What I Noticed Today (1 Kings 5-6; 2 Chronicles 2-3)
1 Kings 5
Timber and stone are acquired for the construction of the Lord’s Temple.
In verses 1-12, Solomon’s father, David, had provided much of what was needed to build the Temple, but Solomon reached out to Hiram, the King of Tyre to supply cedar trees from the forest of Lebanon.
Note: Hiram was the Gentile king of Tyre (Lebanon). The timber Hiram supplied was taken to the Mediterranean Sea made into rafts, floated to Joppa, and then carried to Jerusalem.
- Solomon provided a 100,000 bushels of wheat and 110,000 gallons of oil to Hiram, king of Tyre, every year. In exchange, Hiram supplied timber for the construction of the temple.
- Solomon and Hiram made a treaty with each other, and there was peace between them.
In verses 13-18 to help in the work,
- Solomon drafted 30,000 men and sent 10,000 of them to work in Lebanon for a month at a time.
- There were 70,000 porters and 80,000 stone cutters in the mountains.
- The immense stones needed for the Temple were cut at stone quarries nearby.
1 Kings 6
Construction of the Lord’s Temple begins.
In verse 1, the construction of the Lord’s Temple began 480 years after the Israelites came out of Egypt.
Note: This would place the date of the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt at approximately 1446 or 1447 B.C.
In verses 2-10, details of the size and construction of the Temple are described.
In verses 11-13, the Lord entered into a covenant with Solomon (1 Kings 6:11) stating that the Lord would dwell among the people and not forsake them as long as they walked in His statutes, obeyed His rules, and kept His commandments.
In verses 14-36, the details of the construction of the interior of the Lord’s Temple are described.
In verses 37-38, the Temple construction began in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign and was finished seven years later.
2 Chronicles 2
In 2 Chronicles 2, Solomon began the process of securing additional materials and specialized workmen from Hiram, king of Tyre to build the temple.
In verses 1-10, Solomon decided to build the temple for the Lord and his own royal palace.
- He assigned 70,000 men as porters, 80,000 men as stonecutters, and 3,600 men as supervisors.
Note: Imagine, 153,600 men all working on building the Lord’s temple and Solomon’s palace!
- Solomon sent a letter to Hiram, king of Tyre asking him to send craftsmen skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, and yarn. He also asked Hiram to supply timber (cypress and algum wood).
- In return, Solomon promised to send Hiram 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of oil.
Note: Tyre was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast. They were excellent traders, depending on other nations to supply food.
In verses 11-16, Hiram responds to Solomon’s request:
- Hiram wrote a letter back to Solomon agreeing to supply the workers and timber.
- In his letter, Hiram referred to the Lord God of Israel who loves His people and set Solomon over them as having created the heavens and earth.
Note: Hiram’s response seems to indicate that Hiram believed in God. However, in those days, people believed each country had a god that oversaw affairs in their own country. So Hiram probably recognized the God of the Israelites without considering that as a non-Israelite God would have anything to do with him.
Note: It is interesting that Solomon asked Hiram for a man skilled in working with metals, as though there was no one among the Israelites with those skills. Regardless, the man Hiram sent was the son of an Israelite woman whose father was from Tyre.
In verses 17-18, Solomon completed a census of the men assigned to working on the Lord’s temple and his royal palace.
- A total of 153,600 resident aliens (non-Israelites) living in Israel were assigned to build the temple under the supervision of Israelites.
2 Chronicles 3
Solomon begins to build the Lord’s temple.
Note: The temple was built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. It is an especially holy site to the Israelites. It was here that Abraham started to offer his son, Isaac as a sacrifice to God (Genesis 22). It is also the location of the threshing floor of Araunah that David purchased as a site to offer sacrifices to the Lord after the census (1 Chronicles 2).
In verses 1-14, it took time to assemble all the people and materials to begin construction of the temple. In the second month of Solomon’s fourth year, the construction of the temple began. The temple was constructed according to the plans given to him by his father, David.
- The foundation was set in place first. The portico was built across the front entrance to the temple.
- The larger room was paneled with cypress and overlaid with gold.
- The Holy of Holies was built next. The entire room including the ceiling was overlaid with 45,000 pounds of gold. Even the nails were made of gold.
Note: 45,000 pounds of gold, 720,000 ounces, is worth nearly a Billion dollars at today’s prices ($1,300/ounce).
- Two cherubim were made and overlaid with gold. Each of the cherubim had a wingspan of 15 feet. They stood on their feet facing the larger room.
- The veil between the Holy of Holies and the larger room of the temple was made of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen with cherubim woven into it.
In verses 15-17, two pillars were placed on either side in front of the temple.
- These pillars were 35 cubits tall (approximately 52.5 feet), and on top of the pillars were capitals five cubits tall (7.5 feet).
Note: The total height of the pillars was 60 feet. That is roughly the height of a six-story building!
- One pillar he named 'Jachin' which means 'He will establish,' and the other he named 'Boaz' which means 'Strength is in Him.'
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- Solomon’s heart was devoted to God as he began his reign. He saw his role as a servant of God charged with the responsibility of leading and caring for God’s people. His request to God for wisdom in governing makes this very clear.
- It seems though that Solomon’s wisdom did not extend to all aspects of his reign because he begins amassing great numbers of chariots and horses from the Egyptians in direct violation of God’s command. Perhaps Solomon was relying on his wisdom alone to protect the people, rather than on trusting in God.
