1 Kings 9:1-9 - Conditional Covenant of Works

1 Kings 9:1-9

God’s Second Appearance to Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:12–22)

1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do, 2 that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 

3 And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ 

6 But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought all this calamity on them.’”

These promises to Solomon as to his father before him were made as a conditional covenant according to their works.  Even so, the overall covenant promise held fast, that of the Messiah and His kingdom to come through their lineage as an unbreakable promise.  Their immediate consequences were based on their faithfulness to keep God’s word to uphold their side of the covenant that the LORD had made with them as He stipulated this condition of obedience for the full blessing of the promise, yet the foreshadowing of the covenant of grace can still be seen as light seeping through the edges of the actions of forgiveness to keep His people according to the promise but in a slightly different way to come through the Messiah Himself as the fulfillment of the promise to all by faith as Abraham exercised in absolute trust of God’s work.  When God had appeared this second time to Solomon after he had finished his work for the LORD, He told him his prayer was heard but that these stipulations were to be observed to guide his actions and that of his descendants for the ongoing temporal blessings to continue.  If he and they walked rightly with Him, the throne and earthly kingdom would continue in their hands as promised to David and him from father to son, but if he or they turned away, then the work of the temple would be in vain and it would be lost along with the strength and fame of their kingdom.  The warning was to keep the first commandment above all, having no other gods and then living right to love God and others (Luke 10:27).  Failing to do these things would result in loss of the blessing by breaking their side of the conditional contract God made with them; the worship of the works of their own hands, idols, would end the blessings and the kingdom and bring judgment on themselves.  This is why the second covenant of God’s work in Jesus Christ is called Good News; the works are His in our stead of our imperfect works (Romans 3:23) and the covenant is unbreakable because God’s Son stepped in our place by grace to keep the commandments in the Law (Romans 6:23, Colossians 2:11-12, 13-14, 22-23, 24) of the first covenant for us that we are unable to keep perfectly (James 2:10) as required for salvation from God’s wrath on our sin.  Knowing these things, why then would we ever go after other idols to worship and serve such as fame, wealth, or other religions or attempt to work our way to earn salvation when we all we need for life and godliness is found in the perfect person and work of Jesus Christ alone?  We no longer have the conditional covenant of our works alone to deliver us, but now have the completed eternal covenant of grace kept on both sides, ours and His, by God Himself to keep us forever!  The only condition of the covenant of grace is now the work of Christ and not of ourselves. 

1 Kings 8:54-66 - Prayer of Blessing, Sacrifice of Dedication

1 Kings 8:54-66

Solomon Blesses the Assembly (2 Chronicles 6:40–42)

54 And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. 55 Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. 57 May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59 And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. 61 Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”

Solomon Dedicates the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:4–11)

62 Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD. 63 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64 On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.

65 At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven more days—fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people.

This culmination of completion for the temple of the LORD was heralded by two final acts.  First there was the heavenward prayer of supplication for the people by Solomon in all humility while on his knees before the Almighty.  Then he loudly proclaimed the blessing on the congregation of God’s people assembled there with reminders of His grace in defeating their adversaries and bringing peace and rest to the land as He had promised in His word given through Moses.  This was answered prayer and promise in one.  Not one word God gave them ever failed!  This is a reminder to we the people in Christ now that God honors His promises (2 Corinthians 1:20-22) in His son Jesus Christ and hears our prayers because His death and resurrection have provided us peace with God (Romans 5:1) and rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29) in His work of righteousness in which we are now able to worship and give thanks in prayers and supplications of our own.  Because He never leaves or forsakes us, we too can “incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes” as we keep loyal to Him and His Word, that the world may know He is God come to us (John 1:1, 14) and no other (John 14:6) can ever bring lasting peace and meaning to life except the divine Son sent by the Father of lights to draw us from (John 12:26, Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6) the darkness of sin and judgment to the light of glory and grace.  This is why we can worship now in these temples that are being completed by Him (Philippians 1:6) who is the Seed of David as Solomon did the earthly temple according to God’s design and enabling.  The second final act of king Solomon was to dedicate the physical temple with sacrifices and offerings that are no longer needed (Hebrews 10:8, 9-10, 14) to dedicate these temples of our bodies which have been sanctified by the sacrificial work of Christ once and for ever.  Our feast to celebrate this dedication is far greater than that Solomon gave then; it is in these temples made by His hand that the remembrance is celebrated by the Lord’s Supper now for all His peace and rest from the enemy of sin and death and judgment given us by grace.  We now pray a prayer of His blessing and dedicate our lives to following Jesus Christ by this grace in which we stand at peace with God and with the message to bear before the world around us to His glory. 

