Solomon Builds the Temple (continued)

Introduction:

In this lesson, Solomon continues working on the interior of the Temple, with a focus on the inner sanctuary.

Review:

The Tabernacle

Built shortly after the Exodus from Egypt under Moses (1446-1445 BC).  Replaced by Solomon’s temple.

Solomon’s Temple

Built by King Solomon (966-959 BC).  Destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.  (Remember:  This is not the temple that existed at the time of Christ.)

Herod’s Temple

The Second Temple (Zerubbabel’s Temple)
Built after the Babylonian exile around 516 BC.
Renovated and expanded by Herod the Great beginning around 20 BC.
Destroyed AD 70.

1 Kings 6:19-38 NLT
Solomon Builds the Temple (continued)
¹⁹ He prepared the inner sanctuary at the far end of the Temple, where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant would be placed. ²⁰ This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He overlaid the inside with solid gold. He also overlaid the altar made of cedar. ²¹ Then Solomon overlaid the rest of the Temple’s interior with solid gold, and he made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place. ²² So he finished overlaying the entire Temple with gold, including the altar that belonged to the Most Holy Place.
²³ He made two cherubim of wild olive wood, each 15 feet tall, and placed them in the inner sanctuary. ²⁴ The wingspan of each of the cherubim was 15 feet, each wing being 7 1⁄2 feet long. ²⁵ The two cherubim were identical in shape and size; ²⁶ each was 15 feet tall. ²⁷ He placed them side by side in the inner sanctuary of the Temple. Their outspread wings reached from wall to wall, while their inner wings touched at the center of the room. ²⁸ He overlaid the two cherubim with gold.
²⁹ He decorated all the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main room with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. ³⁰ He overlaid the floor in both rooms with gold.
³¹ For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, he made double doors of wild olive wood with five-sided doorposts. ³² These double doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The doors, including the decorations of cherubim and palm trees, were overlaid with gold.
³³ Then he made four-sided doorposts of wild olive wood for the entrance to the Temple. ³⁴ There were two folding doors of cypress wood, and each door was hinged to fold back upon itself. ³⁵ These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers—all overlaid evenly with gold.
³⁶ The walls of the inner courtyard were built so that there was one layer of cedar beams between every three layers of finished stone.
³⁷ The foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid in midspring, in the month of Ziv0, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. ³⁸ The entire building was completed in every detail by midautumn, in the month of Bul, during the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build the Temple. 

Examine the Scriptures

1 Kings 6:19-38 NLT
Solomon Builds the Temple (continued) 

¹⁹ He prepared the inner sanctuary at the far end of the Temple, where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant would be placed. 

What was inside the inner sanctuary?

1. 1. The Ark of the Covenant

This was the central and most important item.

It was a sacred chest that held the stone tablets of the Law (the Ten Commandments)

It represented God’s covenant with Israel and His presence among His people.

1. 2. The Mercy Seat (Atonement Cover)

The lid of the Ark, made of pure gold.

It was considered the place where God’s presence was especially manifested.

This is where the high priest would sprinkle blood on the Day of Atonement.

1. 3. Two Large Cherubim

Majestic, powerful, Heavenly beings carved from olive wood and overlaid with gold.

They stood inside the inner sanctuary with wings outstretched, spanning the width of the room.

Their wings overshadowed the Ark, symbolizing divine protection and the throne of God.

Read:

Exodus 25:17-22 NLT (Plans for the Tabernacle)

¹⁷ “Then make the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It must be 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. ¹⁸ Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. ¹⁹ Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. ²⁰ The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it. ²¹ Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. ²² I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.

The inner sanctuary was God’s dwelling place on earth in a symbolic sense. Only the high priest could enter—and only once a year—highlighting how holy and set apart it was.

• The inner sanctuary was at the far end of the Temple, where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant was placed.

• The inner sanctuary was God’s dwelling place on earth, in a symbolic sense.

More about the Tabernacle.

Read:

Leviticus 16:11-15 NLT (Plans for the Tabernacle)
(Leviticus 16 tells about The Day of Atonement)

¹¹ “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord. After he has slaughtered the bull as a sin offering, ¹² he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the Lord. Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain. ¹³ There in the Lord’s presence he will put the incense on the burning coals so that a cloud of incense will rise over the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant. If he follows these instructions, he will not die. ¹⁴ Then he must take some of the blood of the bull, dip his finger in it, and sprinkle it on the east side of the atonement cover. He must sprinkle blood seven times with his finger in front of the atonement cover.
¹⁵ “Then Aaron must slaughter the first goat as a sin offering for the people and carry its blood behind the inner curtain. There he will sprinkle the goat’s blood over the atonement cover and in front of it, just as he did with the bull’s blood. 

• The High Priest annually made propitiation for the Israelites by sprinkling the sacrificial goat’s blood over the atonement cover. 

²⁰ This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. He overlaid the inside with solid gold. He also overlaid the altar made of cedar. 

