Monday, September 30 – 1 Kings 7, 2 Chronicles 4

1. What agreement did Solomon make with Hiram, king of Tyre? (1 Kings 5:8, 9)

2. How many years after the exodus did Solomon begin building the Temple? (1 Kings 6:1)

Commentary and Reflection:

When Solomon finished building the temple, he focused on constructing his house. The temple took seven years to build, while his house took 13 years. This indicates that he prioritized building the Temple before building his own home. It was 20 years of construction, a significant amount of time, meaning he spent at least half his reign building. Beyond the differences in tools and methods, today’s culture demands speed. Modern constructions must be quick, but things built well and last a long time take time to construct.

“His whole period of building thus occupied 20 years (1 Kings 9:10; 2 Chron. 8:1), from the 4th year of his reign to the 24th. The building of the Temple took only seven years because it was a single structure, and a long period of preparation had preceded the actual building (1 Chron. 22:2-4). However, the palace complex consisted of a large range of buildings for which previous preparation could not have been made to any extent.” (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, 1 Kings 7:1)

The peace he inherited from his father allowed him to dedicate himself to building. To build peace is necessary. War destroys, and peace builds. This is also true on a personal level.

Here, the expert in metal casting recommended by Hiram, the king of Tyre, is identified. This was Hiram, an Israelite of the same name living in Tyre. The amount of bronze and gold used is impressive. Equally impressive is the number of details in the figures and the number of utensils. There was no skimping on valuable materials.

Solomon took what his father David had dedicated — the silver, the gold, and the other utensils — and placed them all in the treasuries of the house of the Lord (1 Kings 7:51).

The construction and establishment of the sanctuary, which had been in a tent until then, in a permanent place were of national, historical, and religious importance.

“Of surpassing beauty and unrivaled splendor was the palatial building which Solomon and his associates erected for God and his worship. Garnished with precious stones, surrounded by spacious courts with magnificent approaches, and lined with carved cedar and burnished gold, the temple structure, with its broidered hangings and rich furnishings, was a fit emblem of the living church of God on earth, which through the ages has been building in accordance with the divine pattern, with materials that have been likened to “gold, silver, precious stones,” “polished after the similitude of a palace.” 1 Corinthians 3:12; Psalm 144:12. Of this spiritual temple Christ is “the chief Cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” Ephesians 2:20, 21.” (Prophets and Kings, p. 36)

May the Holy Spirit impress upon our hearts and show us the importance of the place we dedicate to encountering God.