PARTNERS IN GOD’S WORK
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am grateful that you have called me to follow you. Please help me to testify faithfully to the mercy and grace you pour out in abundance on me.
Read 1 KINGS 5:1 – 6:10
Preparations for Building the Temple
5 [a]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[b] of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths[c][d] 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[e] 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.
Solomon Builds the Temple
6 In the four hundred and eightieth[f] year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord.
2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.[g] 3 The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits,[h] and projected ten cubits[i] from the front of the temple. 4 He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls. 5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. 6 The lowest floor was five cubits[j] wide, the middle floor six cubits[k] and the third floor seven.[l] He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.
7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
8 The entrance to the lowest[m] floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-18 is numbered 5:15-32.
- 1 Kings 5:11 That is, probably about 3,600 tons or about 3,250 metric tons
- 1 Kings 5:11 Septuagint (see also 2 Chron. 2:10); Hebrew twenty cors
- 1 Kings 5:11 That is, about 120,000 gallons or about 440,000 liters
- 1 Kings 5:16 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 2:2,18) thirty-six hundred
- 1 Kings 6:1 Hebrew; Septuagint four hundred and fortieth
- 1 Kings 6:2 That is, about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 27 meters long, 9 meters wide and 14 meters high
- 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 30 feet or about 9 meters; also in verses 16 and 20
- 1 Kings 6:3 That is, about 15 feet or about 4.5 meters; also in verses 23-26
- 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters; also in verses 10 and 24
- 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 9 feet or about 2.7 meters
- 1 Kings 6:6 That is, about 11 feet or about 3.2 meters
- 1 Kings 6:8 Septuagint; Hebrew middle
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
May all we think and do be to God’s praise and glory.
Think Further
Solomon sets his mind on building the temple and because he lives in an era of peace and security, he is able to do it (5:4, 5). Often collaboration with neighbors was condemned in the Old Testament, but that was about Israel relying more on military alliances than on the Lord. In a time of peace, such cooperation is blessed. Solomon knows that building the temple is not something he can do alone, so he forms an alliance with Hiram that maintains peace and mutual economic benefit (v. 12). Hiram supplies the building materials and skilled workers. Solomon provides Hiram with produce to sustain the royal household.
The workmen of Tyre were famous across the Near East for their technical skill. They had once managed to build a significant breakwater by laying huge stones in the sea – an incredible feat of engineering in ancient times. As Solomon sought people to partner with, so should we. We may not agree on every aspect of doctrine, or share each other’s faith, but where cooperation can benefit the common good it should be pursued. Such partnership reflects the actions of Hiram, a foreign king, who is moved to praise the Lord for what has been undertaken and for how Solomon operates (v. 7).
Solomon’s successful reign depended on God’s presence with him and the people. The temple symbolized this. To construct the temple, the finest materials were used: cedar, often used in royal palaces because of its scent and size, and great costly stones. The workforce was well drilled and organized. It is important to take time and do things well when we are doing the Lord’s work. Solomon knows that this is not about him, but for the Lord’s glory, so it deserves not just the best materials but the best thinking and planning.
Apply
In all that we seek to do for God, let us seek out willing partners and remember that we work for God’s glory.
Closing prayer
I want my words and actions to glorify you, Jesus. Help me, so that what I say and do draws others to faith in you.
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