Solomon builds a Temple

1. STORY: Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 5-9)

• King David wanted to build a physical temple for God. But God said his son, Solomon, would build it. So David could only make all the preparations for it and set aside all the wood, gold, silver, stone and treasures for the building.
• After four peaceful years of reign as king, Solomon decided to start building the temple of God, as his father, David, had prepared him for. “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the Lordhis God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. But now the Lordmy God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. ⁵ 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 5:3-5)
• It took them seven years to complete the amazing temple. Solomon listened to God and built it exactly like God wanted. 
• Let’s take a look at how the temple might have looked like: Virtual tour of temple.

• The temple’s dimensions:
  •  About twice the size of the tabernacle (where the Ark of God was residing
  • cubit = about 18 inches; although some Bible scholars believe Solomon’s “cubit” was longer, ie 20 inches 
  • Length: 60 cubits 
  • Width: 20 cubits
  • Height: 30 cubits

• The temple’s materials: 
  • Only the finest woods and materials were used
  • The best craftsmen, artists, bronze-smiths and sculptors; hundreds of thousands of labourers
  • Cedars of Lebanon
    • Solomon was wise to make treaty with Hiram, king of Tyre, for purchase of the best timber (1 Kings 5)
    • Lined the inside of temple — no stone was seen

• Stone blocks
  • Stones were cut at the quarry; shaped so perfectly that they slotted together without being banged into place
  • No hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
• Gold 
  • The interior and altar of the Holy of Holies were overlaid with pure gold
  • The wooden doors were covered in gold 
  • Gold furnishings: table of bread, 10 lampstands, flowers, lamps, tongs, 100 bowls etc (1 Kings 7:48-50) 

• Bronze 
  • By wise and skilful master craftsman named Huram
  • Huram cast two bronze columns/pillars for the entrance of the temple; the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the columns, with its decorative features (400 bronze pomegranates); 10 lavers — stands with basins; a Bronze Sea (a large round tank supported by 12 bronze bulls); as well as pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls etc

• The temple’s layout:

• The temple was rectangular and had 3 main areas or rooms (similar to the tabernacle):
• The porch (portico/vestibule) 
  • 10 cubits from the front of the temple 
  • Has 2 big pillars

• The Holy Place/Greater House/temple
  • where the priests and worship leaders could enter to worship God 

• The inner sanctuary, the “Holy of Holies”
  • Considered the place God lived — where the ark of the covenant (the “throne” of God) was laid
  • The special holy room was lined with beautiful wood with gold over it. 
  • There were also cherubims — carved angels overlaid with gold, standing 10 cubits high each, with each wing 5 cubits long. 
  • Separated from the Holy Place by a two-leaved door and a thick curtain/veil of blue purple and crimson and fine linen (2 Chr 3:14)
  • Only the High Priest could enter once a year (on the Day of Atonement)

• Chambers/rooms built around the temple 
• Outside the temple:
  • Court of the priests/inner court
    • Altar of burnt-offering
    • Brazen sea 
    • 10 lavers

•  Great court
  • Where the people assembled to worship God with prayer and sacrifice 

• The temple’s dedication: 
  • After the temple was built, Solomon asked the priests to come to dedicate the temple to God. 
  • The priests brought the special box called the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God’s presence/throne. 
  • When the box was placed in the Holy of Holies, a big cloud filled the temple and the people knew the Lord was very close to them.
  • Solomon rejoiced that God’s presence was there. They praised the Lord and thanked Him for keeping His promise to His people.Solomon kneeled before the altar and prayed to God. “God, thank You that I was able to build this temple for You. Thank You that my father David planned it. But even this temple is not good enough. No place is big or high enough for You. You made the earth and the sky. Please, Lord, let this temple be a place where we can always find You.” (1 Kings 8)
  •  After Solomon prayed, fire from heaven came down and burnt the offerings and sacrifices, and God’s glory filled the temple. (2 Chron 7) 
  • The people who saw this praised God, “He is good; his love endures forever.”
  • Solomon then sacrificed an enormous fellowship offering — 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep (that’s a LOT of cows and sheep!!), as well as burnt, grain offerings. The Israelites celebrated the temple’s dedication for 14 days before heading back home. 
  • Afterwards God appeared to Solomon. He said. “If you do what I tell you, I will live in this temple. I will listen to the prayers of the people who come into this place.”  

2. LESSON:

• Solomon’s temple was very grand and beautiful. It had the best of every material, built by the most skilled craftsman. 
• Solomon built the temple as a house for God, even though He knew God could not be contained by a building (Isa 66:1-2). But the temple was a place that represented the presence of God in Israel and where God’s people could come to pray to Him and receive forgiveness of their sins.
• Even then, the Israelites could only worship in the outer courts of the temple. Back in Solomon’s time, God was separated from His people because He was holy and man was sinful. The people would bring their offerings/sacrifice/requests to the priests, who would then take the offerings/sacrifices/requests to God. 
• But when Jesus died on the cross, His blood washed away our sin and brought us near to God. We can now approach God boldly and confidently. (Heb 10:19-22)
• But do you know what’s even better? God’s Spirit, which filled Solomon’s temple, now lives in us … forever. When we believe in Jesus, WE have the privilege of being His temple. Our bodies are His temple. His Holy Spirit comes and lives in us. forever.
• As grand and glorious Solomon’s temple was, our bodies are even grander and more glorious — God’s spirit did leave Solomon’s temple eventually when the temple was destroyed, but God’s spirit lives in us forever and ever! 
• Memory Verse: 1 Cor 3: 16, it says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” Use activity/game to get kids to remember memory verse.