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.  

1 Kings 6:14-38 – Make God our focus in life

First Kings chapter six began by saying that  Solomon started to build the temple for God 480 years after the exodus. We were told earlier that the woods for the building were provided by Hiram, the king of Tyre. From verses 14-28, the author then described the interior of the temple. After briefly saying that the walls were covered with cedar panels and the floor was laid with cypress, he went on to describe the Holy of holies or the most holy place. It was a cube of 30 feet in length, breadth, and height located at the rear third of the temple. This would be the most important part of the building where the Ark of the covenant would be housed. Like the rest of the interior, this cube was overlaid with gold.   

Verses 23-28 describe the construction of the two cherubim. Like the cherubim that God had sent to guard the garden of Eden after the fall of man, Solomon also had two cherubim, each fifteen feet high constructed, as if to guard the Holy of holies. These cherubim were overlaid with gold. Their wings were constructed outspread with the tips of one cherub touching the tips of the wings of the other. The purpose was to emphasize the presence of the Holy God in the temple where the Ark would be placed. Then verses 29-36 describe the interior of the other two-thirds of the building. It was also overlaid with gold. On the walls and the inner walls were carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and budding flowers. As the building was for God, Solomon sought to make it as attractive as he knew how.  

In verses 37-38, we learn that the temple was built approximately in seven and a half years. This would become the most important building Solomon ever built. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the Babylonians during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar in the period of the exile. But it was also the time that the Israelites would rebuild it after the exile. It was a symbol of Israel’s relationship with God, for worship was the central activity of the life of the nation.   

Solomon had certainly built a beautiful temple for God. His desire was worthy of our admiration. Today we too want to build beautiful churches and design great programs to honor God. However, whatever we do, we must never shift our attention from God to the buildings or the programs we will design.  God must always remain the central focus in our lives. We must never make the peripherals our focus. Hence, we must make God the main focus of our lives. Be sure to make the main thing the main thing in life! 

 

1 Kings 6:11-13 – Obedience releases God’s blessing

One important criterion in leading a God-pleasing life is obedience. It was a great desire for Solomon to want to build a temple for God’s name. However, what’s more important to God was for him to be faithful to the covenant He had made with Israel. All of Solomon’s desires would be in vain if he did not live a life of covenant faithfulness. So in the middle of his building the temple, he received a word from the Lord. Here we are not told by what means God sent the word to Solomon. We surmise that God probably sent the message to him through a prophet. It is important that we are open and receptive to God whenever He speaks. Perhaps one of the most miserable moments in our walk with God is when He is silent, and no word comes from Him. It behooves us to be quick to listen and ever quicker to obey.

The message to Solomon was captured in 1 Kings 6:12-13. God revealed that His blessing to him and the people of Israel was conditional. They would experience His promise made to David if Solomon faithfully kept God’s way and walk according to His commandments. Notice the promise was not that God would dwell in the temple, but that He would dwell among them and not forsake them. For all Solomon’s good intenti0n in building God a wonderful temple, everything would come to naught if he were not faithful to obey all the instructions and commandments that God had given.   

Obedience to God and His Word has and will always be a determining factor in an effective life. Any person's usefulness to God and His kingdom’s work is only as effective as he or she remains faithful to Him. When disobedience to God is the way of a person’s life, he would soon find himself or herself redundant and be replaced by one who will faithfully obey God. On the other hand, God's approval and presence will attend to those who will walk in constant obedience to Him and His word.  The outcome of one’s life is very dependent on one's obedience to God. That's because being obedient is the way we express our trust in and love for God. So, remain obedient at all costs!

 

1 Kings 6:1-10 – Building a glorious life for God

Solomon began the construction of the temple in the fourth year of his reign, about 480 years after the children of Israel left Egypt. This would roughly be about seven generations after the exodus. In comparison to today’s standard, the temple was not a very large building. However, it served as another evidence of God’s promise to take the people into their promised land.

The temple was approximately 95 feet in length, 33 feet wide, and  49 feet in height. The size of this temple was twice that of the Tabernacle which  Moses had constructed. Unlike the Tabernacle, this temple had more features. Unless we are architects, engineers, or designers, it would be hard to visualize that building. Suffice to say that by the modern standard it was a beautiful three-story building with a porch about the size of the width of the temple. There were windows, chambers or rooms, corridors, doorway, and winding stairs. Verse 7 made clear that the stones were prepared at the quarry so that there was no sound of hammer, axe, or iron tool, heard in the construction of the temple. The temple was not only beautiful but also a functional building.

Here's a lesson we can draw from the temple that Solomon built for the glory of God. Unlike Moses’ tabernacle which was a temporary temple, Solomon’s temple was a more solid, permanent, and lasting building. Paul’s assertion in 1 Corinthians 3:19 and 6:19 is that our bodies are the temples of God. And if our bodies are the temples of God, like Solomon’s temple we must make it solid and lasting. We must build our lives on the solid foundation of Christ and His Word. We must build our lives for the glory of God! As we are building our lives, remember that a lasting life doesn’t come easy because what comes easy doesn’t last. So take time and effort, use the right material, and build a Word-abiding, God-honoring life!   

1 Kings 5:13-18 – Being Kingdom builders

The work of nation-building was not a small feat. Solomon not only had his palace and the temple but also other governmental buildings to build. Where could he find so many laborers for these projects? First Kings 5:13-18 said that he had a conscripted force. This was a type of national service, where these men would give three months a year to serve the nation. Adoniram who was earlier mentioned in 1 Kings 4:6 was again mentioned in 1 Kings:5:14. He was the person assigned to look after this conscripted force.   

