Series: Biblical Cities- Jerusalem [#6]
JERUSALEM- SOLOMON’S TEMPLE
Matthew 23:37
Introduction:
We are continuing in our Series about some of the most mentioned Cities in the Bible. Tonight, we are going to study the city that is 1st on the list- Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mentioned 811 times in the Bible. Currently, there are 3 different Religions that consider Jerusalem to be a holy site- Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
Matthew 23:37
In our study last week, we saw King David wanting to build a Temple to God; and the Prophet Nathan agreed. Nathan had a dream and God told him to tell David that he would not be the person to build the Temple. God chose Solomon to build the Temple; and in his 4th year as King, Solomon began to build the Temple.
There are 4 applications from 1 Kings 6-8 concerning the Temple that I want us to study.
1 Kings 6:1, 37-38
Be thankful for…
1. The promises of God.
In 1 Kings 5, we see that King Solomon was getting all of the materials for the Temple together. There were thousands of workers needed to build the Temple. He began building the Temple in his 4th year as King; but it was not finished until his 11th year. I realize that 7 years of building was a long time; but it is a reminder to us that God fulfills His promises on His schedule, not ours. Be thankful for the promises of God.
1 Kings 6:19
Be thankful for…
2. The holiness of God.
While Moses was leading the Israelites through the Wilderness, they built the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was portable. The Temple changed that, because it was permanent. The Temple was measured in cubits- A cubit was about 18 inches. The Temple was about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high (a 4 story building). The Temple was about the same size as Bel Aire’s Sanctuary, (just not 45 feet high). That may not seem that big to us; but it was 4 times bigger than the Tabernacle.
1 Kings 6:3-10, 14-36 describes the dimensions and descriptions of the Temple. What I want you to notice from verse 19 is the inner sanctuary. In the middle and inner most portion of the Temple was the Inner Sanctuary also known as the Holy of Holies. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was placed and only the High Priest could enter this Holy Place after being made ceremonially clean. If the High Priest messed up, he would die. On the High Priest’s garments were pomegranate bells on the bottom of the robe and if the people stopped hearing movement, they knew that he had failed. They would drag him out with the rope that was fastened around his waist and would bring in the next guy in line.
The is all because of the holiness of God. We cannot enter into the presence of God on our own. It is only through the blood of Jesus that a Christian can go to the Throne of God. To be holy is to be separate. God tells us to be holy because He is holy.
1 Kings 7:13-14
Be thankful for…
3. The skills and talents that God has given you.
1 Kings 7:13-51 tells us about all that Huram had built. This is so important- God filled Huram with wisdom, with understanding, and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. God has also given you skills and talents to be used for God’s glory.
Conclusion:
I know that I said 4 points and not 3; but we will continue onto the 4th point next week. We need to be thankful for all that God has done.