1 Kings 8:22-53 - Temple of Covenant Grace

1 Kings 8:22-53

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication (2 Chronicles 6:12–39)

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said: “LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 24 You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25 Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ 26 And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father.

27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! 28 Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: 29 that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. 30 And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

31 “When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 32 then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

33 “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

37 “When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; 38 whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: 39 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), 40 that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

41 “Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake 42 (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 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.

44 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

46 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near; 47 yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness’; 48 and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name: 49 then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause, 50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51 (for they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of the iron furnace), 52 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. 53 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.”

This was the heartfelt prayer of Solomon to dedicate the temple of worship and atonement to the LORD.  He stood in front of the altar of sacrifice with his hands raised to God in heaven as he face and addressed the LORD God in front of all the people to hear and bear witness.  Solomon extolled Him as the one unique, omnipotent, and faithful God who keeps His word of promise in covenants He makes with the people and also shows mercy when they fail to keep their promises to Him as their part in return as they do their best to walk with Him wholeheartedly.  That is the same today except the change of the covenant based solely on mercy and grace does not take away our place with Him when we fail as never-ending mercy is based on the perfect work and sacrifice of God’s one and only Son who is our ultimate righteousness to keep us (John 10:28, 29) in His hands.  Only those who never have the word of the gospel take root in uncommitted and disbelieving hearts (Matthew 13:19) fail to be in the Father’s hands of Grace in the first place.  Solomon had a foreshadowing of this grace since the promise of the Seed was to be through his lineage and so spoke of the grace and faithfulness of God to keep His people.  He did not seem to know the depth of the directions given Moses to craft this earthly temple according to the perfect pattern in heaven (Exodus 25:40, Hebrews 8:5) shown him on Mount Sinai, but acted in the faith of what he did know so far as it had been revealed to him.  In this he was faithful as his forefather Abraham (Romans 4:1) as we follow also (Galatians 3:6-7) in those footsteps of trusting God and taking action to follow Him.  Solomon also confessed that God would not live in a mere temple on earth, yet would honor the place to meet with His people and hear their prayers with eyes wide open to see and hear them and forgive their sins with atoning grace and mercy because He put His name there.  How much more will He who dwells in each of these temples of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Peter 2:5) then see and hear us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:9) and honor Him in worship as we stand before His throne in the righteousness of His Son sacrificed on the cross of our sins’ curse?  God still justifies His own and protects us against our enemies as He did Israel of old, and He teaches us the good way to walk (Isaiah 30:21, John 10:3, Romans 8:14, 1 John 2:27) after Him just as the twelve disciples before us did.  The common theme is that because we are chosen as his people, we are the inheritance of the Lord who keeps us and hears our prayers for forgiveness when we admit and forsake our sins against Him even now.  Knowing these things, let us keep the covenant temples of grace which are ourselves holy (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) for His residence to be a pleasing place to dwell in honor and worship (Romans 12:1-2) with thankful hearts for His grace. 

1 Kings 8:1-21 - The Covenant Mercy Seat Enters In

1 Kings 8:1-21

The Ark Brought into the Temple (2 Chronicles 5:2—6:2)

1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion. 2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

12 Then Solomon spoke:
“The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.
13 I have surely built You an exalted house,
And a place for You to dwell in forever.”