Gold represents what is:

Precious

Rare

Highly valued

This reflects God’s holiness, majesty, and radiant glory.

Gold also represents the brilliance and purity of God’s presence.

Pure gold does not tarnish or corrode, which made it a natural symbol of:

Moral purity

Perfection

Set-apart holiness

• Access to God is precious and holy. 

²¹ Then Solomon overlaid the rest of the Temple’s interior with solid gold, and he made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place.  

²² So he finished overlaying the entire Temple with gold, 

The altar 

including the altar that belonged to the Most Holy Place.

Exodus 30:1-10  NLT (Discussing the Tabernacle)
Plans for the Incense Altar

^30:1 “Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense. ² Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high, with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself. ³ Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar. ⁴ Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles. ⁵ Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant, in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. I will meet with you there.
⁷ “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. ⁸ And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation. ⁹ Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.
¹⁰ “Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord’s most holy altar.”

This altar was inside the temple building, in the Holy Place (the first room), just in front of the inner sanctuary (Holy of Holies) 

²³ He made two cherubim of wild olive wood, each 15 feet tall, and placed them in the inner sanctuary. 

• Two massive cherubim are constructed and placed in the inner sanctuary.

The cherubim were to stand as sentries.

Exodus 25:18-20 NLT (repeated from verse 19)
¹⁸ Then make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. ¹⁹ Mold the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. ²⁰ The cherubim will face each other and look down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they will protect it.

Take a look back to Genesis.

Genesis 3:24 NLT
²⁴ After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cherubim in Psalms.

Psalm 80:1
¹… O God, enthroned above the cherubim,
    display your radiant glory

• Cherubim are heavenly beings who guard, surround, and reflect the glory and holiness of God’s presence. 

²⁴ The wingspan of each of the cherubim was 15 feet, each wing being 7 1⁄2 feet long. ²⁵ The two cherubim were identical in shape and size; ²⁶ each was 15 feet tall. ²⁷ He placed them side by side in the inner sanctuary of the Temple. Their outspread wings reached from wall to wall, while their inner wings touched at the center of the room. ²⁸ He overlaid the two cherubim with gold. 

²⁹ He decorated all the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main room with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 

• The depiction of cherubim and beautiful trees and flowers is reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. 

³⁰ He overlaid the floor in both rooms with gold. 

More Gold.  More of God’s holiness, majesty, and radiant glory. 

³¹ For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, he made double doors of wild olive wood with five-sided doorposts.

Decorated carved doors separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

Some commentators believe these doors were sliding doors.

 ³² These double doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The doors, including the decorations of cherubim and palm trees, were overlaid with gold. 

These doors were also decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 

These doors function like the veil in the Tabernacle.

There is restricted access to God’s immediate presence.

Only the high priest could enter, and only once a year. (Leviticus 16) 

• Beautifully decorated carved doors separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 

In Solomon’s Temple, the entrance to the Most Holy Place may have involved both a wooden door and a curtain working together.

2 Chronicles 3:14 NLT
¹⁴ Across the entrance of the Most Holy Place he hung a curtain made of fine linen, decorated with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and embroidered with figures of cherubim. 

³³ Then he made four-sided doorposts of wild olive wood for the entrance to the Temple. ³⁴ There were two folding doors of cypress wood, and each door was hinged to fold back upon itself. ³⁵ These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers—all overlaid evenly with gold. 

³⁶ The walls of the inner courtyard were built so that there was one layer of cedar beams between every three layers of finished stone.

* “Israeli archeologists have excavated stone structures and fortification walls in which horizontal courses of wood beams were laid intermittently between courses of stones. These would allow the buildings to absorb earthquake shocks without collapsing. (Many parts of Israel are in active earthquake zones.).”

³⁷ The foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. ³⁸ The entire building was completed in every detail by midautumn, in the month of Bul, during the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build the Temple.

• It took seven years to build the Temple. (Actually 7 ½ years.)

The number 7 often symbolizes completion and perfection in Scripture.

0

Solomon Builds the Temple

Introduction:

After arrangements for building the temple were in order, construction began. The temple will take seven years to complete.

David had stored up materials to be used in the construction of the temple (1 Chronicles 22:2-4, 14) and had drawn up plans for the temple and had given them to Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:11-12)

Review:

1 Chronicles 22:2-4, 14-16 NLT (We read vv. 2-4 previously)
² So David gave orders to call together the foreigners living in Israel, and he assigned them the task of preparing finished stone for building the Temple of God. ³ David provided large amounts of iron for the nails that would be needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps, and he gave more bronze than could be weighed. ⁴ He also provided innumerable cedar logs, for the men of Tyre and Sidon had brought vast amounts of cedar to David.

