Slices
Prepare
Think of any impressive buildings you have seen. The scale of Solomon’s Temple was designed to be worthy of God’s name. Let it help you praise his magnificence.
Bible passage
Preparations for building the temple
5 When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:
3 ‘You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, “Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.”
6 ‘So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.’
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.’
8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon:
‘I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. 9 My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household.’
10 In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
13 King Solomon conscripted labourers from all Israel – thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labour. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16 as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.
Solomon builds the temple
6 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord.
2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high. 3 The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple. 4 He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls. 5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. 6 The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.
7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
8 The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.
Explore
The notes in the ‘Explore’ sections of this series in 1 Kings are written as the diary of a fictional courtier in King Solomon’s court (but look carefully at the Bible passages to check out his accounts!). As he observes, questions and comments on what he sees happening in Solomon’s life, he tries to discern God’s hand at work – and challenges us to do the same in our families, churches, communities and societies.
‘I was chatting today with one of the older courtiers, who is excited about developments taking place at the moment. He told me that King David had wanted to build a Temple for the Lord and had laid in supplies of fine building materials, before God told him that it was his son who would build the Temple, not David himself. My friend is delighted to see Solomon embarking on that building project.
‘It’s typical of Solomon’s wisdom that he has noted the strengths of different countries and has made a deal to make the most of these, trading Israeli agricultural products for Phoenician construction know-how. Usually, international agreements are bound by suspicion, mistrust and self-interest, but Solomon seems to have forged a close relationship with King Hiram that has sparked a blossoming of the forestry, quarrying and sea freight industries, and numerous training courses in all aspects of construction.
‘Yet, with all the busy-ness, the city itself remains remarkably quiet. All the work dressing stones, shaping timber and beating metals is being done off-site. Even in construction this is a holy place!’
Respond
Solomon was clear that he was building the Temple to honour God’s name. His dealings with Hiram caused Hiram to praise God. What things do you do to honour God’s name or cause others to praise him?
Deeper Bible study
Lord, may all we think and do be to your praise and glory.
Solomon sets his mind on building the Temple and because he lives in an era of peace and security he is able to do it (5:4,5). Often collaboration with neighbours was condemned in the Old Testament, but that was about Israel relying more on military alliances than on the Lord. In a time of peace, such cooperation is blessed. Solomon knows that building the Temple is not something he can do alone, so he forms an alliance with Hiram that maintains peace and mutual economic benefit (v 12). Hiram supplies the building materials and skilled workers. Solomon provides Hiram with produce to sustain the royal household.
The workmen of Tyre were famous across the Near East for their technical skill. They had once managed to build a significant breakwater by laying huge stones in the sea – an incredible feat of engineering in ancient times. As Solomon sought people to partner with, so should we. We may not agree on every aspect of doctrine, or share each other’s faith, but where cooperation can benefit the common good it should be pursued. Such partnership reflects the actions of Hiram, a foreign king, who is moved to praise the Lord for what has been undertaken and for how Solomon operates (v 7).
Solomon’s successful reign depended on God’s presence with him and the people. The Temple symbolised this. To construct the Temple, the finest materials were used: cedar, often used in royal palaces because of its scent and size, and great costly stones. The workforce was well drilled and organised. It is important to take time and do things well when we are doing the Lord’s work. Solomon knows that this is not about him, but for the Lord’s glory, so it deserves not just the best materials but the best thinking and planning.
Loving God, in all that we seek to do for you, lead us to willing partners and keep us remembering that we work for your glory.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Samuel 21,22; 1 Corinthians 9
Pray for Scripture Union
Appeals and Legacies Manager Kathy Brooks asks us to pray that all those reading Connecting You today will encounter God in a new and deeper way as they pray for the work of SU.
