Monday, November 9, 2015

I Kings 6: From Tabernacle To Temple

What a glorious wonder Solomon's Temple must have been to behold in the ancient world!  To quote John Hammond from Jurassic Park, the king "spared no expense" in its construction.

I Kings 6 begins with a little history lesson: It has been 480 years since the Israelites came out of Egypt in the Exodus.  During this time, the Tabernacle had served as the first centralized location for the practice of the Jewish faith.  Now, with the establishment of the monarchy, a permanent structure in Jerusalem is supplanting the old movable Tent of Meeting.  The Temple will become the new center of faith and practice for the Israelites.

The details of the three-story building are contained throughout verses 2 through 36.  The stones were precut at the quarry, so that no loud noises of cutting would be heard at the site during construction.  All the wood used inside was olivewood, cypress, or cedar imported from Lebanon.  The building itself was ornate, decorated with carvings and housing two giant statues of cherubim (angels).  Everything in the inner sanctuary was overlaid with gold.  In all, it took Solomon 7 years to build.

The Lord seemed pleased with the construction of the Temple.  In verses 12 and 13, we read about the word of the Lord that came to Solomon: “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, obey my ordinances, and keep all my commandments by walking in them, then I will establish my promise with you, which I made to your father David.  I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.”  There is a strong connection between the Temple and the covenant promise between God and His people.

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