1 Kings 5-6: “Solomon Begins To Build The
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1.INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at chapters 3 and 4 of 1 Kings.
1.1.1. Now that King David had
passed away, we saw the things that Solomon began to do as he assumed sole rule
over
1.1.2. We saw how that though
Solomon started off well in walking with and loving and obeying the Lord that
he began to deviate away from following the commandments of the Lord. He began to multiply to himself all of the things
that the kings of
1.1.3. We will saw that Solomon’s
reign was one of great abundance, peace, and prosperity for all
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at chapters 5 and 6.
1.2.1. We will see that Solomon
makes preparations for building the temple by asking help from his father’s
friend and ally, Hiram the king of
1.2.2. With Hiram’s help, Solomon
begins the building of the temple for the Lord.
1.2.3. It has been said that
because of all of the difficult and tedious preparatory work that David
performed for the building of the temple that he really should get the credit,
or most of the credit, for the work.
Lets look at the ways that David prepared for the temple being built:
1.2.3.1. David always felt a huge burden
to build a temple for the Lord to dwell in:
1.2.3.1.1.
Psalm 27:4 reveals how much David always loved being in the house of
the Lord, “4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may
dwell in the house of the Lord all
the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.”
1.2.3.1.2.
Psalm 132:3-5 reveals the great burden of David to build a temple for
the Lord to dwell in, “3 “Surely I will not enter my house, Nor
lie on my bed; 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my
eyelids, 5 Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.””
1.2.3.2. Though David had been
rejected by the Lord for the building of the temple because he was a man of
war, none the less he constantly was preparing things for that day when the
temple would be built:
1.2.3.2.1.
In 1 Chronicles 22:14 David spoke about the gold, silver, bronze, iron,
timber, and stone that he had been collecting in anticipation of building a
temple for the Lord, “14 “Now behold, with great pains I have
prepared for the house of the Lord
100,000 talents of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron
beyond weight, for they are in great quantity; also timber and stone I have
prepared, and you may add to them.”
According to Warren Wiersbe, these units for silver and gold translated
into 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver
1.2.3.2.2.
In 1 Chronicles 29:1-10, we read that David presented to Solomon these commodities
that he had collected for the temple and then he asked the leaders in Isreal to
contribute to the collection from their own personal wealth, “1 Then
King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has
chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the temple
is not for man, but for the Lord
God. 2 “Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my
God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of
silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things
of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones,
stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious
stones and alabaster in abundance. 3 “Moreover, in my delight in the
house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of
my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple, 4
namely, 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000
talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings; 5 of
gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver,
that is, for all the work done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing to
consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”
6 Then the rulers of the fathers’ households, and the princes
of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with
the overseers over the king’s work, offered willingly; 7 and for the
service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold,
and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 100,000 talents
of iron. 8 Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the
treasury of the house of the Lord,
in care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because
they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David
also rejoiced greatly. 10 So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly;
and David said, “Blessed are You, O Lord
God of
1.2.3.2.2.1.
God’s people of all eras in time must sacrifice of their time and
resources if the work of God is to be sustained and souls won to Christ.
1.2.3.3. In 1 Chron. 28 we read that
David gave to Solomon the plans for the building of the temple that the Lord
had communicated to him.
1.2.3.4. In 1 Chron. 22:1-4 we read
that David also brought together artisans and laborers to work on some of the
items in the construction plans, “1 Then David said, “This is the
house of the Lord God, and this is
the altar of burnt offering for
1.2.4. David had such great zeal
for the Lord that he longed to spend time with the Lord and worship Him in His
temple and longed that the Lord have a permanent house. We ought to ask ourselves however how our
zeal for the Lord and desire to spend time with Him in worship with God’s
people measures up with that of David?
1.2.5. Warren Wiersbe brings out
how that David’s two greatest sins, that of adultery with Bathsheba and the
numbering of his men, the Lord turned into good as the Lord used them for the
building of the temple for the Lord. As
a result of numbering the people, to make a sacrifice because of his sin David
purchased the property on
1.2.6. The building of the temple
by Solomon began in 966BC.
