53. THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON

"The house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. "

Aim

To show how Solomon built a House for the Name of Yahweh, God of Israel, in Jerusalem.

 

As we have already seen, God would not allow David to build a house for His Name, because he had "shed much blood " Instead, his son Solomon was chosen to build the Temple accord ing to the plans which God had shown to David (1 Chronicles 28:11). David gathered many treasures during his reign and encouraged his son in the work "Yahweh be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of Yahweh thy God, as He hath said of thee " (1 Chronicles 22:11).

1 Kings 5 to 8

 

DAVID MAKES PREPARATIONS: 1 Chronicles 28:10-20 1 Chronicles 29:1-17

Much of the preparation for the Temple was done by David. To him it was an exciting project and he could see God's wisdom in waiting for a time of peace before such a house of worship was built. God gave David the pattern of the building (1 Chronicles 28:11, 19), which he drew up in detail for Solomon. As he conquered his enemies, he collected treas ures of gold and silver, of brass and iron, wood and of precious stones, "which " said David, "/ have prepared with all my might for the house of my God" (1 Chronicles 29:2). David's enthusiasm for the work made the people of Israel keen to help too.

 

The princes and captains all ''offered willing" gold and silver and brass and iron, and whoever had precious stones gave them to the treas ure of the house of Yahweh. "Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to Yahweh: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy" (1 Chronicles 29:6-9).

 

So David turned the hearts of the people to God in the great work of building the Temple. In his prayer to God before all the people David said: "All this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own" (1 Chroni cles 29:16).

 

SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE: 1 Kings 5

When Hiram, King of Tyre, heard of David's death, he sent mes sages of sympathy to Solomon, for Hiram had always admired David. He hoped now that Solomon would continue the friendship that he had en joyed with his father. Solomon was only too happy to welcome these messengers. He sent straight away to seek Hiram's help in building the Temple, knowing that he had already provided cedar out of the forests of Lebanon for David to build his palace in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 2:3). He told Hiram that the "house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods" (2 Chronicles 2:5). Hiram could see that the God of Israel had richly blessed His people by giving David a wise son to reign in his stead. "Because Yahweh hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them," wrote Hiram in his letter to Solomon. "Blessed be Yahweh God of Israel, that made heaven and earth; who hath given to David the king a wise son... that might build an house for Yahweh" (2 Chronicles 2:11-12).

 

So Hiram agreed to supply Solomon with timber and skilled work men, in exchange for wheat, barley, wine and oil from Israel (2 Chroni cles 2:10). Each month 10 000 men were sent from Israel into the forests of Lebanon to help, while back in Israel thousands were set to work in the quarries, to cut and shape the beautiful stones for the foundations and walls. Many more workers were needed as well to help prepare the brass and other metals used in the building. All the work was done well away from the Temple site. No sound of it was heard in Jerusalem. So skilful were the craftsmen that when the time came to set up the building "nei ther hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house" (1 Kings 6:7). Everything fitted perfectly together, just as God had planned. Solomon began to build in the fourth year of his reign, and it was finished in the eleventh year € seven and a half years of careful and skilful work.

 

THE PLAN OF THE TEMPLE

The Temple was in some ways like the Tabernacle which God had told Moses to make in the wilderness. The Tabernacle was still being used in Israel in David's day. It was a tent, divided into two rooms, called the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Whenever the children of Israel broke camp and moved on their journeys, the Tabernacle was taken down, carefully covered, and carried along by the Levites. Like Solomon's Tem ple, it was a place of worship, where God placed His glory, and Israel came to worship and sacrifice to Him (Exodus 40:17-38). There was however one main difference. Now that Israel was established as a nation in their own land, God was replacing the Tabernacle with a Temple of stone, a more permanent and glorious place of worship to stand on Mount Moriah at Jerusalem. It was the dwelling place of God in Israel, where the priests and the Levites could serve Him on behalf of all the people.

 

The Temple was also much larger than the Tabernacle. It was of stone, panelled with wood and completely overlaid with gold. Around three sides of the Temple, rooms were built three storeys high for the priests to use, and for storerooms. On the eastern end was an entrance porch. In front of the porch were two very tall pillars of brass. They were given names: one was called Jachin, and the other Boaz. In the courtyard outside the porch stood a huge water tank made of brass, called the Sea, and ten smaller lavers where the sacrifices stood, five on the north side and five on the south side. The great brasen altar for the burnt sacrifice stood in the courtyard too.

 

Inside, the Temple was divided like the Tabernacle into two rooms. The first, towards the eastern end, was the Holy Place. Into this the priests would go to light the ten golden lampstands and to place the shewbread on the ten golden tables. The golden altar of incense stood in front of the veil that separated the Holy from the Most Holy Place. On the other side of the veil were found the Cherubim and the Ark of the Covenant over which God's glory shone. Only the High Priest could en ter here, and on only one day of the year, on the Day of Atonement. These two rooms were separated by doors (1 Kings 6:31) and by the veil, which was beautifully embroidered with the figures of the Cherubim.

