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.