Temple Mania
(I Kings 5-8)
1. I have a one minute mystery. Two of them.
2.The first is this: A woman goes into a convenience store to buy a can of Coke. She pays for it with a $20 bill and receives $20.05 back in change. No mistake was made.
Think about that.
3. Here is the second one: Two children are born in the same hospital, in the same hour, day, month, and year, and have the same mother and father, but they are not twins. Think about that.
4. The answer to the first one with paying $20 and receiving $20.05 in change without a mistake is this: It takes place in Canada; she pays with American money, which is worth more, and receives change in Canadian money.
5. The answer to the second mystery with the two children who have the same parents being born at the same hospital on the same day but not twins is this: we are talking about two out of three triplets (or 2 out of 5 Loisch quintuplets).
6. These puzzles stagger the mind.
7. But in the ancient world, there were 7 wonders that staggered minds, including the pyramids. But one of those ancient wonders was the beautiful temple built to honor the LORD by Solomon.
Launching thought: As we look at this Temple, we will draw an important lesson, but let’s get there by examining the situation.
I. BUILDING the Temple (Chapters 5-7)
• Read vs. 1-6
• Note verse 5…the temple was for the NAME of the LORD, not the LORD
• History of the Temple: One place, Tabernacle, then Temple, now, in NT, we are God’s Temple
• Do not confuse the Temple with synagogues sometimes called temples
A. The WORKERS
1. Solomon strikes a deal with Hiram (Phonenicians)
2. Mutually beneficial….Phonecia…wheat/access to kings’ highways
3. Israel: timber and skilled workmen
4. Hebrews were not noted for architecture or building skills
5. Probably influenced by Phoenician Temples
"After studying records about Solomon’s Temple and Melqart’s Temple, one finds a lot in common between the two. It would not be a far-fetched suggestion to say that Solomon’s Temple of Jerusalem was a copy of Melqart’s Temple of Tyre. Because of the splendor it occupied in their mind, it is understandable that the Phoenician builders must have used Melqart’s Temple as a prototype for designing and building Solomon’s Temple." phoenicia.org/temple.html
6. Conscription: 30 K in 10 K increments (2 months off, one on)
7. 150,000 slave laborers
B. The STRUCTURE
1. 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, 45 feet high
2. Not meant for the people who never entered building
3. Not the quality of the Temple (6:7, 18-22, 23-28)
4. Completion in 7 years (6:37)
5. Then Solomon built his palace (13 years…no prep)
The site of the building of the temple is not given here, but 2 Chronicles 3:1 states that it was "on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David." This was also the site of the (aborted) sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham (Gen 22:2). It lay on the rocky platform just to the north of the city of David on the eastern ridge of Jerusalem, "on an eminence appropriate to its character" (H.G. Stigers, "Temple," ZPEB, 5:622-66).? Expositor’s
II. DEDICATING the Temple (8)
A. PREPARATION
1. Assembly fo all (1-6)
2. Dedication (3-13)…massive sacrifices, ark brought in
3. Solomon blesses the people
B. PRAYER
1. God’s watchcare (22-30)
note especially verses 23, 27, 30
2. Solomon prays about all kinds of situations: oaths, when defeated, drought, a famine, strangers (note vs. 41-43), in battle, in captivity
C. God’s RESPONSE (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)
Wiersbe:
"Solomon’s temple was a place of glory (vv. 1–12 ). However, despite its extraordinary beauty, it was just another building until God moved in and consecrated it ( Exod. 40:34–38 ). So it is with our lives ( 1 Cor. 6:19–20 ; Eph. 5:18 ) and our assemblies ( 1 Cor. 14:23–25 ). The presence of God is the important thing. A. ?W. Tozer aptly stated, “If God were to take the Holy Spirit out of this world, much of what the church is doing would go right on, and nobody would know the difference .”
Main Idea: Only persons can be spiritual, not buildings
III. Prioritizing Our HEARTS Over Infrastructure
A. God NEEDS No Building
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had no "worship center" at all
• Moses had just a tent
• When the second temple was built under Ezra, the Jews had returned from captivity and were at their godliest, yet the temple was plain and simple
• Buildings may facilitate spiritual purposes, and infrastructure can be a great help when combined with godly people who are seeking to reach and train others
• Never underestimate the importance of buildings, technology and facilities to help a church grow, but do not over-estimate it either…what really matters is what God does in human hearts…
• In NT, the church is never – not even once – used to refer to a building…
• Acts 17:24, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands."
• I Cor. 6:19, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own…"
• So we do not build buildings for God; He can’t fit in them anyway; we build them for people as a place of ministry to people in the Name of the Lord…
B. God’s Focus is Our RELATIONSHIP to Him
1. To obey is better than sacrifice
2. When you pray, do not use meaningless repitition…
3. When Christ assigns the lost to hell, His reason is clear, "Depart from me, you who work iniquity, for I never knew you…"
4. Does Christ know you? Do you know Him?
C. Whereas the visible can be a blessing, the most important things are INVISIBLE
1. When we saw some of the great artwork in Italy, we appreciated it; Marylu is an artist, and I enjoy art…
2. But I have heard people say, "It was so spiritual." Art is not spiritual; it is emotional. That is perhaps one of several reasons why God does not allow us to produce art for the purpose of worship, of bowing down to it…He wants us to distinguish spiritual truth from emotional feeling…
3. The Temple was awe-inspiring; so was the Temple being remodeled by the Herods in Jesus day…but the religious leaders had Christ crucified…
4. When will people learn that God is not interested in religious trappings, but that He wants our hearts?
Main Idea: Only persons can be spiritual, not buildings
CONCLUSION
1. Many people found going to the Temple, as instructed, to offer sacrifices, as instructed, nurtured their spiritual lives to some degree
2. But those same people were the ones who meditated on the Word of God day and night, who memorized God’s commands, and who lived hand in hand with God on a daily basis.
3. So today, a beautiful church building, wonderful music, and moral living cannot replace a personal relationship with God.
4. Where does that start? Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