Solomon’s Speech at Completion of the Work (2 Chronicles 6:3–11)

14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, 16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 17 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’ 20 So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 21 And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

After finishing the temple of worship and atoning sacrifice, Solomon had the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant containing the commandments of the LORD and the mercy seat above the Law into the Most Holy Palace.  When the priests exited the temple, the Spirit of God’s glory filled the temple so that it was impossible for sinful man to enter into His presence until He lifted it from that holy place.  This is a picture (Hebrews 9:8-9) of the grace of God in the New Covenant in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:12-13) where He as the Word (John 1:1, 14) entered in the temple with everlasting mercy over the requirements of the Law (Colossians 2:13-14) which we cannot keep but He did for us to atone forever (Hebrews 9:23-24, 25-26) for our sins.  We now enter into the most holy place through the lifeblood sacrifice of the divine Himself without having to sacrifice repeatedly to earn what we are utterly unable to do (Romans 6:23) in and of ourselves.  This is the deliverance from the wrath of God on our sins through the ultimate sacrifice of God’s Son that was only a shadow to be seen in the earthly temple!  His grace covers the requirements of the Law that were laid in the Ark until His word became a man to forgive forever as our great High Priest (Hebrews 2:17, 4:14) in heaven and on earth.  When we now sin, we can boldly come to the]at throne of grace mentioned in Hebrews 4:16 to find confidence in forgiveness of confessed sins (1 John 1:9) and His Spirit like a cloud of merciful and worshipful grace filling these temple bodies of His presence in us now.  He has built these beautiful temples and we now build on the foundation of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11, 16-17) to make them acceptable to honor and glorify our Intercessor.  May we adorn our temples with the spiritual gifts given us as utensils used in worship in these temples as a place for His word and mercy before Him forever.  This is the covenant mercy seat we have entered into.  Amen. 

Kings 7:23-51 - Finishing Touches to the Temple

1 Kings 7:23-51

The Sea and the Oxen

23 And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

24 Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. 25 It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. 26 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained two thousand baths.

The Carts and the Lavers

27 He also made ten carts of bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28 And this was the design of the carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames; 29 on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work. 30 Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the laver were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath. 31 Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round. 32 Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze. 34 And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the cart itself. 35 On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting. 36 On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of the same mold, one measure, and one shape.

38 Then he made ten lavers of bronze; each laver contained forty baths, and each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver. 39 And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.

Furnishings of the Temple (2 Chronicles 4:11–18)

40 Huram made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the LORD: 41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 42 four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars); 43 the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; 44 one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

All these articles which Huram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of burnished bronze. 46 In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zaretan. 47 And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.

48 Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread; 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold; 50 the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

Solomon directed the finishing touches to the temple of the LORD with the sea that was used by the priests for washing their hands and feet before performing sacrifices to ensuring ceremonial cleanliness, carts for the sacrifices, and smaller lavers (Exodus 30:18) with a bowl and pitcher for the priests to wash when going in and out in their ministry.  Then he had the inner furnishings completed, with all the utensils.  These included the golden altar, table, lampstands and wicks, ladles, censers for incense, and golden door hinges for the main hall and the Holy of Holies of the inner room as well.  When it was all finished, Solomon added the things given by his father David, the dedicated (2 Samuel 8:10-11, 1 Chronicles 18:11) silver and gold articles that had been spoils of conquest over their enemies.  All was to the glory of God in the meeting place of worship and atonement.  Solomon faithfully carried out his task to build what his father was kept from doing to continue the lineage of the Messiah, the Seed of David and promise to Abraham to redeem a people out of all the world, beginning with Israel, that we who are the chosen and called may worship in the temples of these bodies where God now lives as Spirit to enable us as redeemed by His perfect sacrifice as our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 6:20, 8:1-2, 9:11-12, 24, 2 Corinthians 5:1, 5) to serve Him until the temple comes down from heaven to us forever to worship before His very face at last!  God Himself will then put the finishing touches on the eternal temple with his own hand.  We therefore aim to earnestly wait for and eagerly anticipate that day as we strive to minister well in these humble temples. 

1 Kings 7:1-22 - Houses, Pillars, and the House of God

1 Kings 7:1-22

Solomon’s Other Buildings

1 But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.

2 He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row. 4 There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.

7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.

8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife.

9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. 12 The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the inner court of the house of the LORD and the vestibule of the temple.

Hiram the Craftsman

13 Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.

The Bronze Pillars for the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:15–17)

15 And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. 16 Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital.

19 The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits. 20 The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around.

21 Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz. 22 The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.

