Solomon Building God’s Temple

Under a sky as blue as sapphires, in the heart of ancient Jerusalem, King Solomon was standing, contemplating the task before him. The work is a tremendous one, of great moment—the defining act, in fact, of his entire reign, really, he knew—the building of the Temple of the Lord. To Solomon, son of King David and Bathsheba, had come the kingdom at peace. But his father was a warrior, and he—Solomon the Wise and Peaceful. He remembered his father’s words, told from a longing heart, “My son, I had it in my heart to build an house to the name of the Lord my God.” But not so—he was a man of war, and this house would not be built by him. Instead, the task was left to the man of wisdom and peace-Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:7-9).

Standing on the very site where he would build the great Temple, Solomon would remember that God had once appeared to him in a dream and promised him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Not seeking riches or long life, Solomon had asked for wisdom to govern God’s people. The Lord was pleased with the demand and offered him an understanding mind which no one could even dream of what he was offered for. God also gave him things, which he had not asked- wealth and honor. Now Solomon, equipped with the same wisdom began the work of the Lord. And he ordered King Hiram of Tyre, a long-time friend of David, to provide him cedar and cypress logs from the highly forested land of Lebanon. “Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David,” he wrote, “who is about to build a temple for the Name of the Lord his God.” Great was Hiram’s joy at the opportunity: with the word, he sent more wood along with craftsmen and with an abundance of other materials. (1 Kings 5:1-10)

The building of the Temple was a wonder of human skill and divine inspiration. Teams of laborers and artisans worked with a devotion that was inspired by their very fear of the Lord. The great stones that laid the foundation were of a perfect size, and so also with the best cedar, with which the walls were made inscribed by means of all kinds of carving works with cherubim and palm trees, and open flowers all overlaid by pure gold (1 Kings 6:14-35). Now, while Solomon was thus employed in the construction of the Temple, he did not forget the interior of the building in which was to be placed the Ark of the Covenant—the most sacred object in Israel. The Holy of Holies had been made with scrupulous care, its floor and walls being overlaid with gold. He made two cherubim of olive wood ten cubits high, with outstretched wings to touch each other and the walls of the room, in this room, which was denominated the Most Holy Place, to represent an evidence of God’s omnipresence in it. 1 Kings 6:23-28.

After seven years of labor, the Temple was completed, which proved to be not just a building but a masterpiece—both a revelation of God’s glory and a display of Solomon’s devotion. Dedication of the Temple before the altar, all the people of Israel gathered. It was a great solemn affair. There stood Solomon before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the assembly of Israel, and he spread forth his hands toward heaven (1 Kings 8:22). It is in such a prayer of dedication that Solomon acknowledged the greatness of God: “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27). He begged God to keep His eyes open and His ears attentive to the prayers offered in the Temple.

And it came to pass, when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house, so much that all the children of Israel were worshipping, bowing themselves, and praising the Lord: “for He is good; for His mercy endures forever”. The Temple of Solomon was not just another physical embodiment of Israel’s faith; it was a lighthouse meant to show God’s presence among His people. Heaven touched earth, and mortal met divine in this place, where the prayers of the humble heart found a hearing ear in the heavens.