1 Kings 7:1-12 – Don’t be self-indulgent

In between the building of the temple for God and the furnishings, 1 Kings 7:1-12  took a detour to talk about the construction of Solomon’s palace. The first thing mentioned about the construction of the palace complex was the length of time it took to build it. In contrast with the construction of the temple which took seven and a half years, the construction of his palace complex took thirteen years, almost twice the time to build. However, it must be said that he only built the palace complex after the temple was built. It took him a total of slightly over 20 years to build the temple and the palace complex.

Grant it that more time was needed to build the palace because it was slightly bigger than the temple. First Kings 7:1-12 briefly describe the five annexes of the palace complex. Verses 2-5 refer to the “House of the Forest of Lebanon and the hall of pillars.” The beams and chambers were paneled with cedarwood. The windows and door frames were artistically made probably also from cedarwood. Then verse 7 refers to the “Hall of Judgment” where Solomon would judge and settle disputes brought before him. Verse 8 tells us that he had a palace built for himself and another one for Pharoah’s daughter whom he had married. We cannot get away from the fact that he built an impressive palace complex using quality stones and cedar.  

Though the Bible leaves no doubt that God had given Solomon great wisdom, it also shows us that he was self-indulgent. The problem with self-indulgence is that there can be no end to it. The craving of the human flesh and carnal desire is insatiable. If not tempered by self-control, one can lose control and becomes totally unrestrained. Self-indulgence always comes with a cost. If we don’t reign over it, we will pay more than we are willing to pay. The good news is that if we nurture a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led life, we will cultivate the fruit of self-control.