After Solomon finished the temple of sacrifice and worship for the LORD, he erected his own and other houses before casting the two entrance pillars for the temple named Jachin (He Shall Establish) and Boaz (In It Is Strength).  His own house took thirteen years to complete.  He then made House of the Forest of Lebanon, presumably to honor Hiram king of Tyre who provided cedar and cypress logs for the temple from Lebanon.  He also built the Hall of Pillars and the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge Israel from the throne there according to his God-given wisdom as king.  Then he made a house like his for his wife, the Pharaoh’s daughter, and went on to finish the outside work of the temple.  He began with the temple’s great court using the Lebanese cedar beams, and then finished the inner court and the vestibule of the temple of the LORD.  Then came the already mentioned huge twin bronze pillars at the entrance to the temple, ornately decorated and erected by the vestibule and symbolically named on the right side as established by the LORD and on the left side as demonstrating the strength and power came from God alone in both the construction of the temple and its ultimate purpose to serve the Almighty as His meeting place until He comes forever to dwell (Job 19:25-27, Revelation 7:15, 21:3) with His people at last.  These houses and pillars were built around the shadow of things to come according to the heavenly pattern (Exodus 25:40, Hebrews 8:5, 9:24) of the house of God shown to Moses when he received God’s word for us to point us to His true and lasting sacrifice, a picture of our worship as living sacrifices in these temples of our bodies where He now meets daily with us for our honor, worship, and praise of service that is reasonable (Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15) and given with the same desire and effort as Solomon put into building the physical temple and his own house long ago. 

1 Kings 6:1-38 - Worship in the Beauty of Holiness

1 Kings 6:1-38

Solomon Builds the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1–14)

1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2 Now the house which King Solomon built for the LORD, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. 3 The vestibule in front of the sanctuary of the house was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of the vestibule extended ten cubits from the front of the house. 4 And he made for the house windows with beveled frames.

5 Against the wall of the temple he built chambers all around, against the walls of the temple, all around the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. Thus he made side chambers all around it. 6 The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple. 7 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. 8 The doorway for the middle story was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.

9 So he built the temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. 10 And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams.

11 Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying: 12 ”Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

14 So Solomon built the temple and finished it. 15 And he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of cypress. 16 Then he built the twenty-cubit room at the rear of the temple, from floor to ceiling, with cedar boards; he built it inside as the inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. 17 And in front of it the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen.

19 And he prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold, and overlaid the altar of cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold the entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary.

23 Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub five cubits: ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same size and shape. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27 Then he set the cherubim inside the inner room; and they stretched out the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 30 And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. 32 The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 So for the door of the sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall. 34 And the two doors were of cypress wood; two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. 35 Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work.

36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

The details of the temple construction show us the many-faceted aspects of worship and of the spiritual significance of each element reflecting God’s presence, honor, and glory in the sacrifices of worship to be carried out there by the priests serving Him and the High Priest interceding for the people at the mercy seat described here.  Good covered everything, not to show wealth, but to demonstrate the permanence and incorruptibility of the LORD and his lasting place to meet His people there.  This magnificent structure took seven years to complete.  The LORD told Solomon and the people he ruled over to keep His word of judgments and commandments by walking them out in life to keep this place of worship where God would Himself dwell with them and not leave them.  Sin would destroy this if left not forsaken and unrepentant, while faithful obedience out of a heart () and life of following all would keep it intact in this covenant of works that foreshadowed the covenant of grace in the work of Christ (1 Samuel 2:35, Hebrews 2:17) for unending and secure deliverance from sin in an overwhelming intercession of eternal redemption, once for all (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 10:10), that mere animals giving their lives in sacrifice could never fully accomplish.  Do,we then who stand now in this covenant of the grace of God in Christ make following Him and His word an essential priority, knowing that apart from this grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2, 17, 2 Timothy 2:1) we would never be able to offer any animal life that only the perfect Lamb could die to give us life?  Let us (Hebrews 4:16) then come to that throne of grace when we falter and fail for strength to follow as pleasing sacrifices to Him out of infinite thanksgiving for His (2 Corinthians 9:15) immeasurable and indescribable gift of grace that mere words cannot do justice to the work He has done in our hearts as we worship in these temples of our bodies and souls made righteous (Matthew 5:48, Hebrews 12:23-24) in the righteousness of Christ in whom we stand!  May we always worship Him with thankful hearts in the beauty of holiness by keeping our temples clean and honoring to Him. 

1 Kings 5:1-18 - Preparations to Build God’s House

1 Kings 5:1-18

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple (2 Chronicles 2:1–18)

1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. 2 Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

3 You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put his foes under the soles of his feet.

4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence.