¹⁴ “I have worked hard to provide materials for building the Temple of the Lord—nearly 4,000 tons of gold, 40,000 tons of silver, and so much iron and bronze that it cannot be weighed. I have also gathered timber and stone for the walls, though you may need to add more. ¹⁵ You have a large number of skilled stonemasons and carpenters and craftsmen of every kind. ¹⁶ You have expert goldsmiths and silversmiths and workers of bronze and iron. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you!”

1 Chronicles 28:11-12 NLT
¹¹ Then David gave Solomon the plans for the Temple and its surroundings, including the entry room, the storerooms, the upstairs rooms, the inner rooms, and the inner sanctuary—which was the place of atonement. ¹² David also gave Solomon all the plans he had in mind for the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple, the outside rooms, the treasuries, and the rooms for the gifts dedicated to the Lord.

1 Kings 6:1-18 NLT
Solomon Builds the Temple
^6:1 It was in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, that he began to construct the Temple of the Lord. This was 480 years after the people of Israel were rescued from their slavery in the land of Egypt.
² The Temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.
³ The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet wide, running across the entire width of the Temple. It projected outward 15 feet from the front of the Temple. ⁴ Solomon also made narrow recessed windows throughout the Temple.
⁵ He built a complex of rooms against the outer walls of the Temple, all the way around the sides and rear of the building. ⁶ The complex was three stories high, the bottom floor being 7 1⁄2 feet wide, the second floor 9 feet wide, and the top floor 10 1⁄2 feet wide. The rooms were connected to the walls of the Temple by beams resting on ledges built out from the wall. So the beams were not inserted into the walls themselves.
⁷ The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.
⁸ The entrance to the bottom floor was on the south side of the Temple. There were winding stairs going up to the second floor, and another flight of stairs between the second and third floors. ⁹ After completing the Temple structure, Solomon put in a ceiling made of cedar beams and planks. ¹⁰ As already stated, he built a complex of rooms along the sides of the building, attached to the Temple walls by cedar timbers. Each story of the complex was 7 1⁄2 feet high.<BR<>¹¹ Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: ¹² “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. ¹³ I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.”

The Temple’s Interior
¹⁴ So Solomon finished building the Temple. ¹⁵ The entire inside, from floor to ceiling, was paneled with wood. He paneled the walls and ceilings with cedar, and he used planks of cypress for the floors. ¹⁶ He partitioned off an inner sanctuary—the Most Holy Place—at the far end of the Temple. It was 30 feet deep and was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. ¹⁷ The main room of the Temple, outside the Most Holy Place, was 60 feet long. ¹⁸ Cedar paneling completely covered the stone walls throughout the Temple, and the paneling was decorated with carvings of gourds and open flowers.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Kings 6:1-18 NLT
Solomon Builds the Temple 

^6:1 It was in midspring, in the month of Ziv, 

This month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of April and May on our calendar. 

during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, that he began to construct the Temple of the Lord.

Dates of Solomon’s reign (971-931 B.C.)

Solomon began temple construction about 966 B.C. (or 967 B.C.)

God has given Israel peace “on every side.

The absence of war allowed the temple project to begin.

• The time was right for the temple to be built.

• Solomon’s Temple was built in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, later known as the Temple Mount.

Key details:

Exact location: Mount Moriah (later known as the Temple Mount)

2 Chronicles 3:1 NLT
Solomon Builds the Temple
^3:1 So Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David, his father. The Temple was built on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the site that David had selected. 

Also, in 2 Samuel 24:18-25 we read more details about David building an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

This was the place where Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac.

Genesis 22:2 NLT
² “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” 

This was 480 years after the people of Israel were rescued from their slavery in the land of Egypt.

1 Kings 6:37 NLT
³⁷ The foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.

How long is 480 years.

480 years almost 2 times the age of America.

• The temple represents a transition from a wandering people to an established nation with God dwelling among them. 

² The Temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.  

2 Chronicles 3:3 NLT
³ These are the dimensions Solomon used for the foundation of the Temple of God (using the old standard of measurement). It was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. 

The “old standard of measurement” was a cubit equal to 18 inches.  The new standard was a cubit of approximately 21 inches.

• The Temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

*Approximately double the size of the tabernacle, but laid out similar to the tabernacle.

90 X 30 = 2700 square feet.  Compare that to the size of your house.

*Solomon’s palace was much larger than the temple and took 13 years to build.

By modern standards, the temple building itself was not enormous—about the size of a modest church or large house.  However, its importance, craftsmanship, and materials (like cedar and gold) made it extraordinarily impressive.

*The temple sat within a larger courtyard complex, making the entire sacred area much bigger than the building itself.

While the exact size in Solomon’s time isn’t stated, many scholars believe:

The full sacred complex (courts + walls) may have been roughly:

~1,500 feet long

~500–1,000 feet wide 

³ The entry room at the front of the Temple was 30 feet wide, running across the entire width of the Temple. It projected outward 15 feet from the front of the Temple.

A porch about 15 feet long in front of the 90 foot x 30 foot structure. 

