The Cost of Building

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Opening Prayer

Holy Spirit, come and bring light, even to those corners of my life where I prefer shadows and secrets. Release Your forgiving grace.

Read 2 Chronicles 2:1-18

^[1] Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself. ^[2] He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them. ^[3] Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of Tyre: “Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in. ^[4] Now I am about to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God and to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals of the LORD our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel. ^[5] “The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. ^[6] But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him? ^[7] “Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided. ^[8] “Send me also cedar, juniper and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours ^[9] to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. ^[10] I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.” ^[11] Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you their king.” ^[12] And Hiram added: “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the LORD and a palace for himself. ^[13] “I am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, ^[14] whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father. ^[15] “Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, ^[16] and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.” ^[17] Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. ^[18] He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.

Meditate

Jesus had a heightened sensitivity towards the disadvantaged, the marginalized and the exploited. We are called to be just like Jesus.

Think Further

This chapter provides a fascinating insight into the ancient world. The description of Solomon’s negotiations with Hiram king of Tyre for the supply of the wood required to build the Temple and the skilled workers able to make it “large and magnificent” (9) offer a glimpse into patterns of trade at the time. We also realize what a huge logistical challenge was involved, with vast amounts of timber being floated down the Mediterranean to Joppa, then taken upstream along the river Yarkon before being hauled up to Jerusalem at 2,500 feet above sea level!

It was also labor intensive, and the historian reveals that Solomon identified “all the foreigners residing in Israel” (17), a phrase which indicates remaining members of the original peoples of the land and others who had come into Palestine more recently (1 Kings 9:20-21). This group, numbering over 150,000 men, is conscripted as “carriers” and “stonecutters in the hills,” with an additional 3,600 appointed as “foremen … to keep the people working” (18). This is ominous language which echoes that used to describe the experience of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt and anticipates the crisis that was to split the nation apart when, after Solomon’s death, Jeroboam and his followers rebelled over “the harsh labor and heavy yoke” imposed upon them (2 Chron. 10:4).

On the morning I am writing these notes there is news of the exploitation of a Nepalese workforce building new stadia in Qatar for the 2022 soccer World Cup. Dozens of workers have died and thousands are subjected to modern-day slavery. Sporting stadia are the new temples of a secular world. Like the writer of Chronicles we must lift the veil on these dazzling projects to expose the human costs borne by thousands of poor, marginalized people.

Apply

What does Solomon teach us about leadership? What are the positives? The negatives?

Closing prayer

Compassionate Lord, I pray today for those who are working to bring justice and peace to the exploited of this world. Prosper their endeavors and use them for Your purposes.

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