We have been looking at the life of Solomon. His great heritage as son of King David. His great wisdom as the wisest man ever and ever to come, except only Jesus is greater. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:42)
Solomon was a great builder. He built multiple cities, roads, a navy fleet, stables, city walls and a palace. But by far Solomon’s most noteworthy achievement was building the temple.
This temple was magnificent. The building of this temple employed more men than did the Taj Mahal. In today’s dollars it cost more to build than the New York City One World Trade Center.
This temple is called the first Temple or sometimes called Solomon’s Temple. This was not officially named Solomon’s Temple. This was not Solomon building a monument to himself. This was the Temple of the Lord. This was a temple inspired by God.
The plans for the temple were given to Solomon by his father David. King David received the plans by inspiration of the Lord. This was similar to the tabernacle in the wilderness, built according to the plans inspired by God.
Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the LORD and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. (1 Chronicles 28:11-12)
Solomon is credited for writing Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and one Psalm. That Psalm he wrote is Psalm 127. “Unless the Lord builds the house the work of the builders is useless” (Psalm 127:1)
Solomon put a workforce of 183,000 to work over a seven-year period. If building the temple was not the Lord’s that is a lot of useless activity.
In 1 Kings 5:5 Solomon states his purpose in building the temple.
“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.” (1 Kings 5:5)
I am about to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD my God. It will be a place set apart to burn fragrant incense before him, to display the special sacrificial bread, and to sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, at new moon celebrations, and at the other appointed festivals of the LORD our God. He has commanded Israel to do these things forever. (2 Chronicles 2:4)
The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. (2 Chronicles 2:5)
When the news of Solomon’s intentions to build a house of the Lord and his motive to please God reached the King of Tyre he was all in to help. He praised the Lord for such a wise King to succeed his father, David. The best of materials was ready and the King of Tyre sent Solomon a skilled master craftsman. (2 Chronicles 2:11-13)
The finest large stones were laid for the foundation of the temple. These stones were prepared and cut at the quarry so that all the cutting and hammering would be done away from the temple site to keep the utmost reverence at the building site.
The finest cedars of Lebanon were cut by expert tree cutters and floated in downstream. The holy of holies required 25 tons of gold. The walls were overlaid with gold and the temple with precious stones. The nails were made of pure gold.
It’s no wonder the building of the temple is considered the outstanding achievement of the reign of King Solomon. The temple was and still is considered the finest building ever constructed: A great temple for a great God.
The Old Testament gives us this extended account of Solomon’s Temple, but we don’t use temples with holy of holies today. How does this relate to us now? The temple veil has been torn in two. We don’t make sacrifices now.
Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice. Do we compare the temple to our church buildings today? The standard answer is no. God uniquely dwelled at the temple. The New Testament calls the body of a believer the temple of God.
2 Chronicles 2:6 asks, “who can build a temple that could contain God?” The answer is not one. Even the highest heavens cannot contain God.
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:8-10).
What Solomon builds is a place of worship. In this sense a modern church building can qualify. It is a special place of worship, but no church building or Solomon’s Temple could or can contain God.
The New Testament gives a perspective on Temple.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
When you trust Christ, your body becomes a sacred temple housing the Holy Spirit of God. That is why acts of immorality of a for real Christian is defaming the temple of God. That is why immorality is destroying and defaming the temple of God. The behavior of a believer is a serious matter.
“If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3: 17)
When the temple was built there was utmost care choosing and cutting the foundation stones. For believers the foundation is Jesus “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3: 11)
Fire will test each man’s work. When you build your body as the temple of God there are two ways you can go. You could use costly materials like gold, silver and precious stones or you could use wood hay and stubble that burn up.
Consider your earthly body dead to sin and alive to Christ. Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Accept Jesus Christ that your body will become the temple of God. Jesus already paid for it all.