 ⁴ Solomon also made narrow recessed windows throughout the Temple.

These openings had lattices or shutters capable of being opened, shut, or partially opened.

Above the rooms 

⁵ He built a complex of rooms against the outer walls of the Temple, all the way around the sides and rear of the building. 

Rooms to house temple personnel as well as rooms for storage.

⁶ The complex was three stories high, the bottom floor being 7 1⁄2 feet wide, the second floor 9 feet wide, and the top floor 10 1⁄2 feet wide. The rooms were connected to the walls of the Temple by beams resting on ledges built out from the wall. So the beams were not inserted into the walls themselves. 

The height of the rooms was 7 ½ feet. (v. 10)

The complex contained internal passageways and staircases.

• Solomon built a complex of rooms against the outer walls of the Temple. 

⁷ The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.

Exodus 20:25 NLT
²⁵ If you use stones to build my altar, use only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar unfit for holy use. 

Deuteronomy 27:5-6 NLT
⁵ “Then build an altar there to the Lord your God, using natural, uncut stones. You must not shape the stones with an iron tool. ⁶ Build the altar of uncut stones, and use it to offer burnt offerings to the Lord your God.

A sacred undertaking.

Precut and prefitted materials.

Avoid noise at the sight.

Evidently Solomon wanted to preserve the sanctity of the temple even while it was under construction by eliminating as much noise as possible.  (cf. Deut. 27:5-6).

• The temple was built in reverent silence.

This reflects:

Holiness

Order

Care in approaching God 

⁸ The entrance to the bottom floor was on the south side of the Temple. There were winding stairs going up to the second floor, and another flight of stairs between the second and third floors. ⁹ After completing the Temple structure, Solomon put in a ceiling made of cedar beams and planks. ¹⁰ As already stated, he built a complex of rooms along the sides of the building, attached to the Temple walls by cedar timbers. Each story of the complex was 7 1⁄2 feet high.

Detour

¹¹ Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: ¹² “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. ¹³ I will live among the Israelites and will never abandon my people Israel.”

The temple was the place where God met with His people.

However:
A magnificent building does not guarantee God’s presence.

God repeated to Solomon the promise he had made to David.

• The fulfillment of God’s word to David through his son was contingent on Solomon’s obedience to God’s commands.

1 Kings 2:3-4 NLT
David talking to Solomon
³ Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. ⁴ If you do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ 

1 Kings 3:14 NLT
The Lord speaking to Solomon
¹⁴ And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.” 

1 Kings 6:12 NLT
¹² “Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my decrees and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. 

1 Kings 9:4-8 NLT
The Lord speaking to Solomon
⁴ “As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, ⁵ then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: ‘One of your descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.’
⁶ “But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, ⁷ then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. ⁸ And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will gasp in horror. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’

Leviticus 26 is an entire chapter discussing blessings for obedience and punishments for disobedience.

God speaks directly to Solomon:
“If you follow my decrees… I will live among the Israelites…”

Unfortunately, because Solomon did not remain faithful to the covenant completely, God divided his kingdom after he died. Because the nation forsook the covenant, God ceased to dwell among the people and forsook them temporarily to captivity.

God’s presence is not guaranteed by the building itself.

It is conditional on obedience.

The Temple’s Interior

See also 2 Chronicles 3:10-13

¹⁴ So Solomon finished building the Temple.  

¹⁵ The entire inside, from floor to ceiling, was paneled with wood. He paneled the walls and ceilings with cedar, and he used planks of cypress for the floors. 

¹⁶ He partitioned off an inner sanctuary—the Most Holy Place—at the far end of the Temple. It was 30 feet deep and was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. 

The Most Holy Place

30 feet by 30 feet by 30 feet

More about the contents later. 

¹⁷ The main room of the Temple, outside the Most Holy Place, was 60 feet long. 

The Holy Place

60 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

More about the contents later. 

¹⁸ Cedar paneling completely covered the stone walls throughout the Temple, and the paneling was decorated with carvings of gourds and open flowers. 

• The beauty and organization of the Temple was meant to reflect God’s glory and kingship.

0

Preparations for Building the Temple

Introduction:

Solomon prepares to build the temple.

1 Kings 5:1-18 NLT
Preparations for Building the Temple
^5:1 King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David. When Hiram learned that David’s son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him.
² Then Solomon sent this message back to Hiram:
³ “You know that my father, David, was not able to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord his God because of the many wars waged against him by surrounding nations. He could not build until the Lord gave him victory over all his enemies. ⁴ But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well. ⁵ So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God, just as he had instructed my father, David. For the Lord told him, ‘Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my name.’
⁶ “Therefore, please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me. Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians!”
⁷ When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he was very pleased and said, “Praise the Lord today for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel.” ⁸ Then he sent this reply to Solomon:
“I have received your message, and I will supply all the cedar and cypress timber you need. ⁹ My servants will bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea and make them into rafts and float them along the coast to whatever place you choose. Then we will break the rafts apart so you can carry the logs away. You can pay me by supplying me with food for my household.”
¹⁰ So Hiram supplied as much cedar and cypress timber as Solomon desired. ¹¹ In return, Solomon sent him an annual payment of 100,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil. ¹² So the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as he had promised. And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace.
¹³ Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. ¹⁴ He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this labor force. ¹⁵ Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 quarry workers in the hill country, ¹⁶ and 3,600 foremen to supervise the work. ¹⁷ At the king’s command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple. ¹⁸ Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Kings 5:1-18 NLT
Preparations for Building the Temple

^5:1 King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David.