2.VS 5:1-6 - “1 Now Hiram king of
Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him
king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend of David. 2
Then Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know
that David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which
surrounded him, until the Lord put
them 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 misfortune. 5 “Behold, I intend
to build a house for the name of the Lord
my God, as the Lord spoke to David
my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he
will build the house for My name.’ 6 “Now therefore, command that
they cut for me cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your
servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you
say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber
like the Sidonians.”” - Upon hearing that Solomon had
come to reign as king after the death of King David, Hiram king of Tyre sent to
Solomon some of his ambassadors, and Solomon asked them to send a message to
Hiram to request his help with the building of the temple of the Lord
2.1.
Hiram and King David had developed a very good friendship and alliance
over many years, and thus we see in these chapters we are studying today how
that Hiram honors his friendship with David by helping Solomon with the
building of the temple for the Lord
2.2.
Hiram was not caught off guard by this request from Solomon for help
with the building of the temple. When
David was alive he had told Hiram about how that Solomon would eventually build
a temple for the Lord, and in 1 Chron. 22:4 Hiram had even sent workers to
David to help in the preparing of wood for the temple that would be built.
2.3.
From our study today, it would appear that Hiram was a worshipper of
the true God and that he had forsaken the pagan idolatry practiced by his
people.
2.4.
Solomon explains to Hiram how that David had been prevented from
building a temple for the Lord because he had always been fighting wars and
expanding his territory. However, now
Solomon had peace and security and so this was the appropriate time to finally
build that temple for the Lord.
2.5.
Solomon asks Hiram to have them cut cedars from the forests of Lebanon
for the temple, and if he will do this then Solomon will give some of his
servants to help as laborers and he will also pay a wage to Hiram’s
workers. Solomon further asks that the people
of
3.VS 5:7-9 - “7 When Hiram heard
the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord today, who has given to David a
wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to
Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you have sent me; I
will do what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. 9 “My
servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make
them into rafts to go by sea to the place where you direct me, and I
will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then you
shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household.”” - Hiram hears Solomon’s request, considers it,
and then agrees to the contract setting some explicit terms which he required
3.1.
Hiram seems to be a genuine believer in Jehovah because of how he
rejoices greatly at Solomon’s desire and request to build a temple for the
Lord. Hiram even calls Solomon wise for
the plans he has laid out for this project.
3.2.
Hiram tells Solomon that his servants will cut down the cedar and
cypress timber from Lebanon, and then he will have the logs floated down from
Lebanon on the coast by boats or rafts to Joppa, a city on the coast directly
opposite of Jerusalem. Solomon’s people
will be responsible for transporting the logs over land to
3.3.
Hiram further makes it explicit that in return Solomon must supply his
household with food as a term of this contract.
4.VS 5:10-12 - “10 So Hiram gave
Solomon as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. 11 Solomon
then gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors
of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He
promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of
them made a covenant.” - Hiram gave Solomon as much
timber as he desired and Solomon gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat and 20 kors of
beaten oil each year of the temple project
4.1.
Everything worked well between Hiram and Solomon as they fulfilled the
terms of their agreement for the building of the temple. They had peace between each other and kept
the covenant which they made with each other.
4.2.
The units given to Hiram per year translated into: 125,000 bushels of wheat and 115,000 gallons
of pure olive oil.
4.3.
2 Chronicles 2:10 tell us that the workers of Hiram would receive one
payment of 125,000 bushels of wheat, 125,000 bushels of barley, and 115,000
gallons of wine and of olive oil, and this would be divided among the laborers,
“10 “Now behold, I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who
cut the timber, 20,000 kors of crushed wheat and 20,000 kors of barley, and
20,000 baths of wine and 20,000 baths of oil.””
4.4.
In 2 Chron. 2:7 and 1 kings 7:13-14 we read that at this time Solomon
also requested an artisan from Hiram who could make intricate and ornate
furnishings for the temple and King Hiram sent him a man named Hiram :
4.4.1. 2 Chronicles 2:7, “7 “Now
send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass and iron, and in purple,
crimson and violet fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work
with the skilled men whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my
father provided.”
4.4.2. 1 Kings 7:13-14, “13 Now
King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from
5.VS 5:13-14 - “13 Now King Solomon
levied forced laborers from all
5.1.
King David’s census had revealed that there were 1,300,000 men in
Israel, so now with Solomon making 30,000 of them conscripts this meant that
2.3 % of Israelite men were forced laborers for Solomon. We will see later when Solomon’s son Rehoboam
takes the throne that there was great resentment in
5.2.
