want anyone to know what I was doing.

Porn is a lonely addiction.

Yes, I said addiction. Just like an alcoholic will always be one even if he hasn't had a drink in 20 years, I think it's something that will be with me until I die, because even now it still comes to mind and has to be forced down. Besides, you can't unsee anything.

Every voyeur knows that.

Review: HOUSE CHURCH, edited by Steve Atkerson

From what I can tell, the house church is the dominant model in the developing world. It's our large suburban churches that are the aberration.

This book is a how-to guide to beginning a house church. It also looks at the why, and asks not, "Do we have to do things like this apostles?" but "Why would you do them any other way?" Rather than just asking questions, though, it answers them, usually straight from Scripture.

The advantages and disadvantages of independence are also presented. This is a very challenging book, and a dead-tree copy is available from New Testament Reformation Fellowship for free. That's two reasons to recommend it, and I can't think of any not to,

2Chronicles 20

Though Jehoshaphat was a good king, he still had to face death.

Even if he had been perfect, that would have been no guarantee. The only perfect person who ever lived was horribly murdered for being perfect, and Jehoshaphat wasn't perfect.

2Chronicles 19

When confronted by the prophet, Jehoshaphat knew he had done wrong. Rather than feeling sorry for himself, he set out to make reforms throughout his kingdom.

There's nothing wrong with doing good, as long as we don't expect it to make up for the bad.

Review: TOLKEIN'S ORDINARY VIRTUES by Mark David Eddy

Hopefully I haven't made a secret of how much I like The Lord of the Rings. I think that it's not only one of the best fantasy books ever written, but one of the best books period. That's what makes this one so interesting and yet so frustrating.

The book follows Tolkein's story, at various points stopping the narrative to discuss a virtue illustrated by that point in the story. These are chosen and presented well, as Eddy obviously knows his material and picks his examples well.

The bad news is that while Tolkein had a very distinct style, Eddy does not. Tolkein had a gift for high-flown, old-fashioned language, and Eddy's more pedestrian work suffers for it. There's no shame in falling short of a great writer, but it doesn't help to be juxtaposed with one either.

The issue of style aside, this is a good book, looking at literature from a different angle. I recommend it.

2Chronicles 18

Why would a good king like Jehoshaphat want to ally with Ahaz anyway?

Probably for reasons of kinship. The people of Israel and Judah were closely related, shared a language, a religion, and the Promised Land, and may have stayed a single nation if not for a single mistake.

XI. Evangelism and missions

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of man's spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

2Chronicles 17

Jehoshaphat, who didn't have a short name, was zealous for God and wanted everyone else to be too. To that end, he wasn't content to have the high places and Asherah poles torn down. He wasn't content to provide information to those who came to Jerusalem to get it. The king paid for priests, Levites, and his own people to travel the country, teaching the law.

If the people couldn't go to it, it would come to them.

Review: THROUGH PAINTED DESERTS by Donald Miller

Miller, probably best known for his book Blue Like Jazz, has become a controversial figure in the Church and a Christian leader in his adopted home of Portland, Oregon. This book tells how he got there in the first place.

Though there are diversions, some extensive and with far-reaching consequences, and the kind of theological speculation you might expect from young men with little to do but drive and talk. In a way it's reminiscent of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, though without that book's general sense of aimlessness.

In the end your enjoyment of the book will depend on whether you like Miller's postmodern style and travelogues in general. I like the former a good bit and am at least favorably disposed toward the latter, so I recommend it.

2Chronicles 16

You know what I like about Asa? He's got a very short name.

Actually, during the first half of his reign,Asa was an exemplary king. As he got older, though, he started trusting alliances rather than God to keep Judah safe.

Another joke I've always liked, for some reason

A man was walking down a sidewalk past a high plank fence around the local insane asylum. As he hears a low, rhythmic chanting, apparently from the poor souls on the other side of the fence. About twenty feet ahead, he sees  a knothole, the only one for the hundred yards or so of fence he's passed. As he gets closer to it, the chanting gets louder and more clear. "Fifteen, fifteen, fifteen ..,"

He decides to see what those poor insane loonies are up to. When he gets to the hole, he bends over and peers into it, but sees nothing but a long finger with a sharp, jagged nail hurtling at him. A moment later he feels a terrible pain and falls back screaming as his eye is poked out. Through his own screaming, the man hears the chanting, slightly different.

"Sixteen, sixteen, sixteen ..."

###

I don't know why, but I've liked that since the first time I heard it. Admittedly, I wrote it down to be creepier than when it's told, but it's still one of the most horrible things I've ever heard. It's only funny in the darkest and most macabre way, but I always laugh.

2Chronicles 15

Unlike rebellious Israel, Judah sometimes had good kings. Asa was one of those.