Note: Here we are talking about David, not Solomon.

Previously:

We have talked about King Hiram in the past.

2 Samuel 5:11 NLT (1 Chronicles 14:1)
¹¹ Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar timber and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built David a palace.

King Hiram provided David with:

Cedar timber
Carpenters
Stonemasons

• The King of Tyre helped David build his palace. 

Tyre: (refer to a map)

Tyre was an important Phoenician seaport on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel.(Tyre is part of Lebanon today)

Two towering mountain ranges ran within Lebanon’s borders, and on their steep slopes grew thick forests of cedars.

At this point in history, the Phoenicians dominated international sea trade.

At this point in history, Israel dominated the inland trade routes.

King Hiram formed an alliance with Israel (with David) for trading purposes.

Tyre was dependent on Israelite agriculture for much of its food.

• King Hiram and King David had a good working relationship. 

When Hiram learned that David’s son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him.

² Then Solomon sent this message back to Hiram: 

³ “You know that my father, David, was not able to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord his God because of the many wars waged against him by surrounding nations. He could not build until the Lord gave him victory over all his enemies. 

• Although David was denied the privilege of building the temple, he did make plans and provisions for its construction.

Read:

1 Chronicles 22:2-5 NLT
Preparations for the Temple
² So David gave orders to call together the foreigners living in Israel, and he assigned them the task of preparing finished stone for building the Temple of God. ³ David provided large amounts of iron for the nails that would be needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps, and he gave more bronze than could be weighed. ⁴ He also provided innumerable cedar logs, for the men of Tyre and Sidon had brought vast amounts of cedar to David.
⁵ David said, “My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced. And since the Temple to be built for the Lord must be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world, I will begin making preparations for it now.” So David collected vast amounts of building materials before his death. 

God’s work often unfolds in stages—David prepared, Solomon built.

⁴ But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well. 

God has given Israel peace “on every side.

The absence of war allowed the temple project to begin.

• The time is right for the temple to be built.

⁵ So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God, just as he had instructed my father, David. 

Background:

God speaking to the prophet Nathan, giving him a message to pass on to King David:

2 Samuel 7:12-13 NLT
¹² For when you (King David) die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. 

For the Lord told him, ‘Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my name.’

How does scripture describe the temple?

Deuteronomy 12:5 & 11 NLT
⁵ Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored.

¹¹ you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored.

• The Old Testament Temple was primarily understood as the earthly residence of God. 

⁶ “Therefore, please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me.

Cedar is a favored building material because of its beauty and durability.

Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians!”

Sidon, another more important Phoenician port city at this time, stood about 22 miles north of Tyre.

Sidonians may have been a general name for the Phoenicians.

Wisdom includes recognizing who has the skills needed for God’s work.

• God uses both His people and outsiders to accomplish His purposes.

• A more detailed account of Solomon’s request to King Hiram is found in 2 Chronicles 2:3-10

Read:

2 Chronicles 2:3-10 NLT
³ Solomon also sent this message to King Hiram at Tyre:
“Send me cedar logs as you did for my father, David, when he was building his palace. ⁴ I am about to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God. It will be a place set apart to burn fragrant incense before him, to display the special sacrificial bread, and to sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, at new moon celebrations, and at the other appointed festivals of the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do these things forever.
⁵ “This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods. ⁶ But who can really build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to him?
⁷ “So send me a master craftsman who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as with purple, scarlet, and blue cloth. He must be a skilled engraver who can work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father, David.
⁸ “Also send me cedar, cypress, and red sandalwood logs from Lebanon, for I know that your men are without equal at cutting timber in Lebanon. I will send my men to help them. ⁹ An immense amount of timber will be needed, for the Temple I am going to build will be very large and magnificent. ¹⁰ In payment for your woodcutters, I will send 100,000 bushels of crushed wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”

⁷ When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he was very pleased and said, “Praise the Lord today for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel.” 

A Gentile recognizes God’s blessing on the people of Israel.

• In this culture it was common practice for people of one nation to recognize the deities of another nation.

Hiram likely was not recognizing Israel’s God as his own. He was most likely politely recognizing Solomon’s God. 