The men were continually forced to work hard for 1 month and then have
2 months vacation.
5.3.
Adoniram was the foreman over the forced Israeli laborers.
6.VS 5:15-18 - “15 Now Solomon had
70,000 transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16
besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the project and
who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then the
king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the
foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders
and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them, and prepared the timbers and
the stones to build the house.” - Besides
the Israeli conscripts, Solomon made forced laborers of additional
non-proselyte foreigners in
6.1.
150,000 foreigners were responsible for digging out and cutting stones
in the mountains.
6.2.
Over this group 3,300 foreigners were overseers and supervisors.
6.3.
Now, it is important to realize that in the construction of the temple
that every timber and stone was precisely cut to size and dimension before
being transported to the temple building site.
In this way, there would be no sound of hammers and saws but peace, as
was fitting for a temple to the Lord.
Each peace was already cut to fit and then was merely slid into place.
6.3.1. When I was in
7.VS 6:1 - “1 Now it came about
in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of
7.1.
This verse tells us that the building of the temple by Solomon began in
966BC.
8.VS 6:2-3 - “2 As for the house
which King Solomon built for the Lord,
its length was sixty cubits and its width twenty cubits and its
height thirty cubits. 3 The porch in front of the nave of the house was
twenty cubits in length, corresponding to the width of the house, and its
depth along the front of the house was ten cubits.” - The measurements for the temple are given
8.1.
The common cubit measurement, or 18,” is used here in these measurement
specifications. Therefore, the temple
proper was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The measurements then indicate that the
temple in scale was exactly twice in size of the tabernacle. The room called the Holy of Holies inside the
temple was 30 feet by 30 feet by 30 feet.
8.2.
Solomon’s porch, which was at the front of the temple, was 30 feet wide
and 15 feet deep.
8.3.
Likewise, there was a courtyard for the priests that surrounded the
temple.
8.4.
When Harod’s
8.5.
The following is a diagram of the Tabernacle:
8.6.
The following is a diagram of Solomon’s temple:
The Ark of the Covenant is located in the
9.VS 6:4-6 - “4 Also for the house
he made windows with artistic frames. 5 Against the wall of
the house he built stories encompassing the walls of the house around both the
nave and the inner sanctuary; thus he made side chambers all around. 6 The
lowest story was five cubits wide, and the middle was six cubits
wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for on the outside he made
offsets in the wall of the house all around in order that the beams would
not be inserted in the walls of the house.” - The
outer perimeter of the temple proper is described
9.1.
Unlike the tabernacle, Solomon’s temple had small windows around the
outside of the temple proper.
9.2.
Also there was a storage area with storage chambers around the temple
proper that was three stories high.
10.VS 6:7 - “7 The house, while it
was being built, was built of stone prepared at the quarry, and there was
neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being
built.”
- The wood and stones were pre-cut
before delivery to the temple so that neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool
was heard at the temple site itself
10.1.
Wanting to preserve the serenity of the house of the Lord, every piece
of stone and wood was precut and merely slid into place at the temple site.
10.2.
There is always peace in the presence of the Lord, whether it is in
heaven or upon the earth. One of the
greatest blessings to God’s people is the peace that He gives us that passes
comprehension (Phil. 4:6-7). The scripture
tells us conversely that there is no peace for the wicked, those who are not
God’s people on this earth (Isaiah 48:22; 57:21).
10.3.
Since nails weren’t used, perhaps glues or cords were used for binding
together support beams.
11.VS 6:8-10 - “8 The doorway for the
lowest side chamber was on the right side of the house; and they would
go up by winding stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the
third.9 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the
house with beams and planks of cedar. 10 He also built the stories
against the whole house, each five cubits high; and they were fastened to the
house with timbers of cedar.” - The outer
chambers were built around the temple proper
11.1.
Again, there were three levels of rooms in this outer structure around
the temple proper, and each chamber was 7 ½ feet high.
11.2.
The rooms on the upper level were 10 ½ feet wide, on the second level 9
feet wide, and on the lowest level 7 ½ feet wide.
11.3.
These outer chambers were used for storage by the priests.
11.4.
The chambers were fastened to the temple proper with cedar timbers.
