Saturday, June 21, 2014

The Building of the Temple (1 Kings 6:1-10, 36-38)


12/21/2010 7:58:06 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Building the temple

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                       Reference:  1Kings 6:1-10, 36-38; 2Chron. 3

 

            Message of the verses:  This is the third main point from the third chapter of Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on 1Kings, “Be Responsible” and there are several sub-points under this main point.  The first one he entitles “The outer structure and it covers the verses mentioned above.

 

            The outer structure (verses 1-10, 36-38; 2Chronicles 3):  “1 ¶  Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came 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  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. 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. 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. 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.

            “36  He built the inner court with three rows of cut 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  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.”

            “1 ¶  Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2  He began to build on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. 3  Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits, according to the old standard was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits. 4  The porch which was in front of the house was as long as the width of the house, twenty cubits, and the height 120; and inside he overlaid it with pure gold. 5  He overlaid the main room with cypress wood and overlaid it with fine gold, and ornamented it with palm trees and chains. 6  Further, he adorned the house with precious stones; and the gold was gold from Parvaim. 7  He also overlaid the house with gold-the beams, the thresholds and its walls and its doors; and he carved cherubim on the walls. 8  Now he made the room of the holy of holies: its length across the width of the house was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to 600 talents. 9  The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

    10 ¶  Then he made two sculptured cherubim in the room of the holy of holies and overlaid them with gold. 11  The wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits; the wing of one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub. 12  The wing of the other cherub, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house; and its other wing of five cubits was attached to the wing of the first cherub. 13  The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet facing the main room. 14  He made the veil of violet, purple, crimson and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it. 15  He also made two pillars for the front of the house, thirty-five cubits high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits. 16  He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains. 17  He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.”

 


 

            This is a concept of what the temple that Solomon built for the glory of the Lord looked like.

 

            I want to begin the commentary on this SD by writing about something that Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the beginning of his commentary on this third main section.  He writes that the two greatest sins that David committed were the adultery with Bathsheba leading to the murder of her husband, and also the numbering of the people near the end of his reign.  Out of these two sins came the man who would build the temple and also the property that the temple would be built on.  Romans 5:20b reads as follows, “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”  David paid dearly for his sins, but because of the greatness of our God he caused this to work out for his glory and for the good of the children of Israel.  God is so wise and powerful that He will use even our sinful things to bring Him glory.  Does this mean that we should go on sinning that grace may abound, Paul writes the answer to this question that he also asked with the strongest negative in the Greek language.

 

            The doors of the temple faced to the East as did the tabernacle.  The description of outer part of the temple is given in the verses above.  The plans came from God to David and then to Solomon who was also given great wisdom to be able to build this magnificent structure.  The building was ninety feet by thirty feet and forty-five feet tall.  There were three stories to the temple, but the most important part of the structure as far as its strength was in the foundation.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is said in the Scriptures that Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone which is the most important part of the most important part of the structure, the foundation.  If the foundation is faulty then the whole building is faulty, but my foundation is built on the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore it will stand forever.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      I want to give myself to the Lord for worship and service this day.

2.      Put on the whole spiritual armor because I am in a battle and in great need of it.

3.      Be more thankful.

4.      Trust the Lord to direct my path.

5.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

12/21/2010 8:44:10 AM

 

           

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