⁸ Then he sent this reply to Solomon:

“I have received your message, and I will supply all the cedar and cypress timber you need. ⁹ My servants will bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea and make them into rafts and float them along the coast to whatever place you choose. Then we will break the rafts apart so you can carry the logs away.

From Jerusalem to the nearest point on the Mediterranean coast was about 35–45 miles in a straight line. Traveling by road would be roughly 40–55 miles.

Getting the logs from the Lebanon Mountains to the city of Jerusalem would have been an incredible task. 

You can pay me by supplying me with food for my household.”

Repeat: Tyre was dependent on Israelite agriculture for much of its food.

¹⁰ So Hiram supplied as much cedar and cypress timber as Solomon desired. ¹¹ In return, Solomon sent him an annual payment of 100,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil. ¹² So the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as he had promised. 

And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace.

Similar to the alliance King David had with King Hiram.

• The alliance between Israel and Phoenicia resulted in peace for many years. Tyre was dependent on Israelite agriculture for much of its food. Israel needed lumber from the Lebanon Mountains (Tyre). 

¹³ Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. ¹⁴ He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this labor force. 

1 Kings 9:15, 21-22 NLT
¹⁵ This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.  

²¹ These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not completely destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them as slaves, and they serve as forced laborers to this day. ²² But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for forced labor. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, government officials, officers and captains in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers. 23 Solomon appointed 550 of them to supervise the people working on his various projects.

2 Chronicles 8:7-8 NLT
⁷ There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁸ These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them for his labor force, and they serve as forced laborers to this day.

Solomon’s method of providing workers for state projects eventually became very distasteful to the people.

1 Kings 12:18 NLT       (2 Chronicles 10:18)
¹⁸ King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, to restore order, but the people of Israel stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 

¹⁵ Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 quarry workers in the hill country, 

Scripture does not clearly state where all this labor came from.

It may have all been forced labor.

It could have included Israelites who were not “forced labor”.  (Rather a form of state labor.) 

¹⁶ and 3,600 foremen to supervise the work. 

These are most likely native Israelites.

Overall, it took a lot of people to build the temple.

• Organization and administration are essential in carrying out God’s work. 

¹⁷ At the king’s command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple. 

Quarried at a nearby quarry:

1 Kings 6:7 NLT
⁷ The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site.

Work is done with precision before assembly.

Transportation of these stones to Jerusalem would require enormous manpower. 

¹⁸ Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.

The Gebelites lived 60 miles north of Tyre.

This story emphasizes the favorable relationship between King Solomon of Israel and the Phoenician king, Hiram.

Proverbs 16:7 NLT (almost certainly written by Solomon)
⁷ When people’s lives please the Lord,
even their enemies are at peace with them.

God Uses Both His People and Outsiders.

Phoenicians contributed significantly to the temple. (Labor and materials.) 

• When people’s lives please the LORD, even their enemies are at peace with them. (Proverbs 16:7 NLT)

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Solomon’s Administration of Israel

Introduction:

Solomon does some things well in the beginning of his reign as Israel’s king.  We do see, however, that Satan is already “getting his foot in the door”.

1 Kings 4:1-34 NLT
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
^4:1 King Solomon now ruled over all Israel,
² and these were his high officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.
³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were court secretaries.
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.
⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
⁵ Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors.
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted adviser to the king.
⁶ Ahishar was manager of the palace property.
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.
⁷ Solomon also had twelve district governors who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food for the king’s household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year. ⁸ These are the names of the twelve governors:
Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim.
⁹ Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.
¹⁰ Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher.
¹¹ Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor. (He was married to Taphath, one of Solomon’s daughters.)
¹² Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth-shan near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam.
¹³ Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, including the Towns of Jair (named for Jair of the tribe of Manasseh) in Gilead, and in the Argob region of Bashan, including sixty large fortified towns with bronze bars on their gates.
¹⁴ Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.
¹⁵ Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, another of Solomon’s daughters.)
¹⁶ Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth.
¹⁷ Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar.
¹⁸ Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin.
¹⁹ Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead including the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
There was also one governor over the land of Judah.

Solomon’s Prosperity and Wisdom
²⁰ The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink. ²¹ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.
²² The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal; ²³ also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.
²⁴ Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. ²⁵ During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.
²⁶ Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses
²⁷ The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. ²⁸ They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.
²⁹ God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. ³⁰ In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. ³² He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. ³³ He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. ³⁴ And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.

Examine the Scriptures

Solomon’s Administration of Israel

1 Kings 4:1-34 NLT
Solomon’s Officials and Governors 

^4:1 King Solomon now ruled over all Israel, 

Solomon ruled over an undivided kingdom, as his father had before him at the end of his reign.

2 Samuel 8:15 NLT
¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people.

Israel is now functioning as one nation under Solomon’s rule.

Rather than a loose tribal confederation.

A tribal confederation is a loose alliance of independent tribes that come together for shared purposes—such as defense, leadership, religion, or survival—while still maintaining their own identity and local authority.

The kingdom under Solomon’s rule was unified and stable.

