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)
