Wed.’s Devo - Building the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 5:1-6:38; Acts 7:1-29; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 16:28-30 Solomon was ready to build the temple and reached out to David’s friend, Hiram the king of Tyre. Hiram’s people were the best in the land for building with wood and they had a forest of cedar trees. Solomon asked him if he would supply them with cedars and workmen and he would pay them what they wanted. The king of Hiram was pleased with Solomon’s request and sent news that he would be honored to work with him building God a Temple. He asked in return for Solomon to supply his country with grain and olive oil. Solomon gathered 30,000 laborers and sent them in shifts of 10,000 at a time. They would stay one month in Lebanon and two months home. In the month of Pentecost, the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, he began to build the Templ elf the Lord. The building would be 90’ by 30’ and 45 ‘high. It had three stories with each story being wider than the one below. On the construction site there was no sound of hammering or sawing. It was all done off-site so that the area would be respected as holy. The inside was paneled with wood and overlaid with gold. The Most holy Place was partitioned off and . The inner sanctuary was also overlaid with gold. The altar was put in the center of the room and overlaid with gold. Two huge angels were made of wood that had a wingspan of 15 feet a piece. They touched in the middle and spanned the whole room. They were overlaid with gold and put in the inner sanctuary. The walls of the Temple were carved with trees, cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers overlaid with gold. It was to be a replica of the Garden of Eden with the glory of God reflected in the gold. It took seven years to build the temple. In Acts, the high priest asked Stephen if the accusations about him were true. Stephen began to give the history of their nation starting with Abraham. Our Psalm is so appropriate, as it says that unless the Lord build a house the workers work is in vain. Lord, may you build your Temple within us.