• King Solomon ruled over all of Israel. 

² and these were his high officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the (high) priest.
³ Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were court secretaries.
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.
⁴ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
⁵ Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors.
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted adviser to the king.
⁶ Ahishar was manager of the palace property.
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.

Solomon’s governmental officials included:

A high priest
Court secretaries
A royal historian
A commander of the army
Priests
A person in charge of the district governors
A trusted advisor
A manager of the palace property
A person in charge of forced labor (More about this in vs. 21-22)

• Solomon developed an organized and highly structured government.

1 Corinthians 14:40 NLT
⁴⁰ But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

• Solomon delegated authority to capable leaders. 

⁷ Solomon also had twelve district governors who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food for the king’s household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year. 

Solomon’s twelve districts did not exactly coincide with the old tribal allotments.

• Each of Solomon’s twelve districts was responsible for providing for the king’s household for one month each year.

⁸ These are the names of the twelve governors: 

Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim.
⁹ Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.
¹⁰ Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher.
¹¹ Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor. (He was married to Taphath, one of Solomon’s daughters.)
¹² Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth-shan near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam.
¹³ Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, including the Towns of Jair (named for Jair of the tribe of Manasseh) in Gilead, and in the Argob region of Bashan, including sixty large fortified towns with bronze bars on their gates.
¹⁴ Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.
¹⁵ Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, another of Solomon’s daughters.)
¹⁶ Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth.
¹⁷ Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar.
¹⁸ Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin.
¹⁹ Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead including the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.

There was also one governor over the land of Judah.

Solomon’s Prosperity and Wisdom 

²⁰ The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

Review God’s promise to Abraham.

Genesis 22:17 NLT God speaking to Abraham
¹⁷ I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.

They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink. 

Solomon displayed great wisdom in the early years of his kingship, and as a result, Judah and Israel prospered and “were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink.”

• The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

• The people of Israel and Judah were experiencing a growth in population, peace, and prosperity. 

²¹ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south.

Refer to a map.

Review God’s covenant with Abram.

Genesis 15:18 NLT
¹⁸ So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—

God’s nature is perfectly truthful—He cannot lie.

Everything God says is reliable, pure, and trustworthy.

Hebrews 6:18 NLT
¹⁸ So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. 

Numbers 23:19 NLT
¹⁹ God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through? 

The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.

The non-Israelite communities did not lose their identity and territory, but rather recognized Solomon’s authority and brought him tribute without giving up their land.

“Satan’s foot in the door.”

1 Kings 9:20-21 NLT
²⁰ There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ²¹ These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not completely destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them as slaves, and they serve as forced laborers to this day.

These inhabitants should have been destroyed.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 NLT
¹⁶ In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. ¹⁷ You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God. 

2 Chronicles 2:17 NLT
¹⁷ Solomon took a census of all foreigners in the land of Israel, like the census his father had taken, and he counted 153,600.

1 Kings 5:13-14 NLT
¹³ Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. ¹⁴ He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this labor force.

1 Kings 9:15 NLT
¹⁵ This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

• Solomon’s kingdom included non-Israelite communities.

• Non-Israelites sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.

• Solomon conscripted non-Israelites as slaves, and they served as forced laborers.  

²² The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal; ²³ also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.

• Maintaining the royal court was costly.

This lifestyle appears to be excessive. (Satan’s foot in the door)
(Continued in v. 27) 

²⁴ Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. 

Refer to a map. 

²⁵ During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety.

And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.

• The people of Solomon’s kingdom experienced God’s blessings of personal security, economic stability, and domestic peace. 

²⁶ Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses.

Note:

“Satan’s foot in the door.”

Deuteronomy 17:16 NLT
¹⁶ “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’

1 Kings 10:26-29 NLT
²⁶ Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. ²⁷ The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah. ²⁸ Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Cilicia; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price. ²⁹ At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver, and horses for 150 pieces of silver. They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Note:

Horses = military power in the ancient world (especially chariots).

Egypt was known for supplying horses and chariots.

God did not want his people to trust in military strength.  God wants his people to trust in him.

God does not want his people to relying on foreign alliances (especially Egypt).

• Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses. 

²⁷ The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. ²⁸ They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.

• The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court.

A form of taxation 

Samuel Warns against a Kingdom

1 Samuel 8:10-17 NLT
¹⁰ So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. ¹² Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. ¹³ The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. ¹⁴ He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. ¹⁶ He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. ¹⁷ He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.  

²⁹ God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. 

• God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.

³⁰ In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. ³² He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. ³³ He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. ³⁴ And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.

• People “from every nation” came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

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Solomon Judges Wisely

Introduction:

Today’s passage is very familiar to many people.  It is a story of King Solomon using his God-given wisdom.

Two prostitutes come before King Solomon with a dispute over a living baby. Both women had given birth, but one child died during the night. Each claims the living child as her own.

