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.