1 Kings 7:15-51 God’s Grace!

 ”And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. 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. 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. 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. The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits. 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. 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. The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished. 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. 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. 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. 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. He also made ten carts of bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. And this was the design of the carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames; 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the cart itself. 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. 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. Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of the same mold, one measure, and one shape. 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. 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. 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: 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; 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); the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea; 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. In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zaretan. And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined. 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; 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; 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. 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.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭7‬:‭15‬-‭51‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He cast two pillars of bronze: These impressive pillars were actually so noteworthy that they were given names. They were called Jachin and Boaz (mentioned also in 2 Chronicles 3:17).

i. “The one on the right was given the name ‘Jachin,’ meaning ‘He shall establish,’ and the one on the left the name ‘Boaz,’ meaning ‘in strength.’” (Dilday)

ii. “In practical terms the pillars were to be an ever-present reminder to each successive king of the fact that he was ruling by God’s appointment and by his grace, and that in God lay his strength. Just so ought believers today to be ever mindful of God’s grace in their lives and of their utter dependence on him.” (Patterson and Austel)

iii. Some believe that the pillars were meant to remind Israel of the twin pillars from the Exodus. The pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day were constant reminders of the presence of God in the wilderness.

iv. Every time someone came to the house of the LORD in the days of Solomon they said, “Look! There is He Shall Establish. And there is In Him Is Strength.” This set them in the right frame of mind to worship the LORD. When the crowds gathered at the morning and evening sacrifice to worship the LORD, the Levites led the people standing in front of the temple with these two great, bronze pillars behind them. It was always before them: He Shall Establish and In Him Is Strength.

v. One could say that the house of God itself was Jachin and Boaz. That temple was established by God, and built by the strength of God. Every time they looked at that temple, they knew that God liked to establish and strengthen things.

vi. The house of God was a place where people experienced what the pillars were all about. At that house, people were established in their relationship with God. At that house, people were given strengthfrom the LORD. From this building, it should go out to the whole community: “Come here and get established. Come here and receive the strength of God.”

b. He made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other: The huge laver was more than 15 feet (5 meters) across, and was used for the ceremonial washings connected with the temple. In addition, Huram made ten lavers of bronze; each laver contained forty baths.

i. “It was used by priests for cleansing their hands and feet and perhaps also to supply water to the standing basins for the rinsing of offerings (2 Chronicles 4:6)” (Wiseman). Poole believes that perhaps water came out of the bulls that formed the foundation of the Sea.

ii. “The volume of the Sea was 2,000 baths, generally calculated to be about 11,500 gallons” [43,532 liters] (Patterson and Austel).

c. The table of gold on which was the showbread: 2 Chronicles 4:8 says there were 10 tables of showbread. Here, they are described collectively as a unit.

d. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD: All these great works of art and articles of great value were placed in the temple. This included the ten carts and the shovels, bowls and other needed utensils for sacrifices.

e. Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: God told David that he could not build the temple, but David still collected furnishings and treasures for the temple that his son Solomon would build (1 Chronicles 29). (Guzik)

God’s Grace!

Are you ever mindful of God’s grace in your life and your utter dependence on him?

Blessings 

1 Kings 7:13-14 Wisdom and Skill

 ”Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. 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.“ I Kings‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Huram from Tyre: This man was half Israeli and half Gentile, and he was the best craftsman around. Solomon hired him to do all his work – that is, the fine artistic work of the palace and especially the temple. (Guzik)

Wisdom and Skill

Years ago when I was a young man, a man with wisdom told me to make a living with my hands and when the economy was bad I would never be without work. I always had a mechanical ability and the wise man was correct. Like Hiram I was always in demand and was able to provide for my family. 

Schools should be testing children for mechanical aptitude and steering students towards their abilities.

Why don’t our schools teach trades anymore?

Blessings 

1 Kings 7:2-12 Values

 ”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. And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row. There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers. 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. 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. 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. 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. The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits. And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. 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.“ ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭7‬:‭2‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The House of the Forest of Lebanon: So much magnificent cedar wood from Lebanon was used to build Solomon’s palace that they called it the “House of the Forest of Lebanon.” Walking in the richly-paneled walls of the palace was like walking in a forest.

i. The forty-five pillars set in the House of the Forest of Lebanon also gave the impression of being in a majestic forest.

ii. 1 Kings 10:16-17 mentions 500 gold shields that were hung in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Isaiah specifically called this building an armory in Isaiah 22:8.

b. So were the inner court of the house of the LORD: At the end of the detailed, magnificent description of Solomon’s palace, the writer also mentioned that some of the great architectural features of the palace were also used in the house of the LORD. We are left with the idea that as great as the temple was, Solomon’s palace was better.

i. When one travels in old Europe today, you often come to magnificent cathedrals. These amazing buildings were mostly built hundreds of years ago at great labor and cost to poor people who could never dream of living in such spectacular places. When their most magnificent buildings were churches, it said something about their values. When Solomon made his palace more spectacular than the temple, it said something about his values. Our most magnificent buildings in the modern world – usually given over to business, shopping, or entertainment – say something about our values.

ii. Haggai 1:3-10 speaks powerfully to those who think more about their house than they do the house of God. (Guzik)

Values

It seems in these verses Solomon valued his palace more than the temple. 

When it comes to spirituality, how do you value your relationship with Jesus Christ? Is He your Savior or just a good man from the Bible?