1 Kings 3:16-28 NLT
Solomon Judges Wisely
¹⁶ Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. ¹⁷ “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. ¹⁸ Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.
¹⁹ “But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. ²⁰ Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. ²¹ And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
²² Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”
“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.
²³ Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other. ²⁴ All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.
²⁵ Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”
²⁶ Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!”
But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”
²⁷ Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”
²⁸ When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Kings 3:16-28 NLT

Solomon Judges Wisely 

¹⁶ Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled.

The Israelite king represented the highest court of appeal.

It was possible to bypass lower judicial officers.

Difficult or unresolved cases could be brought before the king.

Lower judicial officers did exist:

Deuteronomy 16:18 NLT
Justice for the People
¹⁸ “Appoint judges and officials for yourselves from each of your tribes in all the towns the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly.

This is not the only time individuals appealed to the king of Israel:

2 Samuel 15:2 NLT
² He (Absalom) got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. When people brought a case to the king for judgment, Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell him their tribe.

2 Kings 8:1-3 NLT
The Woman from Shunem Returns Home
^8:1 Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.” ² So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
³ After the famine ended she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land. 

• Two prostitutes came to King Solomon to have an argument settled. 

 ¹⁷ “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house.

While the law condemned prostitution (Leviticus 19:29 and Deuteronomy 23:18), it still existed in Israel.

Brothels were common in ancient Near Eastern cities.

Though these women were the most despised class of women in Israel, Solomon demonstrated his kindness and availability to all people.

• Deuteronomy 23:18 says that prostitutes were detestable to the Lord.

• Solomon was willing to give these women a fair hearing—showing justice is for all people.

Solomon’s court was open even to the lowest members of society. 

I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. ¹⁸ Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.

There were no other witnesses. This a judge’s worst-case scenario.  It was one person’s word against another person’s word.

• There were no other witnesses. This was a case of one person’s word against another person’s word.

The testimony of a prostitute would not have much credibility to most people.

The Lack of Evidence: Because they were alone in the house, there were no witnesses. In ancient Near Eastern law, cases usually required two or three witnesses. Without them, it was one person’s word against another’s—a “hard case” that only a divinely inspired king could solve.

Deuteronomy 19:15 NLT
¹⁵ “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Paul quotes Deuteronomy 19:15 in 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 13:1 NLT
^13:1 This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, “The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”). 

¹⁹ “But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. ²⁰ Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. ²¹ And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
²² Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”
“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.

Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
⁹ “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?

• Solomon is dealing with deceit, desperation, and lies, with no witnesses to support either argument. 

²³ Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other.

Solomon was a good listener.

Solomon restates the case.

The issue is accurately defined.

This highlights the difficulty: there are no witnesses, no proof—only two opposing claims.

Human judgment alone cannot easily resolve this.

Solomon:

treats both claims equally.

avoids premature conclusions.

positions himself as a fair and neutral judge.

• Solomon sets the stage for a deeper test—not of facts alone, but of the heart. 

²⁴ All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.

²⁵ Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”

• Solomon proposes a shocking solution: divide the living child in two, giving half to each woman.

Solomon understands true motherhood will reveal itself through compassion.

Solomon knows that the real mother’s love will do almost anything to protect the life of her child.

• True wisdom involves understanding human nature, not just applying laws.

God-given wisdom discerns more than surface facts—it reaches the heart. 

²⁶ Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!” 

But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”

Note the contrast.

• The real mother immediately pleads for the child’s life, even if it means surrendering him to the other woman. The false claimant agrees to the division.

True love is self-sacrificing; false love is self-centered. 

²⁷ Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”

Through his God-given understanding of human nature, Solomon identified the true mother.  Solomon understood why people behave as they do and how they will respond in various situations.

The child’s mother did not want to see her baby killed so she was willing to give it to the other woman.

The woman who was not the baby’s mother had no compassion for the child.

• Solomon identifies the real mother based on her compassion and gives her the child.

• God’s gift of wisdom enabled Solomon to uncover truth where evidence was lacking. 

²⁸ When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.

• The people of Israel realized that the wisdom of God was in Solomon.

• Solomon’s wisdom became known throughout his kingdom.

Solomon was admired as a wise administrator of justice.

• The Lord had answered Solomon’s prayer for a discerning heart.

1 Kings 4:29-31 NLT (next chapter)
²⁹ God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. ³⁰ In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone else …

God had given Solomon the wisdom he promised:

1 Kings 3:12 NLT (previous lesson)
¹² I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!

1 Kings 10:23-24 NLT (future passage)
²³ So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. ²⁴ People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 

Application

Wisdom is a gift from God.

Wisdom is more than intelligence or knowledge—it is the God given ability to make right judgments in difficult situations.

God’s wisdom enables us to see beyond appearances to the heart of a matter.

Verses to consider:

James 1:5-8 NLT
⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Proverbs 9:10-12 NLT
¹⁰ Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
¹¹ Wisdom will multiply your days
and add years to your life.
¹² If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.

James 3:17 NLT
¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

Biblical wisdom = knowing God + trusting His Word + living it out daily.

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