12.VS 6:11-13 - “11 Now the word of the
Lord came to Solomon saying, 12
“Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in
My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking
in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your
father. 13 “I will dwell among the sons of
12.1.
The word of God was delivered to Solomon most likely through some
unnamed prophet, and it was given to be an encouragement as well as a
warning.
12.2.
The Lord promised Solomon that He would dwell among
12.3.
It is possible that Solomon was becoming puffed up with pride as the
temple began to be built and people began to realize the awesome magnanimity of
it. This rebuke would realign Solomon
from being puffed up in pride.
13.VS 6:14-30 - “14 So Solomon built
the house and finished it. 15 Then he built the walls of the house
on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling
he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood, and he overlaid the floor
of the house with boards of cypress. 16 He built twenty cubits on
the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling;
he built them for it on the inside as an inner sanctuary, even as
the most holy place. 17 The house, that is, the nave in front of the
inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. 18 There was
cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open
flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen. 19 Then he prepared
an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the
covenant of the Lord. 20 The
inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and
twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid
the altar with cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the house
with pure gold. And he drew chains of gold across the front of the inner
sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold. 22 He overlaid the whole
house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar which
was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold. 23 Also in the
inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24
Five cubits was the one wing of the cherub and five cubits the
other wing of the cherub; from the end of one wing to the end of the other wing
were ten cubits. 25 The other cherub was ten cubits;
both the cherubim were of the same measure and the same form. 26 The
height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other
cherub. 27 He placed the cherubim in the midst of the inner house,
and the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one was
touching the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub was touching the
other wall. So their wings were touching each other in the center of the house.
28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold. 29 Then he
carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of
cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries. 30
He overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inner and outer sanctuaries.” - The building of the inside of the temple
proper is described
13.1.
The walls ceiling and floor were all made of cedar or cypress wood
which was then covered with gold.
Everything on the inside of the temple proper was covered with gold
which was to be a reflection of the holiness of the Lord.
13.2.
The wood on the walls had designs of guards, open flowers, palm trees,
and cherubim. Then, they would place the
gold overtop of the wood with its designs.
13.3.
Stretched across the front of the inner sanctuary (
13.4.
Solomon also had made two cherubim of olive wood covered with gold that
were 10 cubits (15 feet) across and these fit on the top of the mercy seat on
the Ark of the Covenant. The cherubim’s
wings spread from one wall to the other since the Holy of Holies was a 30 foot
cube.
13.5.
Between the
14.VS 6:31-32 - “31 For the entrance
of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood, the lintel and five-sided
doorposts. 32 So he made two doors of olive wood, and he
carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid
them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.” - The entrance and doors to the inner sanctuary
are described
14.1.
Beautifully carved doors of wood covered with gold led from the outside
into the
14.2.
The carvings on these doors were of cherubim, palm trees, and open
flowers.
15.VS 6:33-35 - “33 So also he made
for the entrance of the nave four-sided doorposts of olive wood 34 and
two doors of cypress wood; the two leaves of the one door turned on pivots, and
the two leaves of the other door turned on pivots. 35 He carved on
it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with
gold evenly applied on the engraved work.” - The
entrance and doors to the nave are described
15.1.
Outside of Solomon’s porch there were also two free standing bronze
pillars which stood 27 feet high and were 18 feet in circumference (Jer.
52:21). These pillars were named
“Jachin” (“he establishes”) and “Boaz” (“in him is strength”). The Lord was establishing these pillars as a
memorial to the fact that the temple and salvation itself came about from Him
and by His strong arm.
15.2.
A decorative capital rested on top of each pillar (2 Kings 25:17).
16.VS 6:36 - “36 He built the inner
court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.” - The inner court’s construction is described
16.1.
This is the court surrounding the temple proper. Evidently, there was an inner court as well
as an outer court.
17.VS 6:37-38 - “37 In the fourth year
the foundation of the house of the Lord
was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year, in the month
of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished throughout all its
parts and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.” - The time to completion of the temple is given
17.1.
The construction of Solomon’s temple took seven years and six months.
18.CONCLUSIONS:
18.1.
May we desire the zeal for the Lord and to be with the Lord as David
did.
18.2.
May we as God’s people realize the importance of sacrificing of our
time and our resources in order that God’s work be sustained and souls won to
Christ.