Blessings 

1 Kings 7:1 Personal Comfort!

 ”But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.“ ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house: 1 Kings 6:38 tells us that Solomon spent 7 years building the temple, but here we learn that he spent 13 years building his own house. The temple was glorious, but it seems that Solomon wanted a house that was more glorious than the temple.

i. “It does show the place which his own personal comfort and luxurious tastes had come to occupy in the life of Solomon… It is often by such simple, and unexpected tests, that the deepest facts of a human life are revealed.” (Morgan)

ii. We could say that Solomon finished the work of building the temple; the Christian cannot say that the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is finished.

b. So he finished all his house: The following passage describes what a magnificent house Solomon had. (Guzik)

Personal Comfort!

I believe it would be fair to say that most people enjoy personal comfort and the difference would be, to what level? To some it’s a roof over their head and three square meals a day. But to some living in addiction it’s the next high and everything else is secondary.

What was personal comfort like for Jesus during His ministry?

”And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭58‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you have a place to lay your head?

Blessings 

1 Kings 6:14-38 Gold, Gold and more Gold!

 ”So Solomon built the temple and finished it. 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. 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. And in front of it the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen. And he prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. 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. 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. 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. Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 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. And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same size and shape. The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 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. Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold. 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. And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries. For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. 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. So for the door of the sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall. And the two doors were of cypress wood; two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work. And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams. In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. 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.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬-‭38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high: Special attention was given to the Holy of Holies or Most Holy place. It was a 30-foot (10 meter) cube, completely overlaid with gold. It also had two large sculptures of cherubim (15-foot or 5 meters in height), which were overlaid with gold.

i. There were gold chains across the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. “The gold chains, stretched across the front of the inner sanctuary, served to strengthen the concept of the inaccessibility of this Most Holy Place” (Patterson and Austel).

ii. Two cherubim of olive wood: These two large sculptures inside the Most Holy Place faced the entrance to this inner room, so as soon as the High Priest entered he saw these giant guardians of the presence of God facing him.

iii. And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold: There was gold everywhere in the temple. The walls were covered with gold (1 Kings 6:20-22), the floor was covered with gold (1 Kings 6:30) and gold was hammered into the carvings on the doors (1 Kings 6:32).

b. 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: This was after the pattern of the tabernacle, which had woven designs of cherubim on the inner covering.

c. And he built the inner court: This inner court was the court of the priests where the altar and laver were set and sacrifice was conducted. Outside it was the great court, where the people came to pray. Outside it was the court of the women, and outside that was the court of the Gentiles.

i. It must always be remembered that under the Old Covenant, the temple was not for the people of Israel. It was only for the priests to meet with God on behalf of the people. The people gathered and worshipped in the outer courtyard.

d. So he was seven years in building it: When the temple was finished it was a spectacular building. It was easy for Israel to focus on the temple of God instead of the God of the temple. Yet without continued faithfulness to God, the temple’s glory quickly faded. This glorious temple was plundered just five years after the death of Solomon (1 Kings 14:25-27). (Guzik)

Gold, Gold and more Gold!

I can’t imagine the amount of gold that was used in the construction of the temple! And to think it was all plundered just five years after Solomon’s death!

I have to believe it was because the Israelites didn’t keep the Lord’s commandments and walk in them?

“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. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

Do you walk with Jesus every day of the week or only on Sunday?

Blessings 

1 Kings 6:11-13 Walk in My Statutes!

 ”Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: “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. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. If you walk in My statutes: This was a conditional promise to Solomon and his descendants. It depended on the obedience of Solomon and his descendants.

b. I will perform My word with you… And I will dwell among the children of Israel: God promised an obedient Solomon that he would reign and be blessed, fulfilling the promises God made to David about his reign (2 Samuel 7:5-16). He also promised that His special presence would remain among Israel as a nation.

i. We might say that there was nothing particularly new in this promise. These are essentially the same promises of the Old Covenant made to Israel at Sinai. But this was an important reminder and renewal of previous promises.

c. And I will dwell among the children of Israel: God was careful not to say that He would live in the temple the way pagans thought their gods lived in temples. He would dwell among the children of Israel. The temple was a special place for man to meet with God. (Guzik)

Walk in My Statutes!

”Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Moses summed up all in the ten commandments, to which, truly interpreted, all the precepts of Scripture are reducible. Christ here brings the ten to two.” (Poole)

I at times have difficulty with number two and have to remind myself, Jesus loves them too.

Blessings 

1 Kings 6:7-10 Boards Of Cedar!

 ”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. 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. So he built the temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams.“ ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. No hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built: The stones used to build the temple were all cut and prepared at another site. The stones were only assembled at the building site of the temple.

i. This speaks to the way God wants His work done. The temple had to be built with human labor. God did not and would not send a team of angels to build the temple. Yet Solomon did not want the sound of man’s work to dominate the site of the temple. He wanted to communicate, as much as possible, that the temple was of God and not of man.

ii. This speaks to the way God works in His people. Often the greatest work in the Kingdom of God happens quietly. Yet the building site of the temple was only quiet because there was a lot of noise and diligent work at the quarry.

iii. This speaks to God’s work in the church. “But why is this so particularly marked? Is it not because the temple was a type of the kingdom of God; and the souls of men are to be prepared here for that place of blessedness? There, there is no preaching, exhortations, repentance, tears, cries, nor prayers; the stones must be all squared and fitted here for their place in their New Jerusalem” (Clarke).

b. He paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar: These were some of the finest building materials available. The impression is of a magnificent building.

c. He built side chambers against the entire temple: This describes the rooms adjacent to the temple, surrounding it on the north, west, and south sides. These side chambers were built in three stories. (Guzik)

Boards of Cedar!

One thing I noticed that is omitted, the smell of the cedar throughout the temple! It’s known for its qualities, preventing rot and particularly its odor that protects from pests and insects.

I’ve always enjoyed woodworking with cedar, especially when it’s cut. Cedar is used for split rail fencing, to line closets and chests for protecting clothing especially wool.

Have you ever smelled cedar?

Blessings