In this chapter, Solomon completes the Temple, and the Lord shares with Solomon the promise He made with his father, David. Here’s the chapter in its entirety: “It was in midspring, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, that he began the construction of the Temple of the Lord. This was 480 years after the people of Israel were delivered from their slavery in the land of Egypt.
The Temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The foyer 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. Solomon also made narrow, recessed windows throughout the Temple.
A complex of rooms was built against the outer walls of the Temple, all the way around the sides and rear of the building. The complex was three stories high, the bottom floor being 71/2 feet wide, the second floor 9 feet wide, and the top floor 101/2 feet wide. The rooms were connected to the walls of the Temple by beams resting on ledges inserted into the walls themselves.
The stones used in the construction of the Temple were prefinished at the quarry, so the entire structure was built without the sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site. (Wow...sounds like the first prefabricated structure!) 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. After completing the Temple structure, Solomon put in a ceiling made of beams and planks of cedar. As already stated, there was a complex of rooms on three sides of the building, attached to the Temple walls by cedar timbers. Each story of the complex was 71/2 feet high.
Then the Lord gave this message to Solomon: "Concerning this Temple you are building, if you keep all my laws and regulations and obey all my commands, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father, David. I will live among the people of Israel and never forsake my people."
So Solomon finished building the Temple. The entire inside, from floor to ceiling, was paneled with wood. He paneled the walls and ceilings with cedar, and he used cypress for the floors. 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 main room of the Temple, outside the Most Holy Place, was 60 feet long. Cedar paneling completely covered the stone walls throughout the Temple, and the paneling was decorated with carvings of gourds and open flowers.
Solomon prepared the inner sanctuary in the rear of the Temple, where the Ark of the Lord’s covenant would be placed. This inner sanctuary was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. Solomon overlaid its walls and ceiling with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar made of cedar. Then he overlaid the rest of the Temple’s interior with pure gold, and he made gold chains to protect the entrance to the Most Holy Place. So he finished overlaying the entire Temple with gold, including the altar that belonged to the Most Holy Place.
Within the inner sanctuary Solomon placed two cherubim made of olive wood, each 15 feet tall. The wingspan of each of the cherubim was 15 feet, each wing being 71/2 feet long. The two cherubim were identical in shape and size; each was 15 feet tall. Solomon 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. He overlaid the two cherubim with gold. All the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main room were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. The floor in both rooms was overlaid with gold.
For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon made double doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts. These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and the doors were overlaid with gold.
Then he made four-sided doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the Temple. There were two folding doors of cypress wood, and each door was hinged to fold back upon itself. These doors were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and the doors were overlaid with gold.
The walls of the inner courtyard were built so that there was one layer of cedar beams after every three layers of hewn stone.
The foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid in midspring of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. The entire building was completed in every detail by midautumn of the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build the Temple.” (1 Kings 6)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us establish our own sanctuaries, within our own homes to honor, study, meditate, and speak with you. We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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