5 And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.”

6 Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.

7 So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said,
Blessed be the LORD this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!

8 Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying:
I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs.

9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household.

10 Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.

12 So the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

13 Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, 16 besides three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. 17 And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple. 18 So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple.

When God settled the kingdom under King Solomon at last, putting the enemies of God’s people under subjection to the divine rule which brought peace within (Romans 5:1) as Christ does when settling His kingdom in us, then he asked his father’s old friend Hiram king of Tyre for help to build God’s temple.  This is a picture of how the Lord, the Seed of David through the lineage to include Solomon, how He delivers us from the enemy’s grasp under sin to be set free in Him and then strengthens and settles that kingdom in us (1 Peter 5:10-11).  Then we are able to be about our Father’s business of testifying to the gospel of grace and freedom from the adversary to make and teach disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) in this kingdom with the help of others as colaborers (1 Corinthians 3:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 3 John 1:8) who have gone before us and work alongside us to build out the house of God (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9, Ephesians 2:20) which is composed of living stones which are every believer founded on Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11) and added to the temple of God.  Solomon had help in constructing the physical meeting place of the LORD to offer sacrifices and worship just as we now offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) to offer worship in spirit and truth with thankful hearts and willing feet (Romans 10:15, Ephesians 6:15) to show the beauty of salvation and holiness (Psalm 90:17, 96:6, 1 Chronicles 16:29) in our King of kings.  We have the Helper in us now to enable our work together in that peace to build God’s kingdom one stone at a time because the adversary is defeated and we have the peace of God to stand firm and carry on till He returns to bring the heavenly temple (Revelation 21:2) of face to face worship down to us to see His face (Job 19:25-27, Revelation 21:3, 22:4) at last!  May we be committed to make preparations to building the house of the kingdom of God by proclaiming the gospel and bringing others into fellowship with Him and us as we teach them all things and build wisely (1 Corinthians 3:9-10) on that foundation given us for the true temple.  Amen. 

1 Kings 4:1-34 - The Wise King’s Wisdom and Rule

1 Kings 4:1-34

Solomon’s Administration

1 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend; 6 Ahishar, over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; 11 Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; 13 Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 16 Baanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.

Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21 So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. 25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. 28 They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Solomon ruled Israel in an ordered manner with the officials appointed by name here as well as twelve governors over all Israel who also provided the king and his household with much food (1 Kings 4:22-23) as 1 Samuel 8:9, 15 warned them when they wanted to have a king like other nations instead of the King of kings alone.  Fortunately, Solomon was a wise and good king after the example of his father David, for he provided wise and caring safety and prosperity for the people.  Under his rule, the nation prospered greatly and expanded as promised through Abraham’s (Genesis 22:17) faith in Him long ago to become as seemingly innumerable as the sand along all the beaches of the sea.  They all ate, drank, and were merry in their peaceful prosperity under the good and wise king who found his wisdom in God and fruitfulness in His promises of grace.  This dominion under Solomon extended peace throughout the kingdom and on ever side of it, a far cry from the wars and conflicts they experienced before him.  Not only did the people multiply like the sand of the seashore, but his heart was enlarged to care for the people as the sand of the seas as well.  He also was gifted such wisdom and understanding that would not be exceeded until the Seed (Luke 11:31, Galatians 3:19) appeared later according to promise at the set and proper (Galatians 4:4) time in God’s promised plan to give us true wisdom and lasting peace (Romans 5:1) in the love of His infinite heart for His children whom He called by faith like Abraham to increase and multiply in the kingdom of God from the root of Israel to the branches (Ephesians 1:10, 2:14-15, 16-18) out of all the nations by that same faith in the Seed, the Son of God and Man, Jesus Christ our true and rightful King.  The wisdom of the wisest Man ever to walk the earth is now imparted by the Spirit of God in us (1 Corinthians 2:12, 16) to give understanding and wisdom as He rules in our hearts, minds, and lives for His glory (Romans 8:28) and our good.  This is the wise King’s wisdom and rule with understanding in us as we gaze into (2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:6) His wonderful face and are transformed day by day in sitting under His teaching and sovereign rule over us in the goodness of His grace and merciful providence and protection.