Solomon Builds His Palace

Review:

1^st and 2^nd Samuel

The story of Israel’s transition from the time of the judges to the rise of the Monarchy.

The story of:

Samuel

Israel demanding a king

Saul’s rise and fall

Ish-bosheth was King Saul’s fourth son who briefly reigned as king over Israel for two years following his father’s death.

David’s reign – his success, sins, family tragedies, and God’s covenant with him.

Civil wars and conflicts in Israel.

1^st Kings

Solomon’s prosperity and wisdom.

Solomon builds the temple.

Introduction:

1 Kings 7:1–12 describes the construction of Solomon’s royal palace complex after the Temple was completed. The passage is important because it contrasts the house of God with the house of the king. 

• 1 Kings 7:1–12 describes the construction of Solomon’s royal palace complex after the Temple was completed.

1 Kings 7:1-12 NLT
Solomon Builds His Palace
^7:1 Solomon also built a palace for himself, and it took him thirteen years to complete the construction.
² One of Solomon’s buildings was called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. There were four rows of cedar pillars, and great cedar beams rested on the pillars. ³ The hall had a cedar roof. Above the beams on the pillars were forty-five side rooms  arranged in three tiers of fifteen each. ⁴ On each end of the long hall were three rows of windows facing each other. ⁵ All the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames and were arranged in sets of three, facing each other.
⁶ Solomon also built the Hall of Pillars, which was 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. There was a porch in front, along with a canopy supported by pillars.
⁷ Solomon also built the throne room, known as the Hall of Justice, where he sat to hear legal matters. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. ⁸ Solomon’s living quarters surrounded a courtyard behind this hall, and they were constructed the same way. He also built similar living quarters for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.
⁹ From foundation to eaves, all these buildings were built from huge blocks of high-quality stone, cut with saws and trimmed to exact measure on all sides. ¹⁰ Some of the huge foundation stones were 15 feet long, and some were 12 feet long. ¹¹ The blocks of high-quality stone used in the walls were also cut to measure, and cedar beams were also used. ¹² The walls of the great courtyard were built so that there was one layer of cedar beams between every three layers of finished stone, just like the walls of the inner courtyard of the Lord’s Temple with its entry room.

 Examine the Scriptures

1 Kings 7:1-12 NLT
Solomon Builds His Palace

Apply 2 Timothy 3:16-17 to this passage.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

• All scripture has value.

How much do you know about Solomon’s palace and the building of Solomon’s palace?

What comes to your mind when something in scripture is repeated?
What comes to your mind when something in scripture is not repeated?

Scriptures related to the building of Solomon’s palace.

Building Solomon’s palace:

1Kings 7:1-12
Only 12 verses
A much greater focus is placed on the building of the temple.

Other passages briefly mentioning the palace.

2 Chronicles 8:1 NLT
Solomon’s Many Achievements
It took Solomon twenty years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own royal palace. … 

1 Kings 9:10 NLT
¹⁰ It took Solomon twenty years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own royal palace. …

There are other passages in the Bible that talk about Solomon’s wealth.

• There are very few passages in the Bible related to the building of Solomon’s palace.

 

^7:1 Solomon also built a palace for himself, and it took him thirteen years to complete the construction.

The temple took 7 years to build.  Solomon’s palace took 13 years to build.

Reflect on the following passages of scripture:

Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

2 Kings 25:8-10 NLT
⁸ On August 14 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. ⁹ He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city. ¹⁰ Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. 

Solomon likely lived in his completed palace for about 16 years before his death.

Approximately 350 years later it was completely destroyed.

• “None of the remains of Solomon’s palace have been found by archeologists.”  (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

• The palace complex was considerably larger than that of the temple and appears to have included several buildings:

the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon
the Hall of Pillars
the throne room, known as the Hall of Justice
Solomon’s living quarters
a courtyard
living quarters for Pharaoh’s daughter

Many of the details of this construction project are missing. 

² One of Solomon’s buildings 

Solomon’s “palace” was a complex of structures.

The complex contained “Several separate but interconnected buildings.”  (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

was called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

Verses 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12 mention cedar.

• One of Solomon’s buildings was made of so much cedar it was called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 

It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 

One of several buildings in the palace complex.  150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 

The temple was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

This was an enormous structure.

More than four times the square feet of the temple floor, for just this building. (11,250 vs. 2,700 square feet) 

There were four rows of cedar pillars, and great cedar beams rested on the pillars. ³ The hall had a cedar roof. 

The repeated mention of cedar emphasizes Solomon’s enormous resources. Cedar was expensive and had to be imported from Lebanon. 

Above the beams on the pillars were forty-five side rooms arranged in three tiers of fifteen each. (Three floors?) ⁴ On each end of the long hall were three rows of windows facing each other. ⁵ All the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames and were arranged in sets of three, facing each other.

The building included storage area for weaponry.

1 Kings 10:16-17 NLT
¹⁶ King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds. ¹⁷ He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 

Isaiah 22:8 NIV
⁸ The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
and you looked in that day
to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.

Some believe this structure included both an armory and a treasury. (This makes sense.)  

⁶ Solomon also built the Hall of Pillars, which was 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. There was a porch in front, along with a canopy supported by pillars. 

3375 square feet.

The temple was 2700 square feet.

This may have been an entry hall or waiting area for the Hall of judgment. (MacArthur)

 

In the ancient world, architecture often communicated power:

Large buildings → wealth → authority → prestige.

Solomon possessed all of these in abundance. 

⁷ Solomon also built the throne room, known as the Hall of Justice, where he sat to hear legal matters. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. 

This is where Solomon sat to hear legal matters.

1 Kings 3:9 NLT
⁹ Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” 

 ⁸ Solomon’s living quarters surrounded a courtyard behind this hall, and they were constructed the same way. 

Solomon had access to tremendous resources and highly skilled craftsmen.

Everything he had built was constructed with the same high level of craftsmanship reflecting his wealth and royal status. 

He also built similar living quarters for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.

Refer to 2 Chronicles 8:11

2 Chronicles 8:11 NLT
¹¹ Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace, for the Ark of the Lord has been there, and it is holy ground.” 

⁹ From foundation to eaves, all these buildings were built from huge blocks of high-quality stone, cut with saws and trimmed to exact measure on all sides. 

Palestinian limestone can be cut with a saw when freshly quarried, but hardens when exposed to the elements.

¹⁰ Some of the huge foundation stones were 15 feet long, and some were 12 feet long. ¹¹ The blocks of high-quality stone used in the walls were also cut to measure, and cedar beams were also used. ¹² The walls of the great courtyard were built so that there was one layer of cedar beams between every three layers of finished stone, just like the walls of the inner courtyard of the Lord’s Temple with its entry room.

From our lesson on the construction of the temple.

* “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.).”

The courtyard:

The great palace courtyard was protected by a wall similar in design to that built around the inner courtyard of the temple. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

• There is nothing inherently wrong with Solomon’s beautiful buildings but as the story progresses, Solomon’s heart increasingly becomes divided.

There is an important contrast in 1 Kings:

The Temple represents worship and God’s presence.
The palace represents Solomon’s authority, wealth, and personal kingdom.

Remember:

Solomon likely lived in his completed palace for about 16 years before his death.

Approximately 350 years later it was completely destroyed.

“None of the remains of Solomon’s palace have been found by archeologists.”  (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

Think about:

Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. 

Matthew 6:24 NLT
²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.