OVERVIEW:
Building Solomon’s house; the temple is furnished; the dedication of the temple.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
When we ended yesterday’s reading in chapter 6, the closing sentence of verse 38 was, “So was he (Solomon) seven years in building it (the temple).” Again, what a glorious thing! God finally had a more permanent dwelling on the earth! The next two words as we come into chapter 7, however, are very telling. Sad to say, at this point in 1st Kings, Solomon joins a long list of good men in the Bible of whom it could be said, “But Adam… But Noah… But Abraham… But Isaac… But Jacob… But Judah… But Moses… But Saul… But David…!” The first two words of chapter 7 are “But Solomon”! Oh, may the passionate surrender of our hearts never allow there to ever be a “but” that taints the testimony of our life!
The contrast indicated by the word “But” in verse 1, is that though Solomon was seven years in building THE LORD’S HOUSE (6:38), “…Solomon was building HIS OWN HOUSE thirteen years, and he finished all his house.” (7:1) Obviously, it took almost twice as long to build “his own house” as it did the Lord’s! Sure, there may be some variables to consider: there may not have been 183,000 workers who were a part of constructing Solomon’s house; it may be that the materials used in Solomon’s house had not been prepared before they were shipped as they were with the Lord’s house. However, for some reason, as the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of 7:1, the first word: “But” forces us to make the contrast between the amount of time it took to complete both “houses”.
As we move into 7:2, once again, we’re forced to make another very telling contrast. Back in 6:2 it says: “And the house which king Solomon built for the Lord, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height there of thirty cubits.” In 7:2, in reference to Solomon’s house, it says, “…the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits…” Not only did Solomon’s own house take almost twice as long to build, it was also almost twice as big!
There is no doubt, Solomon was certainly passionate about the Lord’s NAME and the Lord’s HOUSE. There was only one problem: he was twice as interested in his OWN NAME and his OWN HOUSE. May this reality cause each of us to look at our own life and ask: “Am I any different than Solomon?” In the midst of our passion for the Lord’s NAME and the GLORY due it, are we more interested in our OWN NAME and our OWN FINANCES; our OWN HOUSE and our OWN POSSESSIONS?
Perhaps the lesson in this for all of us is: It doesn’t matter how “blessed” of the Lord we are, or how “wise”, or how “sincere”, or how big of a “priority” we think Jesus has in our life today, as long as we are in this body of flesh, we are never going to be free from the temptation to make our OWN NAME and our OWN HOUSE a bigger priority than the Lord’s!
As chapter 7 continues, it details the specific instruction concerning the construction of the temple. As you read through these details of what would become the dwelling place of God, recognize that we are now the temple of God, and that the New Testament is our specific detailed instruction for building a life that is worthy of the dwelling place of Almighty God. Let us be as meticulous in following the instruction concerning our spiritual temple, as Solomon was this physical temple.
Notice at the end of chapter 7, “…Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord.” As we consider the unselfish and passionate investment of David’s life and resources into a temple he knew he would never see, may it likewise impassion us to unselfishly invest in the “temples” of both our physical and spiritual children and grandchildren, some that we may never see, a spiritual and moral legacy that can cause the glory of the Lord to fill them! (See 1st Kings 8.)
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As the GLORY OF GOD filling His Temple. — 1st Kings 8:10-11 (John 1:14; Isaiah 40:5; Matthew 16:27-17:2)