1 & 2 Kings

1 Kings Chapter 6

Solomon Builds the Temple

1Kings 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.
2 And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.

This temple in our terms today would be 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet tall. Many writers disagree on the exact number of years from Israel coming out of Egypt to the 4th year of Solomon's reign. Some say it means 480 years when they had security as a nation. After they came out of Egypt they had a lot of fighting, traveling and such before they became a secure nation.

1Kings 6:3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.

The porch was 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. The windows may have been made so that one could see well out, but not in or made with shutters so one could control what was seen or not seen.

1Kings 6:5 And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
6 The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.

This were rooms for the priests. They stored their garments and utensils for service in the temple. They surrounded the temple and were 7.5 feet high.

1Kings 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

God is so holy that the place where the temple was located was treated with reverence and awesome respect. It was to be a place prepared for the presence of God. So they did the noisy part of the construction in a separate place. They must have been men with God given talent to have done it that way.

This reminds me of the book of Daniel when the grandson or great grandson of Nebuchadnezzer took vessels of the house of the Lord and showed desrepect by having a party and had his people eat and drink out of the holy vessels while at the same time they praised the gods of silver and gold. He did this on purpose to make fun of those that worshiped the real God of Israel and mock Israel. A hand writing on the wall appeared and Daniel told the king that his kingdom was coming to an end. The king was murdered that same night when the Medes and Persians took over the kingdom. This is in Daniel chapter 5.

There is another place that God instructed no tools upon the stones to build altars for making sacrifices.

Exodus 20:22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

This is why some in the past had the habit of dressing modestly when coming to the place of worship. Sometimes though I wonder whether we in the modern age should be careful about the way we dress when we come to worship. Many wear shorts, tight pants and show little respect about the presence of the Lord sometimes. I don't emphasize our mode of dress much because I don't want to make a religion out of it and go too far the other way but it is something to think about. Our emphasis should be to get people to the Lord and we have to be careful about those that may not know to dress modestly but we who know better should set the example of respect and reverance in our places of worship. Not in a holier than thou manner but because we love and respect our Lord. In all things though, show love toward those that may not know right from wrong on these things.

1Kings 6:8 The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out off the middle into the third.1Kings
6:9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
10 And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
11 And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying,
12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

What a beautiful promise of the Lord. Imagine His dwelling among us physically. Jesus made the way for any individual to have the presence of God within them. Jesus, the Son of God, came to die for our sins having not done any sin on His part. Repenting and receiving Him in our lives brings us God's presence by way of the Holy Spirit. This is for now, in this time. Imagine though, being in His presence physically as well. This will happen in the future.

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

This warning in verse 12 of 1 Kings 6 containing one of the "if's" in God's word, was not heeded later on in Solomon's life. When he built the house he and all Israel were in their first love for the Lord. All was going great at that time. Yet if he would have considered the part of the law that warned against multiplying wives and marrying strange women, he would not have been tempted later to depart from the word of God.

1Kings 6:14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
17 And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.
18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
19 And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

He made a place for the Ark of the Covenant. This was a very important part of the building, where the Ark was to reside.

1Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
21 So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23 And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
24 And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
25 And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
26 The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
27 And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
28 And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
29 And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
30 And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
31 And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
32 The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
33 So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
34 And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35 And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
37 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

I'm surprised it only took seven years. It seems so detailed and complicated to me. The wisdom Solomon had come from God, so God must have sent him skilled workers and those that knew how to cover parts of it with gold. Gold would make it last for ages. This temple though was destroyed by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadezzar and the Ark of God disappeared at that time. We do not yet know what happened to the Ark. Only God knows. The Ark represented the covenant between Israel and God that was broken. Through Jesus Christ is a new everlasting covenant that the nation as a whole has not yet embraced although many individual Jews have received Jesus into their lives. As a nation though Israel remains separated from the gospel of Jesus. Two more temples will be built. The first is coming soon but will be destroyed and polluted during the coming tribulation. When Christ comes He will build the final one but after a thousand years, there will be no need for any temple.

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

What a day that will be. Jesus also called the Gentiles to this promise of the everlasting future, all we have to do is believe and receive Him in our lives now. -Dorna

1 Kings Chapter 7