History – 1 Kings 5-9

Today we will be reading one of Israel’s most glorious projects undertaken by King Solomon, which was the building of the Temple of God. The series of happenings from the preparations to the completion of the Temple, and also the details of the dimensions of this work have never ceased to fascinate me.

It was not only how grand the Temple was, but it was more of God’s personal instructions down to the dimensional details of the construction. For such is the way that it should be, God is the author of all things, He is the very source of our lives, and therefore the Temple, which is the center of the Israelite’s faith, had to be built according to the plan of God and not man’s perception of what God wanted.

As we read, I hope that we do not skip the portion where the detailed dimensions of the Temple were being listed out. This is because by knowing the dimensions of the Temple, and also the amount of bronze, silver and gold being used to construct the Temple and its furnishings, we can really feel the grandeur of the Temple, and also the amount of precision works that the builders had to put in.

Many versions of the Bible use the measuring units that are not familiar to us today, but no fear, there is the internet to help us do the conversions. Check out this site:

http://online.unitconverterpro.com/conversion-tables/convert-alpha/factors.php?cat=length&unit=10&val=90

You can save this site for future references as it may come in handy when you come across unfamiliar measuring units in the Bible. Alternatively, if you own a study Bible, look for the conversion table in the “Tables and Charts” section.

Bible Passage:  1 Kings 5-9

Reading through chapters 5 to 9, we can see the following events:

Solomon prepares to build the Temple, he asked the assistance of Hiram king of Tyre to obtain cedar and cypress logs for the building. Hiram rejoiced greatly by the proposal of Solomon and both kings’ servants worked together to cut the trees and transported them from Lebanon to Jerusalem.

Solomon took about four years to prepare the materials to build the Temple, and he took seven years to complete the building. He followed all the details in the building plan which his father David had instructed him, which was personally instructed to David by God Himself (ref. 1 Chronicles 28: 9-19).

Solomon also built other buildings, namely his own house, the House of the Forest of Lebanon and also the house for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife. He summoned a man from Tyre, a man skilled in bronze works to make pillars of bronze for the Temple, the Sea and Oxen, the Carts and the Lavers.

In chapter 8, we see that Solomon assembled the people of Israel after the completion of the Temple. Here, Solomon dedicated the Temple to the Lord with offerings of 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep; and he also blessed the congregation.

God heard his prayers and He appeared to him and assured Solomon that His eyes and heart would be in the Temple perpetually. God assured Solomon that He would establish his kingdom over Israel if he faithfully follows after Him, and also warned that He would cast Israel out of His sight if they forsook Him to serve other gods.

Solomon took 4 years to prepare for the building of the temple, so one may ask why he took so long. It was a very important and reverent project for Solomon. His father, David had a heart to build the Temple for God’s Name, but was refused by God due to that he had shed much blood (ref. 1 Chronicles 22: 8).

God specifically told David that his son, Solomon would build a House for Him instead. So Solomon had to plan the building works properly. During these 4 years, the preparation included getting cedar and cypress logs from Lebanon and also to quarry stones, what was amazing was that he ordered that the stones were to be cut to the desired sizes at the quarry before transporting them to the building site.

And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.

- 1Ki 6:7

This method that Solomon employed shows his high reverence to the site where God had chosen to cause His Name to abide, a sanctuary where a child of God could sense the reverence and serenity when he comes into the presence of the Almighty Father.

Even before the foundation of the Temple had been laid, the extraordinary reverence towards the place where the Holy Temple would sit had already been impressed into the minds of the Israelites. I think Solomon has given us something to ponder about regarding the House of God of today.

Is the House of God, the Church, a place for casual chats, recreations, irreverent arguments, contentions, or even strives? We have been teaching our young children not to run about or to speak loudly in the sanctuary even when there was no service going on, but what about us as adults?

I believe all of us know very well that the Church of God is the Body of Christ, a sanctuary for prayers and deep communion with God, so we must do our part to keep the harmony, reverence and serenity in the House of God.

The following are some pictures from artists’ impressions that depict the completed Temple.

The placements of the furnishings in the Temple

An artist’s impression of the plan view of the Temple

An artist’s impression of the external view of the Temple,

with the bronze Sea and Oxen in the foreground

An artist’s impression of the Holy Place and the

Holy of Holies in the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:3-13)

When the Temple was completed, Solomon brought the Ark of God into the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, then the glory of the Lord filled the Temple! What a sight! Whenever I come across this record, I am always filled with awe and thought often, “How I wish I can be there to witness the glory of God”. Indeed Solomon had built a glorious Temple for the glory of God, this reminds me of what Prophet Haggai said, and this is also something that we need to ponder,

“The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. “And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

Haggai 2:6

God showered the former rain, the Holy Spirit, upon the apostolic church and thus established the Church of God, but the former rain was withheld due to corruption in the church.

Until 1917, God sent the latter rain and established the True Church of the Last Days. As the Temple prefigures the Church of God, the prophecy by Prophet Haggai revealed to us that the latter Church will be more glorious than the former Church in the apostolic times. But looking at the current situation of the True Church today, I think we are far from glorious compared to the apostolic church.

If you read Acts 2:41 and Acts 4:3-4, you will know what I mean, for the conversion rate that time was by the thousands!! Yes God has His time, He will bring to pass what He had said through the prophet, but as His children and soldier of the cross, we must work with God closely and to realize our commission to preach the gospel far and wide.

The long but wonderful prayer of Solomon during the Temple dedication displayed his wisdom and his heart of understanding in God. This long prayer had indeed proceeded out of the mouth of Solomon, but I believe it was also through the inspiration of God that his prayer revealed the desires of God’s heart. The part that strikes me most is in 1 Kings 8:41 – 43

“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple,

hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

The people of Israel, whether in the past or present, tend to have the pride of being the chosen race of God, and thus despising the non Jews. But from this prayer of Solomon, we can see the heart of God desiring that ALL people on earth to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Therefore, we must bring the Name of Christ wherever we may be.

We as spiritual Israelites must give our thanks and praises to God for what was said in 1 Kings 8:51-53,

(for they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of the iron furnace),

that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You.

For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

We are His precious inheritance, for He had bought us with the price of His precious Blood.

In chapter 9, God appeared to Solomon, and the words He spoke to Solomon reveals to us God’s zealous heart towards His children. God does not need to dwell in a Temple, for He fills the whole universe, but through the Temple built by Solomon, he wants His children to know that He being a God,

He still desires to dwell with the people and to be close to their hearts, guiding and protecting them constantly. But the people must not turn their focus and follow after other gods, for in so doing is forsaking the True God that so strongly desires to be their God and Savior.

Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so for us today, we must never let God leave us due to our spiritual negligence to worship and follow other gods. Well we may not worship idols of other religions, but as long as we reserve the most prominent place in our hearts for other things beside our loving God, we are already worshipping these things by placing them in the center of our lives. These idols may come in the form of money, pleasure and other fleshly desires.

Leaving or forsaking God for these idols is already a curse in itself; God does not have to specifically curse us if we leave Him. A life without God will be assured of miseries and emptiness, is this not already a curse? As God wanted the people of Israel to stay focused on the Temple as their center of their faith, so is God desiring His redeemed ones today to stay focus and vigilant in the Holy Spirit.