Look at the way he responded to the prophet. There are basically three ways to respond when confronted by the word of God. You can ignore it, which is what evil kings did. You can despair, which is what weak kings did. Or you can accept it and work harder, which is what good kings did. Asa chose the third.

Review: A TALE OF THREE KINGS by Gene Edwards

I remember this being a free download, which is why I got it despite never having heard of it, or of Gene Edwards. Surprise surprise, it turned out to be pretty good.

The three kings of the title are Saul, David, and Absalom.  Edwards stays close to the biblical narrative, yet tells the story like a novelist. It's a different approach from what I'm used to seeing, and it's very effective.

Less effective are the second-person sections in which Edwards speaks directly to the reader about the story to come. Second-person writing is very difficult to do well, and Edwards unfortunately comes across as chummy and and artificial.

Though annoying, those parts don't ruin a good book. It's solidly biblical, and unusual enough to catch and hold the attention. I recommend it.

2Chronicles 14

The Ethiopians always claimed their emperor was descended from Solomon. (That's why one of the emperor's titles was the Lion of Judah, and why there was a lion on the flag.) We know that Asa was Solomon's great-grandson,

That means if the Ethiopians were right, the huge battle in this chapter was a family squabble.

Review: NIV AUDIO NEW TESTAMENT (VOICE ONLY) by Zondervan

This is the 1984 revision of the New International Version, which wasn't revised again until 2011. For many people this is the NIV, just as the NIV is the Bible

The first church to which I belonged spent about half its time running down the NIV, telling why it was a Satanic translation. As near as I can tell, this had three effects on me. The first was that I became very good at both proof-texting and at separating who I was on Sunday morning from who I was the rest of the week. The second was that because the church was very proud of being Independent, fundamentalist, and Baptist, I avoided all three for about ten years. The third was that the NIV just kind of blew right past me.

I never set out to avoid it, but I never sought it out either. The effect was the same. When I finally got around to reading it, I found it more bland than anything else.

That's unfortunately the impression I got from listening to it. It was bland. Worse than that, it was boring. Someone did a good job of sanding the rough edges off, it's those rough edges that catch in the mind and make it memorable.

I know some people like the NIV. That's why I'm not going to give a recommendation either way. It's very well-done, but you already know how I feel. It doesn't work for me. It may for you.

2Chronicles 13

Abijah made some very good points.

His speech was both a capsule history of the divided monarchy and a judgment of the career of Jeroboam. Most importantly, he didn't seem to threaten Israel or condemn it, but to simply state facts and call on Israel to return to the fold.

X. Last things

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

2Chronicles 12

Rehoboam wasn't nearly the king his father was. In fact, he was bad enough that God used the Egyptians to punish the nation. He was bad enough that the entire tribe of Judah was temporarily conquered.

Compare that to Solomon at the beginning of his reign.

Review: THE EARLY CHRISTIANS IN THEIR OWN WORDS by Eberhard Arnold

The first thing to notice is that Arnold uses a different definition of "the early Christians" than most of us have seen . Perhaps due to the influence of The Ante-Nicene Fathers, American and British authors tend to consider the early Christians as extending down to the Council of Nicea in 325AD. Arrnold, a German, makes use only of sources prior to the year 200AD.

More than anything, this book resembles The Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, edited by David Bercot, though it's both more and less extensive than that work. Like Bercot's later book, Arnold's lists various topics and arranges quotes from the early Christians under them. What makes it less extensive is that there just aren't as many topics. While Arnold has done a very good job with what has, Bercot's exhaustive approach ultimately makes his book more useful.

What makes it more extensive is that, despite its title, Arnold's book doesn't just contain quotes from the early Christians, but from their enemies and other contemporaries as well. It's sometimes as illuminating to see what was said against Christians as for them.

This book is both a good companion to Bercot's, and a formidable resource in its own right. I highly recommend it.

2Chronicles 11

Saying don't make it so.

It seems that throughout the history of our fallen world mankind has tried to redefine things that God has established. Our current president and Supreme Court in the United States has attempted to redefine marriage, and thousands of years ago Jeroboam attempted to redefine religion. But saying don't make it so.

The best advice about writing I ever got

I've written a good bit for this blog and for COBRASAURUS!!!!!, and some people have asked why. After all, almost no one reads it,so why bother, especially if it's hard? As I once said in a very different context, I wasn't aware I had any choice.

I'd say this blog was started in response to my medical condition, but I started it before I had my stroke instead of after. I actually started five, though only two have survived. I did it because I didn't have any other outlet, and I had a great deal to get out. I wasn't aware I had any choice.

If you're a writer, you will write. You can't help it. I was told that a long, long time ago, but it's not what I want to talk about. It's not the best advice I ever got on the subject. This was:

Writers write.