 

The Most Holy Place was a cube in shape € 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide and 20 cubits high (exactly double the measurements of the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle)

 

The two Cherubim which Solomon had made were of olive wood overlaid with gold. They stood 10 cubits high with wings outstretched, each wing measuring 5 cubits. These Cherubim were placed side by side in the Most Holy," so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house" (1 Kings 6:23-27).

 

When the Ark of God was brought in by the priests it was placed under the outstretched wings of the Cherubim in the Most Holy Place. On top of the Ark were its Cherubim which rose up out of the golden Mercy Seat. Inside the Ark were the two tables of stone on which were written the ten commandments (Deuteronomy 10:3-4 2 Chron.5:10). When fin ished, the whole Temple was a place of grandeur and rare beauty, a fit dwelling place for God among His people.

 

LESSON FOR US

Solomon's Temple is no longer standing in Jerusalem. Many cen turies ago it was destroyed, for when the people turned from worshipping Yahweh, He allowed their enemies to take them captive into a far coun try.

 

God is building today a far greater Temple than Solomon's. It is a Temple made up of "living stones" (1 Peter 2:5) € people who let Him shape their lives so that they will be just right to fit into His living Temple. The Lord Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone in that building (Ephesians 2:20) and all the other stones must be like him. Our lives will be pleasing to God only when we follow his example, for he obeyed God in all things.

 

We know that when he returns and God's Kingdom is set up, the whole earth shall be filled with God's glory (Numbers 14:21), for all men everywhere will praise His Name.

Let us try hard now to learn God's ways and be wise so that we will be able to be part of that Temple God will set up on earth.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE: 1 Kings 8

When the Temple was finally completed and stood in all its glory, Solomon proclaimed a special feast to dedicate it to God. It was time now for the Ark to come to its resting place in the Most Holy. What joy there was in Israel on that day as the Ark came up from Zion! The Levites lifted up their voices in praise and played upon their musical instruments, "praising and thanking Yahweh, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever" (2 Chronicles 5:12-13).

 

So the priests brought the Ark in and placed it under the wings of the two great Cherubim. As long as Israel remained obedient to God, there it would stay. When the priests came out from the Most Holy, the cloud of glory filled the Temple, so that they could not stay there to con tinue their service. Here was the sign of God's presence, showing them that He was pleased with all that had been done.

 

Then Solomon stood up on a special platform, where all the people could see him. The people stood and the king blessed them and spoke of the great privilege God had given to him in allowing him to build a house for His Name in Jerusalem. Then he kneeled down and spread his hands toward heaven and offered his prayer to God on behalf of all the people (2 Chronicles 6:13). "Yahweh, God of Israel, " he said, "there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or in earth beneath ...will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have builded" (vv 23, 27).

 

He was a faithful God, who kept His promises, as He had done to David, and placed His Name in Jerusalem (vv 24, 29). He was a merci ful God and would hear the prayers of those who walked before Him with all their heart (v 23).

 

So Solomon prayed to God that, whatever troubles should come upon His people because of their sins, if they would turn toward this Temple and pray, He would hear them. "If they pray toward this place, and confess Thy Name and turn from their sin, when Thou aff lie test them; Then hear Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy people Israel" (vv 35-36). Even if Israel should be taken as cap tives to a far country, he asked God to forgive them and bring them back into the Land which He had given to their fathers (vv 33-34).

 

So Solomon prayed with all his heart before God and encouraged the people to walk before Him with a perfect heart also (v 61). Then suddenly, as he ended his prayer, fire fell from heaven upon the sacrifices on the brasen altar and consumed them all. The people were afraid at the sight of such a miracle and fell upon the ground and worshipped Yahweh saying, "For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever" (2 Chronicles 7:1-3). The week following was the Feast of Tabernacles and how joy fully it was kept in that year, for the people were "glad and merry in heart for the goodness that Yahweh had shewed unto David, and to Solo mon, and to Israel His people" (2 Chronicles 7:10).

 

QUESTIONS

Short Answers

1. What treasures did David collect for the building of the Temple?

2. Whose help did Solomon ask for in building the Temple?

3. Where was all the work done for building the Temple?

4. Where did the Temple stand when it was finished?

5. What was the main difference between the Tabernacle and the Temple?

6. What were the names of the two main rooms of the Temple?

7. Name the furniture in the Holy Place

8. What furniture was in the Most Holy Place?

9. What furniture stood in the court?

10. What kind of "Temple " is God building today?

11. Who is the "chief corner stone" in the Temple God is building today?

 

Detailed Answers

12. Tell what work the men of Israel did to prepare for the building of the Temple, and how it was all put together.

13. (a) Imagine you were walking into the court of the Temple for the first time. Describe what you would see there,

(b) Inside the Holy Place, what would you notice that every thing was covered with?

(c) You could not go into the Most Holy Place. Who was the only person allowed in there? When could he go in?

 

Additional Answers

14. Describe how the A rk was brought to rest in to the Most Holy Place.

15. (a) Solomon knew that God was a faithful and merciful God. In his prayer when he dedicated the Temple, what did Solomon specially ask God to do for His people if they were in trouble?

2. What happened when Solomon ended his prayer?

3. What did the people say?