Building Plans
Opening Prayer
Lord, You have given all for me and I desire to worship You with a heart ready to give all for You.
Read 1 Kings 5:1-18
[1] When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. [2] Solomon sent back this message to Hiram: [3] “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. [4] But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. [5] I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’ [6] “So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.” [7] When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the LORD today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” [8] So Hiram sent word to Solomon: “I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. [9] My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household.” [10] In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, [11] and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. [12] The LORD gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty. [13] King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel-thirty thousand men. [14] He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. [15] Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, [16] as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. [17] At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. [18] The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What is God calling you to offer him?When Solomon’s father, David, came up with plans to build the Lord a “house,” which became known as the Temple, the Lord told him that he, the Lord, would build David a “house” instead, by making his dynasty strong and secure (2 Sam. 7:11).It wasn’t God’s plan for David to build the Temple; that honor would await his son (2 Sam. 7:12,13). Now Solomon sets about that task, all so the Lord can be worshipped aright. To get the job done Solomon organizes a huge building program (13-18) and also enlists the support of his neighbor, Hiram, king of Tyre. He is happy to help, supplying Solomon with huge quantities of timber from the cedar forests of Lebanon. It’s an arrangement that suits them both–Solomon gets the timber he needs, and he pays Hiram handsomely (11). The deal is sealed through a treaty of friendship (12), and through it, work on the place of worship begins.
Apply
Are there partnerships God may be calling you into for his kingdom purposes? Build for the eternal.
Closing prayer
Lord, I desire to worship You in the way You desire. Let me hear You and follow what is in Your heart.
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