That's it. Just like a guitarist gets better with practice, so does a writer. There's an element of talent involved -- which explains why I was never a great guitarist, or a great musician of any kind, much as I wanted to be -- but it's mostly hard work. As David Eddings said, write about a million words, then throw them away. Now you're almost ready to start.

Of course, being David Eddings he was very smug about it. It was also not something I wanted to hear, so I pretty much ignored it.

The mention of hard work reminds me of the other great advice I received. I know where I got the first one: a comic book. I only put it up here on the off-chance some of you weren't reading Shadowhawk in 1993. The second is a complete mystery to me, though I've seen and heard it reinforced many times: if you want to be a great writer, read great writers.

Being a voracious reader has done a few things for me, it's improved my vocabulary allowed me to learn from people in all kinds of time and places, and introduced me to some really good books (and a lot of really bad ones).  It's done a lot more for me, but most importantly it's taught me what works and what doesn't.

You might not like what I say or how I say it. If that's the case, there's a very simple solution: don't read it. I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't matter to me, but I certainly can't force anyone to read this blog, nor would I. If this is just a waste of your time, don't waste your time.

If you like it, know I plan on doing this as long as I'm able. After all, I'm not aware that I have any choice.

2Chronicles 10

This chapter is the answer to our perceived need for youth pastors.

This isn't the time or place for a detailed argument about church polity or leadership structures. I will only say that a boy doesn't learn to become a man from other boys trying to become men. (The same principle applies to girls, too.) It was listening to people his own age that caused Reheboam to split God's people.

Review: WHAT THE EARLY CHRISTIANS BELIEVED ABOUT THE HEAD COVERING by David Bercot

This is a short book, another of Bercot's lectures that has been transcribed and edited. This one concerns veiling, an issue that has become obscure even within Christianity.

Not surprisingly, the conclusion reached by the Church prior to the year 325AD was different than that of the the professing Church today, Bercot's account is very readable, but he is careful to show that it was the earlier approach that was biblical, not ours.

The fact that we consider this an unimportant issue says a lot about our idea of obedience. Whether you agree with Bercot's conclusions or not, I recommend it just for causing us to think about it.

2Chronicles 9

In this chapter, we're told something of Solomon's great wisdom and wealth. There was never a wiser or wealthier king. But there's something to remember about him, something we desperately need to learn:

None of it kept him from falling.

Review: SURPRISED BY GRACE by Tullian Tchividjian

Though the title is reminiscent of CS Lewis' Surprised by Joy, this isn't autobiographical, like Lewis' book. Rather,it's about grace and its role in the life of of the Christian.

It's unfortunate that certain words like " sovereignty" and "grace" have been co-opted by Reformed theology. Those two words in particular have almost become code words for Calvinism. Again that's too bad, because they're perfectly good, biblical words, but that's the world in which we live.

The book itself is a look at grace through the lens of the book of Jonah. As such it's very good. It's a very different approach to a very familiar story, and it's highly effective.

Tchividjian is best-known as Billy Graham's son-in-law, D. James Kennedy's successor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian, or another famous preacher who had an affair. Judging by this book, he's a pretty good author too. I can't agree with his theology, but with that caveat, I can recommend his book.

2Chronicles 8

In some things Solomon seems to have seen the trees but completely missed the forest. For example, his reason for moving Pharaoh's daughter was that the presence of the ark had allegedly made the City of David holy, though the law say anything about that. It did specifically say not to make foreign alliances, though, which was the whole reason for marrying Pharaoh's daughter in the first place.

It's important to obey what God said, not what what we think he meant.

2Chronicles 7

We love to quote verse 14 as if it was was written for modern America. It wasn't.

One of the first things I learned about preaching was that, "A text without a context is a pretext." The old saying that you can make the Bible say anything is only true if you're prepared to ignore anything that doesn't help prove your point. That was Israel's blessing, not America's. There's nothing wrong with loving for a blessing, but there's no point stealing someone else's.

Review: STUFF CHRISTIANS LIKE by Jonathan Acuff

I heard an audio recording of this book, read by the author. That made all the difference.

Acuff is a funny writer, which is rare enough in our evangelical subculture that it's worth mentioning. It's his his comments made while reading the book that really make it hilarious, though.

That brings up the problem. Most of the book's humor comes from the juxtaposition of what Christians  say with what what they actually do. In other words, it depends on the hypocrisy of the average Christian. 

A lot comes from Acuff's own skill and talent. He's a genuinely funny person, though "funny" is notoriously subjective. I liked it and reinstalled it, but yuan mileage may vary.

2Chronicles 6

The covenant with Israel wasn't unconditional, but dependent on Israel's faithfulness. It's interesting, then, that in his prayer Solomon asked God to remember his promise.

It's seems that he thought too much of man and not enough of God.

