The Building Of Solomon’s Temple: Part 1

When it comes to the building of the house of the Lord, this had to be done through God’s guidance and not man. If it was man’s wisdom alone when it came to this construction, then it would not be pleasing to God, but a place that would only offend Him in every way. My friends, when the Lord is not with us, our own good works are filthy and will never give root to good ground. Only when the Lord, our God, has come into our lives can we be led by Him. We will then begin to say and act as God would on this earth. This is what Solomon did as he started his reign as king, in place of David his father, who had recently passed away. If any person is concerned with what I am saying about what Solomon did, then lets read together in 2 Chronicles, chapter 3. We will start with verse 1, which reads, ¹“then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.” (2 Chronicles 3:1-3) So Solomon began the construction of the house of the Lord, as he was instructed by God. It was not out of his own wisdom, but the wisdom that God put forth in his life. This is very important, for if he had acted any differently, this house would have been a place where God could not reign at all, and Solomon would not have been blessed as abundantly as he was in this life.

This whole chapter of 2 Chronicles 3 is laid out below, so you can get the whole imagery of how this house of the Lord really looked like in all its grandeur. My friends, In this devotional I can only give you glimpses of this masterpiece, but you can read this chapter and the next to get the big picture of it before the temple was in full service. But for the sake of this message, let’s look at the inner portion of the temple. It reads, ¹“and in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold. And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub. And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub. The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.” (2 Chronicles 3:10-13) So just as the ark had two smaller cherubims on it, the inner portion of the temple had two larger cherubims also created, where the ark was set in between them. Cherubim are God’s protectors, so they were placed as guardians in the holy of holies. There is so much more I could go into, but to conclude this message, just know that this house was holy unto the Lord. All the many people that helped build the temple were also workers of God. We may not have a temple now, as it is in heaven, but we are to also act like Solomon did and do as God instructs. Our bodies are the temple of God, so we ought to walk in His holiness also.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I honor You this day and forever. I worship You now and give You praise. Thank You for leading me in the ways of righteousness. I prayed for Your guidance and You delivered. If I am wise in any fashion, then it is because You are with me. There is nothing good in me, except if it comes from You. I know that I am loved, and this brightens my day. Even when the storms of life are raging, You are here to lift me up. Your peace has come into my life like a fire, and my soul is at rest. Thank You for taking all the anxiety and all the fear. I am grateful just to walk out my faith and not to have to worry any longer about what others are thinking. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ any longer. People can call me names and even hurt me, but I will stand tall among all this. For I know that Your temple is in me, and I will not let down for a moment, in order for it to be desecrated. I know what it took to build up this relationship over time and I would not give it up for anything. People can offer me the world and exactly what my flesh desires, but still, I will not let my guard down. Walking in Your holiness is what brings me joy. I love it when You are in my life, but hate it when You are not. Therefore, for me to be a worker in Your kingdom, I am ready to carry on the mission You have in my life. Help me stand strong in the faith like others have before me. There have been great examples of people in the faith that have died honorably for You, and I will also go out having endured in the faith. Lord, being with You in heaven is the ultimate prize that I am looking forward to. Sure, I wish my family and friends would also be saved, but I know that it is up to them to make the decision to follow You, Jesus. As for me, I can’t wait to one day walk through the gates of Your temple in heaven or the new earth, whichever comes first. I pray that I will be found worthy to enter in. I love You, Lord. You are my God and I trust in You. Amen.

Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.

2 Chronicles 3

¹2 Chronicles 3 (KJV)
1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3 Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
4 And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
5 And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.
6 And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.
7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.
8 And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
9 And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
10 And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.
11 And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.
12 And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.
14 And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
16 And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
17 And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.