LA UBF UBF Bible Study: AS FOR THIS TEMPLE YOUR ARE BUILDING

AS FOR THIS TEMPLE YOUR ARE BUILDING

Mar 21, 2021

NOTE

SOLOMON BUILDS THE TEMPLE

1 Kings 6:1-38

Key verses 12, 13

“As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

Introduction

After their exodus from the bonds of slavery in Egypt, God revealed to Moses the blue print of the tabernacle. From that time on, the Israelites dreamed of building a permanent house for their God in the Promised Land. Finally that time came. God allowed Solomon to build the temple in Jerusalem. It would be the place where God is pleased to meet them. It would be a house of prayer for all nations. It would be God’s dwelling place on earth. And in the center, the very heart of the temple, would be the inner sanctuary, called “the Holy of Holies.” And in this most holy place, the Ark of the Covenant would be set. The Mercy Seat was placed on top of the Ark, and upon this seat sat the power, presence and glory of God, ever present, shining the wonderful light of God’ mercy. May the Lord help us to learn of the spirit of those who dedicated themselves to build the best temple for the name of the Lord God.

Read verses 1-10. When and where did construction begin? (1,2 Chronicles 3:1-2) Describe the structure of the temple. (2-10) Why was the temple built quietly? (7)

1-1, Read verses 1-10.

In the four hundred and eightieth[a] year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord.

7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

8 The entrance to the lowest[h] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

1-2, When and where did construction begin? (1, 2 Chronicles 3:1-2)

2 Chronicles 3:1-2 reads,

Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah[a]the Jebusite, the place provided by David. 2 He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

This reveals how long Israel had lived in the Promised Land without a temple. The tabernacle served the nation for more than four centuries.
The reign of Solomon began in 971 B.C. and ended at 913 B.C. (the temple was begun in 967 B.C.). This means that the Exodus took place in 1447 B.C.
As we studied in the previous passage, Solomon must have prepared and organized the work in the very first year of his reign and it took three years to prepare timber from Lebanon for use in building.
Yet the work was carefully organized and planned by David, even before Solomon became king.

1 Chronicles 28:11-12 reads,

“Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things.”

The writer of 1 Kings did not tell us exactly where the temple was built, but the writer of 2 Chronicles tells us that it was built on Mount Moriah, the same place where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac and Jesus would be sacrificed later.

1-3, Describe the structure of the temple. (2-10)

2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.[b] 3 The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,[c] and projected ten cubits[d] from the front of the temple.4 He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls. 5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms.6 The lowest floor was five cubits[e] wide, the middle floor six cubits[f] and the third floor seven.[g] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. 7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.8 The entrance to the lowest[h] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

The building of the temple and its associated areas have four main structures as follows.

- The temple proper (the house which King Solomon built), divided into two rooms (the holy place and the most holy place).

- The entrance hall on the east side of the temple proper. It was thirty feet (10 meters) wide and fifteen feet (5 meters) deep, and the same height as the temple proper.

- The three-storied side rooms (chambers all around) which surrounded the temple proper on the north, south, and west sides.

- A large courtyard surrounding the whole structure (the inner court mentioned in 1 Kings 6:36).

1-4, Why was the temple built quietly? (7)

7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

The stones used to build the temple were all cut and prepared at another site. The stones were only assembled at the building site of the temple like a preset condo construction in our times.
This was the very way God wanted His work to be done. The temple had to be built with human labor. God did not. He would not send angels to do so.
Yet Solomon did not want the noisy sound of man's work to dominate the site of the temple. He wanted to make sure that the temple was of God and not of man.
The same is true with the way God works in His people. Often the greatest work in the Kingdom of God happens quietly.

Read verses 11-18. What was God’s word to Solomon regarding the temple? (11-13) What promise did God refer to? (2 Samuel 7:5-16) What was the interior of the temple like? (14-18) How was the Most Holy Place partitioned off? (16)

2-1, Read verses 11-18.

11 The word of the Lord came to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper. 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits[i] long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.

2-2, What was God’s word to Solomon regarding the temple? (11-13)

We may wonder why God’s words came to Solomon in the middle of the temple construction. This was a conditional promise to Solomon and his descendents. It depended on the obedience of Solomon and his descendents.
It may be more important to take heed of God’s words rather than the building itself. “As for this temple you are building, if you follow…” indicates that obeying God’s commands are to be the first and foremost thing always.
When the Israelites disobeyed God despite the temple building, God could not but leave the nation until they may come back to their senses after suffering.

2-3, What promise did God refer to? (2 Samuel 7:5-16)

I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders[a] over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me[b]; your throne will be established forever.’” - 2 Samuel 7:5-16

God promised an obedient Solomon that he would reign and be blessed, fulfilling the promises God made to David about his reign (2 Samuel 7:5-16). He also promised that His special presence would remain among Israel as a nation.
We might say that there was nothing particularly new in this promise. These are essentially the same promises of the Old Covenant made to Israel at Sinai. But this was an important reminder and renewal of previous promises.
And I will dwell among the children of Israel: God was careful to not say that He would live in the temple the way pagans thought their gods lived in temples. He would dwell among the children of Israel. The temple was a special place for man to meet with God.

2-4, What was the interior of the temple like? (14-18)

They didn’t use any common or old material laying around to build with, they used very specific materials, which had to be located, purchased, and transported to the site.
They followed very specific instructions when they built, with specific dimensions and placement. Cherubim, palm trees and open flowers were engraved into the wood and everything was cedar. No stone was to be seen. Building the temple was never one of casual or conventional things, rather it is the best thing!

2-5, How was the Most Holy Place partitioned off? (16)

16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

The Most Holy Place is the place where God is willing to meet His people. The ark of the covenant and cherubim above is located in the Most Holy Place.

Read verses 19-38. Describe the inner sanctuary within the temple. (19-28) Describe how each part of the temple was adorned. (29-36) How long did it take to complete the temple? (37-38) How can we build God’s temple in our times? (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20)

3-1, Read verses 19-38.

He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. 21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

23 For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. 25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. 26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits.27 He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. 30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32 And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33 In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34 He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

36 And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.

37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv.38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.

3-2, Describe the inner sanctuary within the temple. (19-28)

3-3, Describe how each part of the temple was adorned. (29-36)

31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32 And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33 In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made door frames out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34 He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

They were overlaid with gold. The finest stone was used on the inside of the temple and the ceiling, floors and walls were covered with the finest cedar wood and overlaid with polished gold.
Imagine what it looked like when the sun shined in and reflected all around off of the gold. All of them custom made with the highest level of detail.
They used high grade stone and pure gold. It is difficult to make anything pure. It has to be refined over and over taking a lot of effort and cost because you lose some in the process.
They made it more concentrated, as pure as they could get it. No hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was used on the temple site while it was being used.
This shows their respect for God and also what care they took in their labor for the Lord because every stone had to be precisely measured and cut off site in the quarry and brought in and set into place.
That meant everything had to be planned out beforehand and thought of in advance.

3-4, How long did it take to complete the temple? (37-38)

36 And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.

3-5, How can we build God’s temple in our times? (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

We are now the temple of God. What kind of dedication and devotion are you putting forth to the God that has redeemed you?
Once you’ve accepted Christ as your Lord, you’ve only poured the foundation, after that the real building begins.
Pure gold and time consuming dedication may refer to the painstaking sanctification process. It may remind us of 2 Peter 1:3-11 as we had learned lately.

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

One word: We ourselves are God’s temple!

Attachment:

1King6-2021N.docx

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