What I have learned from the Bible

I don't reread a lot of books.so why do i keep reading the Bible even though I've read it a half dozen times already? The clichéd answer is that I learn something new every time, but let's remember that cliches only become cliches by being true. That said,  here are a few things I've picked up 

We're all sinners

Sin is just disobedience to God, and we've all done it. From Genesis 3 onward the Bible either tells about sin, calls people back from sin, or describes what God will do to those who sin. This was reinforced by my daughters; no one had to teach them to sin. It just came naturally.

Jesus Christ is the only one who can deliver us from sin 

Buddha can't save you. Neither can Mohammed, Arjumna, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. More importantly, they didn't claim to. Jesus was the only person to reasonably say that he was able to forgive offensive against God, and that's always been managed's biggest problem.

Heaven and Hell are real 

The Bible doesn't waste any time proving the existence of God. From the very first verse, it's just assumed. Similarly, while you can learn a good bit about both Heaven and Hell from the Scriptures, you won't find single compact, cogent argument for either. They're assumed.

There's a lot more, but I think that's enough for now.

IX. The Kingdom

The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

2Chronicles 5

All the priests consecrated themselves, even the ones with absolutely nothing to do.

I understand that a little from my Navy days. If something important happened to the ship, you wanted to be part of it. You at least wanted to be there and ready to help, mostly so you could say you were. I don't imagine if was too different for the priests.

Review: SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP by J. Oswald Sanders

This had to be a giveaway at some point. The title doesn't seem like anything I'd be interested in.

Fortunately, it's a pretty good book. I credit that to its age; it was written before the current age of CEO/pastors, so it owes more to the Bible than to modern business practices. I'm no one whose opinion matters, but it seems that if you want to learn how to lead a church, you should study the New Testament 

If you feel like you have to read a book on leadership, I recommend an older one like this. It's better to learn God's thoughts on the subject than man's.

2Chronicles 4

A lot has been made of the size of the sea in this chapter.

It's described as ten cubits across and thirty around. That's mathematically impossible, so some people reject the Bible because it gets the facts wrong, which would be a very good reason for rejecting it. However,let's look at it another way. Both of my brothers are 6'1". But are they both exactly 73in. tall? Probably not. It's probably also not exactly 7000 miles from Norfolk, Virginia to Bahrain, but round numbers are easier to say and are precise enough for most purposes. And the sea was about 30 cubits around.

Review: SPINOZA IN 90 MINUTES by Paul Strathern

I have to confess that though I love to read, i don't love to read philosophy. I find it extremely dull, and I've found Spinoza to be one of the dullest. It's difficult to see someone's when you can't get past level archaic style. I have the same problem with Shakespeare, so it's probably a flaw in my own character.

That said, the book does a good job of summarizing the life and work of Spinoza. As I was once told about a sermon, the beginning was good, the end was good, and most importantly they were close together. I recommend it, especially if you're as lazy as me, 

2Chronicles 3

One thing that's bothered me is when kings are given the credit for that happened during their reigns.

I understand that it's just a kind of shorthand and shouldn't be taken literally. Still, this chapter's full of that stuff. So in the interest of accuracy, let me say that Solomon probably didn't build the temple all by himself. Though a man with that many wives may have needed the peace and quiet.

VIIII. The Lord's Day

The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

2Chronicles 2

Hirum-abi may have been a man of skill and understanding, but he never should have existed. After all, the tribe of Dan was granted land in the center of the Promised Land, near Jerusalem. They were only in the north, near Tyre, because of their own disobedience. They were also specifically forbidden from marrying outside of Israel, so the son of a woman of Dan and a man of Tyre shouldn't have been born.

But it all worked out.

Review: SHARE JESUS WITHOUT FEAR by William Fay

I believe God gifted me as an evangelist. The word translated that way only appears once in the New Testament , and it is not in reference to someone who tells non-Christians about Jesus Christ. The only time evangelists are mentioned, they're described as people for the building-up of the Church both universally and locally.

There is a name for people who try to reach the lost with the Gospel. They're called Christians. 

All that's background, though, to show that I've studied evangelism some. It's a subject I know a little about. That's how I know that Fay's technique s good as far as it goes, but it has a fatal flaw that it shares with several others.

The problem is that it takes verses out of context. While I admire Fay's dependence on Scripture, if it was as simple as exposing unbelievers to the Bible, we could just throw open Bibles at them. Fay uses good verses, but eventually the people we speak to will notice how we keep jumping around and wonder what all those other verses say. 

Like I said, Fay's method is good as far as it goes, but since there are better ones out there, I can't really recommend it.

2Chronicles 1

A sign that things were changing was that the ark was separated from the tabernacle.

Once the the temple was built, there was no longer any need for the tabernacle. What happened to it? I don't know, I'm not even sure if the Bible tells us. This chapter shows that the tabernacle was still used for worship in Solomon's reign, though, even without the ark.