The laborers conscripted were 30,000 men. On a rotational basis, 10,000 of them would be sent to work in Lebanon.  Then they would serve back home for two months. Besides these conscripted Israelites, verse 15 said that Solomon also had a total of 150,000 servers, probably made up of people from the nations he had conquered. These served as transporters and stonecutters under 3,300 supervisors assigned to look after them.

The word "house" in verses 17-18 refers to the temple Solomon wanted to build for God’s name. He demanded that quality stones be hewn to lay the foundation of the house. Verse 18 concludes this chapter by saying that Solomon’s workers, Hiram’s workers, and the Gebalites, the inhabitants of Gebal, collaborated to prepare the stones and the timbers for the building of the house of God.   

Like building the temple, building God’s Kingdom also requires laborers. And we are all enlisted to build the Kingdom. Let us be conscious that we are all kingdom builders. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 9:37-38 said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Will we respond to this call and be enlisted into God’s occupational force on earth to build His Kingdom? Know also that the church is the gathering of Kingdom builders. This church is built with the living stones of men. Like the quality stones that were used to build the foundation of the temple, will we be the quality living stones that Jesus can use in the building of His church? Remember, this Kingdom is for all eternity!

 

 

 

 

1 Kings 5:7-12 – Be godly influencers on the world

Solomon’s request to Hiram was met with great joy and goodwill. The latter’s immediate response was to give praise to God for Solomon. He acknowledged his wisdom and credited his ascension to the throne as the fulfillment of God’s will. We may not know if the friendship he had with David had resulted in him believing in Israel’s God. But we know that David had indeed left an impression in his life for him to bless the LORD so spontaneously.  

First Kings 5:8-12 record for us Hiram’s response to Solomon. After he had blessed the LORD, he wrote a letter to Solomon accepting his request for assistance. He even went a step further by detailing how he would have the cut cedar logs transported. He would gather the cut cedar logs, made them into rafts, and had them floated to the destination Solomon would specify. He even offered to dismantle the rafts at the port of call to make it easier for the servants of Solomon to carry them to where the temple would be built. Hiram here made two amendments to the terms he was given. Firstly, he would provide the logs, but his servants would not be working together with the Israelites. Secondly, he requested food for his royal household instead of giving wages to his men for he refused to take advantage of Solomon’s offer. The terms were set. So verse 11 detailed the amount of food Solomon would send to him year by year. Verse 12 then reiterate that Solomon’s wisdom was given to him by the LORD. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon as they sealed the covenant.

In these verses, we have a lesson on leaving a godly influence on others. Hiram’s action was a result of the impact David had made on him. So he initiated the goodwill toward Solomon on account of his friendship with David. His life must have been influenced by David quite a fair bit. In the same way, like David, we must live a life that will bear witness for God. We must conduct our lives in such a way that God will be praised by the people who associate with us. Undeniably, how we conduct our lives is important. We must seek to demonstrate godly character not to impress but to influence others. Bear in mind that what we are will speak louder than what we say. The best way to live a godly life is to live a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life. Today we are ambassadors of Christ in the world. And we must be His redemptive agents and godly witnesses to impact the world for Him.             

1 Kings 5:1-6 – Good friends are assets in life.

In 1 Kings 4, we learned that many of the surrounding nations had a cordial relationship with Israel. David had subdued them during his reign. Part of Solomon’s wealth came from the tributes paid by those nations. In 1 Kings 5:1-12, Hiram the ruling king of Tyre, the capital of Phoenicia, was highlighted. Second Samuel 5:11 tells us that he once sent messengers with cedar trees, carpenters, and stonemasons to build a house for David. In other words, he had a friendship with Israel since the days of David. Now when he learned that Solomon had succeeded his father on the throne,  he formally sent representatives to congratulate him. This was most likely done to maintain the mutually beneficial relationship they had with Israel.

Seizing the opportunity, Solomon then solicited Hiram’s help. He wrote a letter acknowledging that the latter had once helped his father to build his house. Now he asked him to  accord the same assistance to build a temple for God.  Notice that in his request, Solomon made known that David was unable to build the temple because of the war he had to fight. He also made it unmistakably clear that it was God who had enabled him to bring about the rest that Israel now enjoyed. Since they were enjoying peace all around, he wanted to fulfill the desire of David by building the temple. This desire was not something new. For God had made it known to his father that it would be him, Solomon, who would be used to build it. So he made the request to Hiram asking that he provide cedar from Lebanon, helpers, and expertise to assist him and his servants in this project. Solomon promised to pay for the services of the personnel that Hiram would send to help in the project.  

Some lessons to take away from these verses. Firstly, we learn about gratitude. Solomon was grateful for the blessings that he and Israel enjoyed. And in response to the blessings God had shown, he would like to build a temple in His name. Are we grateful for all the blessings we have received from God? If we are, we must nurture a God-honoring life to testify of His goodness. Secondly, just like the friendship Hiram had with David, we too need friends in life. Good friends can give us help in times of need. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Jesus calls us His friends. Thirdly, in Solomon’s willingness to pay Hiram for the services that would be rendered, we learn not to take friendship for granted. We must not take advantage of a friend’s kindness. Remember to reciprocate kindness. The best way to have friends is to be one.